6 Ups And 1 Down For WWE NXT (Mar 31)
Ups...
6. Roderick Isn't Strong Enough To Overcome Grimes
Set up on the back of Cameron Grimes hilariously failing in his attempt to obtain the IP for Undisputed Era from Roderick Strong last week, the latest episode of NXT opened with the pair meeting in the middle of the squared-circle. Not before the savvy investor pitched a Grimes the System shirt, entrance theme, and tron graphics to his upcoming opponent, a presentation which earned him a pre-match attack from the former UE man.
Despite the fact that both men would be appearing in a battle royal to earn a place in a Stand and Deliver gauntlet match - for a shot at the North American title over the upcoming two-night Stand and Deliver event - the rivals held nothing back. A recently heartbroken Strong unleashed venomous dropkicks and boots to the face of the modern day Million Dollar Man, but still found himself being distracted by an innocent fan in the audience sporting the colours he once wore so proud; a moment Grimes took advantage of with a tackle into some scaffolding on the outside.
Eventually regaining his focus after some extended control from Grimes, Strong nailed his patented backbreaker and superplex. The tables were turned once again, however, thanks to a series of running forearms being reversed into a ridiculous Spanish fly from the Lamborghini-crashing Grimes. This all led to the moment where the newly minted Grimes pulled a UE armband out of his trunks, allowing - post-Olympic Slam - for him to take advantage of a distracted Strong spotting the painful emblem and nailing him with a Cave-In for the win.
Since the much talked about split of the most dominant faction in NXT history, Strong has largely been relegated to the part of side character. Having his heart break at the reminder of his brother stabbing him in the back every time he spots a UE logo is a neat way of keeping him tied into the ongoing Cole/O'Reilly blood feud, whilst still giving Strong some space to figure out who he will be in the aftermath of their split. This point was even further hammered home by his decision to opt out of the aforementioned battle royal after claiming he was "done" later in the night.