NXT: Zoey Stark must be protected with stronger booking

It is always exciting when fans get behind a new talent in the ring. Zoey Stark has a lot of buzz around her, as her first few weeks in NXT have been strong. However, after suffering her fourth straight loss, it is time for the WWE to begin to protect her with solid booking if she is going to become the title threat she was initially presented as. WWE’s perplexing booking strategy can injure any wrestler before they become popular and Stark needs to be better protected before fans turn their gaze away from her.

On this Wednesday’s edition of WWE NXT, Stark was defeated by Raquel Gonzalez. This was a solid back-and-forth match, but it is understandable why Gonzalez picked up the win, as she is the next big threat for NXT champion, Io Shirai.

In singles matches, Stark has lost to Gonzalez, Shirai, and Dakota Kai. Each of those matches was excellent, some of the best matches in wrestling that week, and worth a watch. She has also been defeated twice in tag team action. In fact, her only win in NXT came against Valentina Feroz back in February. All the while, Stark is talked about like she is a top prospect and eventual challenger to the title. Then why doesn’t her booking match that position?

There are enough women on the NXT roster that Stark can put on solid matches with, pick up victories, and be built into a threat as a singles competitor. Women such as Gigi Dolin (formerly Priscilla Kelly), Marina Shafir, Aliyah, Cora Jade, and others could be used as feature opponents for Stark to keep her momentum going, rather than having her lose to the top ladies in the division week after week. Look at the way Damian Priest is being built on the main roster, or even Gonzalez’s run through 2020 to today as examples that the WWE knows how to properly build wrestlers with wins over time. Unfortunately, the creative team seems to value the idea of putting up a great fight over the idea of picking up wins on a consistent basis.

At 27-years old, Zoey Stark is still young, with a lot of time to contribute to professional wrestling – health willing. However, that does not mean that the WWE should not take the steps to present her as a true threat to any woman standing across from her. She looks fantastic and her offense comes off as believable in every sense. Taking frequent losses has not turned fans away from her yet, but there are too many examples of wrestlers that have had their momentum crushed from taking too many pointless losses. The same must not occur with Stark, who could become the face of the NXT women’s division in one-to-two years.