NXT Takeover: Brooklyn III

NXT Takeover: Brooklyn III

Brooklyn, NY - August 2017

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into tonight's show, Bobby Roode is the NXT Champion, The Authors of Pain hold the Tag Team Titles, and Asuka is the reigning NXT Women's Champion.

COMMENTATORS: Mauro Ranallo, Nigel McGuiness, and Percy Watson


For the third time in three years, NXT takes over the city of Brooklyn on the Saturday before SummerSlam. Unlike previous years, this year's show didn't boast a tremendous card, but when NXT specials over-deliver more often than not.

The show began with a music performance by Code Orange, who look like they're going to be huge one day in 1999. Did this gang of de-tuned weirdos get here from the time travel booth on a Family Values tour? 

Mauro Ranallo is back on commentary and welcomes us to the show and its opening contest - Johnny Gargano taking on Adres "Cien" Almas. Almas came in as a face, but changed his tune when that didn't get him anywhere and has since brought in Salina Vega as his manager. A big "Johnny Wrestling" chant to start things off as these two got to grappling. Gargano put the pressure on early with a series of rolling pins and facelocks, but Cien cut him off with a stiff back elbow and slowed the pace. Minutes later they gave us a great double clothesline spot and then a terrifically stiff strike-trading sequence. Gargano earned a loud NXT chant for a tope to the floor and then a slingshot DDT for 2 and 4/5ths. Cien would cut off Gargano's spear through the ropes, though, eventually landing an inverted Tornado DDT for a 2 count of his own. Again the crowd burst into a "Johnny Wrestling" chant, but Almas quieted em' with a knife-edged chop. Onto the top rope they climbed, trading blows, until Gargano attempted a somersault powerbomb to no avail. A fantastic sequence of counters and strikes followed building to the Gargano Escape and a one-armed Buckle Bomb by Almas. Almas then nailed the running double knees into the corner but somehow Gargano kicked out! Damn, we've seen at least 3 should-be-finishes in this match and its not over. Gargano stuns him with two big superkicks and then lawn-darts Almas into the corner. As he geared up for his finish, though, Vega tossed him a #DIY shirt and the distraction allowed Almas to lock him up for his convoluted DDT-like finisher. I wouldn't call this a must-see just because I'm not sure there was enough emotion involved (admittedly, I don't really follow NXT week-to-week so I might be wrong), but this was probably my favorite Cien match from any Takeover he's been on. (3.5/5)

The camera cuts over to show Kurt Angle and Daniel Bryan watching the show from a skybox in the Barclays Center. After a video promo hyping the next match, Corey Graves joins the commentary team. 

Up next - The Authors of Pain defending the NXT Tag Championship against SAniTY's Killian Dane and Alexander Wolfe. This is essentially a heel/heel match, but as long as these teams delivered some hard-hitting high spots, the crowd was willing to get behind the match. Eric Young brought out a table early and tried to steer his men towards it, some good foreshadowing for future destruction. Wolfe and Akem started things off before Rezar came in, though the Authors would keep the pressure on with a series of quick tags. In a weird choice, Eric Young would be tagged in rather than Killian Dane, the match, hyped as being a battle of giants, turning into, well, just your typical tag match. Young and Rezar went into the crowd for some brawling, but found their way back into the ring after a minute or so. Great double-team back body drop-into-a-dominator spot from the Authors. Excellent crossface strikes from Akem (or Rezar? Still haven't figured out who's who). Wolfe came in to relieve Young and ended up hitting a huge release german suplex on Rezar. Wolfe wouldn't maintain control for long, though, eventually getting dropped to the mat with a double-team neckbreaker-powerbomb combo. Wolfe was prepped for a powerbomb off the top but reversed it into a Frankensteiner and made the hot tag to Young. This led to a cool spot that saw one Author powerbomb the Author when Nikki Cross prevented a Tower of Doom. Both Young and Wolfe would come flying through and over the top rope onto the Authors on the outside and Nikki Cross came in to a huge pop to get her own moment. Cross got caught, though, and looked to be in trouble before Killian Dane tackled both Cross and the Author through the table! A "This is Awesome" chant began as Eric Young and Alex Wolfe landed their finish to win the titles! I'm going to call that an upset just because I expected the Authors reign to last a good while - not because they're not ready for a call-up, but because they're one of the few acts on NXT that I'd say are legitimately over, credible, and established. I liked the match itself more than the finish. Bobby Fish and Kyle O'Reilly show up and take out both teams! Known in other companies as reDRagon, I'm excited to see what they'll do, but I'm not sure dishing out a post-match beatdown on both teams, establishing them as basically heels (unless the WWE is banking on them getting over as babyfaces just because of their RoH background), was a wise move when the division desperately needs a replacement for #DIY. (3/5)

And we get another guest commentator - this time its none other than Jim Ross! 

The recently heel-turned Hideo Itami makes his way to the ring next to take on the relative newcomer Aleister Black. I must admit that I enjoyed Black's entrance, Code Orange doing a solid impression of that one European metal band where there's like 12 members and everyone has a mask? As expected, this one was all about stiff strikes so it didn't take long before Black had a bloody nose. Without the color, I'm not sure this one would've seemed as hard-hitting and violent as it did, but it was an absolutely brutal affair, Itami, at least to me, finally living up to the hype of 3 years ago. This may have been designed to help establish Black as NXT's next great babyface, but it was Itami who, to me, looked like he was ready to be pulled to the main roster and given a solid heel push. Very good finish too, with the Black Mass looking like it could be the next RKO, just an absolute stunner of a move that can come out of almost anywhere and score you a 3 count. Here's hoping they never have anyone kick out of that thing. (3.5/5)

Its time for the NXT Women's Championship match - Asuka defending against the woman that almost had her number at the last Takeover show, Ember Moon. Moon tried to surprise her way to a victory early, but once Asuka gained control, the punishment began. Asuka's viciousness is still remarkable even after a year of witnessing it from the champ, everything she does looking like it is either knocking a tooth out, pulling a clump of hair out, tearing a muscle, or breaking a bone. Asuka is the ultra-rare heel that the fans should want to see get dethroned, but don't. Moon is the best challenger she's had, a woman who is underrated simply because the gulf between just about anyone and Asuka is so wide and the women that Moon could more easily be compared to in terms of talent level are already on the main roster. I loved how Moon came in with a clear strategy of not only surviving Asuka, but upsetting her with unexpected pin attempts and innovations of her own. There were some slight spot-calling issues, but nothing too egregious in the grand scheme of the match, as any time these two might've lost the crowd, they brought them back in with a nasty kick or a big slam. Moon hit the Eclipse but Asuka kicked out! I wish there had been some previous attempts to build to it, but thats admittedly nit-picking a little bit. Moon went up a second time for it, but this time Asuka caught her and nearly pinned her with a handful of trunks! The ref caught it, though, and waved off the finish. Moon hit a huge superkick for 2! Moon doesn't go for the cover, though, and Asuka plays possum, locking her up in the Asuka Lock in the center of the ring as the crowd goes wild! Wisely Asuka stays off her back and Moon is forced to tap! To me, the measuring stick for a 4-star match is whether or not it is "must see" and/or worthy of future rewatch and this one hit that mark. Fantastic bout and a step up from their previous bout. This may have been Asuka's best, which is saying something when you consider that she's had some real show-stealers since joining the company. (4/5) 

Main event time - Drew McIntyre challenging Bobby Roode for his NXT Championship. As someone who doesn't watch NXT regularly, seeing McIntyre as a babyface waving the NXT flag is fresh and unexpected considering he was a dastardly heel in his initial WWE run. In a nod to Nakamura's legendary entrance at last year's show, McIntye's entrance song is backed up by the NYPD's Bagpiper Unit. Not to be outdone, Roode also got a very special (or should I just call it glorious) entrance of his own. With Roode, the entrance tends to overshadow the ring work, but this one started out pretty well thanks to Roode's spirited character work and bumping. McIntyre didn't impress me too much in 2009, but has gotten better at the little things and has diversified his offense to include some much fresher maneuvers. A "McIntyre/Bobby Roode" chant started up which surprised me because, as much as I like Roode's gimmick, as an in-ring performer he's not the most dazzling or exciting dude on the roster. With these two you knew you were going to get a more standard wrestling match - less high spots, less stiff strikes, not too many flipperoos - but they worked things wisely and didn't bog things down with extensive headlocks and needless submissions. Instead, they built suspense through pacing and spacing, each big slam separated by selling of pain and fatigue on both sides. As the match progressed, we saw more and more crisp, effective offense from both guys - a great tree of woe spot in the corner, McIntyre's perfect double-underhook DDT, Roode countering a Celtic Cross from the second rope into a powerbomb - and what made it all work was that nothing was undersold. McIntyre seemed to have the match won after a devastating front kick straight to Roode's jaw, but the champion wisely rolled towards the bottom rope to not only buy some time but allow himself the proximity necessary to drape his foot over it. Smart. Roode rolled to the outside only for McIntyre to somehow hit him with a RIDICULOUS front somersault dive over the top rope! A deserved "Holy Shit" chant followed as it was an absolutely gnarly move by a guy who has no business doing it. Back in the ring they went and McIntyre called for what I'm guessing his finish, but Roode caught him in a spinebuster! Roode somehow his Glorious DDT minutes later, but McIntyre still had gas in the tank, kicking out at 2. Roode hit a second one, but didn't go for the cover, opting instead to hit it a third time. Mcintyre headbutted out of it though and hit his running front kick - the Claymore - to become the new NXT Champion in a very good match. Extra half-point for the literal last-minute debut of Adam Cole, who got a huge reaction from the Brooklyn crowd. (3.5/5)


Going into the show I didn't have the highest expectations. On paper you had the underwhelming and half-baked SaNiTy challenging fellow heels The Authors of Pain for the titles, two guys in the main event that aren't known for riveting matches as much as workmanlike consistency in being good-not-great, and impersonal matches in Black/Itami and Gargano/Almas that had no real stakes. No gimmick matches, no *advertised* debuting newcomers or special attractions like Jushin Liger or Mickie James. But Takeover III over-delivered at every turn, each match offering something slightly different than what came before and after. A dearth of "marquee" names has been a recurring criticism since Finn Balor, Samoa Joe, the 4 Horsewomen, and Shinsuke Nakamura left, but this show proved that not only can the brand itself helped lift the show, but there is time yet for Gargano, Almas, Nikki Cross, and others to become The Next Big Thing. With a Kwang Score of 3.5-out-of-5, identical to NXT: Chicago and Orlando from some months back, NXT delivered yet another show that is not to be missed.

FINAL RATING - Watch It