It’s the first ever NXT TakeOver based off of mid-90s WWF concept Pay-Per-View “In Your House”!
Todd Pettengill! ICOPRO! References!
It was fun and had a few of the better recent WWE in-ring outings, but it also didn’t feel like it was reading the room.
The set should stay though.
1. Mia Yim, Tegan Nox & Shotzi Blackheart vs. Candice LeRae, Dakota Kai & Raquel Gonzalez
This was OK, but OK in wrestling usually means pretty lame. All of these gals feel either wasted or not progressing, and they opened the show with an ultra-basic 6-man (or, excuse me, 6-woman – thank you Tom Phillips) tag. Tegan Nox usually does one or two things a match that just flips me out, and in this case she dropped a somersault dive for the ages. I wish her and Dakota Kai wrestled each other like there was any heat left though. **1/2
2. Finn Balor vs. Damian Priest
This felt like a match trying to get Priest over, but they knocked you over the head with that so much that I’m not sure it did. It was like any Balor/Corbin RAW outing, plus a few big PPV spots like a Razor’s Edge on the apron or a back bump from the apron to the steel steps that read less like big PPV spots and more like they’re running out of ideas. Like, the dumbest most generic possible Bret Hart vs. Diesel. **
3. NXT North American Title: Keith Lee [c] vs. Johnny Gargano
The heel promos have ranged from not inspired to genuinely annoying, but this more than anything showed without any doubt that Johnny Gargano is a very good wrestler whether he’s a good guy or bad. He works maybe five matches a year now and there’s always a few moments where you just know Randy Orton is putting his face in his hands, but the fella can go! He was great working as a little shit scrambling away from Lee, and they did some pretty inspired work where Gargano had to work hard for all his offense and at some point did look credible against big bad Keith. The finish was as exciting as any babyface Johnny TakeOver match, with quality near falls that didn’t need a live crowd reacting to really hit. Johnny absolutely ATE IT on that bump through the plexiglass too, oh MY. Should’ve been for the NXT Title. ***3/4
4. Backlot Brawl – NXT Title: Adam Cole [c] vs. Velveteen Dream
I don’t know what else to say – this sucked. It sucked as a cinematic experience, as a crazy brawl, as a wrestling match. There is an uncomfortable haze over Dream right now that has eliminated the It Factor and and only provided two extra unspectacular NXT Title matches. The live commentary over an overtly pre-taped and edited match made the whole thing extra brutal. DUD
5. Tommaso Ciampa vs. Karrion Kross w/ Scarlett
This was an effective match. I love an effective match. Karrion Kross looked like a killer (hmm) and Ciampa got in just enough so that he came out looking badass despite basically being run over. It was the rare TakeOver match that knew it had to be only five minutes and actually was, and both guys were running at and hitting each other extra hard. Tommy Ciampa did some WORK here. ***1/4
6. Triple Threat Match – NXT Women’s Title: Charlotte Flair [c] vs. Rhea Ripley vs. Io Shirai
I loved this just because it willed a very cynical me into enjoying a Triple Threat Match during COVID-WWE. That takes skill! Charlotte and Ripley brought the physicality that has made their previous matches good, while in her championship win Io Shirai came out and showed how frustrating WWE can be: Kairi Sane is on RAW getting thrown around by Nia Jax and Io Shirai has basically been hidden from WWE TV until the audience disappeared. Io got let loose and delivered though, certainly the most spectacular wrestler actively wrestling right now. She’s like Kota ibushi in that nobody really moves like them – speed, precision, and just looking cool as shit. I’m also never not going to be impressed by near falls that get me with no crowd, and these gals got me.
The whole streamers at the end thing was awesome. WWE does feel good finishes real well. They just don’t do them a lot, and when they do the winners sometimes end up the third wheel in a title match six months later. ***1/2
Happy Thoughts: Ultimately this was on the lower end of NXT TakeOver’s, but it also (mostly) didn’t have so much useless space and was a welcome night of fun given the current environment. 6/10
