Radio’s Sam Roberts and MMA’s Jimmy Smith hosted the Pre-Show with a call-in from Arash Markazi, host of the Arash Markazi Show on The Mightier 1090 — just seems bad for morale when it already seems bad, you know? Markazi didn’t really seem to get the balance between promotion and just lying either.
Hello. These are Happy Thoughts.
0. Zoey Stark vs. Toni Storm
Remember when Toni Storm turned heel, lost in a Triple Threat for the Women’s Title, then did nothing? Man. Memories. This was a match that understood its limitations, a tight solid match that didn’t really get bumping but didn’t necessarily need to. The thing about Zoey Stark is pretty much all her offense looks great so the match had a lot of that, which Toni Storm was there for. Zoey getting the win with an inside cradle was a genuine surprise too. ***
Counterfeit USA chants, bolts of lightning, Vic Joseph – welcome to WWE’s NXT TakeOver: Stand and Deliver – Night One.
1. KUSHIDA vs. Pete Dunne
KUSHIDA and Pete Dunne are both good technical wrestlers (whatever that means), but it’s the extra — whether Dunne playing bastard on the rise or KUSHIDA a time-traveling underdog — that makes them really work. So it’s weird that this was only promoted as a match between two of the best technical wrestlers on the planet that would surely be the best technical match all year. What do you even do with that?
A lot, or at least they tried. There was a ton of cool wrestling, some annoying wrestling. Tons of nasty strikes and counters of counters usually focused on a man’s limb. The last 5 minutes felt like they got to a point where they could go balls out and try to put it over the top or keep it close for something in the future — think they kept it close. It felt more about them proving they’re good at wrestling than actually good wrestling sometimes, but adaptation to WWE’s weirdness aside these two are very enjoyable to watch. ***1/2
2. NXT North American Title #1 Contender Gauntlet Eliminator: Dexter Lumis vs. Bronson Reed vs. Leon Ruff vs. Cameron Grimes vs. Isaiah “Swerve” Scott vs. LA Knight
Look, this is a 6-person Gauntlet Match with NXT’s midcard, which is just perennially strange. The Leon Ruff/Swerve Scott exchanges were tremendous, especially Ruff’s big frankensteiner and that time Swerve just chucked him into the corner. Hate to report I liked LA Knight’s promo on the way to the ring too. Otherwise, a showcase of wrestling if not any one person — even Bronson Reed, the winner. ***
3. NXT UK Title: WALTER [c] vs. Tommaso Ciampa
Always appreciate WALTER showing up every now and again to have one of the best matches of all time. His championship matches maintain a pro wrestling realism WWE can’t manage right now anywhere else, and it starts at the bell when the first few minutes feel like real legitimate jockeying for position: Ciampa wants a way in but can’t just lockup; WALTER knows he’s scary but isn’t afraid to take his time. The first real moment of the match happens after Ciampa avoids a few chops, has a quick go at WALTER, then gets too into it and charges into a chop. He is AGONIZED.
Ciampa had Goldberg vibes going here, and by that I mean old man who psychotically trained up for this one match and he’s just wildly throwing his biggest shots in pursuit of victory. Ciampa’s also way more mobile than Goldberg, so it really really worked. WALTER played a great and occasionally menacing brick wall as Ciampa played guy who is going to try and run through him again and again.
A win for Ciampa always felt impossible, but they managed a few wild near falls as both guys’ showed all possible urgency before and after kickout. Ciampa delivering an Air Raid Crash to WALTER off the top rope was a special thing too. Great wrestling match, great character match, great championship match. ****1/2
4. Triple Threat Match – NXT Tag Team Title: MSK vs. The Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Legado del Fantasma
I thought MSK vs. The Grizzled Young Vets at the last TakeOver was just fantastic, but wasn’t sure if another team and the dreaded Triple Threat Match would do anything but muddy up a good thing. And I mean, it kind of did – but it was still really good.
This wasn’t the good solid bordering on great straight-up tag the last one was, but MSK are a special pair of flyers and it was impressive how seamlessly the Grizzled Young Vets played along with 3-way match spots when they’re such … well, you know. Raul Mendoza & Joaquin Wilde have always just ruled too, so it was nice to see them in the big TakeOver match spot. Hated the try-hard #DIY/Revival hand-holding spot near the end, but everything else was a good time. ***1/2
5. NXT Women’s Title: Io Shirai [c] vs. Raquel Gonzalez
This probably isn’t the best match of Io Shirai’s title run but it’s really a masterpiece performance from her, a PPV main event that put over a newcomer and saw her space out and deliver the most amazing tope suicida, code red, moonsault to floor, and dive off the TakeOver set you ever may see. Gonzalez was game, but sometimes with her it still feels more about The Journey to become a successful WWE Superstar than actually being a threat to Shirai.
But Shirai, man. Shirai. Shirai is a legend folks, and we are blessed to watch her do her thing. ***3/4
Happy Thoughts: TakeOver’s Night 1 read like the weaker of the two on paper, and maybe it still will be. But everything was really good, and in some cases downright incredible. A show that over(stand and)-delivered. 4.25 / 5.0
