7 Ups And 2 Downs From Last Night's WWE NXT (April 13)
8. Promo Problems
There's been a lot written about how bad WWE's scripted promos are, but the truth is, they're even worse when they're done backstage. Those promos are usually too short to make a real point, and they lack the benefit of a reactive crowd to make things seem more interesting.
This week had a couple of stinkers. Samoa Joe's promise to keep pursuing Finn Balor and the NXT Championship was fine, but a later promo from Balor himself was largely useless. When asked by Dasha Fuentes (who has a long way to go before she's Renee Young) who he wanted to see challenge for his title next, he gave a generic answer about how it didn't matter and he was ready to take on all comers. It wasn't Balor's fault, but the whole thing felt unnecessary.
Tye Dillinger was next, and his promo was a bit more colorful, but no less unoriginal. Hyping his main event match with Shinsuke Nakamura, he spoke about how he was going to beat "The King of Strong Style" so badly that he'd leave NXT, go back to Japan, and stay there. It was well-executed, but there was nothing longtime wrestling fans haven't heard 100 times.