Here is once again your weekly list of exceptional NXT superstars that truly make WWE’s developmental brand shine above the rest.
Gentle reader, here we are once again this week for the second edition of the NXT Power Rankings, where I put together a highly comprehensive and extremely not-unobjective list of wrestlers from WWE’s development brand.
Last Wednesday wasn’t a particularly busy edition of NXT. Despite there being a couple of great matches, it didn’t come across as the usual showcase of talent we’re used to. So instead of having a list of 10 wrestlers this week, I could only manage to rank nine. I’m sure you’ll find it in your hearts to not completely block me out of your existence, unlike my father when he found out I was into dinner theatre.
Let’s hop right in!
NXT SINGLES DIVISION POWER RANKINGS (position 9)
NXT Champion: Andrade Cien Almas
NXT Women’s Champion: Ember Moon
Site: WWE.com
#9 Adam Cole
Adam Cole, Adam Cole. Wherefore art thou, Adam Cole? Deny thy win/loss record and refuse thy defeats. Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn to win, and I’ll no longer be forced to put you in the number ten spot in my rankings.
Guys, seriously, the last time Adam Cole won a match on NXT television was with the rest of the Undisputed Era at War Games last November. November. Let’s be clear: I get it, I’m not stupid, it’s Adam Cole (bay-bay) and I know that even with the gentlest of pushes, he can make gold, even in failure. But for someone who’s supposed to the at the helm of the most devious faction in NXT, you’d think he’d be booked a wee bit stronger. And more frequently.
NXT SINGLES DIVISION POWER RANKINGS (positions 8 and 7)
Credit: WWE.com
#8 Velveteen Dream
“Out of my way, make a hole,” said the Velveteen Dream as he pushed through the gaggle of reporters. It was a line that seemed so innocuous, almost throwaway, yet it gave me straight up shivers.
The backstage promo Dream gave was short but highly effective. Oozing his usual self-assured, soft-spoken assurance, he called out Tyler Bate to a match I didn’t realize I wanted to see until the words trickled out of his mouth.
But now we’re a little overdue for some in-ring activity. Velveteen comes full circle with the pomp of his in-ring presence and while some TV is better than no TV, I’d like him to have something to sink his teeth into.
Credit: WWE.com
#7 Killian Dain
The Beast of Belfast breaks into the singles rankings this week. After (literally) carrying his SAnitY brethren to victory last week, Killian Dain continued this week to show that he has complete disregard for common sense and his physical well-being. However, instead of doing so by hurling his 146 kg frame through the air, he did so by challenging Aleister Black to a match.
Dain decided to interrupt (a very dapper) Black mid-promo, telling the man from Amsterdam that he was the devil on his back, not the NXT Championship. Yikes.
Anyone else would have us scoffing, but Dain is extremely credible competition for Aleister. That speaks volumes as to how far he’s come as a singles guy.
NXT SINGLES DIVISION POWER RANKINGS (positions 6 and 5)
Credit: WWE.com
#6 Kairi Sane
Did you see Kairi Sane stomp her way up those stairs to take down Shayna Baszler? That was SO INCREDIBLY ADORABLE.
Did you see that spear she hit on Baszler in the ring? That was SO INCREDIBLY AWESOME.
Seriously, the Pirate Princess act and her ridiculously charming ways have a tendency to make us forget just how precise and slick she is in the ring. Or maybe it’s because she’s been off TV for such a long while? Or maybe a combination of both? Regardless, coming back to get some measure of revenge on Baszler for injuring her a few weeks ago was awesome to see. Especially with that spear. Here’s what I had tweeted right when I saw her hit that spear.
I’m super down for Sane vs. Baszler. Can’t wait.
Credit: WWE.com
#5 Roderick Strong
It would be considered quite gauche of me to start this article by saying that Roderick had a “strong” showing against Pete Dunne this week, right?
Yeah, that would just come off as lazy. It’s so completely on the nose, it’s just frightening that I even considered adding it to this write-up. Not to mention that puns are the lowest form of humor, I’ve been told. There are much better ways to segue into Roderick Strong’s performance against Pete Dunne this week. In fact, I don’t think he was Roddy for the Bruiserweight.
Ahem.
It was, however, one of the best matches Strong has had since coming to NXT and a showcase of what he can pull off. He may not have the UK title, but we’re not Dunne with him yet.
NXT SINGLES DIVISION POWER RANKINGS (positions 4 and 3)
Credit: WWE.com
#4 Pete Dunne
So I’ve been in a dilemma on how to deal with the British guys showing up on NXT in regards to my power rankings. After all, they’re supposed to be in the UK division. But there isn’t really a UK division. So until WWE actually creates a real-deal UK division, NXT is their home and I’ll rank them here.
So with that out of the way, I get to talk about Pete Dunne.
Time and time again he comes in looking like medieval royalty and conquers his opponents with surgical brutality. It was no different in his victory against grade-A worker Roderick Strong, picking his limbs apart with such precision and violence that throwing punches seems tiresome and uninspired. It was another excellent showing from one of the most well-rounded and groundbreaking wrestlers in the world right now.
Credit: WWE.com
#3 Aleister Black
Aleister Black (w/ duotone black suit) hit the ring to cut a promo this week. The subject of his promo? How everything he has done since coming to NXT has shaped his path to this moment, which now leads to the NXT Championship.
Throwing Aleister thrown into the NXT title picture was an inevitability. It really was a question of when it was going to happen over anything else. Now it appears we’re on the cusp of some buildup to NXT TakeOver New Orleans. But before Aleister can focus fully on winning the title, he will apparently have to go through Killian Dain in a match I didn’t know I wanted until now.
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.