6 Ups & 1 Downs From Last Night's WWE NXT (Jan 31)

Ups...

6. Nikki's Revenge

Lacey Evans and Nikki Cross kicked things off with a solid two-and-a-half minuter that was booked following the former's promo on the NXT women's roster a couple of weeks ago. Cross, Evans claimed, was a "classless psycho," and while this seemed like a throwaway comment, WWE parlayed it into a match.

This is the kind of smart, simple booking that sets developmental aside from the main roster. It added stakes to what would've otherwise been a throwaway bout, and while nowhere near as bitter and attritional as Ember Moon and Shayna Baszler's TakeOver scrap, it still felt important.

Cross took the victory with her Fisherman's Neckbreaker finisher, having capitalised on her opponent's missed second rope Moonsault. Some may bemoan the bout's brevity, particularly as Evans' recent heel turn pointed towards a bigger push, but there's a clear hierarchy here. Cross has been around a while. She's a former title contender with an established reputation, and should be able to put a relative rookie away with such quickness. Lacey might be in that position someday, but for now, she's near the bottom rung.