Once again, NXT TakeOver turns out to be an excellent show.
What makes these events so great isn’t just the strong in-ring work, but the storytelling that drives these matches. This is what I love about NXT.
Dakota Kai turning so quickly shocked me. Granted, it’s been clear for weeks that Kai was turning heel, but her outburst mid-match surprised me as I figured her reasoning for being in the match was to take the pin, thus continuing her slow descend to the dark side.
Kai’s aggression and emotions were perfect. Overall, the entire women’s WarGames match was strong. Every woman was given a chance to shine and the match was paced pretty well. I’m still not too big on the finish because the heel team did come out looking weak, especially since both NXT Women’s Champions were on the heel side. However, this is more of a nitpick, as booking the babyfaces to overcome the impossible odds is classic storytelling. Plus, we’ve got two exciting new feuds coming out of this match and no one was truly damaged here.
The Triple Threat #1 contender’s match was really good, though it did overstay it’s welcome a bit. Nevertheless, all three guys didn’t disappoint when they were given the spotlight and the ending was actually pretty cool.
Riddle/Balor was also very good, but now I’m starting to wonder whether the company is slowly building towards Riddle and Goldberg. It was clear as day that Riddle was sending a message to the WWE Hall of Famer by using the spear and jackhammer, and as of this writing, there isn’t any word that Riddle went into business for himself.
In fact, the company hasn’t been coy at hiding Riddle's dislike for Goldberg, as they've previously played up the tension between the “King of Bros” and Goldberg in the past. Goldberg vs. Matt Riddle at WrestleMania 36? I would be fine with this. Only if the goal is to put over Matt Riddle. Regardless of what you think about his opinion on Goldberg, creating new stars should always come first.
The Men’s WarGames match was really fun and surprisingly flew by for a 60-minute contest. The surprise of Kevin Owens returning did create some intrigue for Survivor Series and it made sense as well. Owens simply wanted revenge for the attack from the Undisputed Era on RAW. Plain and simple.
Granted, the overall storytelling for the RAW, Smackdown, and NXT feud has been a mess, but it’s also had its moments of greatness too.
Too many awesome spots to name, though personally for me, Owens teasing his old package piledriver finisher was my highlight. Been an Owens fan since his days in Ring of Honor, so that moment had more impact with me. Overall, it was a great match with an insane ending that warrants Adam Cole getting a pay raise.
Once again, NXT TakeOver was a fantastic wrestling show. Not only was the pacing of the event perfect, but coming out of this pay-per-view, I’m excited to see what happens this Wednesday. Definitely go out of way to see WarGames.