Oh hey there. Bit of wrestling this past weekend. Sure you heard about it.
I was originally going to fulfill my quarterly tradition of reviewing the NXT special but apparently everyone went ham and there were like 4 write-ups within 10 minutes of the special ending. But I did wanna write something. You know, for old times sake.
I first gotta mention that I didn’t watch NXT Takeover or SummerSlam live. I love wrestling but my social life took priority so viewing time had to wait. Now, the good part about this is that I avoided all wrestling websites for around 48 hours to A) avoid spoilers and B) make sure my opinion of any of the matches wasn’t skewed by reading what someone else had to say about it. I should also mention that, in general, I’m a fairly positive guy and things that were match killers for some people probably didn’t bother me as much. I know, a wrestling fan of 25+ years who’s still an optimist? Weird, right?
So here we go, ranking all 16 matches from this past weekend (no star ratings).
16) Apollo Crews vs Tye Dillinger (Takeover)
Despite this match being at the bottom of my list, I should say it wasn’t the worst worked match of the weekend. In general, the in-ring action was pretty good. But this was an extended enhancement match that should have been saved for Wednesday’s episode of NXT. Also, don’t love the “10” gimmick for Dillinger. It’s a bit gimpy.
15) Dolph Ziggler vs Rusev (SS)
What a mess on all fronts. Just one look at the attire for Ziggler, Lana, and Summer Rae and you know this feud can’t be benefitting anyone involved. The match itself was below both men’s standards and the finish was…. Whatever. At least Lana was crazy over.
14) 9 Diva 3-Way Tag (SS)
I was really, really, really hoping the women would deliver something special here. I think the Bella’s, while not great, are better workers than they get credit for and everyone else, aside from Tamina and Alicia, are capable of having really noteworthy matches. But this was just a jumbled mess where no one stood out. Poor Sasha for having to be a part of it after what she did the night before.
13) Ryback vs Big Show vs The Miz (SS)
A bit better now. This was a pretty reasonable 3-way where each guy got a bit of shine within the short amount of time allotted. The Shell Shock to the Big Show will always be impressive and The Miz was fun as the sneaky heel. Decent stuff.
12) Jushin Thunder Liger Tyler Breeze (Takeover)
Another passable match that was mainly a showcase for Liger. Nothing bad but nothing worth reminding beyond seeing the legend in an NXT ring. Oh, special props to Tyler’s entrance which was awesome yet again.
11) Stardust and King Barrett vs Neville and Stephen Amell (SS)
A nice little pleasant surprise that I hoped the crowd would be hotter for. I blame Ziggler and Rusev for killing the ppvs momentum the match prior. Anyway, I liked the storyline behind this match and thought, while forced, the tag-team route was sensible. The match format surprised me with the heels getting the heat on Amell for several minutes but Neville has such great hot-tag offense that I suppose it works. Happy enough with this.
10) Samoa Joe vs Baron Corbin (Takeover)
If you’ve read my previous NXT special reviews, you know I’m a mark for Baron Corbin. I like his “I’m going to troll you with 10 second matches” gimmick. But it seems like every special he’s put up against a 300 pounder and we get a disappointing result. But that trend ended on this night. Quite solid big man brawl with some hard strikes down the stretch. Yeah, he’s still a bit windy but this was a big improvement for Corbin. Also, happy with Joe getting the win as I think it’s not yet time to have Corbin go over a guy of Joe’s stature.
9) The Vaudevillains w/ Blue Pants vs Blake and Murphy w/ Alexa Bliss (Takeover)
Standard WWE style tag match complete with a storybook ending where the lovable faces win the titles. Good match enhanced by how freakin over Blue Pants was with the Brooklyn crowd.
8) New Day vs Prime Time Players vs Lucha Dragons vs Los Matadores (SS)
Where as the divas match was the mess I was hoping it wouldn’t be, this match had the right ratio of chaos to high energy action. The New Day are great and have really shown their worth over the last three months. Los Matadores…. Are the opposite of that. The match was hindered by a number of (mostly forgivable) botches. The last (most damaging) botch took place during the final sequence when one member of Los Matadores fell off the top rope and the other had to rush up to take his place in the spot. Still, a very enjoyable effort overall with the right team going over. Also, props to Darren Young for delivering a devastating back rake.
7) Kevin Owens vs Cesaro (SS)
This was (unintentionally) the first match I watched from the ppv. About five minutes in I couldn’t help but wonder, “when is this taking place on the card? The crowd is dead.” Turns out it was second to last; two matches removed from Cena/Rollins and directly following the divas debacle. Hopefully that’s to be blamed for these guys getting the silent treatment (from a “smart” crowd) cause this match was pretty good. One day after his wicked ladder match, Owens was still in near top form. I guess he could be accused of “spot spamming” but I didn’t mind it. Either way, a better match than the crowd gave it credit for.
6) Reigns and Ambrose vs Wyatt and Harper (SS)
I’m probably higher on this match than most people but I really liked this. Missing 1/3 of the Shield and Wyatt Family respectively, I thought this match was a step down from their admittedly great 2014 rivalry. But a step down from great is very good and I thought this was very good. The first 2-3 minutes was the kind of red hot action you’d hope for from these four and the rest of the encounter was nearly as enjoyable. Thumbs up.
5) Sheamus vs Randy Orton (SS)
I just know for a fact that no one will agree with me on this. But this was both a great/hot opener and a very very good match in general. And trust me when I say that I wasn’t looking forward to this match at all but what can I say? I’ve seen other people dismiss it as “just there” and ponder, “why are these guys still feuding?” And, again, while I certainly understand the feeling, if you’re willing to look at matches in terms of quality and not in terms of how excited you are to see them transpire, then this match is well worth your time.
4) Balor vs Owens (Takeover)
It’s nice the 4 main events from over the weekend were also the four best matches. It means the top matches lived up to or exceeded the hype (at least in terms of ring work). Balor/Owens lived up to high (though somewhat tempered) expectations and delivered a grueling ladder match that was more in line with something you might see in the mid 90s. There were no table spots or super ladders, just two dudes beating on each other. The right guy went over as we now expect Owens to distance himself from NXT.
3) Undertaker vs Lesnar (SS)
Before watching this match, I just kept thinking “please, please, please let this be good.” Because I love the Undertaker and I don’t give a shit that he’s had a whole TWO ppv matches in a row that weren’t amazing. And Brock is just the best in general. And yeah…. this match was great. Outright great. Maybe not more than great but I’ll take great over the doldrums of wrestling that was their Mania match. Taker, while seemingly on the verge of passing out at any given second, was just money. And screw people who talk about him like he’s not a 30 year veteran cause he took every release suplex like a champ.
Now’s the part where I’m supposed to dismiss the entire match because of the finish. Well…. Yeah, not gonna do that. But the finish was pretty rubbish. I get they were going for the Taker/Angle finish from like 13 years ago but it just didn’t work out. Lesnar really should have just gone over clean. I thought we’d get Cena/Taker at Mania but it looks like Lesnar/Taker III is the road they’re gonna take.
2) Banks vs Bayley (Takeover)
First, let’s just get this out of the way…. Sasha is the best. Just the fucking best. Her ring entrance with the Escalade and the 4 jacked bodyguards? Money. This was another fantastic match to complete her NXT Takeover quadrilogy; she previously battled Charlotte and Becky Lynch in singles matches and was part of the 4-way from Takeover: Rival.
I’d say this was the 2nd best match of the bunch (behind Banks/Lynch). A couple tempo halting botches and Bayley nearly breaking her neck as the result of a countered top rope frankensteiner brought the match down a hair for me. But that being said, 90% of what took place in this 18(!!!!!) minute women’s match was excellent. I can’t go the whole review without giving Bayley some credit as well cause her babyface selling was superb. Say “fuck off” to the main roster cause this is the NXT women’s revolution.
1) Cena/Rollins (SS)
Yes, I know, the match with the Jon Stewart interference spot tops my list. I thought that up until that spot though, this match was pretty outstanding. Again, it helped that the crowd (which was up and down all night) was red hot for this. Yes, Cena’s spring board Stunner (while not outright botched) was off yet again. And the top rope sunset flip into a running buckle bomb was a bit dicey. But that’s a bit nit-picky. Overall this was yet another big time match where Cena stepped up to the plate and kept in stride with his opponent. Rollins, for his part, we smooth as silk.
Again, the finish, while….. ridiculous, didn’t kill the match for me. There was a little sneaky foreshadowing earlier in the night when Stewart said (roughly) that “he’s a WWE fan and you need to give WWE fans what they want.” And the right guy won so that’s always good.
So what do you think? How badly am I off for liking the matches I liked? Let me know below!
