NXT newcomer Zayda Ramier picked up a huge win in her first singles match on the black and gold brand.
This is only the second look we are getting at Ramier as she lost her debut match alongside Gigi Dolin against The Way. Her opponent was Toni Storm. Facing a former champion, Ramier had a big uphill battle and even though she had a little help she still looked great doing it. Since TakeOver: Stand & Deliver, Storm has had a brewing rivalry with Zoey Stark. Another newcomer who picked up a big in her first TakeOver event over Storm.
Last week, Stark took on the debuting Sarray, and although Stark lost she showed the utmost respect. After the match, Storm attacked Stark which brings us to this week.
Prior to this week’s match against Ramier, Storm gave a speech calling out Stark. She said that Stark owes her a “thank you” for making her famous. When history is written, however, Storm says that Stark will be nothing more than a footnote on her career. She says she hopes Stark is watching because every time she slaps “this rookie (Ramier)” she is going to imagine it is her.
During a competitive match where Ramier was keeping up with Storm, the match was leaning towards Storm’s benefit as she almost went for Storm Zero. Instead of just taking the win, she wanted to send a message to Stark. As she took Ramier up top, Stark came marching out to the ring and jumped up on the apron. This was enough for Storm to go after her and give Ramier a moment to regroup herself. After getting Storm down on the mat, Ramier hits a Shooting Star Press to pick up the victory!!
Other moments of this week’s NXT include the follow:
Mercedes Martinez defeated Dakota Kai via disqualification
A very entertaining back and forth match between two great competitors ended in disqualification after the NXT Women’s Champion got involved. Raquel Gonzalez made sure to send a message to her future challenger that although Mercedes is a veteran, that this would be an uphill climb to dethrone her.
NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions Shotzi Blackheart & Ember Moon vs. The Robert Stone Brand – never got started
This advertised non-title match never got underway. The champions ended up getting attacked from behind from their future opponents, The Way. A full run-down of that interaction can be read from the previous report by clicking here.
Xia Li delivered a message in a vignette along with the rest of Tian Sha. The promo was done in Chinese and the English translation is as follows:
“When a queen has fallen, another queen will be crowned, but no matter who in that position is, she will bow before Tian Sha. Barriers before Tian Sha will be removed one after another.”
Let’s get into the Winners & Losers of the week:
WINNER: Zayda Ramier
The obvious biggest winner of the week is Zayda. Not sure where the momentum will go from here for her because this seems more of a storyline between Toni and Zoey but this win did catch me by surprise. Looking very forward to seeing more of Zayda in the future.
WINNERS: The Way
Sometimes I feel as though it is an unpopular opinion but The Way certainly makes NXT enjoyable. The Way’s attack on the tag champs makes next week’s match more anticipated. I doubt if The Way is going to win and this may be the start of breaking Indi away from them but it was a good way to build up the match at least. I find myself always looking forward to their segments as it brings in the comedic side of things and it is always a good thing to laugh.
WINNERS: Raquel Gonzalez & Dakota Kai
Dakota’s match against Mercedes was something I would love to see again but with a decisive finish. This finish did make sense though and it was a good thing that Dakota didn’t take a loss. Raquel looking strong as a champion and facing someone who sizes up to her decently well is a good look for their match in two weeks. It would be a shock if Mercedes went over on Raquel with the latter winning the title so recently.
LOSERS: The Robert Stone Brand
I am not sure why I still hold out hope that Aliyah will get some wins. I really want this team to get some wins under their belt. I find them very talented as a group and this time they didn’t even get to try. I honestly think moving them on to SmackDown would have them fit in very nicely but moving talent to the main roster is a totally different discussion.
The social media game of Robert Stone is on point though.
Although I continue to feel that the NXT women’s division is the best going right now, it is beyond crowded. They do a decent job at getting newer talent on tv but sometimes it ends up with a one-off appearance. With the roster so big also it ends up having some storylines having to alternate weeks. For instance, this is the first time we have seen anything from Tian Sha in a few weeks. Also, Sarray not being on after her big debut last week was somewhat of a letdown as well.
There is a desperate need to move some wrestlers to either RAW or SmackDown.
What did you think of this week’s NXT? Who were your Winners & Losers? Leave your thoughts below.
