Earlier on in the broadcast, a video package for lowkey USA Network era breakout Isaiah Swerve Scott aired that put over exactly why the charismatic up-and-comer is starting to find a fanbase on a brand that still has to develop talent in spite of its extended new format.
This was extremely effective, unlike his loss to the confusingly miscast Dominik Dijakovic.
Off the back of his unfinished feud with Keith Lee (and some revealing Twitter patter), Dijakovic remains a heavy favourite to take the last slot on Team Ciampa at WarGames. To this end, it was as though he had to feature on the show somewhere, but "pedestrian NXT extended squash" didn't feel like a great fit for either man.
Sagging in the middle and not as hot for the finish as either man is probably used to at this point, this was as much a lowlight because of the blinding highlights elsewhere. Nonetheless, NXT is so often a show without filler - this, subsequently was a bit of a mood killer.
Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett
