On Tuesday’s episode of “WWE NXT,” Tatum Paxley put her “WWE NXT” Women’s North American Championship on the line against Blake Monroe in a Casket Match, and it was a killer contest.
Before I start to beat a dead horse with these death-related puns, Paxley and Monroe’s match was genuinely a stand-out match, even amidst a card stacked with talented showings from Zaria, Sol Ruca, Myles Borne, and Dion Lennox. In WWE’s first-ever title-related Casket Match since 1998, Paxley and Monroe left no stone unturned in their do-or-die fight for Paxley’s title. This match had everything: interesting use of weapons, crazy women, and a whole lot of symbolism to sell the story.
Tuesday’s match saw weapons that you seldom — if ever — see in a ring. I knew this match was going to be awesome when Paxley pulled out a dollhouse from underneath the ring. While I’m a bit upset Monroe didn’t end up going through it, I quickly forgot about it when Monroe literally picked up the dollhouse and smashed it over Paxley’s back. I know that people critique WWE for not innovating enough, and while I’m not saying a dollhouse in a Casket Match is the pinnacle of innovation, I’m saying that nobody in recent memory has done that before. Even aside from the dollhouse, though, we got plenty of lesser-used weapons. The fire extinguisher always looks great, and Monroe’s diamonds are iconic, if rare. It was also great to see these two use the casket itself in capacities greater than “let’s slam her head against the wood.” Spanish Fly off of the casket? They’re performers after my own heart.
I love women who are always a little bit hysterical. Obviously, Paxley is a nutcase (that’s a compliment). Paxley’s insanity, however, was great at pulling out similarly unhinged reactions from Monroe. We’ve seen glimpses of “The Woman From Hell” in “NXT” so far, and while I always think Monroe could be a little crazier, she looked the most unsettling she has been in a while. It only makes sense that Paxley was the one to elicit that out of her.
The symbolism! Obviously, the dollhouse and diamonds are clear nods to each woman’s gimmick, but I loved the detail of Monroe initially failing to notice her title in the casket. For a woman so obsessed with this title, it’s odd that she wouldn’t notice her baby was gone. She really wanted to hurt Paxley. This wasn’t an ego-fueled feud: this was personal. Her custom title being the one thing that stopped her from claiming the real thing? Vanity will be Monroe’s downfall. Vanity will bring Monroe to her demise.
Even in a stacked card, Paxley and Monroe killed it tonight.
Written by Angeline Phu
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