5 Biggest Takeaways from NXT Great American Bash
Photo Credit: WWE
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We are fresh off the heels of Great American Bash, another fantastic NXT show that gave us the in ring action we have all just come to expect from the brand. With great matches across the board, a cypher and a return to the women’s division the NXT special was one of their better shows from this year. Now, we’re going to look at the 5 biggest takeaways from the event.
5. Prime Time Hit Row
When Hit Row debuted, they were a big hit. They have that “it” factor that has attracted the fans and become a big part of the show very quickly. We’ve seen them cut great promos, enter themselves in to the tag division, win the NXT North American Title and now they have given us a performance. It’s very clear that Triple H and the boys in NXT have listened to the fans and made it a point to get this group on screen as much as possible and however possible. We’ve seen wrestlers with the rap gimmick in the past. They have moments, and they can be entertaining. Hell, it even sparked the career of one of the biggest characters in the history of the business but never have we seen what we got at Great American Bash with Hit Row’s cypher.
Each member got their opportunity to shine which was nice to see. These members aren’t just there to make Swerve look better, they belong by his side. Hit Row has reached the point of becoming arguably the best thing on NXT and there’s no reason to think you wont get some iteration of these guys on the show each week. Now all we have left is for B-Fab to get her chance to show us what she can do in the ring and this group will have their fingers in every title picture, except NXT Title. But it’s pretty much a guarantee at this point that if Scott Swerve and company is in NXT long enough, he’ll be chasing that title in the next year.
4. Butler Grimes
Before we get in to the new part of this story, Cameron Grimes is OVER. There might be an argument to be made that he is the most over guy on the roster. And if hes not number one, he’s second easily. I’m still curious to see how that character evolves in to a babyface, but as of now the fans love him and they let it be known. With that said, the butler gimmick will only help him in the long run as the sympathy starts to build. Grimes has shown he is among the best on the show with character work and putting him in a situation where he is going to have to be Knight’s butler is going to further let the fans see that side of him. I don’t need to convince anybody how entertaining these vignettes are going to be, and it only makes sense to take this story in this direction so that the history of the Million Dollar Belt can be brought to this new era of fans and enjoyed by those who have never gotten a chance to watch and appreciate the Ted Dibiase and Virgil.
The journey to get to this point has been pretty obvious and I think we all know that in the end, Cameron Grimes is going to be breaking free from being a butler and getting his hands on that Million Dollar belt. But this is one of those stories that, even though it is predictable for the most part, this is one we can sit back and enjoy what happens in between the beginning and end. Maybe we’ll get a swerve that stretches this thing out longer, but its clear Cameron Grimes walks away on top to give the fans a feel good ending. And with all the praise on Grimes, he doesn’t get over as big as he has if not for the work from LA Knight as well. Everything about this program has been entertaining and I genuinely look forward to seeing what kind of scenarios Butler Grimes gets put in.
3. Tegan Nox Re-Charged
After a month of teasing the fans with the battery charging clips, we were finally given a face to go with them. Tegan was who I had been expecting for a few weeks, and I looked forward to her return. The rich getting richer, with more talent to add to that already stacked women’s division in NXT. Having her return in the middle of the Women’s Tag division to cost The Way their belts immediately sets her up with a program with Candice. To me, the execution was a little bit flat. She just shows up on the stage, Candice can’t believe her eyes which ends up costing her and Indi the match and then Tegan chases Candice away.
Very quick but it got the job done in starting her return story. You can expect to hear from Tegan Nox on next weeks episode to fill people in on the whats and whys. It’s a simple that story that makes sense. Candice did this to her, took a year away from her career and she’s going to make her pay for it. You can expect some great matches between these two that will most likely end with Tegan coming out on top and moving right in to challenging for the Womens Title or maybe even revisiting Dakota Kai.
2. Cole vs O’Reilly Trilogy
It has taken quite awhile to get the second match from this rivalry that started with the Undisputed Era’s break up. And whereas I am disappointed with the lack of Strong and Fish in this rivalry, it is impossible to be anything but stoked about the matches the two have had so far. And with Kyle getting the first win at Takever and Adam coming out on top at Great American Bash, it’s a foregone conclusion that the third and final battle is happeing at the next Takeover. We can expect a fun stipulation added to this match as well to really elevate the stakes. The early betting favorite is a “loser leaves NXT” match which would be a fitting sendoff for Adam Cole to the main roster while putting over Kyle one last time.
The timing of the draft works in perfectly for that theory as well to get Adam Cole on a new show. They could swerve us, keep Adam in NXT and have him win this trilogy which would thrust him right back into the NXT Title scene. But that leaves Kyle in a very direction-less situation, where would he go from there? And if that’s the case, I dont see the loser leaving stipulation, so possibly a more violent or grueling match to conclude this triology? I know we just had complete overkill with the Hell in a Cell match during the HIAC PPV week but this kind of feud is exactly what that kind of match was made for and how fitting would it be that the first one in NXT is these two? That is my personaly choice but whatever the match ends up being, we can all look forward to another great match because that’s just what these guys do. After their clash at Great American Bash, Adam and Kyle have entered the chat with Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn because I could easily watch these guys fight each other forever and NEVER get tired of it.
1. Gargano vs Kross
Classic David and Goliath match incoming. The return of the heart and soul of NXT coming to save NXT from the big bad man who has destroyed all who have crossed his path. From sending Keith Lee out of NXT to punching a hole through the mount rushmore of NXT, Kross has laid waste to everyone. Based on that alone, this match would seem very predictable but thats not this case. This is an intriguing match because of information we already know about the future of Karrion Kross. He is on his way to Raw or Smackdown. It’s not a matter of if, but when at this point. The references to winning the WWE title and headlining Wrestlemania in his promo last night only further solidy that as being a fact. But is that time now? Is Kross really going to drop the title to Johnny on a free television? And if Kross returns, then what? Does he relinquish the title? Is he sticking around until the next Takeover?
So many questions surround this match and that’s why it makes for a must see show next week. And then you add in Samoa Joe to the equation as the special guest referee! You can’t NOT be excited for this match. Even more questions. Does Samoa Joe cost one of these guys the match? And if he does, is it to set up Samoa vs Kross or Gargano? Those are two matches the fans definitely want to see, so I’m with that idea. They’ve teased a Kross vs Joe match with their back and forth staredowns and it makes sense, but Joe is not cleared(that we know of). I could go down a wormhole of possibilities that come from this match, but I’ll just leave it at DO NOT MISS NEXT WEEKS SHOW. Gargano vs Kross is going to deliver and whatever outcomes that happens will set up some intriguing programming moving forward.
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