6 Ups And 2 Downs From Last Night's WWE NXT (April 20)
Joe Vs. Crews!
For the second consecutive week, NXT came from WrestleMania Axxess at Dallas, Texas's Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center, and even though the matches were taped way back on April 2, the brand is moving forward - and saying goodbye to some of the stars who have made the move up to WWE's main roster.
Both Apollo Crews and the tag team of Enzo and Big Cass were in action, facing off with Samoa Joe and American Alpha, respectively, in what will surely be among their final bouts with the brand. Their matches didn't disappoint. NXT also played host to the debut of a brand new star, "No Way Jose," who made his first on-screen appearance after weeks of hype vignettes.
And slowly, surely, the next TakeOver card - scheduled for June 8 at Full Sail University - is taking form. No bouts have been officially announced for the show, but there are enough subtle hints being dropped that it's clear "Revenge" is an apt subtitle for the show. Bayley is clearly gunning for another shot at the NXT Women's Championship - and as for the fate of the NXT Championship, we'll get to that in a bit.
Here are 6 ups and 2 downs from last night's episode of NXT.
8. Downs - No Way Jose Vs. Alexander Wolfe
After many weeks of repetitive vignettes, No Way Jose finally made his in-ring debut on NXT television. Played by Levis Valenzuela Jr., the character draws on Valenzuela's real-life background as a ballroom dancer for inspiration.
Unfortunately, the whole thing came off as kind of sloppy and confusing. Jose threw some dance moves into his offense (prompting Tom Phillips to compare him to a capoeira fighter), but then ditched them at the end of the match for... baseball? He attacked opponent Alexander Wolfe with a pair of double axe handles that were meant to mimic the swinging of a baseball bat, then finally finished him off with a wind-up pitch/punch to the jaw.
Wolfe, who was working as enhancement talent, didn't do much. Formerly German independent worker Axel Tischer, Wolfe doesn't seem to have a gimmick, but he does wear an outfit decorated with flourishes that are clearly meant to be evocative of Nazi imagery (such as an armband reading "RR"). Hopefully, he's given some new gear before his next appearance, and the company thinks twice before the next time they try to pull a stunt like that.