NXT's War Games This Year Doesn't Make Any Sense
NXT has undergone an awful lot of changes in the past few months, transitioning into a fully developmental brand after years of being WWE's most critically acclaimed show. The brand now prioritizes larger-than-life characters, with physically impressive features over in-ring talent, which is reminiscent of WWE's developmental system during its 'Ruthless Aggression' era.
Because of all these changes, War Games this weekend feels like a remnant of the brand's past that doesn't really fit in with the '2.0' version of NXT. The feuds for the event seem to have been crafted without much thought, with the men's War Games match being particularly nonsensical.
War Games acts as a stark reminder that NXT 2.0 is a completely separate entity from the previous iteration of the brand. Furthermore, NXT 2.0 actively makes no sense for the most part, which the build to War Games has perfectly highlighted.
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The Men's War Games Dynamic Is Way-Off
In fairness to NXT, the women's War Games match has been booked to a decent standard, with the Toxic Attraction versus Rachel Gonzalez feud bringing in perennial title contenders like Dakota Kai, Io Shirai, and the promising Cora Jade. The only strange part of the booking is the reintroduction of Kay Lee Ray, as it is unclear what exactly her new character is meant to be even though she is on the face team.
The men's War Games match is far more complicated, with the old versus new dynamic of the match being completely mishandled. As an idea, having the old guard of NXT defend against the rising talent isn't bad at all, but the mixed alignments between faces and heels makes the match feel more like a typical Survivor Series where teams struggle to coexist.
Between Bron Breakker, Carmelo Hayes, Grayson Waller, and Tony D'Angelo, there is no identifiable link between them except the fact they didn't exist in NXT before a few months ago. The 'old' team is even more mismatched, with LA Knight hardly being a veteran of the brand, whilst Pete Dunne, Tommasso Ciampa, and Johnny Gargano have previously not gotten along with each other.
It is hard to believe that these two teams actually want to fight together, but perhaps it will be better on the night given the individuals that are involved in the match.
The Rest Of The Card Is Filled With Nonsense
It is not just the men's War Games match that has had a less than ideal build, as much of the undercard shows the recent problems that have existed on NXT 2.0. Beyond the hair versus hair match between Cameron Grimes and Duke Hudson, which has had a surprisingly good build even if it is also a bit daft, there is nothing on the card that indicates that NXT can recapture its critical acclaim from TakeOver's past.
The partnership between former NXT title contender Kyle O'Reilly and newcomer Von Wagner has been one of the most awkward aspects of NXT 2.0, as the pair don't seem to have any chemistry together. Due to this, the Tag Team Championship match-up of O'Reilly and Wagner against Imperium doesn't feel big enough to be on the card. It is likely that the pair will split before O'Reilly leaves for greener pastures, but watching it unfold is by no means entertaining.
Above all though, the Cruiserweight Championship match between Roderick Strong and Joe Gacy is the most nonsensical storyline that NXT 2.0 has done to this point. The heavyweight Gacy is challenging for the cruiserweight division's top prize on the premise that it is exclusionary to people who are heavier than the 205 lbs weight limit. Gacy's virtue signaling gimmick is clearly an attempt for the out-of-touch individuals in charge of NXT to parody liberal values that they do not care for, which makes for both a horrendous character and bad storylines.
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NXT 2.0 Doesn't Make Sense In General
War Games does embody some of the most bizarre changes to NXT, but the brand has been largely nonsensical for some time. Perhaps the best example of this has been the overhaul of many of the existing NXT roster's characters. Former Tag Team Champions MSK, Dakota Kai, and Kay Lee Ray have all had drastic changes made to their characters, which has just made them seem silly and cartoonish.
There is little to no continuity from the original version of NXT and this has led to a number of the brand's stars being woefully miscast. Kyle O'Reilly, Io Shirai, and the old guard of the men's War Games in its entirety have seemed completely out of place on NXT 2.0, which may lead to them being fazed out very soon.
It is not such a bad thing that NXT has changed beyond recognition, as it probably needed a face-lift after losing the 'Wednesday Night War.' However, the changes to the brand have not improved the show's quality in any way beyond it being quite comical how strange it actually is.
