6 Ups And 1 Down From WWE NXT (24 Jun)

DOWNS

1. Aliiiiiyaaaaah! You Gotta Beat Her

This isn't a down that going to enjoy giving because, if I'm totally truthful, the match in question was actually pretty good. Aliyah looked more comfortable in the ring than she has done in recent weeks, and even Ripley seemed to enjoy being in a match that was far shorter, and far more fun than how she's normally booked.

Even the subplot of The Robert Stone Brand felt like it sort of worked here. Despite the bizarre mess it has presetned him as last week, here he was, getting his client an opportunity they wouldn't have otherwise been afforded. A match against a former NXT Women's Champion, no less. A really big deal for Aliyah.

But this just wasn't the week for Ripley to demolish them both. After officially taking him on as her manager, Aliyah desperately needed to pick up some sort of win against someone on the roster, not immediately go back to being the show's perennial loser. Annoyingly, I actually really like how the character's been developed recently but it feels like they go about it the wrong way almost every single week.

Now if Ripley was forced to join them next week though... well, that would be different.