NXT Minus 6: The Best Hour on the Network

Yes. You read that right. NXT UK is the New NXT, and the best hour on the network.

6. Earlier this year, I listed the 6 NXT superstars who are the future of the business. I am issuing a formal apology to Nathan Frazer for not including him on the list. He is a special kind of special and an inevitable NXT UK Champion. His athleticism is breathtaking, his quickness is unparalleled and he bumps like a 10 year veteran. And it doesn’t hurt that he looks like a GQ model. Some guys have too damn much of everything.  

5. In my humble opinion, Big Boss Man is one of the finest mid card heels in history. He could create instant heat, work with anyone and was tough enough to make you believe he could win any match. Sha Samuels is cut from the same cloth. He and the aforementioned Frazer had a great match this week, 4 stars. An exciting clash of styles and personalities. Guys like Samuels are the offensive linemen of wrestling. I’d love to see him and Noam Dar win the tag titles some day. Speaking of…  

4. Noam Dar versus Ilja Dragunov? The Scottish Supernova versus Unbesiegbar?? A Takeover main event-worthy match on a weeknight??? Oh…Hell…YES! NXT has a way of creating matches I never thought of that turn into matches I can’t stop thinking about. This is one of those matches. Right now, Dragunov and Dar are as good as anybody, anywhere. Specifically, I can’t over state how amazing Dragunov has been this year in ring and on the mic. 

3. It’s not often a little guy manhandles a clearly bigger opponent. That’s exactly what Kenny Williams did. The Luckien took it to newcomer Andy Wild, who looked good in his debut. Since his attitude shift, Williams has been on another level. He is the vicious little dog who doesn’t realize how small he is. 

2. The first match between Kay Lee Ray versus Meiko Satomura was a 4.8 star MOTY contender. The scorching hot promo this week gives me every reason to think part II will be even better. Ray did what no other person had been willing to do previously: disrespect the Final Boss. Now Satomura is pissed, and I can’t wait to see what that looks like. No more Mrs. Nice Boss.

1. One of the many things NXT does better than anybody is give us quality weeknight matches that tell great stories with little to no build. This week, Thunderstorm Sam Gradwell and Trent Seven cracked each other to bits because Gradwell wants us to know he is also a Founding Father of the brand. I hope hope hope we get more of these two, because this hit 4.5 stars and I know they have more in them.