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

by Andy H Murray

1. Ember The Ascendent

Shayna Baszler
WWE.com

As strong as Johnny Gargano's promo was, he wasn't the only spirited babyface in town last night, as reigning NXT Women's Champion Ember Moon delivered comfortably the best on-mic performance of her run thus far.

It spawned from the aftermath of Lacey Evans vs. Aliyah. Newcomer Shayna Baszler ran Evans off, then hit the ring, heaping further punishment on the already beaten Aliyah. This drew Moon from the back. Her music hit, and she stormed the ring, chasing her TakeOver opponent off, then grabbing the microphone.

Full of blood and thunder, Ember bellowed that if Baszler wants to bully someone, she can try it with her, then challenged the former UFC fighter to throw down there and then. The ice cold 'Queen Of Spades' proposed they wait until Philadelphia. Moon hastily agreed, and we now have a blockbuster TakeOver bout on our hands, with the popular champion defending against the brand's latest antagonist.

This was a fantastic segment. Always a tremendous in-ring performer, Ember's character work often falls short, but through this angle and the tremendous Asuka feud, she's finally becoming a fully-formed NXT ace. Hats off to her and her continued development.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for six years and is currently WhatCulture's Senior Wrestling Reporter. 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.