9 Ups And 1 Down For WWE NXT (May 18)

1. Reed Reigns Supreme

Determined not to have his big moment derailed by The Way's usual brand of shenanigans, Bronson Reed made a point of pitching a steel cage main event for the North American Championship last week; and surprise, surprise, William Regal loved the idea!

However, Austin Theory has learnt from the very best when it comes to being resourceful with your surroundings and it wasn't long before the apprentice was aiding his master via creative cage-assisted double teams and hilarious tugs of war.

Don't be fooled into thinking this was your usual over-booked WWE main event cage match, though, as the bout routinely showcased the outstanding chemistry shared between Johnny Gargano and his challenger, with both whipping out significant top rope powerbombs and sending each other flying into the harsh metal in their vicinity over the course of the war.

After finally seeing off the nuisance that was Theory on the outside and swatting Gargano away like the decorated fly he is, however, Reed had the opening he was looking floor. He then capitalised by raining down not one, but two Tsunami Splashes on the unfortunate Grand Slam Champion, picking up his first piece of WWE gold in the process.

This felt like a real passing of the torch moment and the beginning of a new era for the brand's mid-card. Gargano can stay put and be fed to Karrion Kross should those in charge feel the need to add some more notches on the Bringer of Doomsday's impressive belt, or finally make the uneasy jump to the main roster. Focusing on this crowd-pleasing victory, though, it looks as though NXT are finally committing to putting the focus more on the next generation of stars, rather than trying to recapture the lightning in the bottle from years gone by.