6 Ups And 2 Downs From Last Night's NXT (16 Sep)

UPS

6. Strong And Staple

Depending on your point-of-view, this match was either a glaring testament to just how good Shotzi Blackheart actually is once you strip away the tanks, the howling, and the other Honestly Very Cool Stuff, or, this was proof that Io Shirai can get a stellar match out of virtually any opponent.

As with everything in pro-wrestling, the truth was somewhere in the middle.

After last week's little tease between the two, NXT opted to throw them both into an opening banger with no real build outside of Shotzi stapling stuff to her chest on Twitter. Which is, as I've been repeatedly told by various therapists and high court judges, no way to get someone's attention.

After exchanging some frankly brutal spots - a German Suplex on the apron, moonsault-shins to the gut, and the lesser spotted Cattle Mutilation - the two finished with reputations massively enhanced. Shotzi's schtick is very entertaining (no, shut up, it is) but she's seldom backed it up in the ring. Even if you want to give the credit to her opponent, she proved she can go at the top level here.