I liked the throwback intro and then… ah whatever it’s another dark and moody NXT set. Something tells me we’re going to need something brighter in the years ahead. Something happier.
1. NXT North American Title: Damian Priest [c] vs. Johnny Gargano
Big moves, good execution, and… well a lot of Johnny Gargano working over Damian Priest, yeah. Damian had a couple fun counters for Johnny’s signature spots, but he just played along in the most uninteresting way possible. Big stuff was happening – they repeated the Taker/Michaels cameraman dive spot! – but nothing really registered. It might work, but it doesn’t WORK – you know? **3/4
2. KUSHIDA vs. Velveteen Dream
I am as confounded with whatever is going on with WWE and Velveteen Dream as I am many things I guess in this psuedo-actual-dystopia we live in, but these two reeled me in with the most 2020 kind of match – drama is found not always in the wrestling itself but the idea that the assholes running this might ACTUALLY have poor KUSHIDA use his finishing move five times on Dream and still lose. I could say Dream smacking KUSHIDA’s face to get out of one of the Locks or his big lariat were nice additions, but this was KUSHIDA working and working that armbar until he very satisfyingly got the win. Good match, even if I was probably better off without the journey. ***1/4
3. NXT Cruiserweight Title: Santos Escobar [c] w/ Joaquin Wilde and Raul Mendoza vs. Isaiah “Swerve” Scott
This ruled so much – Swerve Scott has been saddled with the most lukewarm of introductions by WWE, but had a breakout performance here with the best showcase of his talent yet. The flying is wild but this man will connect on an elbow too. The interference chaos leading up to Swerve kicking out of the Legado Driver was tremendous, as was Escobar’s last second kickout of Swerve’s 450 a minute later. The ACTUAL finish felt a little forced, but something like this will put your silly Cruiserweight Title right back to a place of importance. See ya in another three months, I guess. ****1/4
4. NXT Women’s Title: Io Shirai [c] vs. Candice LeRae
The Candice LeRae beatdown felt a little too long and referee Johnny Gargano was just stupid, but OTHERWISE this was very good. New heel Candice will beat the shit out of an opponent and I swear Io tried to break her own nose taking that curb stomp. Spectacular finish too, good drama leading into a big Spanish Fly and moonsault. ***1/2
Toni Storm and Ember Moon are BOTH back, and my thoughts are that is good.
5. NXT Title: Finn Balor [c] vs. Kyle O’Reilly
Finn Balor is always working these GOOD and FUN!!! matches – he just had one with Adam Cole Bay Bay – but here Kyle O’Reilly provided the ingredients for something different. I loved this one: headlocks, hammerlocks, kicks, grappling, all with an aura of seriousness and nastiness. Early on they were always scrambling for momentum and when that momentum shifted by GOLLY was it for a reason, and when somebody did manage something like a strike my GOD was it a big deal.
Case in point Balor firing off a kick to O’Reilly’s midsection, sold like absolute death and given an entire 90 seconds of the match to breathe. A lot of matches THESE DAYS feel like wrestlers getting in place for a collection of moves within a company’s formula, while this just felt like one big battle from the bell – they locked up and kept at it, only pausing when somebody got plastered.
It also helped that they were just smacking the shit out of each other, including a smack or two that busted O’Reilly’s mouth open and added a whole new layer of drama to the finish. O’Reilly went for the kill at the end with something as simple as a top rope kneedrop followed by a heel hook, but Balor got out by just scraping and clawing at the midsection.
While he eventually beat young Kyle with a Coup de Grace, Balor left TakeOver with the understanding that the junior heavyweight generation he just missed – the souls of Minoru Tanaka, of Ikuto Hidaka – live on throughout wrestling always ready to give him a new challenge. Straight-up. ****1/2
Happy Thoughts: The opener was uncharacteristically weak for a TakeOver, but everything else on this show over-delivered. Best TakeOver of the COVID era by far, and a good standalone show in general. Extra credit for the Cruiserweight and NXT Title matches. 8/10
