When fans across the WWE Universe watched in horror as Ilja Dragunov was carted out of NXT on a stretcher after suffering what appeared to be a neck injury against Ridge Holland, it felt uncomfortable.

Sure, the extent of the injury was pretty easily dispelled, as the show was pre-taped, and the interactions were pretty well choreographed on commentary and beyond, but the idea of playing into Holland hurting people when he quite literally has hurt people like Big E so bad that he may never wrestle again is sort of in poor taste, no?

Discussing the booking decision by Shawn Michaels on Busted Open Radio, former AEW Woman World Champion Thunder Rosa actually celebrated the decision, suggesting that it will all but certainly have a massive payoff in the end.

“When you have to run angles where it's very close to reality, his opponent was the one who was in the ring when Big E got hurt, and he got hurt fairly badly to the point where it's a career-ending injury. It got intense because people were calling him all kinds of stuff, he probably even got death threats,” Thunder Rosa said via Fightful.

“For me, personally, there are certain things that have to have a big payoff, and I think you have to be in the ring, and you have to sign it with blood. When you're playing with fire with someone who already has a bad track record, it's going to be difficult. If they label him as an unsafe worker, they then do this, and it turns out to be true, what else are they gonna do?”

Will Rosa's assertion prove true? Will Holland and Dragunov, or at least just Dragunov, come out looking better at the end of this program, which is curiously coming in the middle of the “Mad Dragon's pre-existing feud with Trick Williams? Or will this ultimately prove to be nothing more than a bizarre pitstop in the middle of Dragunov's title run on NXT? Fans will find out soon enough.

Alexis Lete reveals why she left NXT.

Speaking of NXT, former gymnast-turned-NXT signee Alexis Lete recently revealed why she left the developmental promotion after just 18 months as a member of the WWE Universe.

Though her release wasn't announced on her own terms, as it was technically revealed by Roxanne Perez in November, Lete revealed her side of the story on her YouTube channel, and her statement was fascinating.

“I had a great time. I feel like WWE is a place of misfits. We're all a little weird and janky, so I fit in kind of perfect there. With that being said, I didn't always feel like I was meant to be in WWE, or, at least a wrestler. I didn't always think I was supposed to be a wrestler. It was early on, I didn't pick it up really fast, I was kind of hesitant, I saw a lot of injuries, and by seeing a lot of injuries, I didn't know if it was for me or not. I'm not going to lie, I'm a wimp. People in WWE are some badass people. They're putting their life on the line, breaking their bones, finishing matches, getting staples in their head and they keep going. That's so hardcore. That's not me. I'm not hardcore. I wish I was, but I'm not. I'm a fragile little bean,” Alexis Lete explained via Fightful.

“I actually loved WWE. Had so much fun, loved my friends, but I didn't love wrestling. I remember when I came back with my mom and dad for the New Year. I was like, ‘I have different ideas for different shows. Maybe I could pitch this show similar to The Bump, but different, a Bump version at NXT.' I was trying to pitch different show ideas I could do. Pretty much, I was like, ‘I'm in the WWE, I don't necessarily want to wrestle, but maybe I can do this whole hosting thing since I love it so much.' I remember talking to people on cameras and in the social media department, and they shut it down. ‘You're really supposed to wrestle, you're not supposed to tamper outside of what you're doing. If they know you're not passionate and into wrestling, they'll fire you.' I'll keep showing up, I'll keep going to promo classes, I'll keep working on my mic skills, maybe they'll see me on the mic and be like, ‘You know what, head to the mic. That's all you're going to do. You're going to be a valet and someone who is a talker. It's okay if you don't wrestle very often.' That's what I was hoping for.”

Would it have been interesting to see NXT try their version of The Bump? Sure, even if it's hard to imagine there would be a particularly expansive market for the show. Still, if WWE saw massive potential in Lete, it's hard to imagine they would have let her leave without finding a place for her one way or another. If Lete didn't want to be in WWE, it's probably for the best.