1. NXT Tag Team Title: The Undisputed Era (Roderick Strong & Kyle O’Reilly) [c] w/ Adam Cole vs. Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch
Here’s a match that was very good but would have been downright incredible had the crowd actually bought what they were selling. Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch being booed over The Undisputed Era is why we can’t have nice things.
This was structured as a good, even epic tag, and featured an excellent performance by Oney and Burch that just didn’t get over for them, which is a bummer. Burch’s nasty headbutt on Kyle, Oney’s insane hot tag and bump on the ring apron, and both guys general fire were all awesome – wish it got more than golf claps and boos.
The double submissions and O’Reilly kicking at Oney’s face to break them towards the end was an epic spot, as was the Undisputed Era death blow to Oney for the finish. This had so much good stuff! But the big payoffs didn’t work because the crowd wasn’t following, and it made it so what could’ve been epic ended up just really really good. That’s fine, but – you know. Epic is cooler.
Strong and O’Reilly are great in certain situations and brought a fine beatdown (O’Reilly’s shoot-ish-style, Roddy blasting Burch in the face with a dropkick), but nothing they did as the baddies turned the tide and got the crowd invested in anything other than wanting to go ADAM COLE, BAY-BAY! And if we are there, haven’t we already lost? ***3/4
2. Ricochet vs. Velveteen Dream
Effeminate black man doing a Hulk Hogan tribute is a wonderful troll, isn’t it? Anyways, this was a blast of a match because these two guys are such characters. It had the insane rope-running, the big spots, and a fun thread of both guys trying to out-do each other (Dream doing slightly awkward Ricochet-esque flips, Ricochet doing Dream’s own moves later and eventually showing he can out-fly this Hulk Hogan cosplaying motherfucker). But what it was really about was both guys having an aura.
Young Velveteen Dream seems to still be figuring himself out in-ring, but as a STAR he is inexplicably already there. Ricochet meanwhile has arrived in NXT seemingly already a complete package. It’s a great match-up.
They brought the action too. Of course they’d deliver on a superplex to the floor. Of course they’d do some excellent near falls. Ricochet did a crazy across-the-ring Shooting Star Press, and it was Dream trying to out-do him one more time that led to his downfall as he ate it on an across-the-ring elbow drop, setting up Ricochet’s 630 splash.
This wasn’t the star-making banger that both guys needed and the hype surrounding it might’ve led you to believe was coming, and I liked the first 5 minutes of their 5-minute NXT match a lot better, but it was still real good stuff. The future seems bright. ***3/4
3. NXT Women’s Title: Shayna Baszler [c] vs. Nikki Cross
Speaking of matches based on characters. I wasn’t sure how this would work – I think both are awesome, but they are both most awesome when they are kicking somebody’s ass, so something probably had to give.
And it did. There were parts of this that I liked. There were also parts where you could see the steam exiting the Allstate Arena. One of those matches where they had some cool moments planned, but in between it felt like they were just kinda doing some stuff. Nikki fucking with Shayna at the start was probably the highlight until the amazing finish with Nikki passing out in a sleeper, but not before SMILING as she faded. **1/2
Keith Lee looks like he is back on the dating scene and ready to take you out.
Confession: I have never seen Keith Lee wrestle outside of a few GIF’s vs. Donovan Dijak. I am interested though.
4. NXT Title: Aleister Black [c] vs. Lars Sullivan
This was basically a mid-90s Undertaker vs. Giant of the Month match with way cooler moves. That’s not necessarily a bad thing either – it worked for what it had to be, just didn’t feel like some big time title match.
They kept this moving which was smart – Black knew he needed to stay on Lars and Lars was all, naw dude I can keep up too. This Lars Sullivan boy can MOVE too – not just his offense but when taking Black’s stuff too. The CATCH of the moonsault outside was an incredible spot and Lars’ dominance of Black was a sight to see. I want to ask his big clubbing blow to Black’s head on the apron to marry me.
That weird Black Mass towards the end was weird, but I adored Lars getting up to his knees on the second one before Black finished him off.
I don’t think the talk-heavy nature of this feud really did either guy any favors, but they had a fine match. ***1/4
5. Chicago Street Fight: Johnny Gargano vs. Tommaso Ciampa
Awesome, heated professional wrestling. Maybe more “moves” than a Street Fight needed. Maybe a little too stunt show-y for a FIGHT. But it’s 2018, and this is what WWE presents. Whether what and how they present it is worth discussing, but for right this moment, as far as what they they do present, I thought this was phenomenal.
It was two animals having themselves a fight. It had an untouchable atmosphere, big nasty spots, the ring being torn up, Gargano selling, an epic finish that brilliantly extends a feud that didn’t feel like it needed extending, and both guys looking like total WWE main event talents. It was like a John Cena vs. Randy Orton I Quit Match but a hundred times better.
Establishing happy-go-lucky Johnny Wrestling as an asskicker is cool to see too and I think it will be pretty rewarding for him as he moves forward.
JEANS AND KICKPADS, baby! Nigel taking a bump! “YOU’RE THE DEVIL CIAMPA!” CROWD BRAWLING! The STOP SIGN sign! The CAMERA SHOT of Johnny’s big dive in the crowd! Johnny’s head trapped in the chair slammed into the steps!! Gargano’s nose immediately cracking open when Ciampa catapulted him into the bottom turnbuckle!! YOU DESERVE IT as Gargano leather belt whipped Ciampa!! Ciampa TEARING THE RING UP!!! GARGANO GOING AT CIAMPA’S KNEE!!!
The call-back to the Ciampa turn last year, re-created pretty much shot for shot, was some transcending shit. It did not prepare me for what followed though, as Ciampa TOOK OFF GARGANO’S WEDDING RING AND SPIT ON IT AND THREW IT AWAY, only for Gargano to respond by slamming him from 15 feet through a table on the god damn floor, then rip him off the stretcher he was put on, tear his neckbrace off, and kick him in the face. This is SAYING THINGS, man – no matter who you are the wrestling business will turn you into a MONSTER.
The last few superkicks on the handcuffed Ciampa were DISGUSTING. “Please, please stop” was a great Nigel call. Fucking PHENOMENAL finish with a bunch of suits trying to get Gargano to stop trying to murder this man who may already have a broken neck, only for Ciampa to catch Gargano and DDT HIM RIGHT ON FUCKING STRAIGHT-UP BALSA WOOD. That thing that made me gasp alone on my couch. Gargano’s paralysis sell, Ciampa’s tears, and the crowd’s total stunned reaction was INCREDIBLE.
Now, a bit of criticism: if they really wanted to babyface Gargano, they would’ve had him wear his own Ciampa-esque custom made shirt and not the corporate bullshit you can buy on shop dot com.
A tremendous 35-minute knock-down drag-out piece of professional wrestling. Even with the occasional tope, it was as brutal as it gets for WWE too, and the cinematic last 10 minutes put it over the top as another epic from these guys. Gargano vs. Ciampa now has its’ Empire Strikes Back. ****3/4
Another excellent TakeOver, just top-to-bottom great wrestling with the only weak point being the Baszler/Cross match. The main event is a classic too. 9/10
