Takeover took the weekend... again

Last year, NXT Takeover: Brooklyn stole the show over SummerSlam. Though the card was drastically different, NXT Takeover: Brooklyn II did the exact same thing. From top to bottom, the show was a rousing success.

Image credit: WWE.com.

The biggest point that can be made about the show is that it has been made clear that the influx of Japanese stars will be drastically important to the NXT roster. Whether it was Kota Ibushi making an appearance backstage, Hideo Itami reclaiming the finish he created when he hit Austin Aries with the Go To Sleep, Asuka knocking out Bayley or Shinsuke ascending to the top position, the heroes from the land of the rising sun shined in Brooklyn.

The weakest matches were also the spotlights for two new stars, though both were far from bad. Ember Moon versus Billie Kay never quite felt like it got out of first gear, but the O-Face (which I'm guessing will be renamed the Crescent Moon right now) created a spectacular finish. Andrade Almas still doesn't seem ready for the spot he's in, nor has NXT's booking done him any favors as a babyface against far more popular villains. But he held his own even if his position was as a jobber in the in ring debut of Bobby Roode.

And that debut was definitely one thing: glorious.


The newly named team of #DIY, Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa, had an epic match-up with The Revival, which explained why they were far higher on the event card than basically any other tag title match ever. Both teams have legs as the throwback heel unit continues to sore more fans and the face unit continues to gel as a cohesive team. With Gargano and Ciampa now full time NXT roster members, I expect this feud is far from over, though a heel turn for Ciampa could happen sooner rather than later, especially with TM61 and The Authors of Pain waiting in the wings to challenge The Revival.

Asuka looked stupendous in her victory over Bayley, though I remain a bit surprised WWE still hasn't turned her heel, as NXT definitely has a lack of heel women to challenge her. Though Bayley got in far more offense in this match, her role in the future of the main roster is clear, while Asuka still has plenty of time to shine on the developmental brand as she works on her English.

And while Roode had a glorious entrance, Shinsuke Nakamura had one of the most uniquely awesome entrances in the history of professional wrestling. A shortened version is below, but I highly recommend everyone check out the replay to get the full five minute entrance as the opening alone is truly breathtaking. Big ups to the powers of be at NXT and violinist Lee England Jr for their work on it.


When all is said and done, maybe the show won't be as important as the crowning of the first WWE Universal champion. But it will remain a show that I can watch highlights from forevermore. And while no match quite captured the greatness of Sami Zayn versus Shinsuke Nakamura, NXT still delivered another in an absolutely epic series of great supercards.

NXT Advent Calendar Day 20: Hideo Itami versus a WWE star that stole his finisher

Before Hideo Itami made his way to WWE's developmental roster, he had two finishers very different from the Shotgun Kick and double foot stomp he used as his finishers in NXT. The more famous of the moves is one he innovated and helped popularize, a fireman's carry drop knee strike called the Go To Sleep. When CM Punk came into WWE, he adopted the move and the GTS became a hugely popular move the world over.

But it wasn't his only finisher stolen by a major WWE star. His striking finisher long before the Shotgun Kick was a running single leg high knee which was as fast as it was brutal in appearance. The Busaiku Knee Kick put down a ton of opponents in the physical sport-oriented Pro Wrestling NOAH.

Image credit: wrestlinghurts.tumblr.com

NXT Advent Calendar Day 6: A six-man ROH match featuring 6 future NXT wrestlers

It is often quite interesting to look at all the major stars from Ring of Honor's past that eventually found themselves in a WWE ring. Back in the promotion's earliest days, it seemed only a handful of stars could ever attract the attention of the world's largest promotion, but that time has changed. Now as we look back at a main event from ROH on HDNet in 2009, we see six men that have found their way into NXT at one time or another.

The American Wolves are top stars in TNA now, but they
had one brief grand NXT moment. Image credit: Wikipedia.

The heel team has a far less storied history with WWE. Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards seemed like they would be the next huge signing for WWE when they made a single appearance on NXT against The Ascension. But The American Pitbulls of Derek Billington and John Cahill would never sign a full contract with WWE and moved on to TNA.

NXT is Unstoppable!

You gotta love an audience that chastises the referee for not doing his job.

NXT Unstoppable was my first NXT pay-per-view and only my second viewing of a NXT show. To keep it organized, I'll do a run down of the results and give my impression of the matches and the wrestlers.

Tyler Breeze VS Finn Balor

This really seemed like a battle of the gimmicks match. Both men had very well produced entrances, although if I were to pick which one of them had the better intro, I'd go with Tyler Breeze. Something about seeing Finn crawling around on the ground with dragon wings on seemed silly to me. Balor's make-up, the first time I've seen it in ring, was incredibly well done, especially the Eye of Sauron, sorry the Eye of Balor, painted on his back. My wife thought Finn was ridiculous, she doesn't see the sense in painting yourself up just so it smudges off in five minutes. I am kind of intrigued by the idea of a wrestler who SOMETIMES lets the beast out but other times wrestles without it. It's an interesting angle, if that is what he is doing. I saw him once in a show at ring side and I thought he was rather slim for a wrestler, but I guess if he is a high-flyer that's alright.

Tyler Breeze is looking a little . . . . aged. I am not sure how long he can pull this gimmick off, unless he just pulls an Adrian Adonis (man, was that guy ugly). I'd watch Tyler Breeze in the WWE, he might make a perfect foil for Stardust.

Not sure how Finn manages to double foot stomp people without hurting them. It looked painful, which I guess is the point, I just didn't think you could DO that in wrestling.

The way that Hideo Itami was taken out was poorly put together. Asian guys just can't catch a break in the wrestling industry.

I'd watch either of these guys again.


Dana & Emma VS Bayley and Charlotte

So Bayley is the one responsible for all those "I'm a Hugger" shirts?

It was a mixed bag match, the only thing I can say was worthwhile here was finding out Rick Flair had a daughter and seeing Charlotte and Bayley strut Flair-style at the end of the match. Just not enough here to judge them on.


Rhyno VS Baron Corbin

At 6'6, 273 lbs, Baron Corbin is a big dude, one of the biggest I've seen in NXT. He's a little slim for a big man, but he makes up for his lack of bulk with speed and precision. I am not a Rhyno fan, the guy is way too old to be in NXT and seeing him there was kind of a disappointment. Yeah, I am sure there are Rhyno fans who are going to blast me for this one, but the guy is a walking reminder of all the terrible and out of business wrestling promotions he's worked for over the years.
Here's what I'd do with Baron Corbin: Build up some more muscle and have the Undertaker bring him in as his Under-study. Let old Undertaker teach him the ropes, the way he did with Big Show when he arrived in the WWE. Then put Corbin up against the Wyatt family members and display how powerful he really can be. He doesn't really need to be on the mic yet and he isn't ready for any kind of title, but he's got a lot of raw potential. Perhaps we'll see him face Finn Balor soon?

Rhyno, as always, was forgettable. The Rhyno is extinct.


Blake & Murphy VS Enzo Amore & Big Cass
SAWFT was so bad I don't even want to talk about them. Enzo was every bad gimmick in wrestling all in one body. Big Cass had all the charm of Test, whose greatest contribution to wrestling was dying. Yeah I went there, that's how much I disliked these guys.


Becky Lynch VS Sasha Banks

I am really not sure why Sasha Banks is so well loved by the NXT crowd. I think the entire Divas division is ten times better than it was a decade ago and it continues to get better, but Sasha's personality just got on my nerves. I guess that makes me a member of the Lynch Mob. It was an impressive match and it was sad to see Becky lose, but I believe she's got a good shot at the WWE Divas division.

Sami Zayn vs Kevin Owens

I still say KO is the most oddly shaped wrestler out there, although his chicken legs were less noticeable than on RAW. Zayn controlled the match up until a pop-up power bomb on the ring apron but him out. I am not a fan of matches ending without a winner, and certainly don't like matches that end with someone making their appearance on the show. Samoa Joe, in my mind, is a lot like Rhyno. I've watched his ROH matches and a couple other appearances and I just don't get Joe's appeal. If this guy is on his way to the WWE, I hope he runs right into Roman Reigns, the real Samoan champion.

I have to give Owens a thumbs up for the John Cena shirt. Is he going to drop the belt to Joe and move on to face Cena?

Not sure how well Owens heel power is going to stand up to guys like Kane or Brock Lesnar if he moves up the ladder to the WWE. We shall see.

My favorite part of the show is the crowd, what a rowdy, outspoken audience! I love the way they engage and influence the action in the ring. I also really like the yellow and black ring set-up, I immediately went and added an NXT show Wednesday night in my WWE 2K14 universe. Now I need to find a custom made KO. . .

As a young, starting point for wrestlers, NXT is doing a fantastic job. Even just streamlining and training some outside wrestlers in how the WWE works is a good idea, I just don't want to see the washed up wannabes, or the guys who blew their opportunities, hanging around NXT for a second chance. That's what TNA is for, NXT seems to be a hot, new, way for fans who maybe want a more real wrestling experience but still want to stay in the same WWE universe.

I'd like to see more interesting NXT venues in the future, maybe in some of the smaller, stranger, venues you can't take a big show to, or even an outdoor NXT bash at the beach.

I've got one complaint, one thing that is currently bothering me about both WWE divisions: The announce table. All of these guys, except for Michael Cole, Jerry the King and JBL, are horrible. Even the King isn't giving his best work, it's almost as if without JR he can't hit the same beats. Everyone else is terrible. Booker T is decent enough when he talks, but he doesn't say enough, he doesn't sell the in-ring action either. These guys need to know ahead of time which side they are on and play that up. They need to know the histories of every wrestler and use that to sell them in the ring. It's really that simple. Hell, fly me down there and I'll coach them for a couple hours, make them watch old JR footage.

That's it for this week. Cheers!