8 Ups And 1 Down For WWE NXT (May 11)

1. And Still...

Determined to prove that his shocking win over Santos Escobar to become the new NXT Cruiserweight Champion was anything but a fluke, KUSHIDA went one-on-one with the former title holder in a black and gold brand special; 2-out-of-3 falls, winner takes all.

There was always going to be the little question of how the current champ would stifle the always frustrating presence of Escobar's wingmen in Raul Mendoza and Joaquin Wilde at ringside during the pair's showdown last night. But that question was swiftly answered with the arrival of MSK, who made light work of their upcoming title challengers and set the stage for an honest battle of the brutalisers.

Because the stakes are always raised with a heel advantage, it wasn't long before Escobar had picked up fall number one on the back of a sudden Phantom Driver. Refusing to bow to the demands of the network, however, Vic Joseph refused to let the show fade into a picture-in-picture break as KUSHIDA levelled things up with a trusty Hoverboard Lock.

With the scores tied, it was all to play for. Yet, the damage appeared to have been done to the former Cruiserweight Emperor. His elbow had been battered, so KUSHIDA intelligently targeted it further, flipping off the top rope into another Hoverboard Lock, suplexing him arm-first into the turnbuckles, and then finally sealing victory with his own unique fisherman suplex.

No interference. No shenanigans. Just two competitive wrestlers wearing each other down to the point where glory was within reach. KUSHIDA won this round and will likely go on to open the door for numerous other challengers over the coming weeks, but this series still has some legs and will likely be revisited again before the year is out.

And your writer is eagerly awaiting round three.