WWE NXT preview (Sept. 21, 2021): Transition plan

NXT 2.0 returns tonight (Sept. 21) live from the newly remodeled WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida.

Advertised for the show:

• Kushida (c) vs. Roderick Strong for the NXT Cruiserweight championship
• More 2.0!

As usual, here are our five questions about NXT tonight:

1) How quickly will the class of 2.0 advance to the main event?

In a couple of cases, it seems like they’re already there. Von Wagner was added to last week’s NXT championship 4way for Kyle O’Reilly. Bron Breakker beat one of the other men in that match (LA Knight) in singles competition to open last week’s premiere, then stepped to new champ Tommaso Ciampa to close the show.

Are those men going to be staples atop Tuesday night cards for the foreseeable future? Or will they settle into midcard programs for a while after their splashy debuts? What about Diamond Mine’s newest addition Ivy Nile, or Carmelo Hayes heater Trick Williams? Are they going to win squashes and be ringside for their partners’ matches, or immediately start climbing the ladder?

Obviously, some of this should depend on how ready the individual talents are to work longer television matches. For their sake, and the sakes of the hundreds of thousands of fans who tune into NXT expecting a polished wrestling show, here’s hoping WWE sticks to a gradual transition plan for the class of 2.0.

2) Where do the cruiserweights fit on the new NXT?

Tonight, we’re supposed to finally be getting the Roderick Strong vs. Kushida title match that was postponed due to the champ coming down with COVID. But the re-booking of the match happened amidst Malcolm Bivens hyping two of Diamond Mine’s newer acts, and Roddy & Kushida aren’t even mentioned in the commercial for tonight’s episode.

We’ve never seen any signs Vince McMahon was a fan of cruiserweight action, and rumors (and early evidence) indicate the NXT reboot is focused on heavyweights. 205 Live isn’t even dedicated to the smaller, faster guys any more. Would anyone be surprised if the division followed the one Vince inherited from WCW into the annals of history?

3) Will we get the Women’s title match that was pulled from last week’s show?

There was plenty of interest in the 2.0 debut already, and when Samoa Joe vacating the NXT championship mean the Sept. 14 episode already had a title match, it made sense to not burn another. Even one that seems pretty unsuspenseful like Franky Monet challenging Raquel González.

They’ve kept the story alive, with Monet blaming Robert Stone for screwing something up. The Suit Man is supposed to be getting that fixed. He better hurry, because there’s no shortage of potential contenders - from the newly brunette Mandy Rose, to B-FAB (once she and Elektra Lopez settle their issues), to Ivy Nile, to Indi Hartwell. Speaking of Mrs. Hartwell-Lumis...

4) What’s next for InDex?

After the rare successful wrestling wedding - sure, Andre Chase and the first officiant got choked out, but we still got “I do”s and a kiss, so I’m calling it a success - were do Indi and her man go from here?

A Johnny Gargano/Dexter Lumis tag team feels inevitable. Whether that leads to championship gold or a father vs. son-in-law feud? We shall see. Will Dexter corner the missus (and vice versa) going forward?

We just want those kooky kids to be happy, but we also need to know how a fun storyline transitions back to the ring.

5) Is Kyle O’Reilly gonna get some back-up for his beef with Pete Dunne & Ridge Holland?

He needs it. If he had it last week, maybe he’d be NXT champion right now. And since word is Dunne is sticking around, if Kool Kyle wants revenge against The Brits for being taken out last Tuesday, he’s gonna need to deal with the numbers game.

Give us your questions and answers in the comments below. Then join us in our live blog, and we’ll see what Qs and As tonight’s show gives us.