NXT Takeaways this Week(August 22nd & 24th)

Fresh off the heels of NXT’s post Takeover and with Takeover 36 still fresh in our heads, we have quite a bit to wrap our head around when looking towards the future of the black and gold brand.  Nick Khan has recently stated that they are in fact going to change the look and go back to bringing in people they can make in to superstars in the very near future.  What is still up in the air though is how that will impact the current guys that call NXT their home.  They just put the NXT Title on Samoa Joe who is 42 years old, which definitely doesn’t fit the age requirement that they are supposedly pushing, so these next few weeks will be very telling.  

But we’ll wait to see how that plays out and focus on the great action we just witnessed over the past 2 shows.  Dragunov and Walter gave us another match of the year level match which saw Walter finally get dethroned, which creates a level of uncertainty surrounding the future of Walter.  NXT?  Raw or Smackdown?  A rubber match with Ilja?  The ending of the Undisputed Era finally came to it’s conclusion when Kyle O’Reilly outlasted Adam Cole in a 2 out of 3 falls match which left the crowd at the CWC unhappy to say the least.  The Cameron Grimes/Ted DiBiase story has finally come to an end too with Cameron coming out on top over LA Knight which allowed DiBiase to fell comfortable leaving with his legacy intact while rewarding Grimes with a replica Million Dollar Title.  With all that, we’ll jump right in to the biggest Takeaways from this week…

#5:  The North American Title is a Prop

The 6 man ladder match at Takeover: New Orleans remains one of the better matches in NXT’s history.  We saw the debut of Ricochet, a level of destruction that is only rivaled by what Gargano and Ciampa were able to do in their rivalry and the official coming out party for Adam Cole.  Sure, he was a big deal before that as a Tag Champ and the leader of Undisputed Era but this match gave him singles gold for the first time in NXT.  That gold?  The North American Championship.  Cole would be the first to hold that title, followed by the likes of Johnny Gargano and Ricochet.  It would appear as if this title would become a big part of the show and be used as a stepping stone to reach that next level much like the Intercontinental Title used to be many years ago.  

Sadly, ever since Keith Lee vacated that title when he became a double champion, the belt has lost a lot of it’s prestige.  Bouncing around from person to person, nobody who has held that title since has come out of the other side for the better.  Gargano might be an exception but it’s Johnny freakin’ Gargano.  The belt did nothing for him.  Priest had it, lost it and left.  Leon Ruff had it as a joke, lost it and since has been let go.  Bronson Reed won it, lost it and then was also let go.  Gargano has had it twice in that time, and both of the people he lost it too are gone from the company as stated prior.

So that brings us to now.  Isaiah “Swerve” Scott.  He won the title in a great match against Bronson Reed.  It was much deserved as Scott had done his time, got himself over and is now the leader of the most entertaining group on NXT.  What has he done with that title though?  He has attracted the attention of Santos Escobar, but that’s really it.  I don’t think he has had one single title defense.  The belt is rarely even mentioned or seen during his appearances.  The rivalry that started over the North American Title has now shifted focus to a feud fueled by pride as Hit Row and Legado Del Fantasma just want to best the other.  Which is fine because the feud has been fantastic and I’m sure the pay off match will be great, but the North American Title needs more attention.  Whether that means Scott losing it or him having to defend it while this feud continues against other challengers, something needs to happen.  Both Tag Titles have drifted away to meaningless at the moment, we don’t need the same for the secondary championship as well.

#4:  Franky Monet is Ready

Since her arrival, Franky Monet has been ready to go.  There was no need to throw her in squash matches, but they did it and she made it work.  There is no reason to have her waste time with this Robert Stone gimmick nonsense, but it is happening and she is making it work.  Franky could have been fast tracked to one of the main roster shows and she would have fit in immediately, no questions asked.  All of that doesn’t matter now, because she is finally stepping up and calling her shot.  

I think there are a few people who were surprised by Raquel successfully defending the title against Dakota, myself included.  But she did, and she’s moving forward with the title as we make our way in to the new era of NXT.  If Franky is staying in NXT, there was no other real option for Raquel to defend against.  Io is stuck in tag team purgatory, Candice is unable to compete and Indi Hartwell has more important matters to worry about.  Franky is a star and has patiently waited for her time to shine.  She’s obviously talented and has the size and experience to not match Raquel but best her.  This is a perfect storm.  If Franky wins, it’s believable and welcome by the fans.  If Raquel wins, she is given the rub by a veteran of the business and possibly comes out the other end of this a better performer.  It’s nice to see NXT have some continuity to their Womens Title instead of switching up and focusing just on the tag teams like they had been doing.  A Franky Monet vs Raquel Gonzalez NXT Women’s Title match is headline worthy, and I for one can’t wait for that main event to happen.  Whoever comes out on top will definitely have their hands full with the new girl in town…

#3:  Kay Lee Ray has Arrived

Raquel Gonzalez successfully defended her title against Dakota Kai at Takeover 36.  What did she win?  The tease of a possible match up with the longest reigning UK Women’s champion, Kay Lee Ray.  After dropping the title to Meiko Satomura, it was only a matter of time before we were going to see Kay Lee switch brands.  We saw it happen with Pete Dunne, Rhea Ripley, Toni Storm and we can expect it to happen soon with Walter.  It is the formula they seem to be running with in NXTUK and NXT, and with the exception of Toni Storm it has worked perfectly for them.  

It’s good they put Kay Lee Ray in a squash match on the show last night.  It shows us they are going to get her more familiar with the audience that doesn’t watch NXTUK before throwing the title on her, even though the fans at the CWC seem to already be fully behind her.  She has a very aggressive style that will stand out compared to the rest of the ladies on NXT and will land her in the main event/title scene very quickly.  It will be interesting if they go the Franky Monet route with multiple squash matches or if they throw her in to a great rivalry with someone like Dakota or Io to push her up quickly.  Either way will work and this is just another example of how rich the women’s talent pool within the NXT brand is.  

#2:  Carmelo Hayes Title Shot

To say I am shocked at the outcome of this tournament would be an understatement.  Maybe that is what they were going for because it definitely seemed like it was Odyssey Jones’ to win.  As a big man with that much charisma that seems to good enough in the ring right now, it was just obvious to me that he was gonna win.  Instead, they went with the upset with Carmelo Hayes taking the tournament.  I’m not mad at the decision though because Hayes is definitely the more experienced in ring talent as he has been around the indies for many years and Jones is an in house project over the past couple years within WWE.

So with the win, Hayes now gets a title shot of his choosing.  Last tournament, I think it was a shot at the NXT Title so this new stipulation is interesting and makes me think Hayes won’t be challenging Samoa Joe.  I like that idea because it opens up the possibility of throwing a smaller championship around his waist without it being completely absurd.  Carmelo Hayes challenges and wins the NXT Title over Samoa Joe?  That’s crazy to think of.  Hayes winning the North American title?  Eh, I could actually buy that.  So let’s look at the choices.

• NXT Title?  As I said, with them making sure we heard that he can challenge for any title on multiple occasions, I think this one is out of the question.  And besides, Samoa Joe looks to have his hands full at the moment.
• North American Title?  This would be the one I bet on.  As I stated earlier, the title has become a prop and serves no purpose in the feud between LDF and Hit Row at this point.  You could have Hayes challenge for that title, have a brilliant match with Scott that ends with Escobar getting involved and costing Scott the title.  This elevates their feud even more, puts over Hayes and possibly gets us on the right path to giving the title some prestige again.
• Cruserweight Title?  I’m not sure if they would classify him in that weight division.  He is listed as 5 pounds over the limit, but that’s not enough to completely dismiss the idea.  You also have Roderick Strong looked to be fully locked in on getting that belt whenever Kushida returns.  So depending on the timing of Hayes cashing in the opportunity, it is a possibility.
• Tag Team Titles?  Highly doubtful but very interesting idea.  Hayes and Jones shared a moment of respect after the match.  With both being baby faces and the Tag division needing new life, it could be intriguing to have him ask Jones to join him and they go after the Tag Titles together.

Whatever choice Hayes makes won’t matter because he seems to be very well liked, especially when you look back a few weeks to his amazing match with Adam Cole.  He’ll take whatever opportunity he is given and knock it out of the park.

#1:  Take Your Pick Samoa Joe

In a matter of a few months, Samoa Joe went from being newly unemployed to NXT Champion.  Since he came back to NXT, there have been many easter eggs that point to future matches with talent throughout the roster.  With his age and recent injury history, I think our Joe matches will be spready apart.  Once a month on tv and Takeovers are where we can expect to see Joe defend that title.  And I think he should have a somewhat lengthy run, not just drop it to the next guy he steps in the ring with.  But that is the future, and we’re gonna focus on the present.  Joe came back to get revenge on Kross and take him out of the equation and he did just that.  And now, after defeating Karrion Kross and becoming a 3 time NXT champion, the line of challengers waiting to take down Joe all decided to come out and make their intentions known:

It started with Pete Dunne, the man Joe has had the most face to face encounters with since returning.  Dunne made it clear that he doesn’t fear Joe and that he’s only acting as a placeholder until Regal can make their match official.  This is a match the NXT fans want to see.  The brute force of Joe and the technical mastery of Pete Dunne is a great clash of styles that could make for some really entertaining matches between the two.

LA Knight was the next man out.  Moving on from his feud with Cameron Grimes, LA Knight has decided to for the biggest prize on the brand.  Being the best mouth piece in NXT, putting Knight in the main event scene is a move that makes a lot of sense.  He can carry a segment with anyone he’s in the ring with and of everyone left on the roster, I trust nobody more than LA Knight to go head to head with Joe on the mic.  He looks like a star, he acts like a star and he talks like a star.  LA Knight with that NXT Title over his should would be a wonderful thing.  

Tomasso Ciampa didn’t come out to to confront Joe, but that didn’t stop him from taking a good long look at that title when everything calmed down.  Ciampa has been out of the main event scene for awhile now.  He has been a little lost since returning from his neck surgery but the recent pairing with Thatcher seemed to get him back on the right track.  Having him turn full blown heel again and trying to get goldy back would be very entertaining, and the ring psychology that he and Joe have would make for some really good story telling.  I really hope we get something between the two of them.

Kyle O’Reilly, the man with the best right to claim his title shot.  The last year has been one long story that removes the stigma that Kyle O’Reilly was just a soldier for Cole and places him as one of the top guys on the brand.  His stellar matches with Balor and Cole have opened up a lot of eyes that previously had only seen him as a tag team guy in NXT.  Coming out victorious in the Adam Cole feud is about the best thing you could do besides winning the NXT Title, and that is all we have left in this story.  You can expect Joe to take on a few challengers before Kyle finally gets his, but when it does happen, it will be Kyle’s crowning moment.  It’s not a matter of if, just when.

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