NXT - Post NXT Takeover discussion in progress

[Devon Malcolm]

2 minutes ago, LEGIT said:

Yesssssss, the Gladders special. Always bowing out calling someone a twat, idiot, racist, sexist or some other label. Good on you mate, I would've been disappointed with anything else. 

Looking forward to seeing you for you're Mania review, where you can remind everyone how much of a cool casual fan you are (again), how little wrestling you like and watch(again), how original and against the grain your comments are (again.) Oh and how those who disagree are twats.

Thanks for sticking your always unwanted oar in and commenting on something you have no idea what you're talking about.

Also, you need to widen your film references as regards me, that's twice you've used Hitchcock now. If you were up-to-date, you'd be referencing Denis Villeneuve or Tom Cruise, maybe even Asghar Farhadi if you wanted to go international.

[Fatty Facesitter]

As much as this edition of Takeover hasn’t been to everyone’s taste, it’s pleasing to see we’re almost unanimously in favour of the Dream.

Every possibility this is me reading too much into the character and he might be a complete pussycat behind the scenes, but he seems to have serious creative flair with his work and isn’t even remotely afraid to push the boat out, which also makes me think he’d do well on the main roster. He also strikes me as someone who isn’t afraid to ruffle some feathers backstage with regards to his booking - i.e if he thinks something’s beneath him or not in keeping with his character he’d sack it off regardless of any potential backlash. In a way, if word got out that he was being a bit of a primadonna that would only add to his aura and force them into keeping him in a prominent position on the card. He has that swagger about him where he effectively knows he’s mustard and that he’s got more license than most to act like a big shot. 

Again probably reading far too much into that, but if nothing else he’s excellent in the ring and there’s some huge money to be made with him in the right context. 

Edited April 7, 2019 by Fatty Facesitter
Order! The right honourable gentleman from North West Norfolk will learn to spell!

[LEGIT]

24 minutes ago, Devon Malcolm said:

Thanks for sticking your always unwanted oar in and commenting on something you have no idea what you're talking about.

Also, you need to widen your film references as regards me, that's twice you've used Hitchcock now. If you were up-to-date, you'd be referencing Denis Villeneuve or Tom Cruise, maybe even Asghar Farhadi if you wanted to go international.

I thought you were done posting in this thread? You're getting as bad as Adam Bowler, you are, you scallywag. 

And I'm not up to date! I'll stick to my Hitchcock references thanks pal. Stick to what you know, eh? 

Gladders, you're one of my fav posters (top five anyway, not including me.) I'm not sticking my oar in! I appreciate and find humorous your gimmick. It wouldn't be the UKFF without it, you obnoxious, self-righteous twat. (copyright Gladstone Smalls 2011)

Edited April 7, 2019 by LEGIT

[The King of Old School]

I just want The Dream to stay in NXT forever, he should be main eventing you just can't follow him at the minute.

[Devon Malcolm]

1 minute ago, LEGIT said:

I thought you were done posting in this thread? You're getting as bad as Adam Bowler, you are, you scallywag. 

And I'm not up to date! I'll stick to my Hitchcock references thanks pal. Stick to what you know, eh? 

Gladders, you're one of my fav posters (top five anyway, not including me.) I'm not sticking my oar in! I appreciate and find humorous your gimmick. It wouldn't be the UKFF without it, you obnoxious, self-righteous twat. (copyright Gladstone Smalls 2011)

I didn't say I was done with this thread, I said I was done with Soapdish!

Also, going back to your original post, I'm actually commentating on WrestleMania live for https://twitter.com/itsbytheminute and I might even stick in a Hitch reference or two for you, if you promise to be one of the seven people that will read it.

[SuperBacon]

7 minutes ago, Devon Malcolm said:

I didn't say I was done with this thread, I said I was done with Soapdish!

Also, going back to your original post, I'm actually commentating on WrestleMania live for https://twitter.com/itsbytheminute and I might even stick in a Hitch reference or two for you, if you promise to be one of the seven people that will read it.

Proper shit film 

[LEGIT]

6 minutes ago, Devon Malcolm said:

I didn't say I was done with this thread, I said I was done with Soapdish!

Also, going back to your original post, I'm actually commentating on WrestleMania live for https://twitter.com/itsbytheminute and I might even stick in a Hitch reference or two for you, if you promise to be one of the seven people that will read it.

I 100% promise I'll read it, and I 100% promise I'll call you a loser upon reading it. That's what friends are for. 

[LEGIT]

Just now, SuperBacon said:

Proper shit film 

No it's not. 

Double post, oooohhhh I feel naughty. 

[tiger_rick]

Did they show Kushida in the crowd like usual? Seen his signing video on YouTube but missed him on the show if he was on.

[Otto Dem Wanz]

Just now, tiger_rick said:

Did they show Kushida in the crowd like usual? Seen his signing video on YouTube but missed him on the show if he was on.

They did yeah, think it was before the UK title match  

[Lion_of_the_Midlands]

37 minutes ago, Fatty Facesitter said:

He also strikes me as someone who isn’t afraid to ruffle some feathers backstage with regards to his booking - i.e if he thinks something’s beneath him or not in keeping with his character he’d sack it off regardless of any potential backlash. In a way, if word got out that he was being a bit of a primadonna that would only add to his aura and force them into keeping him in a prominent position on the card. He has that swagger about him where he effectively knows he’s mustard and that he’s got more license than most to act like a big shot. 

I'd imagine that standing up for your gimmick and not giving a shit if you ruffle backstage feathers is part of the extra lesson that Shawn Michaels gives him every week. 

[Vamp]

The opening tag was very much a popcorn match. I like the look of the War Raiders and would love to see them beating the shit out of people and I really like Black with his ridiculously camp entrance (wrestling need a more camp) and Ricochet is fun to watch but it was a bit style over substance for me. It was played like an exhibition match from beginning to end which is enjoyable but they could really have done more. Plus everyone seemed to keep hugging or shaking hands. Fuck off.

Dream is a star, we all know that. Quite enjoyed the match with Riddle probably because it wasn't back and forth. 

Walter and Dunne was fun. I kind of wish some of their offense meant more. Feels a like a match where Dunne damaged Walter's fingers so he couldn't grab him and lift him or utilize his chops would have been more interesting to watch. Or at least this match should have seen Walter dominate and then tell that story in the rematch. Again fun but could have been more. Walter's entrance is brilliant.

It's odd when a fatal four way match feels like it tells more of a story than almost any other match on the card. All four are pretty great.

The main event had me smiling in the end. I really liked the slower beginning but got the impression that the crowd really didn't. The crowd picked up for the pretty fireworks which kinda took me out of it and then they won me and the crowd over with the run in stuff at the end. I will say that it seemed odd that they ran in after everything else. They should give Gargano a Rasputin gimmick because he's clearly a right bastard to finish off. It was all a bit too much for me. Fuck knows what backyard wrestling looks like now. Anyway, they read the room right and I loved the ending sequence. 

 

[HarmonicGenerator]

Enjoyed that show overall.

The standard Great Tag Team Opener was good, shame they lost the crowd for a bit to the lighting or whatever it was people were chanting about.

Dream is superb. Didn’t know which way the match would go, either, which added something.

Walter and Dune was actually my favourite match of the night, I got properly invested in Dunne and was rooting for him and cheering him on. Best Walter has looked so far, I actually started to understand what the fuss was about with him.

Shayna retaining surprised me, she’s more than ready to be a new top heel challenger for Becky. 

Liked the final stretch of the main event, I think again because I didn’t know who was going to win. 

Overall, quite happy with the show. If Mania is anywhere near a similar level it’ll be a grand 5/8/15 hours.

[Loki]

There's been some great comments in this thread, so forgive me if I steal your point and forget to credit you, but I agree with a lot of what's been said regarding this PPV.

First of all, I really enjoyed it - as the crowd reactions attested, they know their audience and have them invested.  I'm invested too, as someone who's been watching most weeks for the last few years.

That said, I can only echo people's worries about the style, both in terms of injuries and in terms of differentiation.  Both Dream and Dunne I think took release suplexes from the ropes that dropped them squarely on the top of their heads - both just passing spots.  I don't care what people say about taking it "right", those things do damage and there's no place for such dangerous stuff in my entertainment.   As someone said earlier, we've just lost the NXT champion through injury, Hideo Itami came and went and was notable only for continually being injured, we have NXT trainees retiring due to concussions...  I don't need these guys to kill themselves for me, I really don't.

It doesn't help the product in the long run.  Everyone does the flippy shit, all the time, everyone does each other's moves, and the point of a match as far as I can tell is to get the crowd to "pop" every 30 seconds.  And none of this translates into heat - Shayna is the only person on the show who was obviously identifiable as a heel.

The best match IMO was Riddle v Dream because they set out their characters early, and Riddle worked increasingly heelish which actually gave the crowd a story to hook into.  Everything people say about The Dream is right - he is always thinking about his character and digging into the history of wrestling to find ways to "pop" the crowd without dropping himself on his head.  Him hulking up was a major highlight.

La Goosh's criticisms of the Dunne/Walter match were also echoing my own.  Didn't like this at all.  On a card like this there's a place to put a different sort of match.  Walter could have powered though Dunne and become a major force in the NXT roster and created some interest.  That ending also annoyed the shit out of me.  As you say, a power bomb off the top rope should be enough.

----

All of which to say, I kind of blame the producers - they lay out the card and the matches, and they decide to let everyone basically wrestle the same long, spot-filled matches.  There's a place for a scramble, no-sell match on each card, but not all of them.  Why the big fat fella from War Raiders has a top rope move as his finisher I'll never know.  Wrestling can be simpler, safer and more diverse than this.

 

[kieranjennings]

Totally agree about matches being about getting spots in every 30 seconds. Every time I watch stuff from the 80's/90's and every match has a story that builds to a climax (even if the execution at times is poor) and it's so much more enjoyable to watch.

There are so many high impact moves that end in a 2 count (with no delay in getting to the cover) or kicks to the head that do not end a match that from a realistic point of view always makes me think that the person hitting the move is not very good rather than the receiver being tough!

You look at Bret vs Owen at WMX (only referenced as I watched it recently), the action is great but it's the story and the actions of both participants in selling the disrespect etc. that makes it engaging