7 Ups And 2 Downs From WWE NXT (Sep 30)

4. Pushida

I do appreciate the irony of me banging the Give Kushida A Big Feud drum for a year and then it also being half the reason they're keeping Velveteen Dream out of [punchline removed for legal reasons]. Be careful what you wish for, kids, but obviously be more careful with who you message online.

Anyway an actual, real-life, competitive, hard-hitting match between Kushida and Tony Nese, taking place in the context of a TakeOver build and not just in forgettable isolation... this is the stuff of dreams for anyone who saw his IWGP title runs. While this wasn't a full showcase of his ability, it does hint of the incredible standard he can deliver even in short TV matches.

Nese, for his part, feels like a lost lamb on NXT at present. He had a fantastic run as one of the main Cruiserweight challengers - the guy won the belt at WrestleMania for f***s sake! - but since then registered virtually nothing of note. It's a sad fall from grace, but to see Kushida passing him on the way shows how fleeting the fame in this industry is.