The backstage promos were (and usually are) bad
Honestly, this week’s episode of NXT was riddled with terrible, scripted, lifeless promos from the likes of Deonna Purrazzo, Dana Brooke, Emma and others. I don’t know what it is, but it feels like they’re reading off of cue cards; and they might be, actually. I understand that this is developmental and it’s a working progress, but wow, some of these promos are just plain bad.
This isn’t the first week that I’ve criticized the backstage promo work from NXT talent. Last week, I blasted (and rightfully so) Apollo Crews for his consistent terrible backstage promos. The reasoning behind these bad promos is a combination of poor delivery and lackluster content from the writing staff.
These backstage segments don’t really mean much in the grand scheme of things, but it does hinder the show at times, and I feel like something needs to be done to break NXT of this poor habit.
No one cares about Alex Riley
It might sound harsh, but no one cares about Alex Riley or his return. I like the guy and thought he had some potential on the main roster back in 2011, when he was paired up with The Miz. After breaking the duo up, I thought Riley had a good storyline to start with and was getting a decent reaction from fans. But after a backstage dispute, Riley was placed in the doghouse and has never really recovered… and probably won’t.
His recent return to NXT seems forced and it’s clear that nobody cares. His hand full of matches since his return have been average and Riley hasn’t really done anything to make the NXT fans care; he’s just average and quite frankly, nothing special. I will give Riley the props for using some of his real life frustration and channeling that into this character, but I think the Alex Riley train has come and gone.
Should’ve such with the announcing gig.
Samoa Joe is operating on another level
Is there a better heel in WWE (including the main roster) performing better than Samoa Joe, right now? I don’t think so.
Since turning on Finn Balor, Samoa Joe has been a man on a mission and hasn’t looked back (not only in storyline). During a conference call before NXT Takeover: London, Triple H said that Joe is “rejuvenated” and he’s on “another level” with his current performance. Don’t get me wrong, guys like Finn Balor, Sami Zayn, Apollo Crews, etc. have been fantastic, but Joe has been that much better.
From his character development, to his promo/microphone skills, to his facial expressions/mannerisms, he is hitting on all cylinders when it comes to being a total and complete badass heel, who is obsessed with becoming NXT Champion. Not only that, but his character is becoming unstable and enraged everyday he isn’t NXT Champion; he plays this character to perfection. Granted, the NXT faithful still love the Samoan Submission Machine, but Joe is not only elevating his own game, he’s making everyone around him better.
His match with Sami Zayn on this episode of NXT was a thriller, with yet another finish filled with shenanigans. Even in that, Joe’s reactions and interactions with the referee, Sami Zayn and William Regal were great and he knows exactly where to go and when. His in-ring work in this match was great (as usual) and has really evolved his style to fit into the “WWE mold.”
Samoa Joe is the total package and always has been. I just hope he gets to showcase this character on the main roster.
Thanks for reading, everyone! See you next week.
Follow me on Twitter personally @Eron_PWP and our official Twitter @PWPNation.