I begin writing this a week removed from the event itself and after a week that included the NJPW BOSJ Finals, WWE’s Super ShowDown Saudi Arabia Shit Show, and NJPW Dominion, this already feels like it happened years ago. But it was a great show!!
1. Matt Riddle vs. Roderick Strong
Deadlift suplexes and body shots are great things to do when building up your match, especially when you’re planning on going all high-end G1 Climax match for the finish. These two can WRESTLE. Riddle’s handspring kip-up, the GTS to German suplex combo, and the impossible kickout of Riddle’s Final Flash knee were a few highlights among many. I loved how frantic everything was at the end too. Amazing Bromission, amazing catch tombstone (THE DEREK!), tremendous opener, tremendous match. ****1/2
2. 4-Way Ladder Match – NXT Tag Team Title: Street Profits vs. Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch vs. The Undisputed Era (Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish) vs. The Forgotten Sons (Wesley Blake & Steve Cutler) w/ Jaxson Ryker
The NXT tag division is in a weird “where do we go from here?” type of funk but a 4-Way Ladder Match was as good an idea as any to get something moving. And it was a wild 4-Way Ladder match, there are way too many of them these days but this still managed to stand out and felt more reckless than the usual sanitized TLC match. The subplot of Kyle O’Reilly just taking the nastiest falls was incredible, paid off with him telling Fish he’s too hurt to even climb the ladder then immediately taking a powerbomb into said ladder as soon as Fish started climbing. We really need to savor Kyle O’Reilly in NXT because I can’t even imagine the disappointment that is possible with a Kyle O’Reilly on RAW or SmackDown Live.
Guys who don’t always get showcased had their moments – Angelo Dawkins’ big plancha, The Forgotten Sons doing a double Terry Funk with the ladder that ended with them both getting German suplexed ladder that was properly insane. Montez Ford took a disgusting bump off a German suplex on a ladder from Undisputed Era. I can see it now – Montez Ford does what Finn Balor did at Money in the Bank, take that one bump that makes an otherwise OK Money in the Bank match seem kind of awesome.
Ford’s sell of the big Blockbuster he did was great too. I can see it now – Montez Ford does what The Rock did in Hollywood, and is starring in a reboot of the wildly successful Hobbs and Shaw franchise.
Also, Oney Lorcan’s back body drop onto a ladder was truly insane in an era of that spot happening a whole lot.
There were too many stretches of guys just disappearing, too many acts not quite over yet, but it was a good time. ****
3. NXT North American Title: Velveteen Dream [c] vs. Tyler Breeze
Exhibit A on why presentation of a wrestler as a big deal is both a) important and b) frustratingly easy.
There were the chants, there was the atmosphere. There was Breeze chilling in the corner like Eddie Guerrero and telling Dream to shoe. There was the jumping forearm off the stairs, a single-leg crab hold takedown… Tyler Breeze was just a more serious and notable wrestler here. And he did a selfie with a title, because this is still the entertainment business.
Breeze trying to catch a Dream leap off the top with a dropkick and Dream waiting to jump, then using Breeze’s confusion to jump through for a roll-through Death Valley Driver into an Unprettier was a little cute, but still pretty great. And though this didn’t completely blow me away, that they got it to a point where Hulu-Only Breeze got a legitimate near fall when Dream took a bump on his head for the Unprettier is incredibly impressive. Might me the best Breeze match I’ve seen. Dream’s pretty good, too. ****
Damian Priest? OK.
4. NXT Women’s Title: Shayna Baszler [c] vs. Io Shirai
This ruled, because it always does when Shayna Baszler is defending the NXT Women’s Title at TakeOver.
First of all, Shayna Baszler with the Goldberg walk entrance flanked by Shafir and Duke was very good. And they did some very cool matwork early – Io’s slap when they finally got up was great, but her leg-hook counter of Baszler’s elbow-breaker stomp was even better. Baszler matches are so stripped down and I love them for it – they got right to the point, with matwork followed by some brief arm damage dished out by Baszler followed by Io making a comeback but not being able to hold a German suplex hold because of it.
And then it was finish time. Io’s moonsault to the floor was PERFECT, and I liked Candice LeRae making the IMMEDIATE save when Duke/Shafir made an appearance – amazing kendo stick work by Candice here, I’m talking Sandman on ECW Zombie levels. The sleeper counter of a la magistral was a great finish too. ****
5. NXT Title: Johnny Gargano [c] vs. Adam Cole
I didn’t love Part 1, but I really did like this match. Everything is really fast and crazy and impressive and the opening exchange was some transcendent stuff. These two know each other! They know every trick in the book!! But here’s my thing – Tina Fey once got a shot in on The Daily Show by saying its’ jokes sometimes elicit not laughter but “clapter” – meaning, it’s not evicting a genuine response of laughter, but some laughter followed by a lot of clapping, which is an affirmation by the audience that they are in on the joke.
And with these two main eventing that more than ever what wrestling is now. And though I respect it as a certain type of style, I’m not sure I’m so into it.
But for what this was, it was really good. Lots of elbows and suplexes and superkicks. So many superkicks. One that even countered a tope suicida, which was incredible. The finisher trading and near falls at the end delivered to. It was all very PWG produced by WWE, which is somehow both great and awful at the same time. I don’t know anymore. Adam Cole is the NXT Champion. ****1/2
Five incredible matches. I’m not sure where any stories go from here but it was a hell of a wrestling show. 9/10
