NXT Takeover Fan Feedback
Thumbs up. Really a two-match show. First three were pretty good standard NXT matches, tag title batch better than expected but no classic.Best match: Banks vs. Lynch. Great match. That face-first bump Lynch took on the ring apron was the meanest thing I’ve seen in ages. Just a straight all out “human chess game” with no big unnecessary twists, run-ins or overbooking. Both Sasha Banks & Becky Lynch deserve to be very high on the main roster right now; they’re both terrific. This was what a championship match should be.Might’ve scored Owens-Zayn best had it not disintegrated & sacrificed the match for the storyline. Was a bit surprised the crowd was shouting “Holy shit!” throughout & it wasn’t sweetened, & it’s a strong indication of the type of crowd that had that when Samoa Joe walked out – the show would’ve had to have been really bad to not end up with a thumbs up after that happened – they began the “Joe’s gonna kill you!” chant. Was half-expecting Joe to come in, get in Owens’ face, then stomp a mudhole into what was left of Sammy & embrace Kevin like an old pal. Just something about it. Will Owens be stripped of the title for laying hands (or was it forehead?) on Steve Regal?Worst match: Rhyno vs. Corbin. Not that it was bad, but neither stirs much interest.Steven GrantHenderson NV
Thumbs Up
Best Match: Sasha Banks v. Becky Lynch
Enjoyed everything on the show. Undercard was good, nothing standout but was all enjoyable. Good Main Event as far as it being a good next chapter in the story between Zayn and Owens. The Women’s Title match, however, was top notch. The pacing was excellent and they told a story really well. In a few places you could tell the whole match had been choreographed, but hey it is developmental and it didn’t detract from the excitement and the emotion of the match. Sasha is just the best.
I thought the announcing was atrocious and got in the way as did the crowd’s chanting.
Devon McClure
Hi Dave,
Thumbs down on this one.
Let me start with the fans in attendance of this NXT show. I’m all for having a great crowd, but these people seriously over do it. Everything doesn’t deserve a “This is awesome” or a “Holy S***” chant. I don’t get the fascination people have with Finn Balor either. He looks like Boogeyman jr. with a halloween costume on. This was a very average show, and even when Samoa Joe made his appearance at the end, it felt like a really weak debut. The more this show grows, the less interested i get.
Mike
New York
Hey Dave,Thumbs up show! I must admit, prior to the show I was nervous that this could be the first NXT special to disappoint. Looking up and down the card, I noted a number of variables that could hit or miss. Thankfully, the show delivered on a storyline level rarely seen in professional wrestling. None of the matches stopped the momentum of the show, and the ending segment set the stage for an exciting next chapter. Tonight the wrestlers worked hard, but more importantly, the wrestlers and the creative team worked smart. From an in ring standpoint, this was not the best of the NXT specials. However, it was certainly one of the most enjoyable shows I have watched this year.Best Match: The women’s match was fantastic.Worst Match: If forced to choose, Corbin vs. Rhyno. But, it was in no way offensive or bad.Pre show: As expected, Itami was taken out at the start of the night, but who took him out? Graves’ jacket was loud. I believe it threw the panel off their game. They struggled through the half hour.
1. #1 Contenders Match: Finn Balor vs. Tyler Breeze. Breeze’s entrance was character consistent and unique. Balor’s entrance was over the top and amazing. Perfectly paced and mechanically crisp opener. A strong match that was missing a few transitions to put it into the “can’t miss” category. Still, a great opener. ***1/4.2. Dana Brooks and Emma Vs. Charlotte and Bailey. Standard formula tag match, consistent in execution and crowd pleasing in delivery. Brooks is obviously the lesser in the experience department out of the four, but she did not appear outclassed in this contest . Another solid match up to keep the momentum on the upswing. **1/23. Rhyno vs. Baron Corbin. Standard brawl aided by a lively crowd. Corbin did not show anything special but he did not do anything wrong and he displayed some good intensity. Strong win for Corbin. *3/44. Tag Title Match: Enzo and Cassidy vs. Blake and Murphy. The match up of ridiculous hair styles. Crowd was red hot throughout and Enzo showcased more than I thought he was capable of. The build to the hot tag was suitable to keep the crowd engaged, and the hot tag to Cassidy rewarded the crowd’s anticipation. The finish was designed to unveil a new chapter of the feud, but the conclusion felt disappointing. With that said, I believe that was the booking objective. In my opinion, Alexa Bliss is too cute to be an effective heel. **1/25. Women’s Title Match: Sasha Banks vs. Becky Lynch. From a technical standpoint, you will not find any better women’s wrestling. Both wrestlers (not divas) showcased innovative and impactful offense. The end sequence was not perfect, but the rest of the match was damn close to flawless. Both competitors come out of the match looking better. ***3/46. NXT Title Match: Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens. The intensity and heat for this match was off the page. The story of the contest was Zayn completely overwhelming Owens from the onset. Owens turned the tide with the pop up powerbomb on the apron and the match was practically over. At this stage, Owens exploited his heel character to the nth degree perfectly laying the ground work for the debut of Samoa Joe. A inconclusive end to the Zayn/Owens feud superseded by the exciting possibility of a Joe and Owens war. *** for the match, **** for the ending segment.Thanks, Derrick Hubbardfrom Utah
Thumbs down
Best match: women’s title
Worst match: everything else
Not much of a show until the end. Balor/Breeze was a total house show match and that theme continued up until the two title matches. Joe showing up was a great moment but didn’t save the show.
Ricky Schmidt