Jmare007 Posted November 18, 2018 Report Share Posted November 18, 2018 The last two big spots were hilarious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Dragon Posted November 18, 2018 Report Share Posted November 18, 2018 hahahaha the setup for themm both leaning over the ropes like the Sharks and Jets was fucking hysterical. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jmare007 Posted November 18, 2018 Report Share Posted November 18, 2018 6 minutes ago, El Dragon said: I will say this feels like a big upgrade over last year. I felt the opposite. Felt like a worse blend of indy style and forced WWE drama/epic than usual. It still had some fun parts though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NintendoLogic Posted November 18, 2018 Report Share Posted November 18, 2018 Christ, Wargames felt like it would never fucking end. The hilarious thing to me was that even the crowd barely gave a shit. They'd pop huge for the big spots and then go back to being completely silent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hammerva Posted November 18, 2018 Report Share Posted November 18, 2018 Yeah I liked the first one much better. They did all the weapon spots and it was like "Oh shit we have 10 minutes left now what". It seems like they ran out of ideas until they got to the finish which ultimately was just to put over Cole/Dunne/Ricochet again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KawadaSmile Posted November 18, 2018 Author Report Share Posted November 18, 2018 Watched the first two matches: gotta say I'm not enjoying it. Not that it's bad, but if two out of five matches combined last for 13 minutes, it's not a good sign. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SmartMark15 Posted November 18, 2018 Report Share Posted November 18, 2018 Easily one of the weaker Takeovers of the year. That being said, individually, I thought all the matches were fun and some were really great too. WarGames itself, I thought, was about the same as last year's all things considered. Dream continues to look absolutely amazing. Thought that title match did start slow but the finishing stretch was as excellent as anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricR Posted November 18, 2018 Report Share Posted November 18, 2018 That was far and away my least favorite of all the TakeOvers I've watched. That main event was a neverending hell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Sorrow Posted November 18, 2018 Report Share Posted November 18, 2018 Velveteen Dream is the greatest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert S Posted November 18, 2018 Report Share Posted November 18, 2018 Drake Younger saying "my key does not fit" was so stupid considering that Fish put the second lock there right in front of him (or at the very least directly on camera). The first thing you would expect the refs (or at least GM Regal, he is supposed to be watching this, right?) to go looking for a bolt cutter during the three minute period. Tables have to be my least favorite foreign objects in pro wrestling due to this whole Chekhov's Gun thing. Once a table is in or at the ring you know the match won't end until the table is broken. Gargano losing seems to be weird booking, for one it's his very first (televised) match after the turn and two the idea of this whole turn was a "decend into madness" as he kept losing as a face. The only possible reasons for him losing are either Black challenging for the title at the next TakeOver, Gargano being called up before Mania or that they did not want to have three heel wins in a row on the card. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boss Rock Posted November 18, 2018 Report Share Posted November 18, 2018 Really liked the show. Riddle squashing Ohno was a great way to put him over as a potential top star. The 2/3 falls match was smartly worked even with all the interference. Loved Johnny-Black. Frantic pace and Johnny plays a good shithead heel. It just seems really stupid that he lost ANOTHER Takeover match. Like, how is he even supposed to be remotely credible at this point? Some of the ending theatrics were also a bit cheesy but 97% of this was excellent. Didn't like how Ciampa recovered as quickly as he did against Dream to win but thought it was tremendous overall. Another great showcase for Dream even if he's still putting some of the in-ring pieces together. And while the main event literally seemed to go on forever and probably should have been at least 10-15 minutes shorter, was fun. So not a show of the year contender per se, still a really enjoyable watch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viking Hall Posted November 18, 2018 Report Share Posted November 18, 2018 This might potentially sound weird but I think this event suffered from being at the end of 2018. The match quality has been so high this year that what was a selection of good to great matches will be somewhat lost in the mix once the year gets dissected. Any other year I think the Gargano vs Black match in particular would have been in and around the MOTY candidates (possibly Dream vs Ciampa too) but will be unlikely to make anyone's Top 10 this year. Is 2018 the year we reach the top of the mountain in terms of in-ring work? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cap Posted November 18, 2018 Report Share Posted November 18, 2018 The Ohno/Riddle thing was fun. Should set up a nice little feud to get Riddle off the ground the right way in NXT. The women's match was so disappointing. I think they did everything they could with the time they had and really set the tone for the evening well, but I was hoping for a lot more too. Gargano/Black didn't do much for me. The action was good, but it felt a bit directionless to me. Gargano feels so forced to me sometimes. He is such a talent, but I think he leans into the cheese a bit much, especially post the Almas match, which is why I am not as high on what he has done since then as some. It was still quite good on the whole, but it just didn't grab me. Ciampa/Dream on the other hand was my jam. Their cheesiness and theatrics felt less contrived. Things were just paced really nicely. I would agree that the only nitpicky thing for me was just how quickly Ciampa bounced back after taking every move in the Dreams arsenal. Overall though I think this was a really really good to great match. Haven't watched wargames yet, but I'll get to it eventually. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sek69 Posted November 18, 2018 Report Share Posted November 18, 2018 I loved the match, but I'm starting to worry Dream is going to get Lex Luger'ed soon. The crowd was wanting him to win so bad, and yet again he lost clean. I know they probably have a bigger long term story with Tomasso and Johnny, but at some point Dream is going to become the guy who can't win the big one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SomethingSavage Posted November 18, 2018 Report Share Posted November 18, 2018 I won't even lie. This was one of the weaker Takeovers since at least Balor's never-ending reign of terror. But really. It wasn't an awful show or anything by any means. I can't even comprehend how some folks can get stoked for their weekly dose of Raw slog & yet feel like this show was cold or boring. It wasn't their best effort. But that should speak more to the quality & expectations that come with NXT Takeover events by this point. They've consistently been the best thing WWE has produced for four years running. I'm not so sure Gargano's "credibility" should be a concern now. When he was losing so regularly as a top-tier baby face? Absolutely. But now that he's a heel, the emphasis should be on his dirty tactics & his cowardice. Credibility can go out the window. Dude's 85 pounds if he's soaking wet with a brick in his back pocket. He was hardly ever a "credible" or threatening presence in the first place. Dream is the one to look to for an infusion of credibility soon. He's lost several big matches back to back to back, but the crowd is sooo ready to embrace him as their guy. I'm not going to make the case that Ciampa should have dropped the belt here, because they likely have plans for Black there first & foremost. But yeah. Dream will need a worthwhile win soon. They're quickly running the risk of beating him too much too often. You can do that sort of thing AFTER a guy is established with a solid, steady run up top. But it's always detrimental to do it before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NintendoLogic Posted November 18, 2018 Report Share Posted November 18, 2018 Dream can work and has boatloads of charisma. He'll be fine as long as he doesn't get the Zayn/Bayley treatment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DMJ Posted November 18, 2018 Report Share Posted November 18, 2018 A few quick thoughts (as my full review will be up on my blog soon enough)... - Loved everything about Baszler/Sane except the last 60 seconds or so. Add 2-3 more minutes of action, better integrate the outside-the-ring shenanigans with the Horsewomen and Sane's allies, maybe tack on a slightly more clever finish, and I think it is the best match they've had and a Top 10 WWE MOTY contender. Sadly, it didn't quite get there the way it was. - The Gargano/Black storyline and match aren't clicking for me. I go into more detail in my blog, but the gist is that while it all makes storyline sense and follows understandable logic, this also means that its a predictable "going through the motions" storyline involving two guys that are ill-fitting in these roles. Black works best as a foil to more colorful, charismatic figures (his match against Dream remains his NXT watermark, for one example, but also paired against a chickenshit like Adam Cole, he was much more engaging). Here, you have Black doing the dark, brooding thing against Gargano, also doing a "dark" version of himself. I'm not even saying Gargano isn't a good heel, just that he was special as an underdog babyface. As a heel, its going to take some really great work for him to feel that special. This match wasn't it. - I don't think any match was worse than good (not including the opener, which was more of an angle). 3-out-of-5 matches were, to me, in that 3.5 star range. As I often point out, though, to me, the mark of a 4-star-or-more match is one that I think is worth rewatching or telling your friends about or is at least in the conversation of a Top 10 MOTY for that company. I don't think any match hit that level (though the women's bout had a chance too if they hadn't rushed that last fall). A 4-star match is "must see." I'm not sure if anything on this show was "must see." In summation, the word I'd use to describe this entire event was obligatory. This event felt like it occurred because the calendar dictated that it needed to occur, not because there were any intensely heated feuds that were going to peak at this event. As much as I liked Baszler/Sane, that rivalry probably peaked at Evolution. The Gargano/Black feud needed to be wrapped up, but again, it felt like the match was obligatory more than something people were actively anticipating. Ditto for the War Games. And, to make matters somewhat worse, I'm not sure they set up anything for the January Takeover (they do one before the Rumble, right?) show either when this card really needed some surprises or storyline development to set the table for a card with more variety on the horizon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Sorrow Posted November 19, 2018 Report Share Posted November 19, 2018 Wins and losses don't matter. Dream is a star. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SomethingSavage Posted November 19, 2018 Report Share Posted November 19, 2018 I've seen people shit on Dream's tribute spots in the match. That just seems like such a soulless, joyless way to watch wrestling. You've got to allow it to be fun sometimes. Put down the notepads & scorecards every once in awhile. Let it be. If a magnetic, charismatic showman like Dream can't pull off that stuff, then nobody can. I don't know. I just feel like there's a section of fans that are wayyy too self-serious with their analyzing and grading and other shit. It's maddening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Migs Posted November 19, 2018 Report Share Posted November 19, 2018 1 hour ago, SomethingSavage said: I've seen people shit on Dream's tribute spots in the match. That just seems like such a soulless, joyless way to watch wrestling. You've got to allow it to be fun sometimes. Put down the notepads & scorecards every once in awhile. Let it be. If a magnetic, charismatic showman like Dream can't pull off that stuff, then nobody can. I don't know. I just feel like there's a section of fans that are wayyy too self-serious with their analyzing and grading and other shit. It's maddening. If someone can't get that an African-American man swiping Hulk Hogan's moveset is a fascinating and engaging decision, I don't know what to tell them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SomethingSavage Posted November 19, 2018 Report Share Posted November 19, 2018 It's both interesting and entertaining. Either way, there's no reason to shit on it. It's not like it was thrust onto him. He also uses Randy Savage spots on the regular. None of those things detracted from the story or the action itself. Moving on... "Tapestry of terror!" "The veteran has been vanquished!" "Quartets of combatants will collide in competition!" Fucking fuck. Mauro is relentless and exhausting. If Stan Lee introduced me to alliteration and charmed me with his usage of it, then Mauro has weaponized it and bludgeoned me over the head with it like I bullied him backstage or something. You can almost hear an audible eye roll and a sigh everytime he has to shove his shit in. Poor Nigel just has to hang back & tolerate it before he can go back to calling the show like a human being. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FMKK Posted November 19, 2018 Report Share Posted November 19, 2018 Mauro is the worst commentator in the company at this point. Just toe curling and overbearing. At least you can generally tune out the shitty main roster guys but he's always SCREAMING. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotJayTabb Posted November 20, 2018 Report Share Posted November 20, 2018 "MAMMA F'ING MIA' Yeah, Mauro is just the worst, a man who manages to take me out of the matches by shoehorning in terrible references or yelling like a lunatic. Really makes me appreciate just how good the NXT pairing of Phillips and Graves were, they had an easy chemistry, told the match stories nicely and got excited at the right times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KawadaSmile Posted November 20, 2018 Author Report Share Posted November 20, 2018 Mauro Ranallo is really the worst commentator I've seen. HE'S ALWAYS SCREAMING EVEN WHEN THE WRESTLERS ARE LOCKING UP LIKE AN IPHONE SCREEN AFTER BEING IDLE FOR TOO LONG MAMMA MIA THAT HEADBUTT WAS FOOD FOR THOUGHT NIGEL! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FMKK Posted November 20, 2018 Report Share Posted November 20, 2018 I actually kind of enjoy dreaming up scenarios that they could book just for him to shoehorn current pop cultural references into his commentary. I hope they do a gauntlet match so he can say 'thank u, next' every time someone is eliminated or some shit. 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.