DarkState: Newest 'Good Problem' of WWE NXT

Four members of a faction against a tag team isn’t really a fair fight. Cutler James rammed Hank into the ring post, allowing for Dion Lennox and Osiris Griffin to hit Doomsday and pin Tank to win the championships. The members of DarkState are now champions in NXT.

If any tag team wants a shot at taking the championships away, they’ll have to deal with four very talented wrestlers. DarkState proved they belong in NXT and why they deserve to be taken seriously.

DarkState is Now a Legitimate Force in the Locker Room

When the group debuted at Vengeance Day, the four men known as DarkState made their presence felt in a big way, attacking multiple people.

With Saquon Shugars having experience on the independent circuit and the other three being Performance Center trainees, the expectations were high for them. However, even after attacking multiple people and getting significant wins, people still doubted their ability to win the championship gold.

For some wrestlers, attaining a championship comes easily to them. But it takes a while, if ever, for others to reach that goal. The match on Sunday proved all the doubters wrong.

The group used a numbers advantage as well as great wrestling ability to win their first championships in NXT. Hank and Tank are legitimate wrestlers, so beating them was quite an accomplishment. DarkState capturing tag team gold is a warning that the faction isn’t going away anytime soon.

They Could Use the Freebird Rule to Their Advantage

The Fabulous Freebirds were a faction that wrestled primarily in the NWA during the 1980s. The Freebird rule, named after them, states that if a faction of three or more people wins a tag team championship, the titles can rotate among each of the members.

This is a great opportunity for DarkState to use the rule for intimidation. Just like No Quarter Catch Crew did, they don’t say who competes in a match until the bell rings.

That creates problems for the opponents, as all four men are very unique and have their own wrestling abilities. Even though Griffin and Lennox won the titles, the Freebird rule allows James and Shugars to defend them.

With six different combinations among the four of them, this will create even more unpredictability in their matches. Along with a numbers advantage, the Freebird rule could make DarkState into an unstoppable faction.

Winning the Tag Team Titles is Just the Beginning

DarkState started as a typical young faction in NXT. Wrestlers want to make a big impact and do anything to make themselves noticeable. Over time, their actions started getting bigger and more disruptive, leading to more important matches. When they started winning, they got a chance to compete for some championship gold.

Some wrestlers succeed in getting a title, while others have to wait to taste success. DarkState ended up winning the NXT Tag Team Championships from Hank and Tank at Heatwave on Sunday.

The win was the most significant thing they’ve done in their six-month NXT career. They are now a legitimate faction capable of winning against the best of opponents. The faction can also use the Freebird rule to their advantage by switching up who defends the belts. DarkState’s win could be just the beginning of their rise in NXT.