7 Ups & 3 Downs From Last Night's WWE NXT (Oct 23)

2. Pete Dunne Can't Talk; Shouldn't Say These Things

Damien Priest Pete Dunne
WWE.com

Obligatory, respectful ‘Pete Dunne is a superb, vicious technician’—but he can’t talk, and didn’t talk much, granted, and still, this was uninteresting. Cathy Kelly caught up with him, as he made his arrival, and asked him to collect his thoughts on Damien Priest’s win last week. He made no excuses, as no babyface should, but his delivery fell flat.

He was flanked by Tyler Bate, and his acting was grim British soap opera-level poor, too. “He hit you low,” he said, and it was unnatural and wooden and impossible to believe in as something he said on his own. Dunne also said he “didn’t care” about Killian Dain, which wasn’t ideal, since the Beast from Belfast is struggling to generate buzz.

The objective of any verbal segment is to build interest in a programme. Dunne literally said he didn’t care. This was counterproductive. At this rate, Dain looks closer to Forgotten Son than NXT Champion.

Is Bate’s apparent introduction to NXT proper an ‘Up’ in itself? It can’t not be. NXT doesn’t need another incredible in-ring performer who can’t build real, emotional interest in his matches—but AEW’s recent victories in the squared circle look in danger, if his seminal Cardiff war with WALTER is any indication.

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Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!