artDDP Posted August 21, 2016 Report Share Posted August 21, 2016 I loved this show. None of the usual crap that infests WWE PPVs because of the 50/50 bullshit and "this feud MUST continue" that robs us of decisive finishes. The tag title match was incredible. Every near-fall and tease was just perfect. I'm not that high on No Way Jose yet. Billie Kay looked good. It's kinda sad to see the NXT audience isn't buying Almas just yet. Bayley-Asuka was good but it felt like it needed a little more in the middle maybe. Still, I like a good, decisive win for your champion. And, if Bayley is leaving for the main roster that was the right way to say good-bye. It's funny how WWE can be so sentimental and sweet with certain talents while at the same time going out of their way to humiliate others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZThomas Posted August 21, 2016 Report Share Posted August 21, 2016 i'm a month behind on the TV but i think it made the show better for me, I'll admit even thought the last few Takeovers has been good but this was the first one since Respect that I walked away thinking even more exiced for the TV coming up. Im going to go back and watch the NXT tv leaing up to Tonights show , Its the only wrestling show Im consistant with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotJayTabb Posted August 21, 2016 Report Share Posted August 21, 2016 This may be more appropriate for the "against the grain" thread, but I'm still not totally on board yet with Nakamura. Just too much twatting about and pulling funny faces to the extent that I kinda wanted to see Joe kick his head off. Match felt underwhelming too, the build up had suggested this big war, especially with Joe raging about Nak the past few shows, but the first half of the match contained none of that hate and was more about working holds. It seemed to kill the crowd, who didn't really pick up until the end. Loved the women's title match. One or two flubs, like the power bomb spot, but I thought Bayley looked more convincing as a fighter than I'd seen before. The end was really good too, with Bayley knowing she had to escape the Asuka Lock, but this leaving her prone to getting blasted in the head. With Asuka not going full blown heel, and the face show of respect at the end, I can't work out her next challenger. Too soon for Ember Moon or Nikki Storm, Billie Kay not on her level...be interesting to see. The Ember Moon debut was fun, though I'm not sure what Moon's character is supposed to be. She had all the supernatural promos and a mysterious entrance, but she just came across as an excited face when the mask came off. Good showing, and it's nice that Kay got some shine before losing. Thought Kay looked as good as Moon, would like to see her do more on the TV shows Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GOTNW Posted August 21, 2016 Report Share Posted August 21, 2016 Well, in a perfect world, Joe retains and Nak has to fight back into his title program. That's why I really wanted Joe to win. The loss kinda makes his title victory a "transitional champ" run, while not giving any real matchups for the future. I have no idea what world someone people live in. Of course Joe was a transitional champion. He isn't the hot commodity anymore. It's what he should've been. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Log Posted August 21, 2016 Report Share Posted August 21, 2016 Is there anyone in wrestling that conveys the character of "Champion" better than Samoa Joe? When he holds a title, he does an amazing job of tweaking his character to fit the position. I was thinking that his entrance really showed that last night. He didn't need all the pomp that others got. He's the champ. That's all there is to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy Redman Posted August 21, 2016 Report Share Posted August 21, 2016 I was going to come in here and start swearing my head off the same as I always do after watching a Takeover, and I may still do, but this caught my eye and really it says so much more than I'm capable of right now: Tag match: God this was great. They had me on the near falls to the extent that I'm probably giving an emotional response. NXT broke you out of your lizard suit. I could just cry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DMJ Posted August 21, 2016 Report Share Posted August 21, 2016 I thought that was Nakamura's best performance in NXT yet. The match against Aries seemed a bit flat at times and, against Balor, I thought his selling was inconsistent. Last night, though, I just thought him and Joe put on a great physical contest where every strike and submission and grapple looked like it was taking energy out of both men. I didn't necessary like Nak kicking out of the Muscle Buster, not because Nakamura ended up winning, more because I feel like they could've played up the rematch as Nakamura hitting Kinshasa twice but not proving he could actually withstand Joe's finisher. Who should challenge next? I'm on board for a rematch anyway, but I do understand the complaints about predictably and repetitiveness. To some degree, though, I feel like NXT Takeover crowds (is the next one international again?) are "buying in" on the prospect of seeing a Match of the Year contender, not necessarily on whether or not the outcome is expected/unexpected. Joe/Nak II, based on the intensity of their first meeting, sounds like a MOTY contender. I'm gonna post my full write-up over on my blog, but just wanted to note - Bayley remains my pick as the best babyface in wrestling, woman or man, and what a year for Cleveland. First, we win the NBA Title, then we stay classy during the RNC, and finally, our hometown hero, Johnny Gargano gets to shine on the big stage. When he started showing up on NXT, I thought, "Well, he'll be good enhancement talent," but last night felt like a character-defining performance from him and Ciampa, the kind of match that exceeded expectations by doing nearly everything right and made both teams look stronger coming out of it. I'm not ready to see Revival on the main roster yet just because I don't think they should be dropping the straps, but they're obviously ready. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeCampbell Posted August 21, 2016 Report Share Posted August 21, 2016 With Jose losing, and Aries already being moved into a new program, and the bloom already looking like it's off the rose as far as Almas goes, I'm wondering if either of them is going to be around much longer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteF3 Posted August 21, 2016 Report Share Posted August 21, 2016 There's no way on the planet they're giving up on either guy that quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artDDP Posted August 21, 2016 Report Share Posted August 21, 2016 Is there anyone in wrestling that conveys the character of "Champion" better than Samoa Joe? When he holds a title, he does an amazing job of tweaking his character to fit the position. I was thinking that his entrance really showed that last night. He didn't need all the pomp that others got. He's the champ. That's all there is to it. I thought the exact same thing watching Joe last night. He walks, talks, and wrestles like a champion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GOTNW Posted August 21, 2016 Report Share Posted August 21, 2016 I don't know, it looks pretty funny to me, especially when they're trying so hard to make him look tough by having security go after him too soon in his interview with Nakamura and having them follow him while he's walking in the hallway like he's Goldberg. He didn't need those cheap props back when he was still a great wrestler. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strummer Posted August 21, 2016 Report Share Posted August 21, 2016 getting the feeling that Charlotte is winning tonight and then Bayley is brought up to chase her on Raw. I just hope they keep Bayley the hell away from Stephanie but I don't think they will be able to help themselves Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fakeplastictrees Posted August 21, 2016 Report Share Posted August 21, 2016 The Revival is everything WWE wanted and needed from The Ascension. both in NXT and the main roster. A good/dominant/believable tag team that is OVER with the crowds and actually pushing some merch. I don't want them to move up to the main roster until they wipe the stink off of the tag title history of The Ascension being the longest reigning NXT tag champs. There is still tons of mileage on the Revial gimmick and there is EASILY a ladder match or Memphis Street Fight left in the program with Gargano/Ciampa. I also thought the vanilla indy guys are getting closer and closer to being WWE Superstars. I have always liked both, but never really GOT the hype (as mentioned earlier in this thread), and a performance like this on this big of a stage really helped a lot. Good for both of those guys and I hope to see more of them and their continued evolution. Both Ember and Roode need new finishers for different reasons. Ember's is great to see when executed properly, but the entire finish can fall apart if it is botched. Another problem is the setup can be pretty contrived and take people out of the match. Hopefully she develops a secondary finisher and only breaks that out in the 'big matches'. Roode, on the other hand, just needs a new finisher. Roode has a strong history of weak finishers this side of Jeff Jarrett, but holy smokes! A pumphandle slam? Roode doesn't have the size, physique, or power of a Cena or Mark Henry to make a simple move believable as a finisher. HHH needs to have an 'Apollo quest/point of order to change his finishing move' talk with Roode. Roode has EVERYTHING else down. Just work on a new finisher. Back to Ember, I always liked her in the ring and its good to see she has made the big stage, but what is going on with all the women in NXT looking like they just came out of a Party City costume sale? I like the effort, but it will be best if WWE doesn't go down the Becky Lynch path again with these new call-ups. Personality cannot be purchased at Hot Topic and I hope these women continue in the direction of putting it all together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Sorrow Posted August 21, 2016 Author Report Share Posted August 21, 2016 I don't know, it looks pretty funny to me, especially when they're trying so hard to make him look tough by having security go after him too soon in his interview with Nakamura and having them follow him while he's walking in the hallway like he's Goldberg. He didn't need those cheap props back when he was still a great wrestler. the security wasn't there to protect him, it was to keep him from attacking others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cap Posted August 21, 2016 Report Share Posted August 21, 2016 Overall I liked the card, but I think my expectations were just too high. Aries vs No Way was a good match. I thought they did well to set the pace for the show. They wrestled with urgency. The match was exactly what it needed to be and the aftermath set an exciting feud in motion. Overall it was nothing earth shattering, but it wasn't supposed to be. I liked the match and thought both men actually looked better for it. Ember Moon was impressive. She gives me some hope for the division that I really felt got more or less obliterated as of late (that includes the assumption that Bayley is on her way out. I agree with the point that the finisher might need to be changed. I love it, but it is risky in that it has to be pretty perfect to work. Billie Kay actually looked a little better to me. I can't figure out how i feel about her. Bobby Roode looked really good. The Glorious thing is so incredibly goofy but it is getting over. The match itself seemed like something of a formality. Roode looked sharp, Almas was dynamic and picked up the pace where he needed to. It just always felt like a Roode showcase match and that is unfortunate. Almas has lost a lot of momentum it seems. I am not sure the character is really working (at least not for me). I think he will wind up morphing a good bit before he really gets his footing in NXT. The tag title match stole the show for me. I love me some Revival and echo all the praise from before. They do things in a match that really highlight how complex and nuanced tag team wrestling can be. They feel like true tag team specialists. If they were to face two superior singles wrestlers (say Nakamura and Balor), I would legit feel like the Revival are the favorites based singularly on their expertise as tag workers and all the little things they do. Their timing is so good. They implement team work in places that other teams just aren't doing right now. I thought Compa and Gargano had their best outing as a team. They built the drama of their near falls really well. This might have topped all the Revival vs Alpha matches for me. I will have to rewatch it, but certainly felt more invested in the moment. In all, I think that match kind of drained the crowd some. They were into the last two matches, but the energy and anticipation had been building before that and it felt like it leveled off a bit to me. Asuka vs Bayley was quite good, probably a little better than their first match as far as the actual story being told and the moments they were building. There were a few points were execution just wasn't there, but I thought the match was still really enjoyable and fun to watch. I am not sure they are opponents made for each other really. Joe vs Nak might not have ever been able to live up to the hype. I was so pumped for this and felt like it fell a little flat. I think that is probably as much or more on me than the match. There was so much heat coming in and I expected a little more pace and a little more in terms of those "holy shit" moments. That said, I need to rewatch it with fresh/more critical eyes. I liked what I was watching, it just never hit that next level to me. They were laying everything in really well and the match progressed really logically. It really was sort of an NXT/New Japan hybrid match. If this is the first match of a series, it makes a ton of sense. If this is it, it feels like a little bit of a letdown. I can see them doing 2 more and Joe getting the belt back before Nak goes up, or Nak becoming a hardened ace while Joe goes up. In all, I really liked this card, but I am not sure what to make of it. I think my own expectations skewed my watching too much. I want to rewatch this card, at least the last half of it, for sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
World's Worst Man Posted August 22, 2016 Report Share Posted August 22, 2016 Nakamura vs. Joe was a slow build using a lot of submissions and strikes and the crowd didn't seem that into it until Joe took that insane release German. I really liked the match, but I thought they were going to do something different with the finish. I was half-expecting something like a referee stoppage on Joe to build into the "management is screwing me" stuff while managing to get the belt on Nakamura and lead to a rematch at the next big show. As it is, the win was pretty decisive so it seems like those two are done together. Bayley vs. Asuka was pretty good although the botch did hurt the match quite a bit I thought. Bayley should not have gone right back to the same spot, which was again botched but at least salvaged. The problem was that Asuka basically no-sold it and went right into the rear naked choke which didn't really work at all. I wasn't that into the tag match until they did the extended FIP sequence, but after that it was off the charts. I'm loving Ciampa and Gargano now, they really have the "big brother, little brother" thing down. It's gonna be sad when big brother gets fed up with little brother and kicks the shit out of him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El-P Posted August 22, 2016 Report Share Posted August 22, 2016 No Way Jose is the new Fandango/Adam Rose. Ember Moon has an interesting look. So does her opponent. Crappy music though, but that's the case for a lot of people. Finisher looks cool although there's so much possibility to blow it, dunno if that's a very good idea. Too much of a "modified" stuff to me. Still, curious to see what they do with these two. Bobby Roode's entrance is ridiculous in a good way, but again, the music is gloriously awful, but not awful enough (as if a Paul Orndorff way "Wonderfuuuuul "). Funny how Roode is basically himslef from TNA and pushed like a star, while La Sombra is getting the WWE facelift and looks like a mexican hipster jobber. That tag match. Excellent to great. The Revival have no look and are kinda fat and are simply a great tag team. Dawson using the fake punch into a DDT from Arn warmed my heart. Terrific run to the finish. Match of the night, easily. Asuka vs Bailey was good, but nothing special. Not impressed with how Bailey sells the beating once she gets back on offense. Well, her facials are excellent, that's why she's a terrific babyface, but after getting beat on so much with brutal kicks, she just kinda got back on offense. The no-selling kinda bugged me too, although "Hit me in the head !" was bad-ass. Don't feel these two are clicking that well, their matches are not as good as they probably should be. Bailey in the main roster should out-sell any other shitty babyface they have if treated right. Nakamura's entrance, people. Wonderful. Joe is the best Taz eve, basically, although I don't like that crew cut in HD, doesn't look too good. Excellent match. Nak does so much less than he used to do in NJ, he adapted so well so quickly. Put him in the main roster and he puts everyone to shame, this guy should main event Mania. Although of course, after that awful SummerSlam show I'm not sure I want to see this actually. Again, funny how Joe is good old self Joe from ROH/TNA while Nakamura is a 100% New Japan product and they actually let them be who they are. Makes a shitload of difference. Super fun show again. I could do without some WWEism in the production, but these are the only really enjoyable (hell, watchable to begin with) WWE shows to me. When is the next one ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cap Posted August 22, 2016 Report Share Posted August 22, 2016 I also really like how they seem to be planting the seeds for Champa to turn on Gargano. I am not 100% sure they will do it, but it seems teed up and I think they will do better as singles wrestlers in NXT/WWE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy Redman Posted August 22, 2016 Report Share Posted August 22, 2016 Also I don't know if y'all got the Australian tour promo but I sure as hell got the Australian tour promo, and I may be a jaded GWE survivor who can't sit through wrestling anymore, but I sure as HELL gon' pay through the nose to sit at this show and sing the bars of every song CFO$ has ever wrote. Don't sell Vince short, he still knows how to fleece the marks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grimmas Posted August 22, 2016 Report Share Posted August 22, 2016 The botch in the Bayely-Asuka match was completely fine to me. Watching with my wife (who doesn't like wrestling, but loves Bayley and was really into this story with Asuka) and she didn't notice and was blown away by the slam she used to cover for the botch. I don't care about botches, generally, because it's a wrestling contest, if everything is easy and looks smooth then how is it a struggle and contest? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coffey Posted August 24, 2016 Report Share Posted August 24, 2016 The Revival tag was really good. I like them a lot. That was MOTN for me. Nakamura is great, of course. Bobby Roode feels like a star and I imagine he'll be in the NXT title picture sooner than later. I'm curious if Samoa Joe will ever make the main roster. I feel like calling Bayley up now was the right move as I was kinda tired of her act in NXT. I love Asuka though. Ember Moon is gonna blow out her tailbone doing that finish. Still not sold on No Way Jose - feels like a jobber to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GOTNW Posted August 24, 2016 Report Share Posted August 24, 2016 The botch in the Bayely-Asuka match was completely fine to me. Watching with my wife (who doesn't like wrestling, but loves Bayley and was really into this story with Asuka) and she didn't notice and was blown away by the slam she used to cover for the botch. I don't care about botches, generally, because it's a wrestling contest, if everything is easy and looks smooth then how is it a struggle and contest? It's not the issue of it being a botch, it's how it looks. Rick Steiner "botches" a suplex by throwing someone to high/far and drops them on their head. It's reckless and dangerous, but it makes him look really strong. Bayley not being able to pick Asuka up just makes her look frail and weak. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grimmas Posted August 24, 2016 Report Share Posted August 24, 2016 The botch in the Bayely-Asuka match was completely fine to me. Watching with my wife (who doesn't like wrestling, but loves Bayley and was really into this story with Asuka) and she didn't notice and was blown away by the slam she used to cover for the botch. I don't care about botches, generally, because it's a wrestling contest, if everything is easy and looks smooth then how is it a struggle and contest? It's not the issue of it being a botch, it's how it looks. Rick Steiner "botches" a suplex by throwing someone to high/far and drops them on their head. It's reckless and dangerous, but it makes him look really strong. Bayley not being able to pick Asuka up just makes her look frail and weak. Or exhausted from a grueling match? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GOTNW Posted August 24, 2016 Report Share Posted August 24, 2016 It didn't look like that. KENTA collapsing on a Powerbomb because his leg is hurt is a really good example of that, but he still manages to pick the opponent (think it was Nakajima) up in the first place. If you're not strong enough to do a Powerbomb maybe just don't do it (see also Rollins; Seth). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt D Posted August 24, 2016 Report Share Posted August 24, 2016 I kind of hate to say it, but the selling in and around the move didn't warrant either that or Graves' ankle excuse (which would have made sense after the anklelock). Good recoveries are important and the pancake was a good recovery, but that moment could have been made better by active (and off-script) selling, either of her ankle or of exhaustion, by Bayley. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.