9 Ups And 1 Down From WWE NXT (Aug 3)

3. Stark Can't Handle The Wasabi, But Progress Is Made With Shirai (Possibly)

In what is sure to be the first of a few attempts to strike up a genuine bond between the two, Zoey Stark decided to take Io Shirai out for some sushi and it went about as well as you'd expect.

Shirai threw her partner in at the very deep end, ordering her food in Japanese, inviting her to take a nice big bite of the green stuff (wasabi, and most definitely not guacamole), and even lumping her with the bill when all was said and one. Stark didn't exactly help herself, it must be said, laughing off her lack of understanding when it came to the Japanese language and simply asking for "what she's having". A squid was served up for nothing, and Shirai seems no closer to seeing Stark as another coming of Kairi Sane.

The penny appeared to drop slightly for Stark in the closing stages, though, upon conversing with their waiter. If taking Shirai out for sushi didn't succeed in meeting the former NXT Women's Champion halfway, perhaps learning a bit of her native tongue will act as a fitting olive branch.

Prepare yourself for painful mispronunciations and more resting b*tch face Shirai, and your writer is well and truly here for the ride. These skits are providing both women with the chance to breathe some new life into their characters, with Stark showcasing a bit more plucky spaniel energy and Shirai relishing her role as the closed off superstar. More of this, please.