6 Ups And 2 Downs From WWE NXT (May 25)

by Jamie Kennedy

1. The Champ Retains

Karrion Kross Finn Balor Scarlett
WWE.com

Being honest, few fans truly believed that Finn Bálor was dethroning Karrion Kross.

This TakeOver: Stand & Deliver rematch was functional at best going in, but both lads did a sweet job of adding doubt to proceedings during the final few minutes. That's when Finn did his best work - he was really up for a proper match here. To his credit, Karrion met the workhorse halfway.

Keeping the belt on Kross was the right call. Injuries cut his legs off last summer, so this year's sunnier months should belong exclusively to him. Meanwhile, there are some questions about what the future holds for Finn. He's been on fire since rejoining NXT, but appears to have done everything there is to do on the brand.

Still, it'd suck to see him move back to Raw or SmackDown and become a bit-part player again. Maybe some time off would be best for all concerned. Then, eventually, Bálor can come back and resume his NXT Title charge. This match was living proof that he belongs on Tuesday nights long-term.

What did you think of this week's WWE NXT? For more wrestling, check out 18 Things You Probably Missed From WWE SmackDown (May 21) and 18 Things You Probably Missed From WWE Raw (May 24)!

Advertisement
In this post: 
WWE NXT
 
Posted On: 
Contributor

Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.