NXT adds two additional matches for this Wednesday's episode

Originally published at https://www.postwrestling.com/2020/08/01/nxt-adds-two-additional-matches-for-this-wednesdays-episode/

Ahead of this Wednesday’s episode of NXT, the company has announced two additional matches that will be part of the broadcast.

NXT champion Keith Lee will take on Cameron Grimes, which is not listed as an NXT title match and stems from Grimes’ interrupting Lee during his segment this past week while Lee was addressing Karrion Kross.

In another addition to the show, Bronson Reed will take on Shane Thorne with Reed being built up for the ladder match at NXT TakeOver XXX for the vacant North American title.

Those matches join the previously announced matches for Wednesday’s show, which was taped earlier this week at Full Sail University:
*Fabian Aicher & Marcel Barthel vs. Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish for the NXT tag titles
*Damian Priest vs. Oney Lorcan vs. Ridge Holland in a Qualifying Match for the North American title ladder match at TakeOver
*Rhea Ripley vs. Dakota Kai in a #1 contender’s match

Neither addition is that exciting to be honest. The 3 already announced are good though. Especially looking forward to Dakota/Ripley with Dakota hopefully winning.

I haven’t watched NXT in a long time…but this next crop of talent doesn’t seem that exciting in comparison to past eras. Keith Lee and Io are great at the top of the brand, but beyond that, nobody really strikes me as “must watch.”

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The “Wednesday Night War” ruined NXT for me personally. No time to build guys or to space out the storylines. The names that (allegedly) draw need to be featured weekly for the sake of the ratings. The NA Title didn’t help either. With only one men’s singles title, a guy could have multiple Takeover programs before being in the title picture. Now anyone with three good wins in a row (again, because the featured guys have multiple “name vs. name“ matches on TV per month instead of maybe one) is the #1 contender for one of the belts.

On both Wednesday night shows, as long as they’re putting the ratings above all else, it’s either hotshot and blow through matches or don’t hotshot and risk a dip in the numbers. The first show to commit to saying screw the ratings (yeah, I wasn’t a business major) and get back to builds and multi-month storytelling will likely be the better show for me in the long run.

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I think NXT’s booking philosophy really changed. It seems every move is a counterbook. I don’t have a preferred show or a horse in the race, but whenever AEW wants to have a bigger show, NXT does the same. They’ll totally derail the schedule on a whim to adjust accordingly. Further, some of NXT now feels a bit WWE-ified, with an increased presence in comedy and odd character presentation (Gargano/LeRae as heels??). It doesn’t help that they are continuously hiring writers.

Losing a crowd also hurt NXT more than any other show/company. That crowd will make more middling names really feel like a big deal. Without them getting behind some of the lower card acts, it makes me feel like they’ll be stuck there a lot longer. I think by now, Cameron Grimes would be a lot more prominent, for example. It’s not a bad show as a whole, but these changes as well as a new crop of talent that lacks the star power of prior eras is exposing the show.

Another example, NXT used to have the greatest women’s wrestling in North America…now there’s just Io and then the rest. I understand NXT goes through cycles in their roster, but for the first time, it doesn’t feel like real stars are being actively built. I love Tegan Nox as much as the next guy, but she has a lower ceiling than recent NXT alum. And Rhea Ripley needs to be completely rebuilt because they felt the need to add Charlotte to the division and halt her momentum.

I wish they’d stop being reactionary and just be. It was the best wrestling show for 5+ years consistently. Triple H now has an established track record, but it feels they may be losing their way.