God dammit, Takeover IV was a really fun show! Again! Truthfully, there aren’t any five-star classics here, but several strong fours happened last night.
EC3 vs. Velveteen Dream was arguably the weakest match. Don’t get me wrong, this was good, but it ended up being disappointing. Is Dream a babyface now? He clearly acts like a heel, but seems like a babyface when he gets into these big showcase matches. I want some clarity on this. EC3 also had this problem as I suppose he was a babyface? I don’t know, the match just didn’t click much with me and it only got really good towards the end.
It also feels like EC3 is holding back for some reason. I just haven’t been impressed with NXT EC3. I’ve seen his TNA World Championship run, so I know how great he can be. I’m just not getting that same magic from him here. Maybe its just me.
Kairi Sane vs. Shayna Baszler was a really good match and without a doubt Baszler’s best. Sane is so adorable. She’s really good at being a babyface in the ring and knows how to get the crowd on her side. Though I don’t feel this was the time for Baszler to drop the title. I trust the NXT writers, so I’ll hold my judgment on this for now.
My favorite match of the night was The Undisputed Era (Roderick Strong & Kyle O’ Reilly) vs. Moustache Mountain (Tyler Bate and Trent Seven). This was a nearly 20-minute match and I wanted 10-15 more minutes. Matches like these are why I love tag team wrestling. War Raiders attacking Undisputed Era after the match has me excited for the future.
My second favorite match of the night goes to Adam Cole vs. Ricochet for the NXT North American title. God dammit I wanted another 10-15 mins of this match too. That superkick counter from the lionsault was just beautiful. Several other sequences stood out in this match as well. Again, I didn’t think the time was right to take the title off of Cole. It didn’t feel like he did much with it. Plus, I always feel that the babyface should be fighting an arduous journey before finally reaching their destination. But like before, I’ll hold my judgment for now.
Last but not least, The Last Man Standing match was indeed great. I like the fact that these guys keep the match fresh with different spots in each one. I also really dig the call backs from the previous encounters. I wasn’t a fan of the finish at first. But then I smacked myself on the head and put the Heineken down and said, “duh, you goof. Johnny is defeating Johnny. That’s the story”.
This is indeed a compelling story and I look forward to seeing what happens next. However, being brutally honest here, I don’t want to see this match again until January at least. Gargano should definitely be able to overcome his demons and finally defeat Ciampa. That’s a no brainer, but these guys need to be kept apart for a bit.
I didn’t necessarily go into this match thrilled to see it again, but NXT creative were in a tough spot due to Aleister Black going down. Nevertheless, a great match that capped off a fine evening.
Summerslam has one hell of an act to follow. This was another great night in wrestling. The show clocks in at less than 3 hours, so there’s no reason for you to skip it. If you only have time for a few matches then the Tag Team title, NXT North American title, and the NXT title bouts would be my must see first picks.
So what do you think? Do you agree? Or do you think I’m an idiot who’s wrong about everything? Feel free to comment below. Follow me at
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