With one challenger already established, the very next segment positioned another at the top table as Rhea Ripley made mincemeat of Aaliyah in a thoroughly satisfying squash.
The Australian's arrival just before NXT moved to USA Network resulted in a quickie TV match against the 'Queen Of Spades' that ended with a screwy finish to keep both women protected for a high profile rematch - one that may now not even make it to TakeOver if the company need a potential ratings-winner.
Mirror images of one another in terms of stature and status, the grand payoff feels certain to be one of the most dramatic matches of an upcoming Wednesday Night War. Unpredictability is currency currently, and it'd be a struggle to confidently pick the winner.
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
