NXT this week had its ups and downs. What was great was the dynamic between Bianca Belair, Charlotte Flair, and Rhea Ripley but we will get to that in a moment. First, let’s talk about the match of the night.
Unfortunately NXT’s record of having at least two women’s matches a week was halted tonight. Mercedes Martinez took on Kacy Catanzaro in a one-on-one bout. The match was solid. It definitely did feel like a little bit wonky due to the veteran status of Martinez and Catanzaro just getting back into the swing of things.
Martinez was able to pick up a win with a fisherman’s buster. Personally, either way, this match was a win or lose
So much happened on last week’s NXT. The show had three matches in which none were followed up with on tonight’s show. With TakeOver: Portland just one week from Sunday there could have been at least a segment between Tegan Nox and Dakota Kai to promote it. The Robert Stone Brand isn’t creating any positive waves as Chelsea Green lost her debut match last week and she also was missing from action tonight.
Now on to the positive notes of the night. Charlotte Flair was confirmed since Monday that she would show up at NXT to answer Rhea Ripley’s challenge. The NXT Women’s Champion made the challenge on RAW to Flair saying that she wanted to be her WrestleMania opponent. By the end of the night, we still don’t have an answer, but the segment was entertaining.
The segment started with Bianca Belair first in the ring. She was scheduled to go face-to-face with Ripley. Belair is the roadblock for Ripley to even be able to make it to WrestleMania. Belair has it all. She is a past, present, and future star – she is that good. She took to the mic to let Ripley know that she should be concerned about her and shouldn’t be overlooking her and talking about Charlotte.
At that moment Flair’s music would hit and not Ripley’s. Flair would enter the ring in her Queen fashion and
Flair would disrespect Belair multiple times during the segment with a hand to her face. Belair would remind Flair that she “doesn’t even go here” as she is not on the NXT brand. Eventually, Ripley would side with Belair. The Nightmare reminds Flair that she didn’t show up to RAW with any disrespect. She expects the 10-time champ to come to the black and gold brand with the same respect.
Belair and Ripley would end the segment by dropping Flair face first on the mat.
Let’s go over the Winners & Losers of the night:
WINNER: Bianca Belair
The segment between Belair/Flair/Ripley was clearly the highlight of the night. The reason for that was Bianca. She adds that extra swag that is very much needed. Her reactions to Charlotte, her outfit, her mic skills, everything was on point. Belair needs gold around her waist. I don’t see Ripley losing the belt anytime soon, but if Bianca doesn’t win then maybe she can move to RAW shortly.
LOSERS: Tegan Nox & Dakota Kai
Not having these two on tonight’s show in some capacity was a misstep. Their Street Match at TakeOver has the capability to be a stellar match, but the storyline between them has been dragging. Because of this, they need to hype up the match more and it just isn’t happening.
LOSER: Kacy Catanzaro
Kacy is simply on this loser list because of bad booking. Her facing Mercedes may not have been the best match to see her in since her return. Her loss isn’t going to take her anywhere, although this was more or less just a one-off match anyway. Perhaps the talent in NXT is just so good that I don’t want to see anyone lose?
What did you think of this week’s NXT? Who were your Winners & Losers? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below.
Check back in with Diva Dirt next week for more coverage of NXT during their go-home show before TakeOver: Portland.
