HEYDORN’S NXT 2.0 RECEIPT 6/14: Some confusing booking threatens key talent progression

This week’s episode of NXT 2.0 has wrapped. Let’s take a stroll down memory lane and relive some of the madness.

-Good opening tag and a good first championship defense for The Creed Brothers. They still need to find a deeper character to connect with the audience further, but their talent in the ring is unquestionable.

-I’m not really sure what that Apollo Crews vignette was about or why it exists at this point, but it sure was intriguing. Crews again is in search of that gimmick and though we don’t know what the play is here, at least it’s something.

-I don’t mean to be mean, but I’m not seeing anything in Fallon Henley right now. It seems like she’s working hard out there, but lacks performance instincts that help carry other performers. One of those acts that is just not ready for television at this time.

-The Wes Lee win was a surprise, eh? To me it was. Quinn isn’t a super protected guy or anything, but given his size and the time he’s gotten on television, you’d think he’d be higher in the pecking order than Lee. Lee’s finisher was excellent and the clean win did a nice job establishing him.

-Smart storytelling for Nathan Frazer. Establishing him is important and the approach was paint by numbers, but it worked. Take notice AEW. If NXT does this with a low-level tiered talent like Frazer, you can certainly do it with Kazuchika freaking Okada.

-The Dyad did their thing and then Joe Gacy spoke. It’s like he hasn’t feuded with Bron Breakker at all. Joe Gacy is giving me the post-John Cena feud Bray Wyatt vibes and that’s not a good thing.

-I don’t why WWE does this to itself so often. Rant incoming. Carmelo Hayes. The guy has spent the better part of, I don’t know, his entire NXT run working to get heat as a heel. He works a great program with Cameron Grimes to further invest in that role and now he’s working Tony D’Angelo, the other heel the company is trying to make? It works both ways too. D’Angelo just heelishly won his feud with Santos Escobar and has more momentum than he ever has and now has to trade blows with fellow heel, Hayes. This is bad booking. Get them with some babyfaces and move on. Or, turn Hayes babyface in the open and for a reason. Same thing with D’Angelo, I guess. Both guys are too new and too raw to have to combat with competing crowd reactions.

-Bron Breakker squashing people in seconds is always fun. Hudson getting destroyed was fun too.

-How about that Cameron Grimes promo? That was emotional work and sold his match with Breakker at Great American Bash. One promo. That did it. Good business.

-Giovanni Vinci debuted. Yep, it happened. Not much else to say at this point. I’m sure he misses his Imperium brethren on the main roster.

-Solo Sikoa vs. Grayson Waller next week will be as much of a must-watch match as you’ll get these days on NXT. So, watch it? Sikoa is worth the time for sure.

-Decent little six-woman tag team main event. Toxic Attraction is better as a group than either of them are individually. Mandy Rose in particular. She plays off Dolin and Jayne really well and loses a lot when they aren’t around. The babyface team went over, which gives them some credibility. Cora Jade and Roxanne Perez still have high upsides, but this fangirl stuff they do with them really needs to stop.

CATCH-UP: HEYDORN’S RAW RECEIPT 6/13: Strong opening and very weak closing bookend this week’s show