[2019-06-01-WWE-NXT TakeOver: XXV] Matt Riddle vs Roderick Strong

[paul sosnowski]

Showcase match between two of NXT's top stars.   Talk about it here

[Boss Rock]

Terrific opener and might be the best NXT/WWE match this year so far. Good, consistent pace with tons of urgency and action while never letting up for a second. Strong did a great job working over the back and Riddle's selling was excellent. Also had a sort of grittiness you don't see too often in NXT/WWE, especially with the former's  indie-riffic tendencies. I remember in 2016 being skeptical over the hype of Riddle as this huge star, but he absolutely is.

****1/2

[Cap]

In 2016 Roddy and Riddle had what at the time I thought was Riddle's best match. That might not sound like high praise, but when you think of the quality of people Riddle was getting to work with at the time, its a pretty big deal. They at least matched that and maybe exceeded it here. Pretty easily the match of the night for me. This felt like 2015/16 Roddy when I counted him among the best 2-3 wrestlers on earth, a match influenced by his input and with all the reigns taken off of him. Two freak athletes going out and doing freak athlete stuff, but also holding everything together and really pacing things out nicely.  Its well executed but still gritty and hard hitting. This is a low end MOTY candidate for me, but one that I definitely think is worthy of consideration. ****1/2 (for now)

[Makai Club #1]

Incredibly strong(pun intended) start to the show. There was a brisk back and forth pace so the match didn’t outstay its welcome. Loved the competitiveness that the match had with both men being able to shine - Roddy w/ his excellent back work and Riddle w/ his explosive comebacks. But I do think that Riddle could’ve sold his back far better than he did, especially when making his comebacks because he kinda blew it off. But it wasn’t all bad as he did sell fairly well besides that. Some of the sequences like Roddy’s running elbows were awesome. Riddle added some of his usual great strikes too. More of this please. ***1/2

[ShittyLittleBoots]

This was a BANGER, and how it could've not been that? Riddle & Strong compliment each other pretty perfectly with their in-ring styles meshing up wonderfully. Brutal, hard hitting, back breakin', explosive action from bell to bell w/ no dull moments whatsoever. Helluva way to open the show, and actually ended up being my favorite match of the night. ***3/4

[SmartMark15]

Holy fuck, this was great. Watched this off the recommendations in the midyear awards thread and it didn't disappoint. Every moment bursting with stiff strikes, hard suplexes, and lots and lots of struggle. Oh boy did it feel like these two just wanted to hurt each other and win at any cost. Awesome stuff here. Particularly liked the finishing stretch with Riddle selling the back while trying to get all his offense in. This was awesome. 

****1/2

[EnviousStupid]

Neither Roddy nor Riddle are guys who I'd call myself a big fan of, but they pull off a pretty organic heel/face dynamic from the opening grapple. Riddle has the size and skill advantage on the mat, consistently able to apply submissions that leave Roddy scratching and clawing for a rope break. Meanwhile Roddy is easily the harder striker of the two, which comes into play really well with the several combinations he puts together in his offense, mostly targeting the ribs and back of Riddle that commentary reminds us of were damaged sometime before the PPV. It's that kind of tenacity on display that helps Riddle look genuinely sympathetic in spite of his outlandish personality. If I was to really fault anything here, it's that I thought the wrong person won. Riddle never felt like he adapted to Roddy's gameplan or outmatched him during the finishing stretch, and even his high-risk attempts ended up with him eating a couple knees to the back. Hitting some weak elbows followed by lifting Roddy up for that shitty Tombstone Press Slam to win just wasn't my cup of tea.