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Listen, a TakeOver never disappoints, and so let me preface this by saying that the 'worsts' I'm listing are 'worsts' by NXT TakeOver standards. This show was better than a lot of wrestling that I've watched. It wasn't my favourite NXT TakeOver. But it was still entertaining.
The visual at the end of the show sent chills up my spine. The sight of Ciampa and Gargano standing on the ramp, gazing at us all with their titles held aloft was quite ominous indeed. But let me not get ahead of myself before I begin this NXT TakeOver review.
As always, I invite you to leave a comment and chime in with what you liked and disliked about this event. Do you think that it had enough firepower to eclipse the Royal Rumble pay-per-view?
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#1 Best: The Gargano vs. Ricochet match
If you're not in the habit of watching NXT and just read 'Best and Worst' to catch up on the action, I recommend that you go back and watch this match. The contest began at 200 mph and would not slow down for the duration of the said contest. Both men proved that they were two of the world's premier athletes. They absolutely tore it up in the ring.
There was a spot with Gargano and the exposed mat on the floor that I found particularly interesting. It seemed, at one point, that Gargano would pull a Ciampa and take the low route. But Gargano checked himself just in time to prove that he still had some shred of humanity left in him.
And then Gargano went on to suplex Ricochet on the exposed concrete anyway. This was a great running storyline.
Ciampa would also use the exposed floor during his match and this makes me wonder...
#1 Worst: No surprise appearances
Every TakeOver is the closure of a chapter and the beginning of another. And therefore, we are introduced to new characters who'll become critical players in the new season. This time, we were not. Only Velveteen Dream, Nita Strauss, Pete Dunne, and Toni Storm were at ringside this time.
For a show that was already not the most exciting TakeOver, this was a disappointing development, in my personal opinion. WWE could have shown Sonjay Dutt and Abyss at ringside, considering both men just signed. Some main roster superstars could have added their own star power to the event!
NXT just lost Lars Sullivan, Nikki Cross, Lacey Evans and Heavy Machinery to the main roster. Bringing in new characters could have strengthened the division quite considerably.
Oh well, while I'm probably nitpicking, this was one of the few worsts from the show.
#2 Best: The tag team contest
The Undisputed ERA took on War Raiders at the very beginning of NXT TakeOver: Phoenix. The two teams slugged it out and I was glad that I wasn't writing play-by-play for the match. At certain points, the action was far too fast and furious to call.
I especially liked the way the show began with the War Raiders getting their war-themed entrance with many Medieval warriors. I would have liked to see a lot more of these entrances through the show, but that's another topic for another article, I guess. In many respects, I guess this was almost WrestleMania level awesome.
So right now, after quite some time, The Undisputed ERA does not possess any gold at all. Could they be on their way up after WrestleMania, based on how things have played out for them?
#2 Worst: The theme song
NXT usually gets it right when it comes to the theme songs for their events. I daresay that 'X' by Poppy was the weakest theme song that they have chosen thus far. Even when it was used as a background score, it sounded dissonant and not pleasant at all.
This could just be a matter of personal opinion, so please let me know if you disagree with my assessment. I found this song unbearable and so did quite a few of our writing staff. If anything, it took away from the overall experience for us.
But this is just an indication of how good NXT TakeOvers generally are. If I'm picking on the theme song for the event and not any of the wrestling in the show, it must tell you that the quality of sports entertainment was par excellence. I just hope they get a better artist to do next TakeOver's theme.
#3 Best: The women impress again
They call the Flair vs. Steamboat matches the greatest matches ever because every move meant something. In one of the contests, Flair would work Steamboat's leg to the point where it caved in, and Flair picked up the win at the end.
Bianca Belair's selling was on point, in my opinion. Shayna Baszler worked on her arm for the first half of the match and Belair worked the whole match with one arm, much to my delight.
She looked strong even in defeat, powering out of Baszler's submission moves twice and even putting aside the threat of Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir with an impressive showing. I think it's only a matter of time before she goes on to become the NXT Women's Champion.
I think she has a great future in the main roster too.
#3 Worst: Three straight losses
Kassius Ohno has been stuck in the mid-card of NXT forever. And this is a shame because he's definitely one of the best in-ring workers in the world. He has lost on three straight occasions to Matt Riddle. While this was a necessary thing, it does nothing to help his case.
When Ohno came into the roster, he had a lot of momentum on his side. Over time, he's fallen into the Dolph Ziggler role. He just helps the new guys who come into the roster get over.
Except in Dolph Ziggler's case, he gets a win once in a while. Ohno does not win matches at all, and this has significantly hurt his credibility.
Maybe following this loss, Ohno will be booked to win a few matches and regain his momentum as a top tier NXT superstar.
#4 Best/worst: No stipulation matches in the card
Maybe the bar has just been set way too high for TakeOvers. I just felt that there weren't enough broken tables or chair shots in NXT TakeOver: Phoenix. The audience did remain hot for the entirety of the program. But I just thought that had one of the matches been a stipulation match, it would have added much to the excitement.
I'd have picked the Ohno vs. Riddle match personally. It was the match with the least amount of heat. It was also the only match without a title on the line.
That said, I must say that I quite enjoyed watching NXT TakeOver: Phoenix. That said, this could be the first time in history that the main roster could outshine NXT.
Well, we'll have to see how it pans out, won't we?
