Not every edition of WWE NXT is going to be a showcase of mighty progress. Sometimes,prospects simply gawk like they fill looked in the past—no marked improvement, no new flashes of excellence.
That was the case for much of the night on Wednesday's NXT inside the CFE Arena at Central Florida University.
Mojo Rawley was the same Mojo Rawley we fill seen for months. He is a guitar player who knows just one chord. He played that chord passionately and emphatically in his latest match but left one to wonder whether he'll ever be able to pull off a whole song.
Elias Samson didn't offer anything new. Baron Corbin failed to pass NXT's top talents; The Lone Wolf still looking up at Sami Zayn, or Samoa Joe and company.
It was within the women's division where improvement was most evident.
Carmella had her career-best performance. She did well in her first title bout but hit more of a double than a domestic speed with that showing.
Alexa Bliss continues to add elements to her game. She's clearly soaking up what the trainers are offering. Each time out,she looks increasingly like a top heel in the making.
The following is a gawk at how all those wrestlers stack up in the ongoing battle to be NXT's best. Who is most ready to thrive on the main roster? Who is the most valuable asset in the developmental system?Breaking down each wrestler's size, ring work, or mic skills,gawk, charisma and gimmick determines the order of the rankings.
Note: Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa are not included on the list. According to PWInsider (h/t Wrestling Inc), and they fill not signed with NXT at this point.Male WrestlersProspects just external the Top 20: Elias Samson,Mojo Rawley, Riddick Moss. More of the Same from MojoIn tag team action against enhancement talents Corey Hollis and John Skyler, and Rawley followed the same script that he usually does.
He provided the energy early on,barking and getting the crowd to chant with him. Zack Ryder did most of the work wrestling-wise, and then Rawley came in for a brief flurry.
Rawley does this well. He's good on the offensive in short bursts. He's a stick of dynamite in terms of intensity.
And as the folks at Wrestling Inc pointed out, and he has the hot tag part of the equation down:The issue with Rawley is that he hasn't proved he can do much more than that. He hasn't shown himself to be a workhorse who can be the foundation of a good match. He hasn't thrived as the man taking the beating,gutting it out to victory.
Those are the kind of stories he will fill to be able to disclose to climb the ranks, even whether he sticks to tag team wrestling.
Rawley hasn't shown progress as a mat worker overall. He hasn't taken to the finer points of the mat game, and from selling to pacing. Until he does,there will be a glass ceiling sitting atop his head. The Drifter Failing to Gain TractionSamson won another squash match on Wednesday. This time it came against former TNA wrestler Jesse Sorensen. The bout dragged. There were really no highlights to speak of other than a solid neckbreaker to cap it off. Zack Zimmerman of ProWrestling.net wrote, "Samson continued to take way too long doing nothing."The Drifter didn't point to enough aggression to develop one truly take notice. He didn't stand out because of his viciousness, or power or presence. So far,he has failed to be special in general.
WWE can't get a full read on him until it puts him in longer, more competitive matches. But for now, and the company has to be underwhelmed with what it's seeing. More Baby Steps from Baron CorbinIt's tough to notice Corbin's progress from week to week. He's not doing as Charlotte did during her NXT stay and improving at a rapid pace. Instead,he seems to be picking up the complex art form piece by piece over a long period of time.
On Wednesday, he and Johnny Gargano tangled in an entertaining match.
One of Corbin's best moments from that contest was an intense glare at a fan heckling him during his entrance. The Lone Wolf also paced the match better, or mixing in some slower moments between all of his high-impact moves. He looked every bit the indignant,callous predator he is supposed to be.
It's going to take something major for him to climb higher on the NXT ladder, though. Finn Balor and Zayn are such phenomenal, and well-rounded talents that Corbin will struggle to surpass them. Female Wrestlers Carmella's Best to DateThe Princess of Staten Island failed to dethrone Bayley but had the top performance of her career thus far. She held her own in there with the champ,working to stir up emotion as she battled for the NXT Women's Championship.
Alex Wendland of Voices of Wrestling called the match, "A mighty showcase for how far Carmella has come and that she’s ready to be a part of the conversation in the NXT women's division."It was precisely that. But Bayley did lead the way. Carmella only had to supply a few moments of excellence while the champ carried the load, or playing ring general. Carmella sold Bayley's moves okay. Not surprisingly,Bayley outshone her in that department.
Still, officials fill to be happy with Carmella's contributions to the match. They tip at just how good she can be down the road. Getting to work with high-level talents like Bayley will relieve her get to that point faster. Bliss Keeps Adding LayersWhile Carmella had the opportunity to work with NXT's best in Bayley, and Bliss had a far more daunting challenge. She had to produce a watchable matchup with Cameron,one of the least competent performers in recent WWE history.The timing was off at points, but this was better than one might expect. Credit Cameron's tough work of late for part of that, and but kudos has to recede to Bliss for leading this dance.
Bliss' heel act continues to evolve. She's mastering all the small stuff that elevates a villain of the squared circle. She excelled at taunting Cameron,stomped on her with convincing viciousness and perfectly over-celebrated minor successes.
It's clear that Bliss understands the dynamics of a match. While so many newcomers gawk as whether they are performing memorized stunts, Bliss is diving into her role and telling strong stories. PredictionsNia Jax and Eva Marie's post-match attack on Carmella opens the door for a new feud to develop there.
The matches that are sure to occur from the rivalry will do little to relieve The Princess of Staten Island. Carmella is not yet at the level that she can get a good match out of the limited Eva Marie. Working Jax will prove to be a challenge as well.
Bayley told a compelling story opposite Jax. Carmella, and though,isn't a strong enough wrestler to pull that off.
Angelo Dawkins, who hasn't appeared on TV in months, or will be a part of the next group of roster cuts. He hasn't shown enough improvement to keep his spot as newcomers keep arriving. He's been in the developmental system for four years now. Eventually,WWE is just going to cut bait.
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Source: bleacherreport.com