6 Ups & 0 Downs From Last Night's WWE NXT (Mar 21)
Ups...
6. Silence Behind The Violence
WWE
With tricks even older than the late-1990s 'exposé' that revealed such devices as company-designed signs and the stunt granny, this week's episode poured petrol on the Ciampa/Gargano fire by deploying both tried and tested tropes.
Entering to a chorus of boos and sea of emoji signs, Ciampa was shouted down by the Full Sail regulars when attempting to pridefully say his piece, before instead taking to the floor and destroying yet more of what they love. Old ladies were screamed at and signs were torn as Ciampa attempted to let his actions do the talking. It was the perfect misdirect.
Hidden by a lucha mask and a giant board with his own logo on (as, logically, he'd have to be in order to make it into the building), Gargano struck with malice only previously exhibited by his partner. He was convincingly hauled out of the building as fans came unglued for his inventive and heroic response.
Chris Jericho and Samoa Joe once foretold of violence to follow as they prepared to annihilate Shawn Michaels and Finn Bálor respectively in their own iconic feuds. This rivalry has subverted those expectations. For Tomasso Ciampa, the worst may yet be to come.
Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett
