I’ve been going to shows at the Rosemont Horizon, now Allstate Arena, since the early 90s, from my days as a curious youngster doing the Bushwhacker dance through empty rows of seats to high-fiving strangers and rushing towards the guardrail amongst a packed crowd as CM Punk pinned John Cena.
The atmosphere has been talked about to death, but in short it is amazing. The crowd is loud and excited, the acoustics are great, it’s a mix of screaming hardcores and delighted children and confused adults, and the history is awesome. During Punk’s prime it was other-worldly… as annoying as the Punk chants may be in 2017, we had a hometown hero and each show was electric. The crowd has changed a bit in the last few years, more kids popping for Randy Orton and all that, but it remains crazy fun.
There’s been two WWE holy grails as a Chicago(ish) wrestling fan: the Royal Rumble, and NXT TakeOver.
So when TakeOver Chicago got announced, attending was a formality.
NXT TakeOver’s are typically a blast, especially in that prime 2014-2015 period. Cesaro vs. Sami Zayn, Charlotte’s coming out party vs. Natalya, Kevin Owens’ debut and turn on Sami Zayn, Tyler Breeze’s Brooklyn entrance, Bayley vs. Sasha Banks in Brooklyn, everything that was Brooklyn, the Dusty Tag Classic semi-finals, all the great openers (Asuka vs. Emma, Aries vs. Jose, Tye Dillinger vs. everybody), Nakamura’s debut vs. Sami, The Revival vs. Alpha and #DIY… so many great matches, moments, and crowds.
And now I’m happy to say I got to see two more epic TakeOver moments in-person, two moments so good that I am not sure what this show will be remembered more for: Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate announcing themselves to the world, or Tommaso Ciampa turning on his best bud Johnny Gargano. Either way, both of them happened at the Allstate Arena in front of a more-than-excited crowd.
These are my Quick Thoughts.
Lot of fun live moments that made this a memorable experience. My favorite? Nigel McGuinness getting up from the pre-show panel, shaking Rosenberg’s hand, putting on a satchel and picking up a takeout box, then quietly walking through the crowd towards the commentator’s desk.
Appreciated this crowd’s efforts to shut down the potential for douchebaggery. CM Punk chants got booed down. A beach ball came out and got boos, and the guy who deflated it briefly became a bigger babyface than at least Roderick Strong. This isn’t no RAW after WrestleMania mark bullshit, this is TAKEOVER. In ROSEMONT, ILLINOIS.
The crowd was excited for professional wrestling, the crowd was a little bit annoying as well. Wrestling shows are basically Introverts Gone Wild. I’m part of that by the way, no hate.
Incredible stuff before TakeOver went live… after the NXT TV taping, a guy entered the ring with a broom and started sweeping for like legit 5 minutes. It eventually became transfixing, and the crowd started buying in, chanting all kinds of wrestling-related broom chants – SWEEP FOREVER, et al. With 2 and a half minutes before the show went live, they began chanting “ONE MORE SWEEP! ONE MORE SWEEP!” as Mike Rome and Tugboat’s son motioned to the crowd like “c’mon…” — AND THEN THE SWEEPER RAN INTO THE RING AND DID ONE MORE SWEEP!!! I have never been more proud to be a part of the human race.
Other notes: the TakeOver set is DARK. Kind of enjoy it compared to the seizure-inducing RAW or PPV sets, but as a result the show didn’t feel so BIG. Maybe that was the point. Also, most of the second level not on the hard cam was taped off.
There were 3 matches taped for NXT TV next week… I’ll talk them next week two, but for now:
0. Aleister Black vs. Curt Hawkins
Aleister Black is a god damn superstar. First guy out, but what a pop. Love his theme too… felt like I was at a metal concert. Hawkins also got big heat, though it was more “Are ya fuckin’ SERIOUS?” heat. These fans wanted a Sean Maluta or a Steve Cutler, god damnit. Hawkins got in a lil’ offense and the Black knee smash / kick was incredible to see and hear live.
0. Velveteen Dream vs. Robert Anthony
Patrick Clark gets his debut in Chicago, and it’s against the unmasked Chicago indy mainstay Egotistico Fantastico, no less. Think most folks were more confused than anything by Clark’s shtick… actually there really isn’t much shtick, it’s just a look. Total straightforward clubbing-heavy squash. Clark has a great look, but didn’t really elicit anything from me or most of the crowd. We shall see.
0. Drew McIntyre vs. Wesley Blake
Wesley Blake is apparently a cowboy now. And his theme starts with the sound of a beer can being opened. OK. This was alright, but think they gave Wesley too much. Match dragged when he got control and not in a good way. Drew is something else, though. He is wrestling like The Undertaker at this point – walks all slow and brooding, every movement has an impact, takes time to react after every move. Sold his arm big too. Highlights were him doing the tree of woe belly-to-belly off the top, the HEADBUTT, an awesome near fall off a reverse Alabama slam, and the big kick finish.
Watched the Pre-Show when I got home. Poor Ember Moon had to stand around for a good hour in that sling talking to nobody for about a 90-second interview. Said interview wasn’t much – any time she talks the mystique disappears. Nothing about her screams person you want to see beat Asuka.
1. Roderick Strong vs. Eric Young w/ SAnitY (Killian Dain and Alexander Wolfe)
A TakeOver opener is one of the easiest things to take advantage of, something every wrestler should relish… and this stunk. These two fellas almost lost us before the U.K. lads brought us back up… Roddy’s chops got pops, otherwise you could hear the air conditioning. Roddy threw some fun stuff – his early fire, pulling EY into that backbreaker on his comeback. But 90% of this was Young on offense and yuck. How many clap rallies can there be? The folks like Roddy, but this relied a lot on Young and he didn’t deliver. The most average of professional wrestling matches **
2. WWE U.K. Title: Tyler Bate [c] vs. Pete Dunne
This was the best wrestling match I have ever seen live, and one of the best wrestling matches I have ever seen period.
I cannot stop thinking about this thing. The out-of-this-world skill required to pull something like this off, the bringing of a crowd to its’ feet and keeping them there, the bringing that crowd from their feet to out of their bodies, staring down at themselves, going, “God DAMN is wrestling great.” Pro wrestling can be pretty stupid, but it can also be cooler and more impressive than anything in the world.
As I said in How I Rate Wrestling Matches, “When a match gets rated well – essentially, the ask is that most pro wrestling is like it.” This had three components that this dummy who’s watched wrestling for most of his near-30 years thinks are essential for truly great professional wrestling matches: a smart layout (stay with me), impressive moves and POPS! (seriously, stay with me), and the SPECIAL.
First there was the layout. Look, I have no idea what I am talking about. It’s hard to put a finger on what makes a great match with big crazy moves and near falls and stuff stand out from a good match with similar things, especially when I’ve never laid a match out myself. It used to be popular on the Internet to talk about pacing and transitions and stuff, because Misawa and Kawada did good pacing and transitions and stuff. I can try to explain it, but I really have no idea. what I do know though is that this was brilliantly laid out. This MATCH. It just… ESCALATED. It got bigger and bigger – a mat counter, a standing counter, a near fall, a bigger near fall, a standing ovation, an even bigger near fall, more standing ovations, and then Tyler Bate basically sprouted wings and flew into the ropes with the Kofi head-springboard thing, which was SUCH a peak. Following that, at 30-second intervals I was uttering, “Nice. Wow. Wowwww. What? WHAT? WHAT!? OH MY GOD! NO …. WHAAAAT!? JESUS CHRIST. DID HE – ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME!?!?!?!”
It was so tight too – as the kids like to say, “no wasted movements.” There was zero down time, it lasted only 15 minutes, and it didn’t feel rushed. It was like a variety hour of wrestling where everything made sense. My mind rarely wandered, I was never not captivated. Oh, Tyler just basically just transcended gravity and landed on his feet – what’s next? Oh, a standing ovation for a big near fall – what’s next? Oh, THEY ARE PUNCHING EACH OTHER IN THE FACE. I mean WHAT IN THE HELL – HOW GREAT WAS THIS MATCH!?
Then there were the moves. Moves aren’t everything, but if they’re amazing to begin with and then complemented with smart and spectacular work it’s incredible. Wristlocks and headlocks, headscissors and handstands. Bate blocking the spot Dunne with the stairs outside was a neat follow-up to Dunne just killing everybody with it on the U.K. specials. The X-Plex on the apron was the first real Holy Shit moment of the match and a suitable one – Tyler just FLOATED up there. Then Dunne tried an X-Plex in the ring and Tyler landed on his FEET – he just flipped so FAST!! A standing Shooting Star to the back and deadlift backdrop followed, and Dunne’s timing on the kickout got this to the next level, from something great to something special.
There was Pete punching Bate at as he had him trapped in a wristlock, Tyler deadlifting out of it to straight-up gasps from the crowd. An X-Plex near fall got a STANDING OVATION. AND THEN THEY DID THE DON FRYE VS. TAKAYAMA PUNCHING SPOT! And then they threw shots at each other and THEN BATES BOUNCED HIS HEAD OFF THE ROPES AND CLOTHESLINED DUNNE!! I flipped the fuck out.
And that was before the closing stretch, because THEN Bate did a god damned SPIRAL TAP, and then he did a tope con giro into a Dunne elbow, and I don’t know if it hit but Bate just MISSING the big dive seemed even crazier. Bate countered the Bitter End with a freakin’ tornado DDT at one point, and another Bitter End finally finished it.
And finally, maybe most importantly, there was the special. This match had so many little intangibles, so many “right place right time” scenarios – it was one of those rare moments in wrestling where everything just came together. These two have only been known to WWE fans since January and have that feeling of an outsider coming in, a classic showcase match ala a Rey/Psicosis in ECW or the Michinoku Pro 6-man in ECW or the Dragon Gate 6-mans in ROH. This was their time to shine, both in kayfabe and real life, and they both knocked it out of the park. You’re really watching a couple guys with something special to them given the opportunity to go out there and do their special. This was two super young fellas, 20 and 23, on a big WWE show introducing themselves. They’re two young fellas who know each other well, who are still young enough to put their bodies on the line and do all kinds of crazy shit. And at the same time, even with all the crazy shit… it felt restrained. It felt tight. It combined both the craziness of something completely new with the confidence of two seasoned professionals.
Dunne was crazy over in Chicago – any time he appeared on the Tron it got a big pop, and the crowd went wild for his entrance. He was so great at milking all his moves – “you are god damn right I just kicked him in the head!” His kickouts were extra special too – the first one off Bate’s deadlift backdrop put this into second gear like 5 minutes in. Everything was at JUST the last millisecond. Tyler Bate meanwhile is so young, so talented, so “aw shucks” charming. Every time he took to the sky, whether it was diving on Dunne or getting suplexed by him, it felt like he just floated. Waving to him is a top 3 live WWE experience right now too.
After the 3-count, as Dunne celebrated, I just kept thinking, “I can’t believe what I just saw.” As a jaded mark nearing 30, I’m still happy I’m able to be just blown away by a wrestling match. Punk vs. Cena in Chicago had the character, the atmosphere, the big fight feel. But this was just a straight-up great professional wrestling match, a melding of old school smart hold-based stuff and timing with the new school of being absolutely nuts. If Jake Roberts is right and wrestling is about masturbating people’s emotions, then this match was multiple god damn orgasms. *****
3. Triple Threat Match – NXT Women’s Title: Asuka [c] vs. Ruby Riot vs. Nikki Cross
This had some cool stuff here and there but the in-between just didn’t flow at all. Will say this: these three are OVER. Asuka comes across as an absolute superstar, and there were a lot of gals just flipping out for Riot. I like a lot of things these guys bring individually – Asuka is an incredible singles wrestler, Cross has credibility and has taken this weird-ass character and ran with it, and Riot is super likeable – but this just never got grooving. Liked the idea for the finish but didn’t come across well either, just a big HUH? to cap things off. Obviously a tough spot given the craziness beforehand though. **1/2
4. NXT Title: Bobby Roode [c] vs. Hideo Itami
I think the pre-match video here told the Itami story better than anything yet. Didn’t see the piano entrance at all live, the Roode Entrance continues to be one of the biggest babyfaces in all of WWE. Itami eventually slapped and hit his way into our hearts but the early stuff just didn’t have it. It eventually built into something really good, as most Roode title defenses do, but I can’t say the first 10 of this thing are anything I’d ever be eager to go back to. Roode sold his arm like crazy, Itami his knee. The teases around the GTS were cool, but it didn’t feel like they were milked as hard as they should’ve been. I liked this more than the writing lets on, but just had more issues with it than outright love. Last few minutes were pretty epic, and the GTS counter with the Glorious DDT got SUUUCH a reaction. I like Itami, I hope he can make a successful comeback from injury, but WHERE WAS THE GOD DAMNED INTENSITY? ***1/4
5. Ladder Match – NXT Tag Team Title: The Authors of Pain [c] w/ Paul Ellering vs. #DIY
If the main event wasn’t going to be Bate vs. Dunne, then this was best case scenario – nothing was topping that in-ring, so a big crazy stupid fun main event is exactly what the doctor ordered. It reminded me a little of early CM Punk when ROH started running Chicago Ridge – the second show had a match with Punk and Ace Steel vs. BJ Whitmer and Dan Maff that might be famous for doing the Terry Funk/Cactus Jack “fans throw a ton of chairs into the ring” spot. But the match itself went all over the arena, had a bunch of pops, fun spots, big bumps, and a connected crowd rooting for their guys hardcore. This was a WWE ladder match pitting red hot babyfaces against monster heels, and a crazy dramatic finish on top of it. The Authors being cautious about ladders was pretty great too. The Gargano tope through the ladder, Ciampa climbing one of the others and almost grabbing the belts, the crazy double ladder dive, and Ellering eating a superkick were highlights. The finish was INCREDIBLE too, crazy dramatic with Johnny sacrificing himself for Ciampa and taking a NASTY ladder shot right to the face that looked like it smashed up all his teeth. They teased #DIY winning, and the double powerbomb to finish them off was SUCH a buzzkill and SO awesome at the same time. Great atmosphere, fun match. ***3/4
Tommaso Ciampa Turns on Johnny Gargano
Amazing angle – something that SEEMED to be coming but damn if they didn’t make it feel like it wasn’t. #DIY felt like the next big regional Chicago stars in this match, a team meant to rule the world. And Johnny and Ciampa are best friends!!! Johnny sacrificed his own face for Ciampa at the end of this match!!!!!! But they still came short, and the angle that’s been brewing since Johnny took Ciampa out in the CWC finally paid off. #DIY got the big send-off to the main roster treatment and a standing ovation, they walked up the ramp, looked out at the crowd one last time, the “going off the air” copyright logo appeared in the bottom lefthand of the screen… and BOOM. Ciampa throws Johnny into the entrance screen. Johnny crawls and looks up at him, and that just makes Ciampa hurt him worse. We’ve got a hot feud cooking and Johnny is a made man in Chicago. WRESTLING.
Kind of a 2 for 5 show, but a new addition to my favorite matches ever and epic heel turn in 2 and a half hours is pretty ideal professional wrestling. NXT TakeOver in Chicago, man. 8/10
