6 Ups & 3 Downs From WWE NXT UK (Nov 7)
Downs...
3. Pioneers
Whilst giant husk of a man Dave Mastiff was another highlight this week (more on that later), two more well-tenured UK stars had their first chance to shine on the weekly UK show and...well...they didn't.
One has to feel for the supremely gifted and hard-working Ligero. A stalwart of the scene from back before there was a scene to speak of, the faux-luchador that once had tights pointing south to his "EL BOOTO" had to compromise the nudge-and-wink element of his gimmick to drape himself in the Union Flag for the prior set of tapings.
Here, he's still a reduced version of the persona he crafted for years on the circuit, despite a video package and victory over fellow journeyman James Drake.
If whinging about too many guys coming onto this show with identical backstories is becoming repetitious, try actually watching them all one after another. This is not entirely the fault of the performers, but few are putting themselves above the basic systemic failures that undermine the entire project.