This time last week, the hostilities between Tyson T-Bone and Dave Mastiff were praised for sticking out like sore, angry thumbs compared to the smaller frames and uncharismatic characteristics of their peers. A comparison was also made between the two to Baron Corbin and Bull Dempsey from the Full Sail NXT's golden era, though that particular line was severed in half by the blistering brawl from this week's second show.
T-Bone and 'The Bomber' were in fine form, far outperforming Corbin and Dempsey on their respective best days. As noted last week, there's a place for both men on this brand, even if Mastiff clearly seems best placed for a push going forward.
The show needs guys like these to thrive, with the UK's own big Dave seemingly set to do big things with his big frame on this show. For all that Triple H has the wheel, Vince McMahon still owns the car and can change the route at a moment's notice. There's a version of Vince that would take one look at a showing like this and put Mastiff over Pete Dunne at the first opportunity. It would be far from the worst creative crime he's ever committed.
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
