7 Ups & 0 Downs From Last Night's WWE NXT (Feb 14)
4. Keep It Simple, Stupid
Professional wrestling isn't complicated.
Over-the-top theatrics have their place, but they aren't needed. The only thing this sport needs to be compelling is for everything to make sense. Give us two interesting characters, communicate their motivations clearly and effectively, then place them into a position of conflict, and that's it. Job done.
Last night's Killian Dain and Aleister Black segment was a perfect example of this. Their promos were short, and all they really said was "I want the title, and so do you, so let's fight to decide who gets the shot," which is exactly what it needed to be.
Completely free of 'WWE Speak' and other associated drivel, it felt like an '80s-style wrestling confrontation, before over-the-top gimmicks and outlandish characters conquered the business. There's a place for such histrionics, but it's not always what we watch NXT for (Velveteen Dream aside). Shout-outs to the writers for keeping it simple.