7 Ups And 2 Downs From WWE NXT (Aug 17)

Downs...

2. Roderick Strong Can't Get It Done For The Diamond Mine

First things first, it royally sucked that KUSHIDA wasn't medically cleared to compete last night as I'm sure your writer wasn't the only one looking forward to the sight of the Cruiserweight champ and Roderick Strong knocking ten pounds of sh*t out of each other. That's just the business sometimes, though, but the substitute we got in place of said title match was hardly to be sniffed at.

None other than Ilja Dragunov accepted Malcolm Bivens' open challenge and the hard-hitting pair did exactly what you'd expect over the course of a solid 15-minute brawl; well and truly battered one another. The NXT UK title challenger only laced more drama into proceedings upon earning himself a crimson mask in the closing stages, setting up a brilliantly sold knee courtesy of Strong's highly accurate leg, followed by a Torpedo Moscow out of nowhere for the victory.

In isolation, the match was a bit of a banger. But you can't help but wonder what in the hell is going on with The Diamond Mine. A few weeks ago they were touted as the next unit that would take the black and gold brand by storm. Yet, here we are, already one man lighter than they were upon arrival, and they're yet to pick up a truly noteworthy W in-between the ropes.

Strong deserves better, and despite Dragunov undoubtedly needing a win post-defeat last week, did he really have to go through a star the brand is supposed to be salvaging?

Dragunov would then call out his Takeover opponent to no avail, only adding more suspense to a bout that has all the potential to steal the whole damn weekend.