8 Ups And 1 Down From WWE NXT 2.0 (Sep 21)

7. Diamond Mine Add Some Gold

Throwing down for the first time since *checks notes* July 21st (!), KUSHIDA was finally welcomed back to NXT last night. But, he was by no means set for an easy evening at the office as the Timesplitter finally put his Cruiserweight Championship on the line against The Diamond Mine's Roderick Strong.

From the get-go, it was fairly obvious where we were heading here, wasn't it? Hell, the commentary team even quickly noted how the champ would have to keep an eye out for the Mine's numbers game, and sure enough, said advantage paid dividends when all was said and done.

Showing off her wicked Superwoman punch one week on from arriving on the scene, Ivy Nile laid out KUSHIDA alongside The Creed Brothers, setting up a bitter heel victory as Strong ended the contest your new reigning Cruiserweight champ. This was undoubtedly the right call, however. Despite putting together an often enjoyable run with the strap, equipped with countless thrilling battles, KUSHIDA's time was sadly up and Malcolm Bivens' crew were in need of some gold to back up his frequent claims.

Grayson Waller is next up for the new champ after the former just decided "f*ck it, I'm new. I want that belt, too" and Bivens gladly accepted the chance to teach him a lesson via Roddy. It may be 2.0, but this is still a WWE show, after all. Who needs rankings when you can get your shot on the back of a few digs at a manager, right?