HEYDORN’S WWE NXT RECEIPT 11/29: Bad comedy hurts presentation of new Iron Survivor Challenge match

This week’s episode of WWE NXT has wrapped. Let’s take a stroll down memory lane and relive some of the madness.

-Roxanne Perez is going to be a big star in WWE. She’s like Austin Theory, but on the babyface side of things and in the women’s division. She brings to the table exactly what WWE looks for in top stars and does those things very well. A good match this week between her and Indi Hartwell, though, you have to wonder what Indi’s future is at this point. A reunion with Dexter Lumis, perhaps?

-Look, I still believe that Andre Chase has ceiling on just how high on the card he can get with the Chase U gimmick. I’m not confident in its staying power on the main roster either. That said, it’s caught on in the small NXT environment. If Chase wants to alleviate concerns and make himself more versatile, finding a serious way to wrestle matches is key.

-Good to see Dijak back in action. He can be a player, but as I said last week — lose the damn sunglasses. As for the promo? Ehh, it was ok. Dijak can just be a badass out there. The “end of the world” type content and verbiage isn’t believable. Get simpler.

-X-Pac and Road Dogg were SO DARN obnoxious during the Iron Survival Challenge roundtables. I like the idea of the segment, but yucking it up the way they were and making really bad jokes didn’t help the seriousness of the match. Good idea, bad execution.

-Grayson Waller with a win! Smart move given he’s sure to be a player in the Iron Survival Challenge stuff. Waller has value, but needs the credibility in the ring if he wants to become more than just The Miz.

-Kiana James vs. Fallon Henley happened and was over nine minutes long. These two didn’t need nine minutes, but nice to see a low card women’s feud get some attention.

-What in the blazes was up with the booking of Malik Blade this week? Blade put a lot out there when talking about his Dad and the sweater that Von Wagner ripped up. Then he loses?! Nonsensical. Even a lower card babyface like Malik Blade should be better protected than that. When you put something so personal out there, the babyface has to make good on it. This was a miss for the time being.

-Bron Breakker and Apollo Crews were able to create some good babyface on babyface tension in their sit-down segment at a restaurant. Good stuff and a smart chapter in their feud for NXT Deadline.

-Julius Creed is going to be a strong singles act for NXT if he can find a character to tap into. The MMA/Wrestler fighting persona works, but can only go so far. The guy has talent, though, without question.

-A decent main event. Looks like we’re headed toward Toxic Attraction vs. Chance & Karter for the tag titles. That’s fine. What is up for Mandy Rose, though? She needs a challenger and quick.

-Zoey Stark vs. Nikkita Lyons has gotten personal enough to where it’s intriguing. The story is pretty much on the shoulders of Stark at this point. I’d like to see an attempt from Lyons to get in the middle of the ring and cut a fiery babyface promo on the situation. It’s time to see that. It will not only hype the match, but add a little emotion into the mix on the side of Lyons.

CATCH-UP: 11/29 NXT REPORT: Hazelwood’s live report on Iron Survival Challenge competitor reveals, Dijak’s return, Toxic Attraction vs. Carter/Chance/Lyons, more