NXT TakeOver: Rival Review
Last Wednesday night gave us the latest NXT special: NXT TakeOver: Rival. This was the fifth NXT special and the fourth under the TakeOver name. The other TakeOver specials were all instant classics (with matches like Adrian Neville vs. Tyson Kidd, Charlotte vs. Natalya, and Sami Zayn vs. Tyler Breeze). Unfortunately, this one wasn't as good. There were some good matches, and storylines furthered, but this show just wasn't as good as the others. There's no need to panic of course, as the ship will no doubt right itself in time. In the meantime, we're going to break down each match on the card and analyze everything. Let's get started.
Pre-Show and Commentary: The pre-show panel featured Renee Young, Corey Graves, Jason Albert, and Byron Saxton. It's a shame Graves will never wrestle again, but he has settled nicely into his commentating role. As a former NXT wrestler, he is able to give good insight on the matches. Young was great as always (though she did slip up once), and Albert and Saxton both did a good job. These four function very well as a team and are the main reason the NXT pre-show panel has been consistently better than the WWE pay-per-view pre-show panels. The commentary team was made up of Rich Brennan, Corey Graves, and Jason Albert. These three have good chemistry and were entertaining to listen to. WWE should consider giving Brennan and Albert commentary jobs on the main roster (Graves was on the Rumble pre-show).
Hideo Itami vs. Tyler Breeze: This feud started when Itami beat Breeze in the first round in the tournament to determine the #1 Contender for the NXT Championship. After Itami lost in the next round to Finn Bálor, Breeze attacked him backstage. These two opened the special, which proved to be a smart choice. The crowd was hot for both of these stars (one woman even jumped onto Breeze before being ejected by security), so the atmosphere and tone was set for the rest of the evening. Breeze has done a phenomenal job playing up his narcissistic gimmick, and tonight was no different. He's not an excellent wrestler (definitely not in the top five of NXT), but his athleticism and over-the-top charisma will serve him well on the main roster. Is he ready for a call-up? It's hard to say, especially now that Breeze is no longer one of the top stars on the NXT roster. Itami on the other hhand, is an incredible wrestler. He has a deadly arsenal of moves and is as smooth a worker as you will see. He's been in NXT for about six months now, and it could be at least another six more before the WWE calls him up. And as for the actual match: it was pretty good, but nothing special. The spot with Breeze locking on a ring-post Figure-Four Leglock was pretty cool, but nothing else really stood out. On another note: when Itami finally hits the GTS, the crowd is going to go ballistic.
Barom Corbin vs. Bull Dempsey- This was easily the most disappointing match on the roster. This was a No Disqualification match, but no weapon was even used. A chair was teased, but it was never used. This match went on for less than five minutes, which was done to protect Corbin. All he's been in is short squash matches. They could have added a few minutes to this match and given Dempsey a chance to shine a little bit. The ending sequence was good, but that's really the only positive here. Oh, and on a final note: neither of them are ready for the main roster yet.
Wesley Blake and Buddy Murphy vs. The Lucha Dragons- It was a bit of a surprise when Blake and Murphy won the titles, as they were an unproven commodity. They were impressive in this match, even though there were some significant botches (especially by Kalisto). There have been rumors that Kalisto is going to be turned into a gay hairdresser, so taking the tag titles off of the Dragons might have been the first step in that direction. As for Blake and Murphy, there's nothing really special about them, and they're not ready for the main roster yet. This could have been a very good match, but it'll have to settle for good.
Finn Bálor vs. Adrian Neville- This was hands-down the best match of the night. Bálor looked awesome with his body paint and both men worked very hard. The two worked very well together and pulled out all of the spots. After watching that match, it's clear that both of these men are ready for the main roster right now, especially Neville. Bálor hasn't got a lot of promo time yet, but that will change now that he's the #1 Contender for the NXT Championship. I think this is the perfect opportunity to move Neville up to the main roster. He's been ready for months, and he has nothing left to do in NXT. I think they'll wait for after 'Mania, as there doesn't appear to be any room on the card for him at the moment. Instead, bring him up just in time to build up a feud for Extreme Rules (maybe against Curtis Axel or Luke Harper) where he can shine. As for Bálor, I am very much looking forward to him facing Kevin Owens.
Charlotte vs. Sasha Banks vs. Becky Lynch vs. Bayley- Like all of the other NXT Women's Championship matches that have taken place on NXT specials, this was a great match. All four of these women looked really good and worked hard. Bayley put on another great performance as the underdog babyface while Becky Lynch put on her best NXT performance to date (and it was a damn good performance). Charlotte looked very impressive and Sasha Banks put on an incredible in-ring performance. Banks will no doubt be a great champion, as she has great amounts of charisma, athleticism, and in-ring talent. Lynch is not quite ready for a call-up yet, but the other three are. This is the perfect time to call up Bayley and Charlotte. The dream match? A Fatal 4-Way Match with Nikki Bella, Paige, Charlotte, and Bayley for the Divas Championship at WrestleMania. Please WWE, make this happen.
Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn- This match was the main event and was for Zayn's NXT Championship. This feud was built up very well, and the NXT Universe was very invested in this match. This could have been a really great match, but it did build-up the rest of their feud very well. Owens looked like a force of nature while Zayn looked like a really determined babyface. This feud could be the backbone of NXT for the rest of 2015, but I would prefer they call up Zayn to the main roster, as he is more than ready. Owens is also ready for the main roster as well, but his rivalry with Bálor should be great.
So, to summarize: it was a very good event, but not a really great one. There are a number of superstars ready for the main roster (including Adrian Neville, Sami Zayn, and Bayley), but we don't know when that will be. Hopefully it is sometime soon.
Pre-Show and Commentary: The pre-show panel featured Renee Young, Corey Graves, Jason Albert, and Byron Saxton. It's a shame Graves will never wrestle again, but he has settled nicely into his commentating role. As a former NXT wrestler, he is able to give good insight on the matches. Young was great as always (though she did slip up once), and Albert and Saxton both did a good job. These four function very well as a team and are the main reason the NXT pre-show panel has been consistently better than the WWE pay-per-view pre-show panels. The commentary team was made up of Rich Brennan, Corey Graves, and Jason Albert. These three have good chemistry and were entertaining to listen to. WWE should consider giving Brennan and Albert commentary jobs on the main roster (Graves was on the Rumble pre-show).
Hideo Itami vs. Tyler Breeze: This feud started when Itami beat Breeze in the first round in the tournament to determine the #1 Contender for the NXT Championship. After Itami lost in the next round to Finn Bálor, Breeze attacked him backstage. These two opened the special, which proved to be a smart choice. The crowd was hot for both of these stars (one woman even jumped onto Breeze before being ejected by security), so the atmosphere and tone was set for the rest of the evening. Breeze has done a phenomenal job playing up his narcissistic gimmick, and tonight was no different. He's not an excellent wrestler (definitely not in the top five of NXT), but his athleticism and over-the-top charisma will serve him well on the main roster. Is he ready for a call-up? It's hard to say, especially now that Breeze is no longer one of the top stars on the NXT roster. Itami on the other hhand, is an incredible wrestler. He has a deadly arsenal of moves and is as smooth a worker as you will see. He's been in NXT for about six months now, and it could be at least another six more before the WWE calls him up. And as for the actual match: it was pretty good, but nothing special. The spot with Breeze locking on a ring-post Figure-Four Leglock was pretty cool, but nothing else really stood out. On another note: when Itami finally hits the GTS, the crowd is going to go ballistic.
Barom Corbin vs. Bull Dempsey- This was easily the most disappointing match on the roster. This was a No Disqualification match, but no weapon was even used. A chair was teased, but it was never used. This match went on for less than five minutes, which was done to protect Corbin. All he's been in is short squash matches. They could have added a few minutes to this match and given Dempsey a chance to shine a little bit. The ending sequence was good, but that's really the only positive here. Oh, and on a final note: neither of them are ready for the main roster yet.
Wesley Blake and Buddy Murphy vs. The Lucha Dragons- It was a bit of a surprise when Blake and Murphy won the titles, as they were an unproven commodity. They were impressive in this match, even though there were some significant botches (especially by Kalisto). There have been rumors that Kalisto is going to be turned into a gay hairdresser, so taking the tag titles off of the Dragons might have been the first step in that direction. As for Blake and Murphy, there's nothing really special about them, and they're not ready for the main roster yet. This could have been a very good match, but it'll have to settle for good.
Finn Bálor vs. Adrian Neville- This was hands-down the best match of the night. Bálor looked awesome with his body paint and both men worked very hard. The two worked very well together and pulled out all of the spots. After watching that match, it's clear that both of these men are ready for the main roster right now, especially Neville. Bálor hasn't got a lot of promo time yet, but that will change now that he's the #1 Contender for the NXT Championship. I think this is the perfect opportunity to move Neville up to the main roster. He's been ready for months, and he has nothing left to do in NXT. I think they'll wait for after 'Mania, as there doesn't appear to be any room on the card for him at the moment. Instead, bring him up just in time to build up a feud for Extreme Rules (maybe against Curtis Axel or Luke Harper) where he can shine. As for Bálor, I am very much looking forward to him facing Kevin Owens.
Charlotte vs. Sasha Banks vs. Becky Lynch vs. Bayley- Like all of the other NXT Women's Championship matches that have taken place on NXT specials, this was a great match. All four of these women looked really good and worked hard. Bayley put on another great performance as the underdog babyface while Becky Lynch put on her best NXT performance to date (and it was a damn good performance). Charlotte looked very impressive and Sasha Banks put on an incredible in-ring performance. Banks will no doubt be a great champion, as she has great amounts of charisma, athleticism, and in-ring talent. Lynch is not quite ready for a call-up yet, but the other three are. This is the perfect time to call up Bayley and Charlotte. The dream match? A Fatal 4-Way Match with Nikki Bella, Paige, Charlotte, and Bayley for the Divas Championship at WrestleMania. Please WWE, make this happen.
Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn- This match was the main event and was for Zayn's NXT Championship. This feud was built up very well, and the NXT Universe was very invested in this match. This could have been a really great match, but it did build-up the rest of their feud very well. Owens looked like a force of nature while Zayn looked like a really determined babyface. This feud could be the backbone of NXT for the rest of 2015, but I would prefer they call up Zayn to the main roster, as he is more than ready. Owens is also ready for the main roster as well, but his rivalry with Bálor should be great.
So, to summarize: it was a very good event, but not a really great one. There are a number of superstars ready for the main roster (including Adrian Neville, Sami Zayn, and Bayley), but we don't know when that will be. Hopefully it is sometime soon.
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