6 Ups & 1 Downs From Last Night's WWE NXT (Jan 17)

A brand on fire.

Ember Moon
WWE.com

NXT's new season is off to a flier.

One week after a tremendous first episode in Atlanta's historic Center Stage studio, WWE's most consistent weekly brand hit another home run last night, bringing several major developments on the penultimate stop before TakeOver: Philadelphia. Almost everything on the show succeeded. Sure, the matches weren't as eye-catching as last week's, but each at least told a clear, concise story, and the hour was peppered with oodles of great angles.

Though Andrade Almas was absent, his manager, Zelina Vega, was there to spit hot fire at Johnny Gargano, with the underdog responding in kind. Elsewhere, New Tag Team Title contenders were established as the Street Profits met the Authors Of Pain. In the women's division, Shayna Baszler continued her rampage, but 'The Queen Of Spades' may have met her match in Ember Moon, whom she'll now face in Philadelphia.

All this and more unfolded before a red-hot crowd who bought into every single character, and sounded like they were having a whale of a time throughout. Seriously, WWE: can't you just film here every month?

Let's dive into another successful NXT show...

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Channel Manager
Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.