6 Ups & 0 Downs From Last Night's WWE NXT (Mar 21)

by Michael Hamflett

1. Yo, Cole Ohno!

Kassius Ohno Adam Cole
WWE

There are those that consider a match of this calibre to be completely redefining NXT in 2018. A product so loaded with talent that it can justify airing a contest like this on free television rather than a TakeOver special speaks to shrewd reinvestment in the company's future. In equal measure though, there are those that consider the likes of Adam Cole and Kassius Ohno to be the beginning of the end for a once-great brand.

NXT was at one point positioned as a super-indie, but it wasn't that veneer that crafted a golden era, nor produced one of the finest wrestling shows ever just two months ago. The challenge for the former Ring Of Honor stars was to find that happier medium than worthier efforts against one another in matches past. Here, they just about succeeded.

Problematic in places because of the pair's reliance on bad habits NXT was designed to quash, the contest picked up huge in the final third as Ohno's tremendous babyface fire resulted in Cole collapsing to the floor in a heap from one of his knockout blows. Unable to capitalise, Kassius was undone by the The Undisputed Era leader with a trio of superkicks and The Last Shot.

Cole will have to mine even more of his offence in a fortnight as he prepares for a potentially busy evening in New Orleans. Just imagine what he may have in store that night. It's easy if you try. Imagine all the people, living for bay-bay...

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Contributor

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