This was the first NXT pay-per-view without the TakeOver label and possibly the last one with Johnny Gargano.
1. WarGames: Mandy Rose, Dakota Kai, Gigi Dolin & Jacy Jayne vs. Raquel Gonzalez, Io Shirai, Kay Lee Ray & Cora Jade
It’s not like the original WarGames produced a classic every time, but NXT 1.0’s take on WarGames never figured itself out. Its’ best examples can probably still be found in the first attempts, with each passing year feeling more and more like a micromanaged group project than a War Game. This continued the theme.
No one felt on the same page for long enough to follow through on any type of thread or big move, and leftover were scraps of highlights: kicks from Gigi Dolin, Io’s Shirai’s ability to pick up the pace, and — until injury — Cora Jade’s underdog charm all stood out. Even by the time Io arrived (and popped Jade’s shoulder back in its’ socket!), the match had lost my attention and any satisfying conclusion was in doubt. It delivered. **3/4
2. NXT Tag Team Title: Imperium [c] vs. Kyle O’Reilly & Von Wagner
Imperium and the likely departing O’Reilly dished out a bunch of good wrestling, only held back by a layout that felt designed to showcase Von Wagner and a performance from him that gave off a “he doesn’t even go here” vibe. There’s a position for big tall son of a wrestler, but it probably wasn’t here. Aichner with his crazy strength and plancha stood out more. Crotch Chop Kyle avoided a sneak attack from Von after, then challenged him to a Cage Match later. As Imperium knows better than many… keep moving. ***1/4
3. Hair vs. Hair: Cameron Grimes vs. Duke Hudson
The dreaded meandering styles clash. Despite Hudson’s abrupt shift to poker guy his choices on offense don’t seem any different, pretty similar to any other tall fella on the roster. He accepted into his life a tame comeback from Grimes then post-match reacted to a pretty lame head-shaving. Should’ve just played Hold ‘Em again. *3/4
4. NXT Cruiserweight Title: Roderick Strong [c] w/ Diamond Mine vs. Joe Gacy w/ Harland
By way of some kind of warp bubble, this is a really solid TakeOver opener. Here, when it wasn’t obvious they were just trying to rally the brand, the crowd could be as quiet as vintage 205 Live. There are 25 people at ringside… if the action isn’t clicking at least do something with that! **1/2
5. WarGames: Tommaso Ciampa, Johnny Gargano, Pete Dunne & LA Knight vs. Carmelo Anthony, Bron Breakker, Grayson Waller & Tony D’Angelo
WarGames 2018: “…the spectacular stuff wasn’t spectacular enough … fun, but not fun enough … WarGames should probably be memorable.”
WarGames 2020: “This is a wild bunch of wrestling, but if the WarGames is going to be relevant in 2020 it needs a lot more than that.”
What I was probably trying to get across a year or three ago was that the WarGames match kept missing the mark, and when that happens one too many times you end up with a situation like this where it becomes nearly irrelevant how good the talent is or how hard they’re trying. The field is leveled whether the name is Io Shirai or Tony D’Angelo, as anyone can play the Games.
No insult is meant there either; I just don’t think now was the appropriate time to put young Bron Breakker in a position where he’s doing the bolt cutter spot on live PPV, or to put young Tony D in a WarGames match at all.
There were plenty if not more scraps of highlights than the opener: Gargano’s entrance, Dunne torturing Waller, Ciampa’s general commitment to violence. A couple well-placed big spots got hit real nice too, including LA Knight jumping to the top rope and suplexing Waller through a table and Bron Breakker spearing Ciampa through a table to stop the Fairytale Ending on Hayes.
It’s another WWE match that exists not to necessarily accomplish anything other than another year of WarGames because WarGames just happens at this time now. It’s most interesting sub-plot was whether Johnny Gargano was leaving town next week or not. ***
Happy Thoughts: Ineffective offer from yet another reboot of WWE’s approach to talent development. 2.0 / 5.0
