WWE NXT TakeOver Respect preview: Bayley vs. Sasha Banks, Asuka’s debut, more!

20 years ago, the WWF and WCW took their pay per view schedule from 5-7 a year to a monthly schedule. At the time, the worries were that they were watering down their product by running so many big shows and it would ultimately lead to fewer and fewer buys. In retrospectm bad booking by both companies led to their respective buyrates tumbling, but having 12-16 pay per views a year led to more throwaway shows and lackluster builds.

For NXT, this is the shortest period of time between their major shows since they began last February. Going forward, we have TakeOver on December 16 and another one in February. After that, we have the pre-WrestleMania house show that may become a TakeOver special if everything goes well, Hopefully, I’ll be here in six months talking about the buzz for that show and not having the discussion about saturation that WWF/WCW had two decades ago.

So what has changed for Bayley and Sasha Banks since Brooklyn?

The NXT women’s match and title win did so much for Bayley’s career. She came out in Full Sail and was a bigger star thanks to it. On the other hand, it cemented Sasha Banks’ position as the best all around young female under contract. 

Can Bayley and Sasha do better than they did in Brooklyn?

How do you do better than the best women’s match of the year and, arguably, the best WWE match this year? If I trust any two people to do it, it’s these two ladies. They went 18:16 in a ****1/2 match and now have 11 more minutes to add that extra half star.

If I have learned anything in the last 21 months since NXT Arrival it’s to stop doubting the women. I have learned to stop saying “It should be good, but….” Sasha and Bayley have proved that they deserve my confidence and yours. If WWE announced an IronMan match with the men, I would have the same reaction as Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez where they should just announce a regular match and have them go 30 minutes. Instead, I believe this will be the best IronMan Match in WWE history and if you doubt the abilities of these two ladies, re-watch the last five TakeOver women’s matches.

Who is left in the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic?

After 16 teams, we have narrowed things down to four: two makeshift teams, the fastest rising heel team on NXT, and one duo that no one saw making it this far.

When the brackets were first released for the tournament, I did some fantasy booking and assumed the final four would be Samoa Joe & Finn Balor vs Blake & Murphy, and Jason Jordan & Chad Gable vs Tomasso Ciampa & Johnny Gargano. Needless to say, I am not an expert prognosticator. 

NXT Champion Finn Balor and Samoa Joe are both coming off victories in Brooklyn, and began the next day with the simmering tension between the two. Taken off the excellent Triple H-Batista storyline from late-2004, this angle is being built with subtlety. Joe will gaze at Balor’s belt from time to time and tease tension. Obviously, this will lead to a heel turn and an eventual title match, but we will debate the “perfect” time to do it. They are the overwhelming favorites to win the tournament, since they are the only baby face team left and it would help set them up for their inevitable match. Chances of winning: 90%

Baron Corbin & Rhyno were once enemies and squared off at TakeOver: Unstoppable in May, but they have since become allies and a good team at that. They always seem to be on the verge of breaking up, but I think this team is better off together right now than apart. Plus we always need new challengers for The Vaudevillains. They aren’t the in-ring workers Gable & Jordan are, but they are bigger names. Their chances of winning are based purely on if they want to do an angle post-match with Cody & Dustin Rhodes, who will be awarding the trophy. Chances of winning: 5%

Chad Gable & Jason Jordan are an excellent team and are only getting better. Both men are great in the ring and have a natural cockiness about them. Their chemistry has improved and the team has gotten better now that Jordan’s only hang-up is saying “Ready, Willing & Gable”. The best match in the finals would be these two vs Joe & Balor, and this is NXT where potential match quality is a big deal at the Takeover specials. Likewise, they will only win the tournament if they want to do a post-match angle with the Rhodes’ brothers. Chances of winning: 5%

Dash & Dawson have absolutely no chance in winning the tournament. None. Zero. There are three heel teams in the final four and they drew Joe & Balor in the semi-finals. This is both men’s first chance to have a big Takeover match and having a quality performance is what these two men need. Chances of winning: 0%

What else is happening?

The in ring debut of Asuka! I have never seen this young lady wrestle, but all it took was a smile to get me excited. I still believe the segment on Wednesday would have been much better had they not aired the video Dana Brooke got scared watching. However, with that out of the way, this match will go five minutes and set up Asuka for future matches with Emma and, eventually, Bayley. 

Plus, Tyler Breeze will sports entertain with Apollo Crews in the mid-90’s ppv special. The build for this match was non-existent with a cameraman informing Breeze of this match. Breeze remains the most underrated wrestler on NXT and Crews needs to find an opponent to have a great match with. If these two get 10-13 minutes, this could be the second or third best match on the show.

Where is Nia Jax?

She got lost on the way to Full Sail. She hit the DuBurns Arena in Baltimore, the Davis Arena in Louisville, Center Stage in Atlanta and the Impact Zone in Orlando, but someone has pointed her in the right direction and will be here soon.

I watch 3 hours of Raw, 2 hours of SmackDown, 2 hours of Impact, an hour of ROH and an hour of New Japan every week. Why should I watch this? 

First of all, stop watching SmackDown. I have a great Doctor Who analogy, but this isn’t the time for it. 

NXT TakeOver specials are the closest thing you can get to a sure thing in wrestling. They have produced seven specials going into this week and the worst one was still better than most wrestling PPVs the last two years. This show will go 2-2 ½ hours and it will fly by and leave you wanting more. When was the last time you said that about Raw? You will not feel like you have wasted your time with something that will happen again next week. 

Are you finished yet?

Yes! Now watch NXT TakeOver: Respect this Wednesday night at 8pm EST/7pm CST on the “Award Winning, Revolutionary WWE Network”!