STEP UP: Adrian Neville & Charlotte
Everyone who competed at NXT Takeover deserves a step up, but we’ll be talking about more of the roster in next week’s Stars in Progress. This week I want to showcase two champions who fought excellent wars, and retained their belts against impossible odds. Neville’s odds were slim because he had three opponents – Charlotte’s odds were slim because that’s what the internet told me.
I enjoy when champion’s retain despite the story pointing towards literally anything else. We spent so much time wondering which of Neville’s three competitors would make the best new champion, we forgot to ask how we’d react if he actually pulled off the win. We were so focused on rumors of Bayley winning, we forgot to consider that Charlotte could be in NXT for the long haul. I was a bit disappointed when the three count came down, and Sami Zayn wasn’t declared our new NXT Champion. But think about it – what kind of champ would Adrian Neville be if he crumbled at the first sign of a real challenge? How would Charlotte look if she lost the title in her first major live special defense?
Both have legitimized themselves by winning against the odds. Next time they get in the ring, you’ll expect them to win, or at least give them a fighting chance. That’s how you book great champions in pro wrestling. Good job, NXT creative writers.
