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NXT is constantly putting on amazing shows. It is almost trite to say so at this point. But you have to be constantly impressed with the “developmental” brand’s ability to put on high quality matches and compelling storytelling time and again. This high quality streak will have to end some time right?
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The Chicago show lived up to the unbelievable expectations of all Takeovers. You had a surprisingly fantastic tag match, a classic match between two younger talent and another emotional encounter in one the WWE's best feuds. It is great to be so emotionally invested in the great storytelling of WWE NXT
With all of this in mind after another fun NXT night, I present my list of the top five most surprising moments of WWE Takeover: Chicago 2018:
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#5 Nikki Cross passes out
Nikki Cross sure knows how to play crazy. The in-ring storytelling of her mind games throwing off the usually stoic Baszler with Cross' unique brand of crazy was pretty fun. The match itself was, however, really short. It is shocking in this age of NXT Takeovers to see such a brief, eight minute match. I believe the women's division deserves better.
The image of Cross smiling right before she passed out was quite unexpected. It was certainly a clear feeling of “that was it?”. It makes you wonder where the women’s division goes from here. Baszler seems to have cleared the division out. I really don't know who the next challenger will be. I am sure Cross might move on to the main roster to finally join her missing Sanity friends. They need her as well.
#4 Lars Sullivan looked good in defeat
I think we all occasionally forget with all the amazing talent in NXT that it is still, at its very core, a developmental program. The WWE does a great job of finding talent that fits their particular wrestling style. Lars Sullivan has only been wrestling less than four years total. The fact he held his own with a sixteen year veteran in Aleister Black in Chicago was an impressive feat and a testament to the WWE’s ability to develop inexperienced talent.
Lars controlled a lot of the offense and even did an impressive flying headbutt off the top rope. He certainly had a few occasions in which it looked like he would win. The fact that it took two Black Mass kicks to take Sullivan down was a nice touch. I don’t know where Sullivan goes from here but he surprisingly held his own. He looked strong even in defeat.
#3 A tag team match that exceeded expectations
I don’t want this to sound mean but Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch seem very generic. Their similar look and plain tights didn’t make them seem like a real threat to the Undisputed Era. However, looks can be quite deceiving.
The match itself was surprisingly hard-hitting. All four competitors are very experienced wrestlers and they kept this tag match a hard-hitting and a fast-paced affair. There were many believable near falls and the double submission spot in particular really stood out.
Even though Lorcan and Burch lost, they still came out of the match in a strong position for the future. This was easily noticeable by the Chicago crowd supporting the two after the match ended. All tag matches in the WWE should be this interesting and fun. It doesn’t seem like it should be so hard.
#2 Dream vs Ricochet might have been the match of the night
I think I could write a whole point just about Velveteen Dream’s entrance. I mean a copy of Hulk Hogan and Prince Puma. Fantastic. Dream never seems to disappoint with his amazing character work. It is shocking to think he is only twenty-two and this good.
The match told a great story. It was a game of one-upping each other. Executing finishing moves of the other competitor was a wonderful touch in the length encounter. The finish where Dream attempted an elbow drop too far was the perfect set-up for the Ricochet win. The match met its already high expectations and the future is quite bright for both competitors.
#1 An ending that silenced a Chicago crowd
The big question was how could Gargano/Ciampa II possibly top their amazing encounter at New Orleans. I think it is pretty clear they succeeded. You can have your preference of one over the other but you cannot deny that their Chicago Street Fight was emotional storytelling at its finest.
There are so many moments that surprised me in how they pulled emotion out of the audience in the lengthy match. You had Ciampa exposing the wood under the ring, Ciampa ripping off and spitting on Gargano’s wedding ring, the insane table spot, and the fact Gargano had to have multiple WWE employees pull him off Ciampa. All of that lead to the shocking finish where Ciampa DDT'd Gargano's head first on the exposed wood. You could hear a pin drop when Ciampa picked up the win. It was so sudden and perfect.
It is simply amazing how emotional their encounters can continue to be. Can they possibly top it at Brooklyn for the rubber match? I know I am excited to find out.
Has this been the best NXT TakeOver yet? Let us know in the comments section below!
