This week’s NXT offered up a match that many people were looking forward to. This was Bianca Belair taking on Charlotte Flair and it took place in the main event.
This match had a fresh idea and big implications for Belair to take down arguably one of the best in the business. Unfortunately for Belair she came up short.
Flair dominated through a big part of the match. The end of the match was clunky after Flair picked up the win. NXT Women’s Champion, Rhea Ripley’s music hit once Flair showed she wasn’t done with Belair after the bell. She grabbed a steel chair and also applied a Figure Eight as Ripley took her time heading to the ring. Ripley did her entire entrance as Belair was being decimated in the ring. Super awkward.
Ripley would eventually make her way to the ring as Flair fled. I was there live for this event, and it was definitely perplexing. The crowd wasn’t sure if this is what was supposed to be done as far as Ripley taking her time, or if there was a miscommunication and the timing was off.
The other match of the night was Xia Li vs. Mia Yim. The match didn’t last very long as Dakota Kai along with Raquel Gonzalez interrupted the match. Kai reminded Yim of how she originally attempted to steal her spot at WarGames. This was enough of a distraction for Li to get a quick pin on Yim. Gonzalez would then attack both Li and Yim as Kai looked on.
Let’s get into the Winners & Losers of the week:
WINNER: Dakota Kai
Dakota’s heel work personally is getting better. Although I am not crazy about Raquel just being used as an enforcer or bodyguard, it is doing the trick. This was a good way for Dakota to still inflict her heelish ways but at the same time not directly interact with Tegan Nox.
Next week the two battle it out in a steel cage which may just be the wrap up for their feud. If this does end their feud then Dakota will need her next opponent which could be Mia Yim or even Xia Li. With as much as Tegan has been being pumped up though, it will be likely that she wins the cage match.
LOSER: Bianca Belair
Unfortunately for Belair, her momentum has been halted. It has been widely speculated and hoped by many that she will be possibly added to the WrestleMania match between Rhea and Charlotte. Her loss to Charlotte this week could be the end of that possibility.
It was a good thing for Belair to stay at the helm of the NXT Women’s Championship, but she may be at the back of the line after this. The only thing that could possibly keep her in the title picture is if she qualifies for the ladder match at TakeOver: Tampa and wins the number one contender spot.
Final Thoughts: Charlotte didn’t need this win. Even if she would have lost, this would not have discredited her or her WrestleMania match. I am not saying that Belair necessarily needed to go over clean though, but there could have been better outcomes.
What were your thoughts on this week’s NXT? How did you feel about the Flair vs. Belair match? Who were your Winners & Losers? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below.
