9 Ups & 5 Downs From Last Night's WWE NXT (Sept 18)
3. Well Dunne
WWE.com
The second week in a row where a Pete Dunne match did as much for his opponent as himself, this protracted squash made Arturo Ruas look far more than just a karate-fighting lamb to the slaughter.
Creative in his offence thanks to the inclusion of Brazilian capoeira, Rua got himself over off the back of his energetic approach, but smartly wove it into the psychology of the match as his efforts to fight back against the 'Bruiserweight' tired him late into the clash.
Dunne showed fire here, with his finger-breaking schtick again saved for an electrifying submission finish rather than just a mid-match pop. A star-in-waiting, he hopefully won't have to wait too much longer, 'lest these story-free matches start to drag.
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
