7 Ups And 2 Downs For WWE NXT (Jun 29)

Ups...

7. Shirai And Stark Make Their Way To The Great American Bash

In the wake of Samoa Joe trying his best to subdue the all-out chaos that ensued on the back of Io Shirai and Zoey Stark getting off to a winning start as a duo on last week's show, an epic three-way tag team encounter to determine the next set of number one contenders for Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell's NXT Women's Tag Team Championships was set for last night's episode.

Kicking us off, Shotzi Blackheart & Ember Moon, Dakota Kai & NXT Women's Champion Raquel Gonzalez, and the aforementioned competitive allies went to war in a thrill-a-minute showcase of precisely what this division has the potential to be - marvellous.

Between Blackheart and Moon's unorthodox dual offence, Shirai and Stark's frequent explosions of individual brilliance, and the ever-growing tension between Kai and Gonzalez consistently leading to dramatic and fiery spells of violence from the latter, all three squads more than made those in attendance and watching at home give a toss about a set of belts that are finally starting to feel like a prize worth having.

In the end, it was the thrown together unit of Shirai and Stark who came away with the all important W after a devastating moonsault from the former NXT Women's Champion on her old rival Kai. Would it have aided the division more to have a unit that have been together longer than a week or so in contention for the belts at this current moment in time? Perhaps, but the presence of Shirai alone trying to steal away The Way's gold on next week's Great American Bash card will likely be enough to ensure they don't get lost in the shuffle again any time soon.