Last Month in NXT (OCTOBER)
Standout Stars
Roderick Strong
We kick start today's blog post off with a superstar I actually haven't spoken about a great deal here on my blog or over on social media. Roderick Strong is someone I've been watching on and off for the past couple of years and someone I've always enjoyed watching. I'm not his biggest fan in the world but I can accept the fact he is a phenomenal in-ring performer and throughout his career Strong has been apart of some epic matches. His WWE run so far hasn't had me super excited. Again, he has been apart of some great matches but there character work and storyline's are not something that has grabbed my attention and kept me massively entertained. However, this past month Roderick Strong has without a shadow of a doubt been one of the standouts down in NXT. He took part in two of the best matches of the month which I will get into later on in the post and while he didn't take home the win in either he made a big enough impact. His wrestling skills and experience were on full display and his passion shined through every single thing he did this month. His title bout with Drew McIntyre was a standout of his career and his one on one match with Andrade Cien Almas kept him as a talking point. Looking ahead we can expect the next few months to be just as strong and interesting for Roderick. The Undisputed Era has made it clear they are keen on Strong joining their little army and seeing that story develope over the next month or so is really going to be interesting especially heading into NXT Takeover.
Nikki Cross
If you know me you know that Nikki Cross is without a shadow of a doubt one of my favorite female superstars in the WWE right now. A fan of her work prior to her arrival in the WWE Nikki has always had crazy potential and been a star wherever she goes. However, no one could have predicted just how amazingly well she would have adapted to her role currently in NXT. The fourth member of Sanity, Nikki Cross has become the star of the action thanks to her compelling character work, unorthodox style in the ring and just how convincing she is in her role. She's been a standout from day dot and the month of October really did feature her greatly! With Sanity at the forefront of one of the biggest storyline's in NXT right now Nikki Cross has been thrown into the spotlight once again and I've been delighted to see the WWE not forget her in the process. Competing in a triple threat against Liv Morgan and Peyton Royce at the start of the month the three superstars looked to earn a spot in the NXT Women's championship match at the next takeover event and it was made perfectly clear Cross was a fan favorite for the win. However, Taynara Conti found herself in the mix of all the drama between Sanity and the Undisputed era and was encouraged by Adam Cole and co to take out Cross meaning that the Sanity member missed out on walking away with the victory this time around. However, a couple of weeks later Cross was added to the women's over the top battle royal and once again highlighted as the fan favorite. She did eventually get the win and has been announced as the final competitor in the fatal four way at Takeover. I do have my prediction post for this show coming out so keep an eye out for that very soon!
Velveteen Dream
And finally, we have a man I'm totally obsessed with, the Velveteen Dream. There were in fact quite a few stars that really stood out for me this month in NXT but I am planning on sticking to just highlighting the top three and while it was tough to narrow it down this month the Velveteen Dream just had to be mentioned! When I was taking my notes for this post I really struggled to choose between Dream and Aleister Black; their feud is hands down one of my current favorites in all of wrestling. Gripping, unique, and massively entertaining, I look forward to seeing this develop every single week! It's the one feud I always want to learn about and see more from and both stars are doing a fantastic job. Completely different characters their story works. It's exactly the perfect role for the Velveteen Dream who has made every single moment of this feud work to his advantage. Prior to this feud no one really paid much attention to him but what we have learned throughout the past month or so is just how convincing and passionate he is. You watch him and you believe his obsession, you believe his frustration and it's totally gripping. He's become one of my current favorite WWE superstars and I honestly cannot wait to see where his obsession goes next and what will go down between Aleister Black and the Velveteen Dream!
Standout Moments
Kairi Sane's NXT Debut
After winning the inaugural Mae Young Classic Japanese star Kairi Sane was given the opportunity to compete for the vacant NXT Women's championship in a fatal four way at NXT Takeover but the WWE hadn't rushed into throwing Kairi into her NXT debut and instead that happened earlier on in October when she went one on one against Aliyah. Now, I'm actually a pretty big fan of Aliyah and I've written about her several times before here on my blog and I know for a fact that if she and Kairi had been given say fifteen minutes then the two could have put on one killer match up but of course this just wasn't the aim here. This was Kairi's first NXT appearance and it was her opportunity to stand out, gain some momentum ahead of her title match and get kick-started here in NXT. A basic match kept short and simple this wasn't anything big or major but it was a highlight moment of the month and it had to be addressed in today's blog post. I personally can't wait to see her perform at Takeover and hopefully she can fit in a couple more NXT appearances before the title match!
The Authors of Pain make their Epic Return
I know I've said it a million times before but if there is one thing NXT continue to get rights it is its tag team division. The work there is constantly high level and that hasn't changed in the slightest this month. We've seen more teams grow and develop while Sanity and the Undisputed Era have been out owning it at the top setting the bar. However, this month also saw the epic return of one of my current favorite tag teams in all of pro wrestling, the Authors of Pain. The former NXT tag team champions have been out of action since losing their titles at NXT Takeover Brooklyn against Sanity but in October the duo and their manager made their epic return to NXT TV this month surprising both Sanity and the Undisputed Era. Honestly, this was my biggest mark out moment of the month. I'm such a fan of these guys and it's amazing having them back on my screen. I do believe it's only a matter of time before they arrive on the main roster and their NXT Takeover match is likely to be their last but this was such an epic moment not only for NXT this month but just wrestling as a whole and the pop they got, how it was done, the timing and the whole thing was just perfect. Honestly, one of my favorite moments!
Women's Championship Picture
And finally, one of the biggest things going on in NXT this month has of course been all the drama surrounding the NXT women's championship. After Asuka vacated the title in September it was announced that a fatal Four way will be held at the next NXT Takeover event to crown a new champion. Mae Young Classic winner Kairi Sane was already revealed to be first women competing but throughout the month several matches were held to determine who would join her. The first saw Liv Morgan, Nikki Cross, and Peyton Royce compete in a triple threat that would see Peyton Royce pick up the victory, the second would see Ember Moon knock-off Sonya Deville and Ruby Riot to become the third name added to the match and of course as we touched one earlier on, Nikki Cross won a battle royal to become the last women added to the fatal four way. I really did enjoy the matches that were put on by the women's division throughout the month down in NXT. It really did feel as though every woman really wanted this and I felt as though the right women were added to the match. It was also cool to see Mae Young competitors such as Rhia Ripley, Mercedes Martinez, and Candice LeRae involved too.
Standout Matches
Drew McIntyre vs Roderick StrongIf I had to pick one standout superstar of the month this month from NXT it would without a shadow of a doubt be Roderick Strong. His main focus since arriving in the WWE has been the NXT Championship and getting his hands on the most prestige title in all of developmental and while he hasn't been able to be crowned champion his efforts have not gone unnoticed. His personal feud with Bobby Roode was the highlight of his career so far in NXT and with the glorious one now apart of the Smackdown LIVE roster Strong has kept his eyes on the prize and made Drew Mcintyre his focus. Earning the right to face Drew one on one for the NXT championship the two took part in a competitive, passionate championship bout that was big highlight of the month. One of the earliest matches of October this really did set the bar. The match was intense and passionate and I felt just how badly it and the title meant to both superstars. Hooked throughout, the energy in the room increased by the second and these two really did deliver one heck of a title match.
Sanity VS The Undisputed Era
My personal favorite NXT match of the month in October came from tag team action as Sanity and The undisputed Era attempted to settle their differences in an all fight. The six-man tag team match was an easy highlight for the WWE this month with all superstars having their place and standing out for individual reasons. It just had everything you could ask for. It did lean more towards the fun side of things with energy being so high in the room and the spits performed so entertaining but the storyline made this massively intense also. The match divided fans with half siding with Sanity and the other half siding with the Undisputed era this was a really fun match to watch that really did live up to its build. When you include the return of the Authors of Pain this boosts right up the ladder and a true highlight from NXT of the entire year.
Roderick Strong vs Andrade Cien Almas
And finally, we have last weeks NXT main event between Roderick Strong and Andrade Cien Almas. This was another one that while both superstars had a lot on the line it was a fun match to watch. Both Strong and Almas are both keeping their eyes firmly on the NXT championship and had a lot to prove in this match. Strong brought his passion and intensity as he always does while Andrade showed himself to be focused and viscous and with the help of Zelina Vega, Andrade really did have the advantage. The spots in this match were fantastic, both men looked good and I found myself massively invested in the action. I'm so glad to see Andrade finally get the push he deserves and while I don't see him as NXT champion anytime soon the WWE have found something that works
for him and he really is on fire right now.
And that was last month in NXT. I again really enjoyed the work from NXT throughout October. We got a lot from the women's, men's and tag team division and gave us plenty to look forward to for the month ahead. For now, any recent blog post will be linked below including my WWE TLC review and finally, you can let me know what you thought of the past month in NXT by leaving a comment or by tweeting me at @TezangiVictoria.
Recent Blog posts:
This weeks RAW and Smackdown LIVE Best Bits
Five Ways the WWE Can Save WWE Championship Scene
Last Week in Wrestling
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