9 Ups & 1 Down From WWE NXT (Feb 12)

Downs...

1. ForgottenEST

The only thing this week that just didn't quite work was, arguably, the one thing they really needed to get right. Bianca Belair and Rhea Ripley should have had a major, Charlotte-free, segment to spotlight their match this week, and instead, we got a 10-second squash match and a basic beatdown. It did what it needed to, but given the build to this match hinged on this last segment, it underdelivered.

The Survivor Series comparisons have already been made many times to this feud. WWE wants a cross-brand rivalry, and in the process of building to it there's a real danger that NXT's own match is going to suffer. They've smartly leaned into this by having Bianca literally call out Ripley for looking past her, and Charlotte for sticking her nose where it doesn't belong, but this week it just felt... true?

Belair steamrollered Santana Garrett in about the same amount of time it took the latter to make her ring entrance, then got immediately on the mic to vent her frustrations. Ripley came out, took a KOD for her troubles, and that was it. There's no chance whatsoever the challenger is still standing tall come Sunday, and they missed the last opportunity to convince you otherwise. It's all about Ripley and Flair.