9 Ups & 5 Downs From Last Night's WWE NXT (Sept 18)
4. Missing The Mark
WWE.com
Nigel McGuinness revealing on commentary that Aliyah was inspired by Beth Phoenix seemed more of an insult by the end of the match than when he said it at the start, so limp was this Xia Li squash vehicle.
This went nowhere fast despite the intent of presenting Li like the best of the rest from the division after a red hot opener. She didn't look bad, but the usual pro wrestling principle applies here - beating a loser doesn't make the winner an actual winner.
Li needed a better match and opponent for this spot to achieve its stated aim - but it foreshadowed a number of moments that were defined more by the hour of the show they were in than their actual contents.
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
