NXT Takeover 2 the Takeover-en-ing was really good!
Did you watch? What did you like?
Sleeper moment of the show for me was realizing that the Baron Corbin debut was a total trope-inverting moment. Dude’s already in the ring, no entrance music (and to the regular NXT audience, he’s a shlub who’s never done anything) – and he DESTROYS a known, active member of the roster. It was awesome! Baron Corbin looks like a beast and I’m pumped to see more of him.
In #WWWRPG terms, that’s a Jobber changing playbook right there.
I liked pretty much all of it. I liked Bull squashing Mojo. I loved Charlotte vs. Bayley with Charlotte playing tweener. I loved Neville’s victory at all costs heel turn. I loved poor bald Marcus Louis.
I think bald Marcus Louis is going to be the best version of Marcus Louis.
I wanted the Divas match to steal the show, but I do think the main event earned it’s spot. That said, it was a great match and I think it told a great story of Bayley pulling out all the stops, doing her best and just not being able to beat Charlotte, but earning her respect.
And Sasha Banks as the number one shitheel of NXT is totally ok with me!
I love Sasha. I am so happy there’s a “no she’s not!” counterchant to the ones about her being ratchet.
I’m pissed the commentators were running down Marcus’s looks but Neville gets a pass. But if he’s a heel now I’m sure they’ll start with their own #hobbit shots any minute.
One thing I was a little let down by was Kenta.
1) Changing his name.
2) I wanted to see him wrestle a match, not do an (awkward) interview and run off.
3) An Ascension feud means they’re probably going to pair him up with someone who can speak English. I’d rather see him wrestle singles, and I’m worried about who they could possibly partner him with that will be worthwhile.
That said I haven’t given up on him or anything. I’m just worried about WWE doing what WWE does.
The crowd was great. They also boo’d down a nonsensical CM Punk chant in the middle of the main event.
The advertised KENTA’s in-ring debut next week. I kind of expected him in a squash match at most tonite, so my expectations weren’t too far off. At first I thought the Ascension getting run off made them look like chumps, but my buddy I was was watching with made the good point that it was better than if, like, Wesley Blake came out or something. KENTA looks like he can hang with those guys, and if they’re not moving up to the main roster (which I’m kind of expecting), I bet we’ll get some good matches.
Also, real talk, the dude has been in the WWE developmental system for…a couple months? It’s gotta take longer than that for him to get used to WWE televised match style and whatnot. I’d rather they take it easy with him and have it pay off later, y’know?
(I know the fear of WWE ruining things, though. It is everpresent!)
Nathan Paoletta YES! The booing the CM Punk chant was AWESOME. THANK YOU NXT AUDIENCE.
And yeah yeah I need to dial it down on KENTA (whoops, forgot the all-caps last time). I just figured if they’re putting him in front of the camera than matches shouldn’t be too far behind.
I agree with your buddy about KENTA and the Ascension. If they’re going to bring him in as international superstar it’s silly to have him wrestle real live cowboys for the next couple of months.
I’m never going to stop being mad that they made him change his name though.
I saw one thing one teh internetz (because I might be obsessed with recaps today), that it was his decision and it’s a reference to Captain New Japan + the word “pain” in Japanese. Which kind of means he changed his name to Captain Pain.
WWE makes everyone change their names though. I don’t believe that this one time they were like, “Oh it’s cool don’t change your name,” and KENTA insisted that he should. I do like his name though. I wish when Hulk Hogan went to Japan they’d made him change his name to Mr. Muscles or something.
(except CM Punk!)
but yah, the line between “you gotta change your name and you get to pick it if you want” and “he chose a new name” is pretty easily blurred.
It is super interesting that they’re signing guys as “themselves” and waiting until they debut to change their name. I’m sure it’s case-by-case, but still. It feels more respectful of all the work they’ve put into their careers, in a way.
I only caught the beginning, since I was at trivia (with a round on Wrestling!) last night. I can’t ever stop shaking my head at Kalisto getting caught in the middle of a move because he’s too small to really pull it off. It’s like he’s a Mini that actually gets real ring time. That said, I LOOOOVE the Lucha Dragons and am really happy to see them in more matches.
I’m psyched to hear that Neville took a heel turn to win the 4-way. I can’t wait to go back and watch that.
This was good stuff, start to finish. I’m actually surprised I liked the Bull Dempsey v Mojo Rawley match. I’m not exactly a big fan of either, but it was two big guys going full speed ahead until someone messed up. That’s pretty much what it should have been.
I hate Bull Dempsey’s way overdone angry faces, I really wish someone would tell him to just dial it back a little bit, but I liked him when he first debuted and people trashing him on the internet has only summoned up my contrariness and made me like him more.
I watched it. I’m only just now getting in to wrestling, mainly because WWWRPG looks cool.
I really enjoyed it, I thought the last match was great, I was shocked when Neville won.
I also really like the contrast in personality between Sin Cara and Kalisto. I feel like Sin Cara is supposed to be a better and more experienced wrestler than Kalisto, though, given their promo interactions, and I’m not sure if that holds up in the ring, from what little I’ve seen of them.
I loved Hideo Itami’s introduction. I can’t wait to see more of him.
I feel like something’s gone wrong with the ascension. The announcers talk about how badass they are, but I don’t actually feel like they are, or that beating them is that great a feat? Maybe it’s because I haven’t actually seen any of the matches where they beat someone important. Also, though, their gimmick seems to be that they’re unstoppable monsters who want to destroy everything, and I feel like that’s not a good gimmick for a team that has the title, since the role of the champion is reactive?
So I dumbly perused this thread before watching so the end was spoiled for me….then i accidentally started Aftermath, so the Women’s match was spoiled for me
Some great matches though. But I hardly consider pulling the ref out, in a match that you are in, counts as a Heel turn. It counts as wanting to win.
It’s not like he used the ropes, or had a handful of tights.
That and keeping Breeze from tapping out rather than breaking the hold are pretty heelish, dude. You can be a heel without cheating.
Keeping someone from Tapping out? I question the heelness of that good sir. It’s no different than breaking up a pin, I say.
Plus the look on his face didn’t really come off as Heel. Just a bit of shock at just barely having saved the match in time.
I didn’t read it is a full heel turn, but it opens the door to a Zane/Neville feud that might see him doing more and more “tactical” moves to keep his championship when the chips are down.
I agree with that. You’re the champ! You do what it takes…
Then again I’m a total Jesse Ventura style heel.
Bret Gillan Dempsey’s angry face always makes me think of Daniel Radcliff’s angry face in the Harry Potter movies, especially the first couple. He could probably make a good sneer work, but turbo-angry is just comical on him. He’s really on the edge of getting something good going.
I also thought Charlotte and Bayley was a solid match, but:
1) I want to see Charlotte being a bit more of a Flair. What’s with this “born to be a heel one minute” and “so respectful” the next? The Flair name is prime real estate and they better start building on that.
2) Every NXT Women’s match I see makes me hate the WWE Divas matches even more, even when it’s the same women. Why do RAW and SmackDown never get women’s matches of this quality? If they’re serious about brining in women and girls, they need to bring out something besides the Bellas rolling around on Jerry Springer.
You can never trust a Flair, but I think showing respect for someone you’ve beaten isn’t necessarily a bad thing in terms of building Charlotte’s character – the many shades of heeldom is one of the things I love about NXT!
Agreed about main roster Divas matches. It’s great that they’re FINALLY building some compelling storylines for the womens division, but so far they’re most good-on-paper, shit-on-execution. It’s baffling!
Why are we still dealing with The Bellas in a pseudo main event fashion…this is a question that should not need to be asked, but they continue to force me to ask it.
Total Divas
cursed reality show.