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

5. A Better Result Than Match

Tegan Nox
WWE.com

Jessamyn Duke an Marina Shafir are still green, but that works in the context of their act—for now. They are more gnat than muscle for Shayna Baszler, little annoyances who act more as ego-massagers than true, Undisputed Era-like difference-makers.

Fortunately, the huge braces attached to the knees of Dakota Kai and Tegan Nox helped put over the dynamic, in place of the legitimacy that the MMA Horsewomen are meant to possess.

Obviously, this wasn’t anything special in itself, but it adequately served a bigger purpose: both Nox and Kai enjoy a heartfelt connection with the crowd, and NXT is in dire need of an emotional core. It was good for what it was, it didn’t overstay its welcome, and Nox looked on fire after a simple but well-built tease to her hot tag.

It was simply a nice little moment in a show that usually isn’t any of those things: a necessary shift in tone.

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Contributor
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!