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Welcome to this week’s NXT review! Last week we saw Alexa Bliss take down Carmella, adding another chapter to their storied rivalry and proving that Alexa’s time is now. However, Bayley is looking to make a come back after an injury put her out of commission and effectively delayed her rematch against Women’s Champion Asuka last month.
Bayley and Alexa are set to collide in this episode as both have aspirations to reach our champion at the top of the mountain. Will Alexa’s momentum continue or will Bayley manage to pull out all the stops?
Let’s watch!
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x4jr0ty_wednesday-morning-sports-hilights-6th-july-2016_fun
Both women make their entrances with the crowd firmly behind Bayley. The two tie up, trading blows and holds. Alexa dominates Bayley for the first round of the match, pushing Bayley to her limits and forcing her to step up her game. Bayley winds up slamming Alexa into two different corners on two separate occasions to subdue her. Alexa keeps up though knocking Bayley down, attempting sunset flips, and pulling off her “signature insult to injury” standing moonsault double knee. The crowd goes wild, impressed with Alexa’s fast paced maneuvering.
Bayley keeps fighting though, catching Alexa in a belly to back suplex. The match breaks down even further and Alexa pulls off that sunset flip powerbomb before they trade pin attempts. Alexa is able to grab Bayley in her mat chokeslam hold and looks to try a twisted bliss but Bayley is able to put her away with a Bayley to Belly to end the match.
After the bout Bayley cuts a promo. She says she’s back and tired of people taking her spot once again. This brings out Nia Jax who makes her way to the ring. The two converse and Bayley asks for one more match to prove herself. Nia agrees but says, “I don’t think you’re ready.” She makes her way out of the arena.
Thoughts: I have to be honest, at first when I read the spoilers, I was like, no, not this again. I’ve been enjoying the progress Alexa and Carmella have been making so another story about Bayley overcoming the odds didn’t sit well with me right away. However, I read another thread that brought up a great point about this new redemption story and it gave me a different perspective.
Last year we saw Bayley make her way to the top of the women’s division by proving to herself that she could beat the best NXT had to offer. Emma, Charlotte, and Becky Lynch stood in her way, with the latter two being her friends. For this redemption arc, now she finds herself completely against those who doubted her, her enemies. This is OK, it’s the same story telling as last year but with different pieces. This is good and happens all the time in different storytelling mediums. It would be bad if her character didn’t learn or progress or if things were exactly the same. I do want to see her character grow even more, maybe even reach heights towards channeling her anger from losing in different ways, but she’s our pure baby face so anything heelish will have to wait.
In this match she didn’t squash Alexa, which was a fear after they’ve been steadily building her up, they both came out looking all the better. Alexa continues to improve and I’m more than ready to see her at the top of the division. Bayley continues to excel in her role, so even though some may argue she’s overstaying her welcome in NXT, she still has a lot to offer to the brand and to the new girls. With every match she has with a homegrown talent, you can see her passing some of her magic, some of that torch to the other women.
When Nia came out, she looked so confident and fearless. Even though she didn’t speak a word into the microphone, you could pick up some of her trash talk to Bayley. I think Bayley really shines in motivating others to be their best too and I’m interested in seeing their upcoming match.
I’m also hoping after the brand split and subsequent call ups from NXT, we’ll get a clearer picture of where the division is heading. For so much hyperbole touting “a new beginning” after the last TakeOver, we haven’t seen much of the new talent that was promised.
What did you think of last night’s NXT? Excited for Bayley vs Nia III? Who do you think should be the next NXT Women’s Champion or number one contender? Sound off in the comments below.
