NXT is very proud of its roster and rightly so. They have high-flyers, massive tanks, charming champions, impressive women and PLEs that are worth the price of admission. From all accounts, the show should thrive, especially with TNA running a crossover event with them.
But it seems that former champion Trick Williams is struggling to tell a compelling story. After NXT Heatwave, Trick lost the World Championship to Ethan Page. It was a fluke win, but it meant he was out of the spotlight. Even though the spotlight should be on Ethan, Trick is still a huge crowd-pleaser. Fans treat him like an NXT John Cena. It would be foolish not to put him in a good story.
But Trick has been a storyline nomad for the last three weeks. The first week he was in a tag team with Joe Hendry against Sean Spears and Ethan Page. That match was more about Hendry than Trick. Then his second match against Cedric Alexander ended with Pete Dunne ambushing him. Then Pete Dunne defeated him at The Great American Bash.
Trick made big claims between these matches, saying he would win the title back at any cost. He was adamant about that, but his matches suggested he had no history to latch onto. First he was angry at Shawn and Ethan, then he got angry at Cedric Alexander, and finally he lost to Pete, who had nothing to do with Trick’s history.
Wes Lee, a wrestler with no title shots, gets better storylines with the Rascalz. Even Lexis King’s very lame grudge against a DJ gets more attention.
If NXT sees a future for Trick, they won’t show it in his matches. If they do a bigger storyline that moves slowly, it will seem disjointed. If they promote him to Raw or Smackdown, that would be a good time to phase him out.
NXT feels like it’s in standby mode, like it’s waiting for a special moment to bring the important stories to light. Ethan Page feels like a placeholder for the belt, the women’s tag team gets into short rivalries that don’t escalate, and the booking looks more like a house card.
NXT should be a fresh, young brand with a universe all its own. It’s the table for youthful and energetic kids on Thanksgiving. But how long can we wait for something to pique our interest?
