NXT Minus 6: Giving Thanks

Giving thanks is on the menu for this Thanksgiving edition of Bradley’s WWE NXT Minus 6!

‘Tis the season for giving thanks. This week NXT gave me a lot to be thankful for.

6. I’m thankful anytime Wednesday night starts with a Takeover quality match. 4.4 stars for Candace Lerae and Ember Moon. Lerae looked better than she has in months. Moon has won me over. A month ago, I was entirely uninterested in her return. Now I’m already sad thinking about her inevitable demotion back to  RawDown. I hope she wins the women’s title first.  

5. I’m thankful for Kevin Owens. He took a lot of shots Wednesday night. Some landed. Some didn’t. Doesn’t matter. Every other announcer sounds like they’re being force fed lines or told to stick to tired cliches when they aren’t jabbering about social media. Owens sounded like a fan enjoying the show, saying whatever came to his mind, without screaming at us all night. He was a welcome reminder of what an announcer should be. 

4. I’m thankful for KUSHIDA and Timothy Thatcher. It’s easy to create a match if you have weeks to tell a story. From an outsider perspective, one of the hardest things a wrestler can do is create a match from nothing. That’s exactly what Thatcher & KUSHIDA did, and it was great. Two masters simply trying to outmaneuver and outwith the other. Human chess in its highest form. I could watch a match that good every day of my life. 4 stars 

3. I’m thankful for the Grizzled Young Veterans. Zack Gibson is one of the best in the biz on the mic. Fans talk a lot about pure faces, but Gibson is as pure a heel as it gets. James Drake is second fiddle, but he more than holds his own. They are one of the best tag teams anywhere and I’m happy they’re back stateside.

2. I’m thankful anytime we get a MOTY candidate on a Wednesday night. Earlier this year, I called for a hiatus on ladder matches. Tired format. Nothing new to do. I was wrong. Kyle O’Reilly and Pete Dunne put it all on the line. 4.7 stars. O’Reilly in particular took at least 2 bumps that looked like they should have ended his year. If this was a precursor to War Games, then we’re in for another spectacular car crash. 

1. I’m thankful for wrestling. I don’t write about ratings, because I’m not interested in any Wednesday night “war.” If you watch AEW, good for you. I’m always taking shots at RawDown, but if that’s what you watch, good for you. The language barrier makes it hard for me to enjoy NJPW, but if that’s your thing then good for you. I’m thankful there is so much good wrestling to satisfy any fan. I’m thankful so many talented men and women strive to tell us stories. I’m thankful that the Chairshot brought so many of us together to share our love of this weird thing called wrestling. And as always, I’m thankful for anyone who read this far.