5/29 NXT HITS & MISSES: Mia Yim vs. Belair, KUSHIDA vs. Gulak, Lorcan & Burch vs. Forgotten Sons, Undisputed Era ready for Takeover

Mia Yim vs. Bianca Belair – HIT: Belair and Yim have had quite the little rivalry in recent weeks. It’s clear they still value Bianca Belair , but it’s hard to find her credible. That is due to her coming up short when it matters. Yim has been in her same position for quite sometime now, despite picking up the win here. This is a Hit just based on having a good opening match, but hopefully they move on to something else. They put Mia Yim’s victory over strong on commentary, so maybe they have plans for her.

Shayna Bayzler interview – MISS: I didn’t like this at all and so this is a miss. Shayna Bayzler basically said she would win because of her alliances with Marina Shafir and Jessamyn Duke. This is not how you want your champion act regardless of being portrayed like a villian.

KUSHIDA vs. Drew Gulak – HIT: This was KUSHIDA’s best match thus far in NXT. A Hit here, as they put on a technical clinic of a match. Gulak argues after the the pineal victory by KUSHIDA. It seems Gulak’s reaction to losing sets up for a rematch. I really would like to see KUSHIDA elevated to the North American Championship scene in the coming months. It would be a shame to waste his taleny by not using him to his potential

Io Shirai interview – HIT: Io Shiria said she will overcome Shafir and Duke, by Bayzler’s side, at Takeover. Candace LeRae also showed up in the interview, and stated she had Io’s back at Takeover. I hope the end story here is Io Shiria, standing with the NXT Women’s Chamoionship, at NXT Takeover.

Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch vs. The Forgotten Sons – HIT: While the match itself was good, they could have ended the show building towards NXT’s top titles. Instead they opted to build some buzz for the vacant NXT tag titles. Jaxson Ryker was ejected and The Street Profits ran into the ring. This lead to a DQ finish. The Undisputed Era also joined and they beat every one down. They dropped a ladder on Ryker. Cole climbed the ladder and the rest of the Undisputed era posed underneath, as the the show when off.

FINAL THOUGHTS: The best thing about this week’s episode was the KUSHIDA vs. Drew Gulak match. I’m a sucker for a techinal grapppling match. Although I understand building up for your vacant tag belts, they should have focused on the NXT World title. Nonetheless, there were two decent singles matches on this week’s show. With Takeover coming up, this show was the go-home show, and featured a lot of plugs and hype videos. I hope the in-ring quality of the NXT TV shows starts to pick up a little. The last truly great match on NXT TV was Velveteen Dream vs. Buddy Murphy. Overall, just a decent show.

RECOMMENDED: 5/29 NXT TV REPORT: Belair vs. Yim, KUSHIDA vs. Gulak, Final Takeover XXV Build