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3 Big Takeaways from NXT - April 18, 2023

It was a fast-paced week for WWE's third brand as the women's division got wilder, Apollo Crews battled Dijak, and much more

This week's episode of NXT featured some long, high-powered matches with plenty of good filler thrown in for good measure. NXT has been a solid program as of late, but it still seems like it's waiting to catch fire. Like they are one big star or storyline away from having a sizzling summer.


In the meantime, there's still plenty of action and intrigue to go around. Stars who were formerly on the main roster have returned to guide some of the young hopefuls along. That's starting to show. And it was definitely needed; NXt went through some growing pains after having the furniture moved around a couple of times.


For now, it's been a slow build back to glory with the likes of Bron Breakker, Grayson Waller, and NXT Heavyweight Champion Carmelo Hayes leading the way. The women's division, once ruled by Toxic Attraction, is wide open right now. In essence, the current atmosphere has allowed a lot of fresh faces to be featured.


This week, NXT continued to build on those same strengths. They went to some of their heavy hitters to put on an entertaining broadcast. Here are three quick observations about this Tuesday night tumble:


#1 - The NXT Women's Division continues to get better and better

It was a huge blow to the roster when Mandy Rose was relieved of her duties by World Wrestling Entertainment back in December. Naughty pictures aside, she was the undisputed star of the division and was probably in line to lead her group, Toxic Attraction, to inevitable glory on the main roster.


Since her departure, there has been no one as dominant, but that's turned out to be a bit of a blessing in disguise.


In the absence of Rose's faction dominating most of the airtime, newer talent - like Nikkita Lyons, Sol Ruca, and Tiffany Stratton - has emerged. Meanwhile, Indi Hartwell has blossomed from a sideline attraction to become the NXT Women's Champion now. While her in-ring work may never be great, the fans like her, and that's all that really matters.