The Center Stage in Atlanta, Georgia provided the backdrop for this week’s NXT episode. How would things progress following Shayna Baszler’s destruction of Dakota Kai last week? Let’s find out.
Tonight’s female match-up sees the First Lady of NXT, Lacey Evans taking on rare show-up Aliyah.
Aliyah with the takedown. Evans counters Aliyah’s pinfall attempt with a bridging escape. Snapmare by Aliyah and pinfall attempt for 2. Evans counters the Irish whip. She lands on the apron and braises Aliyah’s face along the top rope. Slingshot elbow drop for 2.
Evans stomps Aliyah down in the corner, uses the ropes for leverage and swings down with her rear end on Aliyah. She can’t keep up the momentum. Aliyah fights back, capping it off with a Northern Lights suplex for a 2 count.
Evans with a jawbreaker to get space from Aliyah. Aliyah stumbles towards her and receives a right hand from Hades by Evans. Whoa! Evans looks surprised at her fist and then pins Aliyah for the 3 count.
After the match, Lacey takes the microphone and asks how General Manager of NXT, William Regal can allow the lowest forms of societal trash to walk around the Women’s Division. She goes on to say that it’s time for a proper, sophisticated, powerful woman to clean house. Evans vows to start with the classless psychos like Nikki Cross, or maybe the confused champion, Ember Moon.
Evans then begins talking trash about Kairi Sane, saying perhaps she’ll take on the pathetic pirate…she is cut off by the appearance of Shayna Baszler on stage. As Shayna approaches, Lacey retreats to the back. Baszler then makes her way to the ring, grabs a hold of Aliyah and locks in a Karafuto Clutch. Baszler won’t let go, even though Aliyah is virulently tapping out. The end only comes when the champion, Ember Moon makes her appearance and chases Baszler out of the ring.
Moon grabs a microphone and says that if Shayna wants to bully someone, she dares her to try it with her. Baszler mouths that she doesn’t have her ring gear with her at the moment. Moon tells her to name the time and the place, because she’s going to beat her ass. Shayna says that she wants the title to be on the line and requests a match at Takeover: Philadelphia.
Right after. William Regal is seen backstage and makes the title match for the NXT pay per view official. Ember Moon will defend against Shayna Baszler.
Thoughts:
I would like to first of all say that giving Shayna Baszler a title shot at the upcoming pay per view is insanity. She didn’t win the Mae Young Classic (and for me was a very weak competitor overall in the tournament). She débuted on NXT television by choking out Kairi Sane and then defeated Dakota Kai in singles action last week. Does that prompt a title match? Not at all. It’s too soon and Baszler’s ring work needs a lot of improvement before she should be placed on such a pedestal.
Moving on to more appealing things. I very much enjoy Lacey Evans’s character development. Both she and Aliyah have been sparsely seen over the past few months, only making the odd appearance on NXT television. However, this match showed Evans’s in-ring abilities once more, while the mic time gave her the chance to build on her character. She did a great job – although I hope a right hand shot isn’t going to be her finishing move. The only way for Evans from here is up, if NXT uses her properly. Putting her in a program with Nikki Cross or maybe even Kairi Sane could propel her to greater heights.
The same cannot be said for Aliyah though. Her in-ring work doesn’t seem to have gotten any better over the time that she’s spent competing in NXT. She’s still very wobbly and sloppy in the ring on a far too frequent basis. For someone who has been there as long as Aliyah already has, she should have shown at least some marked improvement. However, it doesn’t seem to be the case. She doesn’t really have a character, she’s not exceptionally gifted when it comes to in-ring competition and I don’t really think the fans are into her at all. That’s definitely a problem when you have women like Bianca Belair, who is putting on phenomenal showings in the ring, and with far less experience than Aliyah.
Overall, this episode of NXT had its good and its bad, but the stand out star of it for me was Lacey Evans.
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