After making his debut in the NXT Breakout Tournament, Dexter Lumis had vanished from TV for a few months. Despite this, people were just finally getting their chills from his last apperance under control. From his vacant unblinking expression to his creepy synth heavy entrance music, Dexter Lumis is a man who is simply unnerving. Add in that he is physcially imposing, and you have a serious threat on your hands. He would face new NXT singee Jake Atlas, who seemed to just not allow Lumis to get in his mind. Would that be enough?
Dexter Lumis Destroys Jake Atlas
Lumis seemed intent to make this the WWE NXT version of Fujita vs. Shiozaki, and would stare Atlas down. Atlas went for a punch and Lumis just side stepped and crushed Atlas with heavy strikes. The slow beatdown would be stopped as Atlas got moving. He would springboard off the ropes with an armdrag, only to be stopped by a spinebuster that would make Arn Anderson blush.
He would deliver some clubbing shots to the side of the face of Atlas, before dropping him with an open fisted upper cut. Lumis dissected his opponent, but Atlas would rally again with a running Frankensteiner but would end up throat first on the middle rope. Lumis would then slide headfirst under the middle rope, land in a handstand and slap the face of Atlas. Back in the ring, Lumis locked in a neck crank to punish him, digging into the eyes forcing Atlas to fight out. Atlas dodged a lariat and hit a big neckbreaker and followed up with a suicide dive. He would be shut down with a chop to the throat and Lumis would lock in the Anaconda Vice for the victory.
What Is The Ceiling For Lumis In NXT?
While his character work is already incredible, it is hard to see this gimmick being something that can bring someone to the NXT Championship. Lumis is proving to be a great, hard hitting wrestler with crisp offense, as expected from a 13 year pro. In an era where character work is rare, people will latch onto people like Dexter Lumis & Rik Bugez, but they are unlikely to succeed in the workrate heavy land of NXT. We could see Lumis as a future North American Champion contender, perhaps even champion. In the past people would say a character heavy performer would work best on RAW or Smackdown, but for every Fiend & Elias, you get an EC3.
This match was one of the more captivating squash matches I’ve seen in a while, and made me want to see more of Lumis. I hope we don’t have to wait almost 7 months to see more, as this is the perfect gimmick for a silent arena. Are you impressed by Dexter Lumis? Could he become NXT North American Champion? Let us know what you think in the comment section down below.
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