It’s amazing to think it’s only a year since NXT first officially staged a Takeover show on WrestleMania weekend. Since then NXT has evolved considerably with new talent taking it in different directions while the Cruiserweight Classic and UK Championship Tournaments have given WWE’s product as a whole a different feel away from the main Raw and Smackdown shows.
This year a lot of the performers weren’t even on the show a year ago, or if they were it was in a rather different capacity but with a bar set high the new NXT team had just as much to prove.
Sanity (Eric Young, Killian Dain, Alexander Wolfe, Nikki Cross) vs Tye Dillinger, Roderick Strong, Ruby Riot and ?
Following an attack earlier in the day it was announced No Way Jose would not be in this match, so things started out with a brief mystery moment before recent returnee to NXT, Kassius Ohno, came through the curtain and both teams hit the ring at pace for an initial, all in, fight.
Things ‘calmed down’ with Cross and Riot squaring off and they instantly had a great chemistry with characters custom-built to oppose one another. The fact this was Ruby’s real NXT televised debut match did not pass me by and she more than passed muster instantly.
Things continued with Ohno showing off his talent in front of the big crowd again before Strong became subject of the matches most sustained beat down. With Dain showing off his scary big man attack along with a hugely impressive dropkick.
Tye got the hot tag before it all went a bit chaotic with everyone at least looking good before Sanity got the upper hand and Dain hit his version of the One Winged Angel, the Ulster Plantation, for the win.
While Sanity picked up the win, continuing their establishment as a top-level faction, everyone came out looking good and it’s hard to think Dillinger isn’t going to be elevated soon (though that might be the NXT mark in me.
It was also great to see Strong and Ohno finding their feet while Riot and Cross could become NXT’s premier long-term women’s feud as we move on in 2017.
Andrade ‘Cien’ Almas vs Aleister Black
The last few months have seen Andrade Almas develop from a bland babyface performer into a cocky heel more reminiscent of his time as leader as Los Ingobernables in Mexico and Japan so, the fact he was set to square off against the biggest debuting character NXT has had in sometime fit perfectly.
Rising like Nosferatu on the entrance ramp, Aleister Black (previously known as Tommy End) has appeared as complete package from the start of his hype building and this only continued as he moved from his entrance and into the ring, taking in the atmosphere, crowd and his opponent from a cross-legged position in the middle of the squared circle.
Things started out with a good back and forth between the two competitors with hints and suggestions at what was to come with Black accentuating the strikes and Almas the cocky side of things as well as more holds.
After a faster paced middle section that saw Black hit a nice triangle type moonsault reminiscent of Kota Ibushi’s Golden Triangle the pace slowed and Almas got the upper hand.
A series of stiff kicks from Black turned the tide culminating with the Black Mass heel kick getting him his debut win.
In many ways this was reminiscent of a slightly lower level version of last year’s Nakamura/Zayn match but it did a great job showcasing both men and I don’t think it’ll be long before both could be involved at the top of the card as the inevitable post-WrestleMania shake up occurs.
NXT Tag Team Championships
Authors of Pain (Akam & Rezar) (c) vs The Revival (Dash Wilder & Scott Dawson) vs DIY (Johnny Gargano & Tomasso Ciampa)
Given the two out of three falls match two of these teams had late last year and the smash ’em up run Authors of Pain have had since their debut, the NXT tag team championship match had all the components to steal the show.
Starting off with the two smaller teams joining forces to combat the monsters it was frantic from the start and never really let up. We quickly got the first hints of what was to become the story of the match; that, despite their best efforts, DIY and The Revival would be unable to keep any kind of solidarity going for long enough to totally negate the size and strength of the AOP.
As expected it wasn’t long before Johnny Gargano was left alone with the AOP, giving him the chance to do what he does so well in DIY, gaining himself and his partner sympathy and building to the inevitable hot tag to Tomasso Ciampa. Ciampa capitalised with a stiff flurry of offence that was the most sustained solo assault doled out to the Authors yet and, with Revival and Gargano back in the action, Rezar was sent through a table to the floor.
At this point the action came down briefly to four on one with Akam holding his own for a moment before Dawson and Gargano locked on a double submission hold that was split up just as it looked like the champions might be the first eliminated, creating a huge moment of drama.
The foursome then hit shared versions of their double team finishing attacks, again to no avail, before action spilled to the floor once more and a pile up spot culminated with Dawson suplexing Ciampa from the top rope onto AOP on the floor.
With the team work now broken down AOP capitalised to eliminate DIY following a Last Chapter legsweep/lariat combo on Ciampa to a less than impressed response from the now feverishly hot crowd.
While The Revival attempted a flurry of double team attacks they were quickly out powered with Authors of Pain retaining their championships, after a Super Collider powerbomb combo, and collecting the newly redesigned tag team title belts in what was a strong early contender for match of the weekend and should progress all three teams as they move forward with Revival in particular looking ready to make the move to Raw or Smackdown.
NXT Women’s Championship
Asuka (c) vs Ember Moon
A year ago to the day Asuka began what has become a legendary reign as NXT Women’s Champion when she defeated Bayley by knock out at NXT Takeover Dallas. Since then contenders have come and gone and of the current crop only Ember Moon has looked anything like a threat to the Empress of Tomorrow‘s position.
Following the unveiling of another new belt to replace the now slightly dated previous model, the match started off as a story of two equals as the pair went back and forth with holds and strikes and it wasn’t until Ember Moon took a fall on the steel guard rail that anyone was able to gain the upper hand.
Despite this, Moon continued fighting giving us not only her best display to date but also trading strikes with Asuka like no one else has yet, leading to close falls for both parties.
Following a great dive to the floor from Moon and an extended Asuka Lock survival spot, Moon looked to get the upper hand following a cradle suplex and set up for her Eclipse, flying spinning stunner, finishing attack. Unable to directly counter this Asuka pushed the referee into the ropes causing Moon to lose balance and allowing the champion to connect with a stiff kick to the head for the win.
Finally moving Asuka more into a heel role only serves to broaden her character as it has been heading that way already anyway. This ending also showed she is potentially vulnerable, positioning Ember Moon as possibly the stronger of the two and giving Asuka a real challenge for the first time since her debut. This should lead to the pair developing a rivalry to move the NXT women’s division even further forward in what looks set to be a hard-hitting and intense feud that could become a classic.
NXT Championship
‘Glorious’ Bobby Roode (c) vs ‘King of Strong Style’ Shinsuke Nakamura
With their match at NXT Takeover: San Antonio ending in somewhat controversial fashion, with an apparent injury to Nakamura’s knee, the stakes were high going into this rematch that could see Nakamura become a three-time NXT champion in less than 12 months.
This gave the whole affair a big match atmosphere from the start that the inclusion of the new belt only heightened as Roode hoped to cement his ‘new era’ of NXT.
The pair started out slow with holds and lighter strikes traded along with a great show of ‘mind games’ from both men, particularly around Nakamura’s trademark ‘come on’ posturing which, if Roode never bested, he certainly equalled.
While the pace remained relatively slow Roode kept the upper hand grounding Nakamura and taking his kicks and elbow strikes out of the equation very effectively, largely focusing on the arm after Shinsuke hit the guard rail with it.
With some fast striking flurries Nakamura remained on a level with Roode, but it was a missed Kinshasa knee strike that saw the champion really take the upper hand, switching strategy to attack the previously injured knee and maintain the near three-month long story centring on this injury.
Despite this Nakamura came back with a great armbar and triangle sequence building a hold for hold aspect to the story. After a sly low blow with the ropes Roode attempted his Glorious DDT but was countered and the former champion connected with a sliding knee strike for a near fall.
The general slow burn saw the crowd’s excitement build and build as Roode, frustrated, got the ring bell, looking for a desperate disqualification to save his title reign, before pulling out a last-minute spinebuster counter to the Kinshasa for another near fall.
With both men showing exhaustion it was Nakamura who let his guard down first allowing Roode to connect with an tornado-like version of the Glorious DDT and retain his championship in a truly epic match packed with all the drama and both longterm and in-match story you could hope for, while also being different enough to their past encounters to keep it fresh.
While this saw three heels leave NXT Takeover: Orlando with the gold, the show wrapped up a few stories satisfyingly while setting wheels in motion for the next chapter without anyone coming off as a real loser in a series of closely fought, dramatic contests that will give WrestleMania itself a high bar to live up to.
The main event and tag matches were certainly the matches of the night but all stood up strongly and let’s not forget Drew McIntyre was shown in the crowd, just like Bobby Roode was this time a year ago…
Tommy Girard 