This has been happening for a while, but coming off an episode of “WWE SmackDown” that (ratings or no ratings) contained very little actual wrestling and an episode of “WWE Raw” in which little of the actual in-ring action stood out, we’re ready to ask the question: Has “NXT” once again become the “real wrestling” brand in WWE?

For starters, what an awesome match from Ilja Dragunov and Bron Breakker. It’s not like we’re 100% surprised — Dragunov doesn’t really have bad matches, and Breakker, like so many before him, has been completely rejuvenated by his heel turn. The guy is coming out in a plain black singlet with the word “bad-ass” printed on it like he’s an AI-generated Create-A-Wrestler from the “Day of Reckoning” series, and it somehow enhances the fact that he’s wrestling like he hates every single person who’s ever been born. Put him in there with Dragunov, a man with seemingly no regard for his physical well being and living answer to the question “What if Randy Orton and Bryan Danielson had a baby that was then raised by the Russian equivalent of Sabu,” and you’re going to get an absolutely rapturous display of violence. And the best part is, that style of match is exactly what you’d expect from a storyline that’s basically “We are fighting over which of us is the most intense.” Both wrestlers cut excellent backstage promos before the match, and Dragunov going over clean as a sheet was 100% the right call. This match actually reminded us of FTR vs. Bullet Club Gold from Saturday’s “AEW Collision,” in that we understand why it wasn’t the main event, but also, how could that not be the main event?

The other standout contest this week came in the women’s division, as “NXT” Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton took on Ivy Nile. We’ll be honest — we didn’t have the highest of expectations for this one, but it really blew us away. Nile has improved tremendously in the ring, and she and Stratton actually have unexpectedly great chemistry together. In addition to being extremely well-performed, the match also directly served the stories of both competitors. Nile, who is suddenly the last remaining member of Diamond Mine, was visibly weird out by being alone and pulled out at least a couple Creed Brothers tribute moves in an attempt to both honor her friends and pretend they were still with her, which plays into the story of Schism trying to convert her. Stratton, meanwhile, was serenaded with “You tapped out” chants throughout the contest, and the crowd popped hard when it looked like Nile might submit Stratton just like Thea Hail did. While Breakker/Dragunov was a love letter to guys who love hitting each other as hard as possible, Stratton/Nile was an absolute masterpiece of match structure, production, and performance.

Both these matches were better than any other match on the last seven days of WWE programming, and it wasn’t particularly close. Before Vince McMahon got his hands on it, “NXT” was the brand where wrestling fans who care about nebulous concepts like “workrate” could go to see lengthy, well-performed matches that were unlike pretty much anything happening on the main roster. And while that last part might not exactly be true anymore, it’s undeniable that this week’s “NXT” felt very focused on presenting a quality in-ring product … which could, theoretically, represent the opening salvo in an effort by WWE to win back some of the fans they lost to All Elite Wrestling in 2019.