NXT started so hot this week that fires were already breaking out before they even went on the air.
It was during the last commercial cut in on USA Network before the show started proper where Mauro Ranallo relayed footage of The Undisputed Era being decked backstage during a pre-planned braggadocious promo from Adam Cole and co.
The sh*tkicking was then replayed part of a quality cold open that saw AJ Styles, Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows fearlessly stroll into Full Sail University - the place all three of them surprisingly bypassed upon signing for the company in 2016.
Yet more great choices to pluck from Raw and Smackdown, the group were well placed strike the first shot back at the black-and-gold brand. Nothing here, other than AJ Styles' jeans, felt remotely wide of the mark.
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
