WWE NXT Power Rankings: A Beast Goes Into The Black

NXT SINGLES DIVISION POWER RANKINGS (positions 2 and 1)

Credit: WWE.com

#2 Shayna Baszler

Shayna Baszler moves up a notch in the rankings this week not only because she scored a win against the NXT Women’s Champion (a DQ win, sure, but a win’s a win), but because she continues to excel at everything she does.

Look, I could go ahead and re-hash the reasons I gave you all last week because they all still stand: She’s extremely gifted, she’s currently one of the top 3 heels in all of WWE (male or female), and she can tell a great in-ring story. And what a story she’s telling! For the second consecutive match, Baszler has shown that has Ember Moon’s number, requiring the intervention of Kairi Sane to keep her from destroying the champ. As of now, not only has Baszler positioned herself as a legitimate threat but also as a credible champion.

Credit: WWE.com

#1 Johnny Gargano

No, Johnny Gargano wasn’t on television this week. That’s not really an issue, though. The video package recap of Gargano’s post-TakeOver promo did an excellent job of keeping the story fresh in our minds while hyping his NXT Championship re-match next week against Andrade Cien Almas. It reminded us of the epic battle he fought at TakeOver, his spunky underdog ways and his refusal to back down from a challenge, even if it means putting his NXT career on the line.

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And if Aleister Black’s sights were diverted from NXT gold to a rather large and hairy Irishman, it helped bump up Johnny Gargano as the unquestionable #1 contender to the NXT Championship.