The NXT Discussion Thread

[waters44]

1 hour ago, BomberPat said:

Absolutely not. I'm biased because I was a ref, and have been (as pretty much every ref has) in the position of counting a three that wasn't the planned finish, and of slowing down and just not counting when it was the finish because I thought it wasn't, and they both suck.

But you have to trust wrestlers to kick out before the three. It's not asking a lot. But it kills a match if you suddenly waive off a three that very obviously happened but wasn't the booked finish, and it looks like shit if you don't commit to every count in the knowledge that it's the wrestlers' jobs to kick out, not your job to stop the count in case they don't. Yes, it can fuck up the booking or the planned result, and you have to weigh up how much heat it's going to get you with the wrestlers and with the promoter (in my experience, every promoter tells you that they want their referees to call it like a shoot, and very few of them actually mean it when it comes to a situation like this), but you can't, as a referee, just whiff on every count that isn't the finish if it's the eventual winner getting pinned. There's only so many ways you can blag that a pin didn't happen, and this one clearly did.

I only saw the three minute clip on YouTube, and even before the finish a lot of the pins are very ropey and Mariah's kick-outs don't have much of anything behind them. I don't watch NXT, but every clip I see of it seems to be someone fucking up a pin, or not running the ropes properly, or trying to do a far too ambitious and overly choreographed spot for their experience level. For the biggest training centre of the biggest promotion in the world, I honestly wonder what's getting taught there, because so much points to their wrestlers having horrendous fundamentals, and just being drilled to wrestle the exact match they're going to have on TV rather than how to actually work, which means everything falls apart if they deviate from the plan at all.

I agree with you and that's all fine for lower level shows or even lower card matches but I think you need a bit more common sense in the TV shows and especially title matches. The ref is part of the charade too, they're there to get the right result at the right time and in the grand scheme of things I think its way more damaging to the product to finish a match with a wrong result then lose the crowd for a few minutes. The heat should be on the wrestler if they fail to kick out and the ref has to protect them, its complete bullshit if the ref gets any heat from the promoter or wrestlers. 

I'd love to know a bit more about your refereeing experiences! I'd also be interested to find out how it works on the bigger stage, how much the refs know in advance, how much communication they have during etc

[Zaheer]

Referees should always count pinfalls like it's a shoot. 

[BomberPat]

51 minutes ago, waters44 said:

I agree with you and that's all fine for lower level shows or even lower card matches but I think you need a bit more common sense in the TV shows and especially title matches. The ref is part of the charade too, they're there to get the right result at the right time and in the grand scheme of things I think its way more damaging to the product to finish a match with a wrong result then lose the crowd for a few minutes. The heat should be on the wrestler if they fail to kick out and the ref has to protect them, its complete bullshit if the ref gets any heat from the promoter or wrestlers. 

I'd love to know a bit more about your refereeing experiences! I'd also be interested to find out how it works on the bigger stage, how much the refs know in advance, how much communication they have during etc

Like with anything in wrestling, there's a ton of "should be" and best case scenarios, and everyone will have stories of where the exception made more sense than the rule. Quite often you're having to make split-second decisions when it comes to things being a little screwy - a few years ago I led a refereeing seminar, and the example I gave was the finish to the main event of Wrestlemania 35; Ronda Rousey being pinned, but her shoulder being off the mat. It's very easy, on paper, to say that you as the referee just shouldn't count that because it's not a legal pin - but it's the finish to the main event of Wrestlemania, involving an inexperienced wrestler who might not be able to adapt well on the fly if you waive off the planned finish, so what do you do? On top of that, in that example, the referee was out of position, and actually wouldn't have been able to see if Ronda's shoulder was actually down or not - that's breaking another rule, you should always be in position to see whether the wrestler's shoulders are actually being covered. But, again, there's something else going on there, as if the ref had been in position to see Ronda's shoulders, they would have been blocking hard cam, which is yet another thing you're not supposed to do as a referee. So the ref has had to make all of those individual judgement calls, and weigh up which rules they can afford to break so as not to break the others, all in the time it takes them to get down to the mat for the first count - and likely with one or two people at Gorilla position screaming instructions in their ear as well. 

In WWE, from everything I've heard from refs who have worked there, is that you are instructed to call everything as if it's a shoot. They're really fixated on protecting their referees' credibility, to the point that it's the reason they give for not letting their heels cheat any more - it's something I complain about all the time, but if you watch a WWE show, you'll never see incidental cheating from a heel any more, you might see a low blow or a distraction for a finish, but never someone raking the eyes or pulling the tights behind the referee's back; the reason they used to give their refs is because they felt that wrestlers getting away with cheating in matches damaged the refs' credibility. I don't really buy that, but that's a bit of background. I did a Zoom seminar with Scott Armstrong, and he talked about how he did a run of house shows refereeing Los Guerreros, and they would tell him before every match, "if you catch us cheating, disqualify us", and he just never caught them, because they were good enough to always genuinely get away with it behind his back. 

Just in terms of actually enforcing the rules, WWE empower their refs to do it properly - they will count the pin if you don't kick out, they will count you out of the ring if you don't get back in time, and they will disqualify you if they catch you cheating. There's an old story of a TV tag match ending early on a DQ, because Davey Boy Smith Jr broke up a pinfall, and the ref disqualified him for it, because in WWE they only allow each team one break per match. 

 

In terms of how much you know in advance - in WWE, generally, it seems to be almost everything. Their matches are so tightly micro-managed and rehearsed (maybe they're a little looser now than they were under Vince, but not by much) that the referee will have at the very least walked through the entire match ahead of time. The ref will also always be wearing an earpiece, and be relaying messages and time cues from production to the wrestlers in the ring pretty much constantly.

So as much as I talked about those last minute split decisions and choices you have to make as a ref, in WWE I assume it's usually someone in the ref's ear telling them whether to make the call or not. The worst thing you can do is fail to commit - again, every ref has a bunch of stories of where even when they know they shouldn't, they've second-guessed something, and it's always better to just follow through with the wrong decision rather than abandoning it and doing something else, because that's the quickest way to lose credibility and make it clear to the audience that you've fucked up. You can't count a three and say, "no, actually it wasn't one", but you can signal to the timekeeper that it was just a 2.99999 - something I tell people is that the match doesn't end when my hand hits the mat, it ends when I tell the timekeeper to the ring the bell; if a pin is really close, your hand might be touching the mat at the same time as they kick out, and that's just gravity at work, and then it's entirely on you as the ref to sell that it was just a kick-out, the moment you react with confusion or uncertainty it's clear to everyone in the room that somebody fucked up. 

[Snitsky's back acne]

20 hours ago, Kamran said:

Had to go see what happened:

 

It looks like Thea landed with some considerable force on Blake so I'm assuming Blake was winded or stunned or something. It looked like she did raise her shoulder slightly so I would have blown it off, personally, but I get "Heat of the moment".

It should build Monroe's unhinged sociopath character that she was "cheated" out of the title but I bet it won't. 

[CTXRussomark]

The "count like it's a shoot" argument makes no sense in 2025 when they are actively showing people writing and rehearsing this shit on Untold.  It's all a show, everyone knows it's all a show, and they love going out of their way to remind everyone it's all a show.  Fuck knows why they'd risk their booking plans just so a referee doesn't look silly for 30 seconds.  The obvious scrambling after the count made it all look just as fake as the stopped count would have, so it's not like they retained any extra credibility anyway. 

[waters44]

6 hours ago, BomberPat said:

Like with anything in wrestling, there's a ton of "should be" and best case scenarios, and everyone will have stories of where the exception made more sense than the rule. Quite often you're having to make split-second decisions when it comes to things being a little screwy - a few years ago I led a refereeing seminar, and the example I gave was the finish to the main event of Wrestlemania 35; Ronda Rousey being pinned, but her shoulder being off the mat. It's very easy, on paper, to say that you as the referee just shouldn't count that because it's not a legal pin - but it's the finish to the main event of Wrestlemania, involving an inexperienced wrestler who might not be able to adapt well on the fly if you waive off the planned finish, so what do you do? On top of that, in that example, the referee was out of position, and actually wouldn't have been able to see if Ronda's shoulder was actually down or not - that's breaking another rule, you should always be in position to see whether the wrestler's shoulders are actually being covered. But, again, there's something else going on there, as if the ref had been in position to see Ronda's shoulders, they would have been blocking hard cam, which is yet another thing you're not supposed to do as a referee. So the ref has had to make all of those individual judgement calls, and weigh up which rules they can afford to break so as not to break the others, all in the time it takes them to get down to the mat for the first count - and likely with one or two people at Gorilla position screaming instructions in their ear as well. 

In WWE, from everything I've heard from refs who have worked there, is that you are instructed to call everything as if it's a shoot. They're really fixated on protecting their referees' credibility, to the point that it's the reason they give for not letting their heels cheat any more - it's something I complain about all the time, but if you watch a WWE show, you'll never see incidental cheating from a heel any more, you might see a low blow or a distraction for a finish, but never someone raking the eyes or pulling the tights behind the referee's back; the reason they used to give their refs is because they felt that wrestlers getting away with cheating in matches damaged the refs' credibility. I don't really buy that, but that's a bit of background. I did a Zoom seminar with Scott Armstrong, and he talked about how he did a run of house shows refereeing Los Guerreros, and they would tell him before every match, "if you catch us cheating, disqualify us", and he just never caught them, because they were good enough to always genuinely get away with it behind his back. 

Just in terms of actually enforcing the rules, WWE empower their refs to do it properly - they will count the pin if you don't kick out, they will count you out of the ring if you don't get back in time, and they will disqualify you if they catch you cheating. There's an old story of a TV tag match ending early on a DQ, because Davey Boy Smith Jr broke up a pinfall, and the ref disqualified him for it, because in WWE they only allow each team one break per match. 

 

In terms of how much you know in advance - in WWE, generally, it seems to be almost everything. Their matches are so tightly micro-managed and rehearsed (maybe they're a little looser now than they were under Vince, but not by much) that the referee will have at the very least walked through the entire match ahead of time. The ref will also always be wearing an earpiece, and be relaying messages and time cues from production to the wrestlers in the ring pretty much constantly.

So as much as I talked about those last minute split decisions and choices you have to make as a ref, in WWE I assume it's usually someone in the ref's ear telling them whether to make the call or not. The worst thing you can do is fail to commit - again, every ref has a bunch of stories of where even when they know they shouldn't, they've second-guessed something, and it's always better to just follow through with the wrong decision rather than abandoning it and doing something else, because that's the quickest way to lose credibility and make it clear to the audience that you've fucked up. You can't count a three and say, "no, actually it wasn't one", but you can signal to the timekeeper that it was just a 2.99999 - something I tell people is that the match doesn't end when my hand hits the mat, it ends when I tell the timekeeper to the ring the bell; if a pin is really close, your hand might be touching the mat at the same time as they kick out, and that's just gravity at work, and then it's entirely on you as the ref to sell that it was just a kick-out, the moment you react with confusion or uncertainty it's clear to everyone in the room that somebody fucked up. 

That’s a great post Pat thank you, very interesting! 

I still think those issues are solved by telling the ref to only count the finish. It sounds like they have enough on their plate, especially if people are barking in their ear all match, so just make it as simple as possible for them. Mariah May is winning with a suplex at the ten minute mark. Easy. Barring a serious injury the ref knows what the build up to the move is, so they can see it coming, she hits the move, count three. If the other wrestler kicks out then they’ve fucked it, and you do the sequence again.

But to count three when it’s not the planned finish (especially when it’s the wrong wrestler winning the fall!) gives you no out (other than turning it in to an angle if the booker and writers are good enough). If you don’t count the three it may make the ref look a bit silly but you can recover, get the crowd back and go to the right finish. The fans know it’s just a mistake and everyone moves on. 

Also, and you’ve actually raised it yourself, what if it’s a very late kick out but the ref has counted three. I completely agree with you that the match is over when the bell is rung but that’s not what the viewer has been taught over the years. I suppose in that instance you could pivot to a good angle but it’s all a bit unnecessary. 

Funny that a TV match was cut short due to a shoot DQ! 

I do love all these different opinions on things, there’s lots of layers to this wrestling malarkey 

7 hours ago, Zaheer said:

Referees should always count pinfalls like it's a shoot. 

It’s not a shoot though…

I’ve been thinking about this today and just imagining some of the issues this could cause. 

Imagine Taker gets a bit winded at Wrestlemania 19, A-Train goes for a cover and in a moment of madness Taker forgets to kick out. Prince Albert has ended the streak!

Or what if Lee Moriarty was a bit too stiff with Hangman and knocks him doolallly just as he’s making a cover. Neither the ref or Moriarty realise and there’s a new AEW champ!

It’s a bit tongue in cheek of course but anything can happen! 

[Hannibal Scorch]

@BomberPative definitely seen some awful Ref botches in WWE of late. I’m not sure who was at fault with this but this was only a couple of months back 

 

[WyattSheepMask]

9 hours ago, Hannibal Scorch said:

@BomberPative definitely seen some awful Ref botches in WWE of late. I’m not sure who was at fault with this but this was only a couple of months back 

 

This is a prime example of the refs needing to have the trust in the wrestler to kick out as @BomberPat alluded to. If they don’t and the ref just stops counting with no justification it makes them look a right idiot.

Comparing this to this weeks NXT, Monroe does start to push her right arm/shoulder up but she is a bit slow with it (possibly winded off of the previous move). They maybe could’ve got away with it looking back at it, but in the moment you’ve got a split second to make the call and what happened has happened. Nia Jax on the other hand doesn’t move an inch, the ref should’ve totally counted shoulders down 

[Cheeky Boy]

I've always wondered something when it comes to talk about whether referees should/shouldn't count the three when someone fails a planned kickout, and this seems a good chance to ask with there being a few posters having first hand experience who have dealt with it themselves.

I just can't get my head around how it's physically possible to decide to make the count when someone doesn't make the planned kickout. Maybe 30 years ago, but when most matches now feature late kickouts that are pretty much on the count of 3 for effect, is it not the case that if a ref doesn't think it's the finish, they would always assume the shoulder will be coming up, even if at the last second? From there, I can't understand how anyone could have the reaction time to notice a shoulder isn't coming up within that 0.1 second time frame, while also being physically able to adjust from pulling the count and hit the 3 instead.

I'm not saying I'm right and that they can't do a shoot count when needed, because clearly it happened in the match this week. I just don't know how. It makes much more sense to me when you have the awkward "referee stops counting despite no kickout" situation - even that Nia Jax clip - to a ref seemingly making that split second judgement to hit a 3 when there could just as easily be a 2.99 kickout on the way. 

[BomberPat]

So, one of the reasons why I was always taught to commit to a shoot three is to avoid that Nia Jax situation above - the ref doesn't just not count the three, she does a sweep on the three. Most refs I know hate the sweep, because it's a dead giveaway that you know it's not the finish. Again, I don't know what is being said to her in the ring or in her earpiece, I can only go on what everyone else can see, but that's somebody not committing to the final count because they don't think it's the finish, and making the whole show look worse for it.

That's the downside of "only commit to counting a three when you know it's the finish" - a shaky finish, even one where the wrong person goes over, is easier to cover for than just not counting. 

I have been in matches where I've been warned ahead of time that there will be some very close near-falls, and where I've specifically been asked to do a sweep or something similar to sell them, but it generally works better for everyone involved to just trust the wrestlers to do their job. Ninety nine times out of a hundred they will - obviously sometimes we end up with a situation like this one in NXT, and sod's law is that it was the wrong person going over and a title match and ahead of a block of tapings, so it's much harder to write their way out of it, but booking wrestling is all about adjusting to curveballs; if they just ignore this and move on it's one thing, but it should give Blake Monroe material to complain of being screwed out of the belt, and to find a new direction to take whatever story they have going on, and that's not the worst thing in the world.

In terms of physically pulling the count and reaction time and so on, it's why I've said that the finish isn't the ref counting the three, it's the ref calling for the bell - so if your hand hits the mat at the same time as someone kicks out, you've got the wiggle room there to say that they kicked out in time and call it as two count; you had a clearer view than the audience, and if you have credibility, and the wrestlers don't freeze or panic and just get on with the match, that always works out fine. 

[Cheeky Boy]

Brilliant - thanks so much for the insight. The sweep has always been a part of the count for a near fall that I've never been able to put into words. It feels like part of the problem might be referees being a bit over performative, concentrating more on how dramatic the count looks. What you are saying makes infinitely more sense.

Edit - just thinking about this more, so once a referee has committed to the sweep, is that the point of no return? I.e. once you've done it, that's the part where you're essentially frozen in time and can't carry on to count the 3.

Edited December 19, 2025 by Cheeky Boy

[Kamran]

NXT have their New Years Evil show tonight...

MATCHES

• NXT Championship: Oba Femi (c) vs. Leon Slater
• NXT Women's Championship: Jacy Jayne (c) vs. Kendal Grey
• NXT Women's North American Championship: Thea Hail (c) vs. Blake Monroe
• Tatum Paxley vs. Izzi Dame

[I Bent My Wookie]

I'll end up watching this live so no doubt await my endless comments about how in love I am with Goth Horror Tatum Paxley. 

Only championship I see changing hands realistically is Thea Hail's, but they could shock a Oba Femi change ahead of his main roster move. It does feel like they're as stuck in a rut potential main event wise as the main roster. 

But it'll be a fun 2 hours. I hope. 

[I Bent My Wookie]

So yeah, not the worst two hours, not the best. Space for the Speed champion but not the Tag Champs though they were mentioned at least. But a few bits here and there have started 2026 off right. Anyway my live, in time ramblings, sprinkled with an unending hate of Lexis King and Booker T. 

As with yesterday its quite long and as it was all in real time, half way through I do start referencing things from earlier with more knowledge of the situation. 

Spoiler

First Thoughts:

* God I hate Booker T. Absolutely unbearable.

* Well I guess the best way to not have such an expected result is to just do a beat down angle...

* Ricky Saints has lost so much momentum going back to that absolutely dreadful Rock knock off character. He's just Austin Theory with hair. Hard to believe you're a bad ass that can beat up everyone when you're one of the smaller members of the roster.

* The jackass in the Chase U shirt is why I don't tend to go to live events. Couldn't spend 2 hours around people like this. 

* Not really a catchphrase when nobody joins in.

* First real good thing has been that they're actually doing an angle that things are having to change on the fly rather than it just happen.

Tatum Paxley vs Izzy Dame:
* I love Tatum Paxley. Horror Queen Icon.

* Izzy Dame has got a lot better on the mic and showing personality in recent weeks especially being given more of a role alongside The Culling. Hoping this is a good match because that opening 15 minutes was just throw things at the wall and see what hits. And it wasn't Ricky Saints. 

* I forgot NXT has ads. Ethan Page's smug face was unexpectedly lovely, Lexis King being one of the highlighted talents makes my stomach growl.

* So thought process right now is either Monroe isn't cleared to fight or is off to the main roster and can't lose again. 

* Paxley's entrance with the trippy camera angles works well for her being 'unstable'. Also adore the ring gear. 

* Vic answering questions so Booker doesn't talk. Non Wrestler of the Year 2026. Vote it. 

* Paxley's offense is more innovative than I realised and they're doing a great job of showing her using her experience over Dame to target the knee and take the power game out.

* How many times can I shout fuck off when Booker talks that my housemate messages to ask who I'm arguing with at 1am?

* Codebreaker number 1 of the evening.

* Liontamer number 1 of the evening.

* I fucking hate Booker T.

* I'll take the fans shouting one fall over singing The Addams Family because Paxley's spooky.

* NXT really needs to work on their kick outs in the PC after the last few weeks . Paxley's have been dreadful more times than not.

* STOP LANDING ON YOUR FUCKING HEADS LADS. Christ, someone page Regal. 

* Cartwheel kick landed plush, shame the 450 didn't land well at all.

* Cemetery Drive looks unique but its not something she can hit on everyone, so that 450 does need work and protecting. Or the cartwheel kick because that looks like something that could be a flash knock out. 

In Between Observations:
* Elio LeFleur somehow looks like a fan in a mask not a wrestler. I honestly thought it was Nathan Frazer being reintroduced again. 

* If they wanted to give a chance of a title change it may have been wise to drop the Evolve belt beforehand, even dirtily. Instead I'm supposed to think the top talent of developmental would want to risk losing that title staying the champion of developments development?

* No Lexis King this ad break (thank God) and further proof Oba Femi needs to be the breakout of 2026. Man is a machine.

* Thea Hail still loses the title, interesting to see who was supposed to dethrone Blake later then right? 

Kendall Grey vs Jacy Jayne:
* Booker T welcoming us 40 minutes into the show, probably followed by the silence as HBK also tells him to fuck off. 

* Fatal Influence's theme song is a banger.

* Did Kendall Grey even get an introduction?

* Jacy feels like she's never gonna leave NXT. She wrestles well but there's just something lacking character wise. Mainly, what is it bar screeching, being a mean girl and looking like her and her mates formed a rock band for a straight to DVD movie. 

* Simple things done well don't get enough credit, Grey going into the turnbuckle side first and front first rather than everyone going back first looks more natural if not overdone. 

* Jayne does throw a good kick. 

* I fucking hate Booker T.

* They really need to work on the ad break transitions, its always a few seconds out and you're missing the feed into the comeback or cool down. They have refs with ear pieces for this. 

* Does everyone throw snap Germans now? 

* Starting to wonder if Jayne throws good worked kicks and knees or if she is potatoing her, they look that direct.

* Ending worked really well. Grey looks solid in defeat, could have taken it, Jayne can't win without Fatal Influence, she thinks she runs the division but isn't anything without her girls. The overhead belly to belly on the floor was nice too. They don't make her unstoppable and it allows anyone in the division to step up. 

In Between Observations:
* Please stop showing Lexis King, he cannot be a large part of my 2026 watch party.

* Only 1 more hour of Booker T for another week. 

* Ethan Page could play Superman. Man is beautiful. 

* I'm growing to enjoy Ava just not giving a fuck anymore and embracing the chaos. For how dreadful she was at first, she's doing a lot better these days. 

* The Vanity Project could have a good 2026. They can wrestle well, they have years ahead of them and I can't be the only one who wants to watch them get battered every week because they're every 22 year old knob in Spoons on a Friday. 

Thea Hail open challenge:
* Still moving better than CM Punk yesterday. 

* If Hail loses then, does that mean she doesn't deserve to be in NXT after all? Quite a jumbled promo. 

* Brilliant swerve, really thought it was gonna be Tatum, Dame and the Culling appearing did get a pop, but may have been for Tatum. 

* And yeah, not gonna be great for Izzy winning to chants of "we want Tatum". 

* Fuck off, Booker T. 

* Izzy Dame does continues to impress me from when I first saw her. Just again don't know if there's a main roster space for her without more of a character. Maybe having a devil on her shoulder will work in Spears if he wants to go on the road again. 

* Good character work from Spears as well coaching from the side. He's been a bit of an after thought for me in NXT but there is quality in his experience to the roster. 

* Dame Over could be so much better with a little work, she's got the height and strength to make it work but it comes off clunky. 

* Dame is champion, and the crowd, went mild...

* They've played up Hail wanting to be seen as an adult and she's lost the title because she stressed like an angry teen and wanted her own way when everyone else told her it was a bad idea. Clunky pay off to the mess they made 3 weeks back. 

In Between Observations:
* Hank and Tank are gonna slap Vanity Project everywhere and it's gonna be beautiful. 

* Love, absolutely love, that they've taken Kelani Jordan from being a pure babyface with a ton of upside to "attitude problem, shouty" heel and the reason she changed was because she wanted to represent the company she was champion for in a match where she wasn't chosen for the other team, the pure evilness...

* Let me "change my tune", Fuck Off Joe Hendry

* Ethan Page is what Ricky Saints thinks Ricky Saints is. 

* I can't help but love a segment where people all come out and throw their name in the hat. Especially when it allows some new talent or some left in the background in 2025 to step up. 

* Everyone that has come out so far I would want to see a lot more of in 2026. 

* Santinos daughter being able to make me laugh from a 10 second bit, shes definitely his offspring. 

* It'll be a shame when Shiloh gets promoted to become the 2027 version of the Godwins and Hillbilly Jim, I'm gonna enjoy him while he lasts. 

* The Zaria heel turn feels like its been going on for ever now. 

* Myles Borne could have a big 2026 with people moving up to the main roster, he showed he can hang ring wise, he just has the Orton charisma lacking problem of 2004. 

Leon Slater vs Oba Femi
* I feel I'm overly critical on Slater's chances as a main event talent because of the Northern/Bradford accent, it just feels like it'll hold him back to American audiences whereas Joe Hendry I forget is Scottish from how RP his accent is. But you can't fault how much work he has put in in 6 years and he is exceptional in ring.

* Oba Femi's entrance works amazingly well as long as he never does it in everyday clothing ever again. 

* Never mind, fuck off with the one fall stuff. Tedious self marks. 

* Leon Slater is apprently a stone heavier than me and there is more chance of me having a song wrote about me by Sabrina Carpenter in 2026 than that being true. 

* I really like Slater's gear, in an NXT world of just everyone dressing similar, the colour helps to make him stand out.

* Femi's strength and base for Slater to throw himself safely at is impressive as hell. You've got to put a lot of trust in someone to even hold you for a suplex let alone throwing yourself at them.

* Slater throwing punches is why I dislike them though. No power or purpose even in how they look like they are hitting. Hardly anyone throws a good punch.

* Using cutting the knee of the stronger wrestler down has been used so much the last 2 days but when done right it does look effective.

* NXT being development always makes it more fun for me when a rookie goes to something that works for them but inexperience leads them to do it to ill effect rather than a veteran doing it.

* Slater really is a talent with how athletic he is.

* Even with a 2 hour time slot the ending came out of nowhere and I think I liked that, because it shows at any moment Femi can end it.

* And that may have been the perfect ending as well. Right now there isn't anyone in NXT at this Oba Femi's level. Going strike for strike with Cody Rhodes was the proof of that. The only natural thing is for him to test himself now at a higher level, exactly how Asuka did when no challengers remain. It may feel like a cop out, but we already had Ricky Saints fail to gain any momentum beating him so why would anyone else not there yet have the same potential. I mentioned a lack of potential main eventers but maybe its more a lack of credible Femi challengers. Problem solved. 

* I probably look like I ripped this show, a lot, but the NA title picture is great, there is a chance now to really have someone stand up as the next NXT champion and the women's division in the areas that they're doing right is going well. I am expecting to see Tony D'Angelo as the next champion and that's the guess I'll stick with now. The Blake Monroe stuff was a bit of a mess though, unless she is injured or going upwards. 2 heel champions, she has nothing to aim for. 

And I just got the absolute horror thought of Lexis King, NXT champion. 

 

[RedTwoster]

As you’ve said @I Bent My Wookie, it’s pretty startling how much of a drop-off there is on the men’s side in NXT when you eliminate Femi, Trick and Evans. I don’t know if it’s a problem with their scouting system or if there are strong options in reserve yet to make it to TV, but it’s very difficult to imagine any of them breaking into the main event scene on the main roster, even for a one-off match.

On the other hand, they’ve an abundance of talent in the women’s division so it may not even matter. If they wanted to - and they should - they’re getting to a point where a 50/50 gender split for TV time wouldn’t just be possible, it would be sensible. Their female roster is tremendous.

Edited January 7 by RedTwoster