NXT Minus 6: Adam Cole, not the GOAT

Think Adam Cole is the GOAT of NXT? Brad Abel disagrees, and you can read on to see why!

6. Despite the dookie finish, I’m still giving Members Only versus Pete Dunne & Oney Lorcan 4 stars. That’s how good the match was & that’s how much better it could have been. Here’s a crazy thought. Instead of ruining a great match with a return nobody cares about, let Ridge Holland do his damage AFTER the match. We get a clean finish & the beatdown would accomplish the exact same thing. 

5. Hit Row, we get it, you can rhyme.

But why you always gotta take so much time?

Your rapping takes 1…2…3…4 ever.

It’s a real fine line between boring and clever. 

Get a mop and some bleach and clean up your stuff. 

Hit it, split it, and know when enough is enough. 

4. Have I told you lately that Cameron Grimes is K.I.L.L.I.N.G. it??? There is nobody else on the roster who could make a “washing your balls” joke work. Cowboy boots with shorts? On a golf course? With a golden golf ball? They could put Grimes in a purple tutu with a goalie mask and he’d make it work. Right now, Wrestler of the Year is a four-way race: Tommaso Ciampa, Johnny Gargano, Ilja Dragunov and Cameron Grimes. 

3. I’m a Dakota Guy. Kai was my 2020 Female Wrestler of the Year. I’m as happy as anybody that she’s getting a title shot. That said, her attack of Raquel Gonzalez feels forced. They could have spent weeks building tension, with Kai wondering why everyone else is getting a shot, asking Gonzalez when she’ll get a shot. I’m hoping they can deliver a strong finish at Takeover to overcome the sluggish start.     

2. Adam Cole still does his BOOM thumb, circles the mat and does his Bay Bay thing. Same moves, different music. And that is the first reason he is not even close to being the GOAT of NXT. He’s been the exact same guy for almost five years. Finn Balor had two distinct yet successful runs. Johnny Gargano has obliterated the opinion that he’s just a white meat babyface. Tommaso Ciampa came back from a major neck injury, better than ever. Cole is good. He’s very good. I’d call him a BASS: better than average superstar. 

1. The second reason Cole is not now and never will be the GOAT of NXT? He has not just one, but two of the worst finishers in all of wrestling. He never hits the Last Shot clean, so it always looks horrible. As for the Panama Sunrise, I hate most moves that require someone to stand bent over longer than 2 seconds. I can only suspend so much disbelief.