Peyton Royce defeated Sarah Logan
Sarah Logan, new to the NXT Universe, took on Peyton Royce on NXT Wednesday night. Peyton Royce looked pretty good tonight, hitting a few moves before locking in a submission hold and a kick to the stomach. Royce lifted up Logan for a few snap suplexes. She would hit a nice Torture Rack into a suplex and slap her opponent in the face. Logan battled back, however, with stiff punches and a head butt. Logan hit a running knee and almost scored a huge upset. Royce hit a few shots of her own before a running kick and then a Perfect Plex for the win. A nice 5-6 minute match tonight was pretty solid.
Billie Kay and Peyton Royce are excellent together, but I need to see more of them on a consistent basis. Being off of television more than one week is not a positive and really won’t help them feel like former NXT women in the past. Royce has a nice combination set offense, where striking and submission are the name of her game. I really like her and think her progression is showing over the past few months. She continues to add small moves that help her come full circle. There needs to be that “BIG” win where we take her seriously. Maybe an upset with over Ember Moon could help?
Hideo Itami Snaps
A very aggressive Hideo Itami took on Oney Lorcan and hit every single move with extreme aggression. Whether it was multiple kicks or the excessive GTS moves, this is a Hideo Itami that I can get into. The guy simply does not work as a face. He does not have something extremely unique (like Nakamura) and does not have excellent mic skills (like Ohno or Roode). He wasn’t getting over as the basic Hideo Itami. Speaking of aggression, Oney Lorcan is great. The guy is a warrior inside of the ring and has so much versatility. He continues to impress, even if it is in losing efforts.
Kassius Ohno vs. Hideo Itami is the perfect feud for both men. They are on that “middle to upper card” level that does not necessarily need to be paired with Bobby Roode. They are the darlings that the NXT Universe love to see and both men can thrive in this contest down the road. This was captivating stuff tonight and a huge plus on a show that did not seem to focus on two of the three championships in NXT.
