NXT - Post NXT Takeover discussion in progress

[Frankie Crisp]

Add me to the fans of the main event. It was always going to take a while to get going but for pure entertainment it ticked all the boxes. I wasn’t on board with the lack of a roof at first but it made sense to help with some of the spots.

But as everyone’s said, the biggest winner on the night was Dream. He was fantastic and Black was the perfect foil. I’m not a regular watcher of NXT so it was a completely unexpected to see that match. Christ I hope they don’t fuck it up and turn him into Stardust or something like that. Let the lad run away with it as he oozes talent and charisma.

[WyattSheepMask]

He did catch his arm but it happened too quick in order to have called an audible and have Almas' music cued up at the finish. It may have come a minute or so early, but I reckon that was the result, especially with them making mention about short title reigns in the intro.

Gutted for Drew though. If that's a bicep tear, unless he knows Cena's doctor he's looking at around 6 months out at least, meaning that if there was any chance of him going up to the main roster prior to Wrestlemania then that's gone completely out the window and he's startong from square one again.

Edited November 19, 2017 by WyattSheepMask

[UK Kat Von D]

1 hour ago, PunkStep said:

Yeah, that closed it off perfectly. Had he not said his name, it'd put Black in a heel light in my view. You know, in a 'don't acknowledge the gender bender' kind of view that a lot of our dads would share.

It was like a handshake after a hard fought match, except it made sense and played into the story/characters. Usually WWE just throw that out for no reason, but this time it was just right 

[Guest]

Some poor production/direction on this show, they missed  Aleister doing Dream's taunt, the black mass and a few spots in the War Games match

Good show though. Echo that Black/Dream was amazing. Character value out the wazzoo from both guys and superb interaction. Great story, sick movez~! (that fucking DDT from Dream though). Everything you could want from it. Loved Velveteen since I first saw him and so happy he had a star-making performance.

Everything else was good not great. Opener was a fun match, Ohno is fine as a guy to help put over the future, probably a PC job in mind for him rather than anything on the main roster and I'm fine with that. I've probably become too accustomed to Strowman but Lars looks really short (I know he's >6ft) for a monster, he's obviously hench as fuck but his limbs look tiny. Chode limbs. He looks like a weird toy.

Thought Kairi or Peyton via cheating would have been better than Ember winning, because the lack of Asuka undermines the victory a fair bit, but it was a very fun match.

Really good NXT title match, and very pleased Almas won, I've been going right off McIntyre and him saying "FIGHT ME LIKE A MAAAAN" in every single promo but he put a good shift in here, pity if he's hurt. Almas as champion with Zelina by his side should be very interesting. I know it was Black's debut but him v renewed Almas sounds mouth-watering.

War Games was a fun spotfest despite some of the baffling rules and set-up. I've only seen one War Games match but I could very much tell it didn't feel like a War Games, but also they did a decent job of differentiating it from a standard cage match. Some class spots, and a great visual at the end with everybody laid out in the rings, Wolfe looking like he'd been shot. Sanity definitely came out the stars in that match, AOP also had some great moments, I get the feeling Undisputed Era would have impressed more too if they had any actual heat - but nope, the ROH fans love saying 'bay bay' so that won't happen. Still a lot better than I expected/it looked on paper.

Edited November 19, 2017 by sj5522

[RancidPunx]

Great show, shows like this bring me back to wrestling more and more. 

 

Who actually is the booker in NXT?

 

Is there a booking committee or is HHH putting the shows together himself?

[LaGoosh]

I think it's one guy writing the shows then I imagine Triple H and a few of the agents and trainers review and approve/change things up as required.

[Snitsky's back acne]

4 hours ago, Thunderplex said:

Really enjoyed the show, but kept getting distracted by how fucking Orange Drake Younger is.  Looks like a lanky umpa lumpa.

Yes, glad I'm not the only one who noticed that.

One thing I enjoy about NXT, apart from the shows being a decent length, is they allow characters and storylines the chance to breathe - something they more often than not fail at on the main roster.

Andrade Almas is the perfect example of this I think. He went from being this guy who cared more about partying than winning or losing to the NXT Champion. Great story arc I think.

Have to agree with everything said about Velveteen Dream - he is incredibly charismatic but also tough and talented. A multi-dimensional character that Vince will no doubt turn into a one-trick pony when he debuts on the main roster.

Even though it wasn't War Games I enjoyed the main event. Lance Storm commented on Twitter that they should have had the shark cages hanging above the ring and drop the competitors into the match when the time was due. Even though he was joking and WWE would never do it due to risk of injury, it did make me want to see it. 

 

[Harry Wiseau]

I'm only on the second match but does everyone else hear that noise in the background? Like a heartbeat on a scan? Does it last throughout the show? It's really distracting. Or is that thing, like when you can smell toast it means you're having a stroke?

 

Hang in its just gone, halfway through the second match. Strange

Edited November 19, 2017 by Harry Wiseau

[Yakashi]

That was the first time I’ve seen Adam Cole wrestle. I don’t get it. He’s just the same as all the other tiny Indy guys. I don’t see what makes him as special as people seem to make out? Think roddy is far better. 

[Rosler28]

Yea ive never been a fan of Adam Cole either, lucky for him he was born int he right decades as 20 years ago hed be considered too small

[FLips]

Velveteen Dream is a revelation. Adam Cole and the gang were not. As bad as I expected them to be. Women's match was the worst on any Takeover I can recall.

[ColinBollocks]

Adam Cole is ok. Nothing about him is particularly captivating, going only on this, but he's at least over with the NXT lot. They're smart putting him in a group because he looks like he couldn't crack an egg.

[King Pitcos]

Just watched the show, first time I've watched NXT in ages... possibly since attending the Orlando Takeover, and even on that one I didn't really know half of them. But I really enjoyed this one.

As everyone else has said, Dream vs Black was just superb. Can't add much to all the other comments. Was just a treat. Loved the Rick Rude style tights.

This was the first I'd seen of Adam Cole, and though nothing he did was overly special performance-wise, the booking did make him stand out. He reminded me a bit of early 90s Shawn Michaels. Killian Dain put in a great showing. 

[uklaw]

3 hours ago, LaGoosh said:

I think it's one guy writing the shows then I imagine Triple H and a few of the agents and trainers review and approve/change things up as required.

This pretty much, according to what I’ve read.

Like a microcosm of the main roster, Triple H is the main ‘shot-caller’ (as it were) and the Head (TV) Writer is called Joe Belcastro. An article I read describes him as a lifelong Wrestling fan and fomer film critic, and features writer for the Tampa Tribune, who joined WWE’s team in 2013, 5 years after originally failing at an interview straight out of college/university. 

If Belcastro wasn’t a mature student then that’s the 2nd young (Wrestling fan) writer Triple H put as head of NXT creative, following on Ryan Ward. Well, third if you count Stephen Guerrieri, who doesn’t seem like a veteran either (though I think he may be considered the weakest of the 3).

That last part might mean absolutely nothing in the grand scheme of things. 

[Supremo]

Whenever Triple H talks about booking NXT and why it differs so much from the main roster, he's always super political, saying it's two completely different animals, where writing a one hour show for hardcore fans at Full Sail is different from writing a two or three hour show for the casual fans. He's correct, in a sense. For instance, tiny, thin guys like Adam Cole definitely get more of a pass from the fans in NXT if they've come from ROH, and writing a one hour show that's pre-taped months in advance is always going to be easier than writing everything for a live broadcast, but I still wonder what's going to happen when Vince eventually dies and if we'll see some of NXT's booking philosophies bleed into Raw and Smackdown. Velveteen Dream is the perfect example. He's already had more of a chance to show and develop some character than he ever would've been given on Raw or Smackown. He'd have been slotted as a one-note gay character within two weeks, before trading wins with Dolph Ziggler.

Whilst they are two completely different animals, it's stuff like Dream that gives me hope for when Hunter eventually takes over. Trips seems far more willing to flesh guys out and allow them to develop. These days, it feels like guys develop their characters in NXT, then hit a road block and regress the moment they make it to the main roster. Vince can't help himself, it seems. Everything goes over his head and he fixates on whatever can be boiled down to almost nothing. Raw and Smackdown are littered with guys who came from NXT with interesting characters, with loads of directions they could go in, only to do absolute nothing. Imagine seeing Adam Rose and thinking the bunny was the most important part of the act. Or having the Wyatt Family delivered to you in a fully formed state and deciding the most interesting thing you can do with them is break them up and reunite them about six times.