NXT shows promising signs on first Tuesday episode

With the Wednesday Night War officially over, NXT came into its first Tuesday broadcast — and the first show since NXT TakeOver: Stand and Deliver — with a chance to define itself independent of the weekly tug-of-war for viewership with All Elite Wrestling (AEW): Dynamite that WWE’s “alternative” brand engaged in for more than a year.

If this first episode is any indication, it looks like it’s somewhat back to the form that earned them consistent praise from fans and media members alike.

While some aspects of the show aren’t sustainable long term, the creative team’s emphasis on setting up future matches brings a measure of encouragement for viewers.

The first Tuesday episode of NXT gave fans some promising signs for the future.

Yes, fans received their usual fix of quality in-ring action on this past Tuesday’s NXT, but we also saw the brand take steps to line up challengers for its champions, particularly in the women’s division.

Throughout the two-hour runtime, fans saw the likes of Mercedes Martinez, Zoey Stark, and the debuting Franky Monet (better known to IMPACT Wrestling, AAA, and Lucha Underground fans as Taya Valkryie) announce their respective intentions to challenge Raquel Gonzalez — who appears to have turned babyface without a proper turn — for her newly-won NXT Women’s Championship.

Fans who tuned in didn’t see as much forward mobility in the men’s divisions, but the writers progressed the Isaiah “Swerve” Scott vs. Leon Ruff feud with a solid TV match (Scott won to even their series) and a good post-match angle (Ruff attacking Scott with an equipment crate), which should conclude with a stipulation-included rubber match.

These are the aspects of NXT’s television presentation that kept fans engaged with the product prior to the move to USA Network; these were the subtle, important aspects of booking that mostly went by the wayside over the last year in their battles with AEW over the last year.

Even though the show still blew away Raw and SmackDown from a critical standpoint, the week-to-week scripting of the shows with little regard to giving fans reasons to tune in next time took its toll on a brand that earned its lofty reputation by avoiding those and other pitfalls that make the main roster shows almost unwatchable most weeks.

Instead of giving stories and characters time to develop, we saw knee-jerk decisions like Charlotte Flair getting a counterproductive (including for her) NXT Women’s Title run, baffling heel turns, and big matches that usually get saved for TakeOvers. Tuesday’s episode felt like a first step away from those trappings, and the show is already better off for it.

Now, the creative team booked other matches and segments on the show that a promotion can’t depend on every week. Bringing Rhea Ripley and Bianca Belair back to share the ring with Gonzalez was a cool moment, but fans can’t (and shouldn’t) expect to see them on future shows, especially without the company advertising their appearance beforehand. It’s also doubtful that each show will have two big championship matches to lean on, let alone a big title change.

Those things are usually expected from a big(ish) show like this one, but between the seed planting on the show and the advertisements for next week’s show — Kyle O’Reilly’s first appearance since the unsanctioned match against Adam Cole at Stand and Deliver, Sarray’s in-ring debut — it’s good to see the brand doing what is expected for the long-term health of the show, too.