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

3. Cole With The Punches

When was the last time you saw Adam Cole work a random exhibition match on NXT? You don't even remember, do you?

The guy has only had two non-title, non-TakeOver matches all year. Taking on Dexter Lumis in June as part of that feud he had with Roderick Strong, and against Kushida in February after the boys had put him in the bin during a backstage tear. They're a rare treat, these things.

It's debatable what this match with Theory actually does, that Theory himself didn't already do in his short backstage segment. We know he's not on the Undisputed Era's level, we know Adam Cole could beat him, this just undermines the promo he cut and, to an extent, shatters the illusion of the deluded heel.

But - and here is the now traditional NXT But - what a match. What an entertaining 10 minute clash between one of the brand's brightest talents and one of the industry's brightest stars. If wrestling was Olympic Springboard diving, you could push Adam Cole off the top board backwards, and he'd still hit the water without making a single ripple in it.