NXT TakeOver Toronto/WWE Survivor Series Weekend

[stro]

DIY/Revival was about as good as pro wrestling can get in 2016. I can't think of anything on that level that I've seen this year from WWE (including NXT), NJ, or indies.

[cpst]

What times does the slog officially start tonight? 7:00 pm EST?

That's what they say. Thank goodness they didn't do a 2 hour preshow like Mania and Summer Slam.

[stro]

 

Was there live. Best show ever you cynical bastards!!

 

LOL. Oh. Canada. Potential MOTY, but other than that easily the worst Takeover ever.

 

London and The End were both trash

[C.S.]

What times does the slog officially start tonight? 7:00 pm EST?

 

Assuming slog isn't an auto-correct error, the sad thing is, it actually looks like a pretty fun show - but four hours is too damn long for anything, and you know it will probably go even longer than that if recent PPVs are any indication.

 

Are any of the matches in the OP scheduled for the pre-show, or will there be additional matches not in the OP? Just want to know if the pre-show is missable.

[Seabs]

Roode/Dillinger I didn't think was that good tbh. Decent match but there were more moments when I thought this isn't that good than this is pretty good. Well tbh there were zero moments when I was thinking the later but it wasn't overall not good. It was just there. Didn't think Tye looked half as good here as he has in the debut "squashes". Squashes in inverts because the guy going over spends 80% of the match selling. Roode's good in the ring but he feels below the standard that's been set atm. They should have just hotshotted him onto the main roster when the entrance took off because that won't be white hot forever. Assuming the entrance gets over on the main roster he's a hot babyface turn just waiting to happen.

AoP/TM61 wasn't that good either. For those who haven't seen it watch AoP/DIY from the TV a couple of weeks ago because that match ruled and make Authors my new favourite act. Between that match and the Jose/Swann match they've looked like a really serviceable monster team with great offence. TM61 suck. Senton spot was cool and the setup was so preposterous that I dug it. Not sure why they blew their load on the Ellering Cage gimmick this soon. Chain spot was either terrible or went wrong. I HATED TM61 tossing Authors around like they're Cruiserweight guys. Like caps lock worthy HATED it. Them 2 should barely be bumping at all let alone taking suplexes and slams off 2 guys who look like TM61 do. AoP/DIY is the future I spose which based off their TV match I'm excited for. They're in a tough spot though because The Revival have set a standard for NXT tags now and nobody will be able to live up to them.

Thought this was their best match yet against anyone. They've knocked it out of the park everytime against these and Alpha. The Enzo/Cass matches were really good too and by far the best matches that team has ever had but ever since then they've kicked into a godly tier. When you watch 80s tags one of the constant takeaways from them for me is god imagine if you transition the first 2/3rds of these matches with the final third of these modern matches and The Revival are exactly that. Incredible finishing stretches but with all the ground work to make them work. Plus having 4 guys to transition in and out helps with the finishing stretch not going into overkill every single time. 1st fall was decent but it really kicked up a gear in the 2nd when The Revival started working their match. Finish to the 1st ruled btw. Also they did an excellent job at structuring a 2/3 match which is so often an issue but for once there were no issues with the 2/3 format being hoaky. I could type for the next hour about the 3rd fall but basically everything they did was amazing. There was a sequence just before the very end that halted their momentum a bit and the ref stopping counting because I assumed Dawson wasn't the legal man didn't come off very well. But aside from that everything ruled. MOTY for me. Also have to give credit to Gargano and Ciampa who have done a great job getting themselves over as a team to someone who had no interest at all in them. I still don't want to see them in singles but they've created added value together as a team and Gargano's become a very sympathetic babyface. The Revival though. Jeeeeeeeeeeeeez.

Asuka/Mickie was good. Not crazy about how much they gave Mickie given her status, especially in comparison to how much they ever gave Nia and Bayley against Asuka. They should have saved the someone pushing Asuka further than she's ever been pushed before for someone who can benefit from it while still saving the Asuka loss.

Joe/Nakamura was good and better than Brooklyn but still felt like a disappointment relative to who's in the ring. I'm not sure if it's a case of them not clicking or what. This is their second match now where the crowd are hot at the start and are just kinda sitting there taking it in during the bulk of the match before they get back up to pop for the highspots. Nakamura not selling leg work is far from a new issue with him but it's becoming an all too regular one in NXT and hurt this match for sure. He either needs to start putting forth an effort to sell the leg work or the guys putting these matches together need to be smarter to recognise the issue and not have his opponents work over his legs. I'm starting to wonder if our perception of what Jose is/should be/could be is starting to cloud over vision of what the reality is. I mean his performance in Dallas was great but that's now the anomaly. That said Balor and Nakamura haven't super brought it as opponents against him. Nakamura dropping the belt back to Joe was surprising. You'd think it's because Nakamura is going up but then it leaves the vanity project really lacking drawing power with nobody major incoming and they've been struggling selling these larger venues recently. I'd go more towards they're just prolonging running Nakamura/Joe like they did Balor/Joe because there's really nobody else for either. I'm assuming that Itami getting injured again maybe caused this.

The Revival have been the difference between the last 3 Takeover's being great shows rather than good shows.

[C.S.]

The Revival have been the difference between the last 3 Takeover's being great shows rather than good shows.

 

They've been the MVPs of the past 3-4 shows. It's amazing that I actually thought they were bland NWA cosplay jobbers at first. But that's what I love about NXT - you get these raw pieces of clay, and then suddenly a switch is flipped and they become awesome. Now they're my favorite tag team in the world and maybe my favorite tag team in several years. I really hope they aren't ruined on Smackdown or Raw. American Alpha has gone nowhere since being drafted.

[JKWebb]

DIY/Revival - As far as US goes, I still think the Blood in the Sand is the best ... but this might be the best WWF/E Tag ever (2 on 2). I'm struggling to think of what to compare it to from WWE. I've kind of been tossing it around in my head all day, and this just might be the best from WWE (tags). Definitely the best NXT tag. There are still All Japan matches I'd have higher too, but I don't mean that as a negative at all. I just saw someone else comparing them earlier. GREAT match. They had a lot of hype to live up to too. Impressive.

[cowboy hats]

 

What times does the slog officially start tonight? 7:00 pm EST?

 

Assuming slog isn't an auto-correct error, the sad thing is, it actually looks like a pretty fun show - but four hours is too damn long for anything, and you know it will probably go even longer than that if recent PPVs are any indication.

 

Are any of the matches in the OP scheduled for the pre-show, or will there be additional matches not in the OP? Just want to know if the pre-show is missable.

Slog was intentional. I've watched Smackdown regularly since the split and am watching this with a friend, so I'm genuinely looking forward to it (despite the typical insanity of running something like 'fantasy warfare' into the ground), but as you said, four+ hours for anything is rough sledding.

[Jimmy Redman]

Was there live. Best show ever you cynical bastards!!

 

I wasn't there live, but yeah, best show ever you cynical bastards!

 

If I only watched NXT Takeovers I would be a happy wrestling fan forever, and every new one I watch is my new favourite Takeover, until the next one rolls around. I waited until now to read this thread because I knew it would be filled with assholes analysing and critiquing and making perfectly valid complaints and I don't want to hear that noise because Takeovers are glorious rays of wrestling sunshine that we should bask in and enjoy without mundane distractions like...critical thought.

 

There are no bad Takeovers. Just bad wrestling fans.

 

Shinsuke being played to the ring by an army of violinists was a hundred times more badass than any entrance Hunter has ever dreamed of.

 

I don't read the news so can someone tell me if Meltzer or whoever has mentioned anything about Mickie James coming in, or was it truly just a once off? She looked unreal. But Jesus, if this is all I get, I'll take it. I don't remember ever spending so much time giggling and squealing at a wrestling match, ever. In my wildest dreams people.

 

I'm drawing up a list of more women for them to bring in for title matches on the Jimmy Redman Divas Transplant Fantasy Tour.

[JKWebb]

Totally, last nights show was a blast

[El-P]

"Worst" Takeover show I've seen. With :

 

_sorry, not buying Bobby Roode as *that good* at all. He's a solid midcarder, so the overdone intro feels forced, as does his Paul Orndorff tribute act. Plus, that intro fails to get any heat like a good obnoxious heel intro should, because it's pandering to the smart ass chant-along crowd. The song is awful too.

 

_damn, last time I saw Ellering, he was managing DOA in an awful feud with LOD 2000. And today he seems to be managing just as bad a team in just as bad a feud. Ugly. Waste of my time.

 

_Revival. Ok. #DIY. Ok. These tag team names all suck. But. Revival are a fucking great tag team. Great match. Not sure I'd go as far as MOTYC, not sure I'd say it was better than their last one, but a terrific match nonetheless. Stupid smart marks fan couldn't even think to chant "This is Dawson !".

 

_Mickie James vs Asuka. What are you all talking about ? This was mighty fine. I thought James looked crisp as hell. Very good match to me. Again, stupid chant with "You've still got it". To Mickie James ? Really ? Jeeez, these people. Mickie sure looks better than anyone not in the Horsewomen or not called Emma. The issue with Asuka is that she really isn't a true heel, so she's a badass but the dynamic is always kinda weird. Deathspot too, so...

 

_Nakamura vs Samoa Joe. Joe looked excellent, but I agree Nak is kinda coasting. Doesn't do half as much as what he used to in NJ, or even the first time he showed up. Still a very good match but they knda lost me, to much my-turn/your-turn at some point. Yeah, as a G1 match, this would be in my "very good" category. As a NXT main event, kinda underwhelming to be honest, coming after a great match and a better than expected very good match. Nak should debut at the Rumble anyway. He's got nothing to do in NXT. Well,I'd rather have him face Naito at the Dome, but...

 

Hell, one great (maybe MOTYC) match, two very good ones. Nothing to complain about, really. Especially considering what's to come...

[C.S.]

Kane vs. Luke Harper is on the pre-show right now.

[Zoo Enthusiast]

I watch very little of the current WWE stuff but one thing that never changes for me is how bad Charlotte's promos are. Her backstage segment on the preshow was another in the line. Like Stephanie McMahon but less charismatic and believable.

[hammerva]

Luke Harper losing clean to Kane is just so stupid. But at least Luke gets to watch the Redskins game and not waste time watching the Survivor Series

[WingedEagle]

I'm quite confident saying absolutely nothing at Survivor Series can even approach what Gargano/Ciampa and The Revival did last night. That being said, I'm irrationally excited for the show and interested in just about every match. Depending on how they lay things out, both men's & women's singles survivor matches have a lot of potential, and while Goldberg/Lesnar could go in any direction I'm optimistic it'll be fun as long as they don't run longer than 12 or so minutes.

 

Also incredibly curious just how much time they dedicates to entrances tonight. Anyone want to time them for each match and see how long they run? If everyone gets their own music and walk, tonight could be epic.

[El Dragon]

They have 6 matches to fill 4 hours, the question isn't will everyone get full entrances, it's if all 3 of the SS matches get 40 minutes.

[WingedEagle]

These brand unis are terrible.

[cpst]

These brand unis are terrible.

But think about the branding!

[WingedEagle]

Women have vastly superior entrance music. Just blows the men away.

[KawadaSmile]

Nattie replacing Nikki is a huge downgrade, but at least having a canadian wrestler helps with the actually quite hot crowd.

[Coffey]

Nia Jax looks ridiculous in that RAW shirt.

[WingedEagle]

Nia Jax looks ridiculous in that RAW shirt.

 

Did she not get the memo she can remove it, or is there a reason she has to keep it on?

[El Dragon]

Yeah, this might get 30-40 minutes.

[JerryvonKramer]

Sasha seems a lot less over than she was at HIAC and I don't get why she's tagging with Charlotte.

[cpst]

Sasha seems a lot less over than she was at HIAC and I don't get why she's tagging with Charlotte.

And Bayley is there with all these forced heels thinking "please don't kill my gimmick, please don't kill my gimmick".