Just a random observation, but these Takeover shows are now starting to approach WWE pay-per-view length, with this show going over three hours. It's a small thing, and given the regular quality of the Takeover shows, not really a problem in any way. Just an interesting observation. On with the show!
- Really dug the way the show opened, with a live musical performance over the opening highlight package. A really effective way to use the much hated live performance, and provide a different way to open a show. Very cool.
- The North American Championship ladder match was obviously very fun, a great way to start the show. There were just so many great spots, and all six men looked really good. Extra props to Velveteen Dream, who is awesome as previously established, but took some insane bumps during this match, putting him over huge. Also loved Lars Sullivan as a conquering force, and I would love to see him working more matches with guys like Killian Dain and Ricochet, who offers a bunch of potential classics.
- Really cool to see Adam Cole become the first champion for the new belt, well deserved in my opinion. It's easy to look at guys like him, and assume that he could just coast on his reputation, but he's gone above and beyond already in this NXT run.
- Once again, I wasn't very impressed with Ember Moon and Shayna Baszler's match, just like Takeover: Philadelphia. This felt like an elongated TV match, and neither woman really looked great. I continue to hate Ember's ridiculous survival in supposedly dangerous submission holds, and her selling in general in the final minutes was quite bad.
- Baszler as champ is an interesting decision, considering she hasn't looked anywhere near comfortable during her time on NXT thus far. While it's possible she could turn things around, she's going to be fighting an uphill battle going forward, since NXT's women's division feels like it's hit rock bottom.
- NXT's tag division is not fairing much better, given two of the three teams in the tag title match were basically thrown together at the last minute. Still, there was a lot of talent in this match, and it was pretty fun, even though the crowd seemed to not really care for it. But the major talking point is Roderick Strong's heel turn to join the Undisputed Era, helping them win the Dusty Classic, despite never competing in the tournament. It was a great moment, genuinely shocking, but somewhat questionable booking. Why did Roddy turn? He was about to win the titles with Dunne, and had been beating up O'Reilly all match. No to mention the fact that he turned Cole's offer to join the group down back in November, which led to the War Games match. Hopefully we get explanations for all of this soon, because I am totally baffled.
- Andrade Almas and Aleister Black are two pretty damn good pro wrestlers, so it makes perfect sense that they had a pretty damn good pro wrestling match. It wasn't quite on the same level as the Gargano match in my opinion, but it was great for what it was. Black's kick-out of the DDT was a finisher kick-out well done, and I really enjoyed the finish of Selina Vega's interference finally going wrong.
- Black as NXT Champion has been a long time coming, as he looked ready when he made his debut a year ago. Almas was a fantastic champion, and I really look forward to what's to come for him. Black's title run will most likely be defined by when he drops the belt and who he drops it to, and that's fine.
- I'm extremely glad Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa got the main event, because this was clearly the biggest match on the card. I also enjoyed Ciampa's entrance(sans music) and the official already wearing medical gloves, without a WWE-licensed shirt. It's the little things. This match, you guys. This f***ing match. The biggest thing I can say is that it was worth it. The ending of DIY, holding the story for almost a year. Everything that's happened between these two in the past few months, and everything that took place in this match. It was all worth it. This was a brutal affair, with those nasty shots from the crutches, the powerbomb on the exposed concrete floor and Gargano's final submission finish, with added knee brace. There was plenty of great wrestling too, in the end delivering as complete a package as anything you're going to see. And those final moments, holy sh**. Even after everything, Johnny was willing to give his former friend one last chance, even with his NXT career on the line. In the end, Johnny Wrestling has his name for a reason. He's one of the best wrestlers on the planet, and one of the greatest faces in wrestling history already. What a night.
9/10
A somewhat pointless tag match and lackluster women's match don't take away from this show, which delivered three(!) top quality matches, showcasing all facets of in-ring competition. You had the spotfest in the ladder match, the more technical, slower paced NXT Championship match and then finished with pure storytelling and brutality in the main event. It's one of the great NXT Takeover's, and should stand the test of time.
- Really dug the way the show opened, with a live musical performance over the opening highlight package. A really effective way to use the much hated live performance, and provide a different way to open a show. Very cool.
- The North American Championship ladder match was obviously very fun, a great way to start the show. There were just so many great spots, and all six men looked really good. Extra props to Velveteen Dream, who is awesome as previously established, but took some insane bumps during this match, putting him over huge. Also loved Lars Sullivan as a conquering force, and I would love to see him working more matches with guys like Killian Dain and Ricochet, who offers a bunch of potential classics.
- Really cool to see Adam Cole become the first champion for the new belt, well deserved in my opinion. It's easy to look at guys like him, and assume that he could just coast on his reputation, but he's gone above and beyond already in this NXT run.
- Once again, I wasn't very impressed with Ember Moon and Shayna Baszler's match, just like Takeover: Philadelphia. This felt like an elongated TV match, and neither woman really looked great. I continue to hate Ember's ridiculous survival in supposedly dangerous submission holds, and her selling in general in the final minutes was quite bad.
- Baszler as champ is an interesting decision, considering she hasn't looked anywhere near comfortable during her time on NXT thus far. While it's possible she could turn things around, she's going to be fighting an uphill battle going forward, since NXT's women's division feels like it's hit rock bottom.
- NXT's tag division is not fairing much better, given two of the three teams in the tag title match were basically thrown together at the last minute. Still, there was a lot of talent in this match, and it was pretty fun, even though the crowd seemed to not really care for it. But the major talking point is Roderick Strong's heel turn to join the Undisputed Era, helping them win the Dusty Classic, despite never competing in the tournament. It was a great moment, genuinely shocking, but somewhat questionable booking. Why did Roddy turn? He was about to win the titles with Dunne, and had been beating up O'Reilly all match. No to mention the fact that he turned Cole's offer to join the group down back in November, which led to the War Games match. Hopefully we get explanations for all of this soon, because I am totally baffled.
- Andrade Almas and Aleister Black are two pretty damn good pro wrestlers, so it makes perfect sense that they had a pretty damn good pro wrestling match. It wasn't quite on the same level as the Gargano match in my opinion, but it was great for what it was. Black's kick-out of the DDT was a finisher kick-out well done, and I really enjoyed the finish of Selina Vega's interference finally going wrong.
- Black as NXT Champion has been a long time coming, as he looked ready when he made his debut a year ago. Almas was a fantastic champion, and I really look forward to what's to come for him. Black's title run will most likely be defined by when he drops the belt and who he drops it to, and that's fine.
- I'm extremely glad Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa got the main event, because this was clearly the biggest match on the card. I also enjoyed Ciampa's entrance(sans music) and the official already wearing medical gloves, without a WWE-licensed shirt. It's the little things. This match, you guys. This f***ing match. The biggest thing I can say is that it was worth it. The ending of DIY, holding the story for almost a year. Everything that's happened between these two in the past few months, and everything that took place in this match. It was all worth it. This was a brutal affair, with those nasty shots from the crutches, the powerbomb on the exposed concrete floor and Gargano's final submission finish, with added knee brace. There was plenty of great wrestling too, in the end delivering as complete a package as anything you're going to see. And those final moments, holy sh**. Even after everything, Johnny was willing to give his former friend one last chance, even with his NXT career on the line. In the end, Johnny Wrestling has his name for a reason. He's one of the best wrestlers on the planet, and one of the greatest faces in wrestling history already. What a night.
9/10
A somewhat pointless tag match and lackluster women's match don't take away from this show, which delivered three(!) top quality matches, showcasing all facets of in-ring competition. You had the spotfest in the ladder match, the more technical, slower paced NXT Championship match and then finished with pure storytelling and brutality in the main event. It's one of the great NXT Takeover's, and should stand the test of time.
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