6 Ups And 4 Downs From WWE NXT 2.0 (Jan 11)

4. Tony Raises The Bar

It's not hard to see why the sight of anything being hung from a pole inside of a WWE ring is enough to elicit audible groans from just about anyone watching on. They've not exactly got the best track record, let's be honest. But in this week's Tony D'Angelo vs. Petey Poppins crowbar encounter, we may just have stumbled upon the exception that proves the rule.

Now yes, the added unnecessary complexity of any weapon outside of the chosen dangler being illegal to use and rope-breaks still being a thing in a match that condones the use of a steel rod did sometimes make for odd muddying of the waters. But the story told between these two warring lads made up for those gaps in logic, with Dunne still nursing a battered hand and clearly learning from his last battle with The Wise Guy as he blocked and grappled out of many a suplex.

The introduction of the titular bar also added another dimension of drama to proceedings as the two swung for the fences and foreshadowed a finish that made your writer very much wince in his seat. Inventive submissions and neckbreakers utilising Tony's equaliser were fun, but the visual of the smack-talking character smacking Dunne in the chest with his trusty weapon was the talking point here.

In this finish, Tony has added a new layer of ferocity to his make-up and likely sets up a blow-off that will need to ramp things up further, you'd imagine. Praying for both men's digits and chests as we speak.