NXT - Post NXT Takeover discussion in progress

[bigfoote]

But only if they film 3 different endings. Two believable, one crazy. So perhaps Truth. I think a 'The Graduate' style skit with Regal and Truth could be money, maybe even a surprise appearance from Tajiri as the sidekick (I'm on very heavy painkillers and this may have warped my perception of what is good)

[Simpo]

 

[gmoney]

Not sure what to make of the main event. It was a lot of fun, but really it was the same story as last time, but now Gargano looks twice as dumb. It felt a bit redundant as they've already sown seeds for a turn, but he had to go back to being a full on babyface for this. Great moment when he was pilled under the rubble. 

Excellent tag match again. It's almost a shame they won't be continuing the feud as I'm not nearly sick of it. Kyle O Reilly is just a fantastic performer. 

Edited August 19, 2018 by gmoney

[HarmonicGenerator]

The tag match was my favourite one on the show, I thought all four guys in that were great.

I disagree with Velveteen’s tights. Don’t call him up, Vince. Leave the Dream be!

Ricochet and Cole was the level you’d expect from them - the superkick counter to the moonsault was a genuine ‘wow’ moment.

Really surprised at the ending to the women’s match, I thought there was tons of mileage left in Shayna as a horrible bully champion that nobody can beat. Kairi’s selling was a bit suspect for me, reminded me of when Nakamura used to forget his knee hurt.

Main event had some moments of brilliance, but I guess the big thing for me is that I really don’t know where they go from here. Are they writing Gargano out for a period of time, or was that a genuine injury? With Black injured and Ricochet holding the NA title, who goes against Ciampa next? More questions than answers which is a good thing. Before they started muddying the waters with Johnny I’d have had him win as a final joyous babyface overcoming the odds thing, but the way things have been the past month, I’m half glad they didn’t go that way.

[Fatty Facesitter]

Brilliant show - Summerslam doesn't top this or even come close it I reckon. 

Tag match was another outrageous showing from those four. While the tag team scene on Raw has become a laughing stock, NXT's division has lots of good teams and there are consistently excellent matches being contested over the belts. 

Interesting title changes but not in a bad way. To be honest there's so much depth on their roster that the winners and losers from the show didn't necessarily matter - If you swapped all of the decisions there are plenty of challengers for the respective titles on either side of the face/heel divide. I didn't expect either of those titles to change hands but it freshens things up in a positive way for me. Bazler's loss was probably more surprising but it happened in a way she can come back from, and if anythingthis might add even more ammunition for her being a thundercunt to everyone backstage, destroying them en route to Sane herorically dropping it back to her. I'm guessing Sane's win in turn adds a bit of prestige to the Mae Young classic and show's a potential pathway for this year's winner.

Also, each title match, I can't put my finger on how they've done it but NXT does a fucking amazing job of making each title match and title change really feel like it means something special - the way title matches should always be. Maybe it's because the titles are all in their infancy and I've become too jaded with how the titles on Raw and Smackdown have been presented. 

Gargano/Ciampa was another epic and I genuinely think it's one of the best feuds they've done in an age. Ciampa winning again after Gargano has thrown everything at him only makes him even more of a detestable prick who just can't be put down. I have absolutely no idea where they go from him but as HG said, the fact that it means more questions than answers isn't necessarily a bad thing. 

Further proof that WWE can build great stories, produce fantastic wrestling and provide great payoffs. I don't give a fuck about there being more masters (sponsors) to please on the main shows - if you can produce content like this in what is for all intents and purposes your development league, the least you can do is produce this kind of content on your PPV shows. 

[air_raid]

Show was very good all in all, but agreed the finish to the main left a sour taste. The babyface is now looking a loser AND an idiot.

Great to see Dream win strongly though and fabulous tag match, really enjoyed Kairi's win too. Hope she stays in NXT long enough to have a match with Io.

[TildeGuy~!]

Loved everything on the card really, 

Apart from EC3 though, he can fuck off back to Impact.

[FLips]

Yeah EC3 doesn't impress me at all. 

[uklaw]

14 minutes ago, TildeGuy~! said:

Loved everything on the card really, 

Apart from EC3 though, he can fuck off back to Impact.

Something didn’t seem to work or click with EC3 last night. He particularly seemed... ‘out of place’ (if that’s the right phrase to use) and I doubt many people will look at Velveteen Dream if they came away from their match feeling underwhelmed.

[BrodyGraham]

Dunno if anyone else noticed, when Ciampa kisses the belt at the beginning of the main event he doesn't kiss the main face plate, he kisses his own name plate on the side. Lovely bit of prickish heeling. Liked the Venom motif on  Gargano's gear, bit heavy handed, but apt.

[Accident Prone]

Fantastic show, as per usual from the NXT lads. Matt Riddle appearing was a right laugh, I hope he does well. I'm one of those tosspots who'd prefer to see him New Japan for a bit first but you can't have everything. He's gonna kill it in the top brand 3rd brand.

Gargano looked like a right bellend in the finish. That's the second time a NXT babyface has been made to look like a twat in the space of 6 weeks. I hope he takes a break for a while; he's headlined the past 4 Takeovers and he isn't even the champ. I'm expecting a message from Sophie in EWR any second now to tell me that the fans are getting sick of him. I love the lad but he needs to some rest and some time to plot what's next for his character.

Did anyone else notice the commentary using the word 'bask' in regards in Velveteen? Maybe it's a subtle hint towards him feuding with Keith Lee next? There's a couple of Keith Lee doubters on here but trust me, he is the dogs bollocks. He didn't get the best start, but not many can when their first match is a competitive 50/50 affair (look at Roderick Strong, for example).Also, really happy to see people have turned in favour of KOR. I remember when some of you heathens couldn't care for the man, now he's your fave and he's your phone background too I bet.

[D@mm]

I got a feeling it was Gargano who ends up being the one who beat up Black.

Either that or a double turn is happening with Gargano and Dream swapping sides when they will probably face each other at a future Takeover.

Talking of Dream would it be awesome if him and HHH had a match on a Takeover show.

[Supremo]

Yeah, I can't put my finger on what the deal is exactly, but there was something about the finish to that main event that left a bad taste in my mouth. Before that, this show was absolutely phenomenal, but that finish sucked the life out of me. I think it was one too many failures for Gargano. Your babyface can fail, that's fine, but there's definitely a point where if he fails too much he's just a dickhead loser. I think they found that limit here. It's hard to get too annoyed though, since this was obviously not the original plan and they had to improvise when Black got injured, but still. I dunno. Between this and the weird heel teases they keep doing, my favourite feud of the year feels like it's fizzling out rather than building to a crescendo. It was actually a really clever finish, just not with these two guys. Anyone else and I'd have applauded them for their creativity. This felt like the time for Johnny to win the belt though. If they had to do the third match then Johnny probably should've won. Now, his character not only feels muddled but he also has a track record now of not being able to get the job done. Not good. The match itself was as invariably great as all of their matches, with loads of cool spots and callbacks, but I dunno. I thought this was a simple, can't-ruin feud to book, but they're starting to lose me.

Loved the tag opener. All four guys are incredible. Also, how fucking high did Kyle O'Reilly go when the War Raiders threw him up for their finisher?! That was amazing! Tyler Bate has no right being this good and that strong at 21. I want to start my life over. I've wasted it.

The Dream vs. EC3 was probably Dream's weakest Takeover match to date. EC3 just doesn't have it. Surrounded by this amount of talent in NXT, who can absolutely nail it between the ropes, he stands out as a call-back to mid-2000s when it was all about the body. Call him up, Vince, not Dream. I laughed at the Dream's tights, even more so when Hunter revealed he had no idea until he saw them on the hard camera, but be careful what you wish for, mate. The moment Vince calls you up it's over.

Brilliant North American Title match. Probably match of the night. That spot was unbelievable. Both these guys are something special but Ricochet in particular has so much upside. He's a Marvel Superhero come to life. If they can somehow tap into that, he could be huge. I liked that Ricochet looked genuinely choked up after winning. Titles and results being portrayed as mattering is the best!

Loved the Women's Title match. Shayna has improved dramatically this past year. Her Takeover matches against Ember and Nikki Cross felt like a step down from the rest of the card but I didn't feel that at all here. Maybe Kairi is just that good, who knows, but this was great, great stuff. Particularly loved Shayna wrenching on all her submissions as if she'd been watching tonnes of Zack Sabre Junior. Super happy when Kairi won, too. She's so ridiculously adorable, it's impossible not to root for her. Has there ever been a cuter pro-wrestler?

Highlight of the show was Matt Riddle. God, I love him so much. Always been a huge fan of his ever since The Ultimate Fighter. Used to love when he'd get interviewed before UFC events and all he wanted to chat about was pro-wrestling. It's a great story how he's turned this passion into a career. Everything you ever hear or read about him suggests he's the fucking man, too. I always read stories about him being the most approachable, nicest guy ever to the fans. I've read stories where fans are trying to end the conversation because they feel bad for how much of his time they're taking up and yet he's the one who wants to carry on chatting. He seemed genuinely thrilled with the pop he got and I can't wait to see him mixing it up with everyone else. He's going to be a superstar in NXT. Who the fuck knows about the main roster though. "Smilin' Matt Riddle," he'll be. "He's always smiling, maggle! What a happy guy! Now let's see him trade wins over two advert breaks with Mojo Rawley."

Edited August 20, 2018 by Supremo

[Onyx2]

Match of the night was the women's title for me. I was sucked in from the furious opening exchange, and the pace was perfect from there. While Ciampa has heel of the year sewn up, Baszler is a very good second as I said elsewhere. She mocked Sane, tortured her and can dial into some serious intensity. Sane showed some real guts here and the finish had me completely fooled - didn't see the pin coming at all. 

[Accident Prone]

 

Great 10 minute doc here on Matt Riddle. He deserves every bit of success in the world. Well worth a watch if you're unfamiliar with him.

On another note, EVOLVE is so shit. Great production on these mini-docs, but their in-ring presentation is the dirt worse. They pick the worse venues, the worst audio levels and they often attract the most lifeless crowds known to man. You'd be mistaken for thinking you were watching an indy show from 2006. Gabe being involved is probably the only the reason they get to be the unofficial feeder system to NXT.