5 Ups And 5 Downs From Last Night's WWE NXT (April 15th)

2. Stakes?

It was only after another plug for next week's NXT earlier in the show, that doubts began to set in regarding this week's offering. It was for a triple threat #1 Contender's match for the Women's Championship. What this threw into stark contrast was the fact that the April 15 edition of NXT felt very light on stakes. Other than the self-advancement of one's career, what was on the line this week? Parker vs Crowe - nothing Corbin vs Cutler - nada Amore and Cass vs Fulter and Dawkins - zilch Brooke vs Pants - debut? Is that a stake? Rhyno vs Zayn - nowt Looking at the above matches, almost all of them are up-and-comers vs jobbers, making them all very predictable. Sure, all of the victors were booked correctly (with the possible exception of Corbin), but still, with nothing on the line, and the victory obvious to even the most committed contrarian, the potential excitement of each match suffered. The fact that Rhyno vs Zayn wasn't a #1 Contender's match was the real head-scratcher, however. Both men have their sights set on Kevin Owens and both men believe themselves to be the next in line for a shot, so why not make it official? It would give the episode some definition and create more of a big fight feel. When the match was said and done, the commentary team said 'you pretty much have to consider Sami Zayn the number one contender now.' If that was the message you wanted to end the show on, why avoid raising the stakes before the bell sounded? Bizarre.