NXT Minus 6: January 2, 2019

Bradley Jay checks in with his 6 major reaction points from the January 2 edition of WWE NXT on the WWE Network!

6. The NXT Awards show was the absolute opposite of what NXT is all about. It was overstuffed with little new to offer. Not sure why they needed 2 hours for that. Why are there so many nominees for every category? They should call it NXT’s Everybody Gets A Ribbon Day. Every major superstar got at least one nomination, except for…

5. Kassius F@#$ing Ohno! That’s right. Kassius got zero. Zip. Zilch. Kona Reeves got a nomination but not Kassius Ohno?!? You know what Takeovers were nominated for Takeover of the year? All 5 of them!!! Matt Riddle might be the Breakout Star of 2019. I hope Ohno is the Outbreak Star of 2019. Just snap. Go crazy. Start killing bitches. Knock out anybody, anywhere. Kassius Hardcore 24-7 rule. You deserve better.

4. I thought we had run out of horrible band names, but then along comes Alien Weaponry. You couldn’t name your band after an actual alien weapon? Black Hole Hand Grenade. Shotguns of Uranus. The Plasma Something Somethings. Get creative, kids.

3. I am excited for Bianca Belair versus Shayna Baszler at Takeover:Phoenix. The rewind match of Belair versus Deonna Purrazzo was a solid reminder of how versatile she is. Athletic. Powerful. Can turn on her mean streak when she needs to. Early in 2018 she was using a dead lift military press on her opponents. Very impressive. Not sure why she moved away from that. If she doesn’t bust it out in Phoenix, I’m asking for a refund.

2. Here is one thing that bothers me about Belair. Why isn’t her hair considered a foreign object, resulting in a DQ when she bullwhips someone with it? If it’s her real hair, I guess it’s ok. If it’s a weave or extensions, then that’s a grey area. Someone call Mike Pereira for an official ruling.

1. I am liking the continued build for the Riddle-Ohno Ohno-Riddle rivalry. Last night’s action felt real. They’re both heavy strikers. Ohno’s post-match anguish felt real. His savage beatdown of Riddle felt very real. But one anonymous soul stole the show. After Ohno finally “gave” Riddle the fist bump, someone in the crowd yelled “that didn’t count!” Well played, sir. Well played.

That’s right. I said it.