Once again, the folks over at NXT have proven that their collective unit knows how to pull off an event, as the latest edition in the TakeOver specials was another success.
Rival was not perfect from start to finish, but few things rarely are. Still, there were several different highlights throughout the night that should be given a lot of praise from the WWE Universe. As such, I figured I would do a miniature version of the Top Rope List segment from Smark Out Moment and give you the top three show-stealing performances of the evening.
3. Finn Bálor vs. Adrian Neville
A good portion of the NXT audience is familiar with its roster well before any of the stars make their way onto the program, having seen countless matches they’ve had in the independent scene. I am unfortunately not in that crowd, as I don’t have much time to focus on Ring of Honor, DragonGate or any other promotions outside of WWE for the most part, so I had never seen any matches between Pac and Prince Devitt from the past. Before this event, I had been told that they worked very well together and this match would be a treat. Thankfully, I was not disappointed.
There’s always a risk that people will treat someone like Neville as a spot monkey that can’t do anything other than flips, but he’s been shedding that reputation as time goes on. Meanwhile, Bálor hasn’t been in the company long enough to develop all that much of a reputation outside of also being entertaining and having a cool entrance. They’re top guys in the developmental scene, but these two helped cement why that is the case by having a great match to determine the new #1 contender to the title. Of course, there were fun spots, but it wasn’t just mindless stunts. Pretty much from start to finish, this was a fun match that got the crowd very invested. When a loser is walking away and the fans are chanting “thank you”, that’s a good sign that the segment is well worth the admiration.
2. Charlotte vs. Sasha Banks vs. Bayley vs. Becky Lynch
In terms of match quality, the Fatal 4-Way for the NXT Women’s Championship was about on par with the #1 Contender’s Match mentioned above. However, seeing as how the women in WWE are perpetually facing an uphill battle of lower expectations, many fans put them in a predestination paradox. The main roster rarely has a Divas match that is worth watching, so people skip it, dooming it to failure automatically. Normally, this is justified, but NXT has proven itself time and time again as a different animal when it comes to women’s wrestling. Since this match had more to prove, the fact that it delivered gives it a bump into the silver medal ranking.
1. Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn
By no means was this the best match of the night in terms of in-ring performances. It was not a back and forth contest like Neville and Bálor had, nor was it one of the standout matches of the year so far for its division like the Women’s Championship bout. However, it’s undeniable that the biggest thing people will be talking about after this event is Kevin Owens. He is the top star of the night, having not only won the NXT Championship, but doing it in a fashion that puts him over immensely. Owens dominated the match to the point where it had to be stopped and he was simply awarded the title out of mercy. That speaks volumes and will go a long way in continuing to build Owens up as a huge star in the company’s future. If there is one thing that gets mentioned about this special on the next episode of Monday Night Raw, it will be something about Kevin Owens destroying Sami Zayn in one of the fastest rises to stardom WWE’s ever had.
Those were just the top three highlights of the night, but I would also recommend checking out the NXT Tag Team Championship match between the Lucha Dragons and the team of Wesley Blake and Buddy Murphy, as that was also better than what WWE regularly puts out on Raw and SmackDown every week.
If you are interested in listening to a full breakdown review of my thoughts on the show, click here for a special edition of the Smack Talk podcast: YouTube | iTunes | Stitcher
Will this go down as better than Fastlane? What were your favorite moments from the event
Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!
