6 Ups & 1 Downs From Last Night's WWE NXT (Jan 31)
5. Percy Ups His Game
He's nobody's favourite announcer, but Percy Watson deserves credit for how he fared in Nigel McGuinness' absence this weekend. Typically the 'third man' in NXT's booth, he was tasked with stepping into the Englishman's sizeable shoes as a colour commentator, and while his performances won't have Nigel worrying about his position, Watson did a fine job.
Commentary is only bad if it actively detracts from the action. This is rarely the case with Percy, whose contributions are usually too rote and mundane to leave any sort of impression, but he raised his game over the weekend's tapings. Complete respect to him for jumping into the breach.
Watson's successful transition shows that the problem isn't the individuals, but the format. Three-person booths are redundant. Those in the Percy Watson/Byron Saxton role have nothing to say, and spend most of their time sitting idle, yet when given the opportunity to work a bigger role, they usually succeed. So why persist with crowded teams? Only WWE have the answer.