6 Ups & 4 Downs From NXT TakeOver: XXX

1. Why Now?

Moments after Io Shirai and Dakota Kai had wrestled out of their socks in NXT TakeOver: XXX's excellent NXT Women's Championship match, Raquel Gonzalez decided she'd seen enough of the Genius of the Sky's celebrations.

A post-match beatdown ensued, but this despicable attack was suddenly interrupted by none other than former NXT Women's Champion Rhea Ripley. Gonzalez and Ripley then shared a stare-down in the middle of the ring, as Kai and Shirai whimpered on the ground around them.

Now, the prospect of Ripley and Gonzalez colliding in the near future is most definitely an exciting one. Yet, was there really any need to tag this onto the back of a match which had absolutely nothing to do with Ripley?

Yes, the Australian still has one eye firmly locked onto her old title and the shot of her peering over a celebrating Shirai's shoulder seemed to suggest their story is far from over, but would it have been so hard to just have Gonzalez and Kai beat down the champ post-match and have this giant meeting take place in a backstage segment?

Instead, Ripley's appearance made Shirai and Kai look like afterthoughts, which is a sucky way to congratulate two stars for putting on an excellent matchup.