NXT Takeover: War Games

NXT Takeover: WarGames

Houston, TX - November 2017

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into tonight's show, Drew McIntyre is the reigning NXT Champion, the NXT Womens' Championship is vacant (but will be decided tonight), and the NXT Tag Team Champions are SaNiTy.

COMMENTATORS: Mauro Ranallo, Nigel McGuiness, and Percy Watson

Kicking things off, Kassius Ohno took on the monstrous Lars Sullivan. From what I could dig up on wikipedia, Sullivan is only a few years into the business, so pairing him up with an indy vet like Ohno in his first major outing was a good idea. That being said, Sullivan may have looked even more impressive against someone he could actually lift as there were a couple times when it was obvious he didn't have 100% control when he took Ohno off his feet. Great sequence of Ohno striking Sullivan repeatedly in his face with Sullivan just begging for more. It bordered on Road Warrior-style no-selling (which I'm not usually a fan of) but Lars' facial expression showed that the hurt was registering and simultaneously firing him up. Sullivan's finisher was a disappointment, but overall, this wasn't perfectly fine as an opener. (2.5/5)

Several UK stars were shown at ringside, including Tyler Bate. They get a decent ovation from the crowd, but not as big as the one for the guy who competes next - Aleister Black. Black's opponent tonight was The Velveteen Dream, a hip-shaking Prince-like figure who refuses to be ignored by the ultra-serious Black. Dream added even more fuel to the fire by showing up in airbrushed tights, drawing a sizable "Velveteen" chant from the crowd. I really liked the exchange of wrestling holds to start things off, Velveteen coming in with a strategy to avoid strikes but Black proving he can chain wrestle just as well as he can throw kicks. Great moment of character work with Black and the Dream trying to intimidate each other with their signature taunts. Again, the crowd response seemed a little weird as a "Say His Name" chant broke out in support of the Dream. Velveteen took control for the next stretch, which I did not expect, especially after he overconfidently blew a chance to hit a recuperating Black with a splash on the outside. In a nod to the build-up to this match, Black got tied up in the ropes and Velveteen demanded he say his name, but instead Black struck him with a kick straight to the face. Black hit a series of strikes in rapid succession from every possible angle, the thing he may do better than anyone else in the WWE today. The Dream wouldn't stay down though, eventually even hitting a big Death Valley Driver on Black for two. Velveteen went for a DVD from the top, but Black was able to escape and hit him with a knee to the head. Velveteen once again reversed the momentum, though, hitting a Sister Abigail-into-a-DDT sorta-combo that I'm not sure I've seen before. The Dream went for an elbow drop but got caught in the jaw by Black's boot, sending him into the ropes (where he got tied up). Black struck him with a devastating kick, but Dream countered with a superkick of his own before Black hit another big running knee. In a wonderful closing moment, the Dream demanded Black say his name, but the Dutch Devastator responded with a nasty kick to the skull to finally put him down for good. Good post-match moment too, though I do kind of hope they keep the Dream heelish instead of just rushing him into being a babyface (as I'm sure the crowd reactions to him are making them consider today). The first "must see" match of both of these guys' NXT run as far as I'm concerned and maybe a dark horse for a Top 10 WWE match of the year. (4/5)

Asuka, Funaki, and Finn Balor are all shown in the audience. 

The backstory to this match is that Asuka stepped down as NXT Womens' Champion after a 500+ day reign, leaving the title vacant. Meanwhile, Kairi Sane won the first ever Mae Young Classic, lending her the credibility needed to earn a chance to win the gold. Nikki Cross, Peyton Royce, and Ember Moon also qualified for an opportunity to take home the belt despite all, at one point or another, failing to win the strap from Asuka. I mention this because, as Asuka never dropped the title, whoever won this match was going to have a little bit of a credibility issue - even the Pirate Princess, whose gimmick is so weird that I kinda like it despite the hokeyness. The match began with all four women in the ring exchanging shots and no one having the clear advantage over anyone else. More than a couple good Ember Moon spots early - a big splash on Cross to the floor, then hitting a big dive on Sane and Royce soon after, followed by a powerbomb on Cross to the floor. Sane took over in the ring, though, as the crowd broke into dueling "Let's Go Ember/Let's Go Kairi" chants. Royce impressed too, though, tying up Sane in a tarantula-esque maneuver in the ropes. A good Tower of Doom spot followed, eliciting an NXT chant while Nigel wondered aloud where Nikki Cross was (still selling a powerbomb to the floor, I believe). Right on cue, the SaNity member came flying off the top rope, recharged and ready to take the fight to anyone she could get her hands on. Cross hit her nasty swinging fisherman neckbreaker, but Moon stopped the count at two. Royce hit a fisherman suplex on Cross soon after and Sane was just a tad late on the pin break-up, the crowd letting the ref have it with brief chants of "That was 3!" Sane saved the moment with an Alabama Slam that planted Royce atop Cross and then her patented elbow drop. Moon broke up the pin again, all of this leading to Ember Moon somehow hitting the Eclipse Stunner on both Cross and Royce to take home her first Womens' Championship. It was a tad bit of a convoluted finish, but it looked as good as it could ever look. Asuka came into the ring to award the title to Moon and I couldn't have been the only person wondering if she'd clock her in the face with a spin kick to ruin the moment for the hometown hero. The division is going to need some real rebuilding after having such a dominant champion on top and never resolving Asuka's run the way it needed to resolve, but Cross is terrific in her role, there's certainly places to go with Kairi Sane, and there are some females on the current house show roster that could be plugged in relatively quickly to build up the division (Abbey Laith, legit shootfight Shayna Baszler, and, if Ricochet does sign with the WWE in 2018, maybe even Tessa Blanchard). Good, not great match. (3/5)

Andrade Almas and his business manager, Zelina Vegas, came out next to challenge Drew McIntyre for the NXT Championship. I'm a bigger fan of Almas than McIntyre, so I went into this one hoping that he'd take home the title. I still think there's a piece missing in the Almas character, but Vegas has been a great addition to his act. McIntyre, ostensibly the face, didn't get much bigger of a reaction than Almas, though I wouldn't necessarily say things were split 50/50 - just that both guys got 30% positive reactions. I wouldn't even be surprised if some of the fans in attendance regarded this NXT Title Match as the bathroom break. As far as in-ring abilities go, both guys are technically sound and even have some nifty signature offense, but McIntyre, with his look and intensity, is impossible to sympathize with and Almas could stand to fight even dirtier to make up for size differentials in matches like this. Almas hit a tremendous moonsault off the top rope to the arena floor in the first great spot of the match, but again, I'm not sure a heel should be popping the crowd so much when the goal should be to cement your character as unlikable. Almas controlled for the next few minutes, but McIntyre wouldn't stay down, eventually fighting back with a big sit-out powerbomb. McIntyre hit his Future Shock DDT but Almas kicked out of that as well, the challenger proving his mettle. McIntyre attempted a fireman's carry on the top rope, but Almas escaped and hit an absolutely devastating double-knee strike into the corner that I would've loved to see him repeat a couple of times to really drive the nail into the coffin. Escaping to the outside, we finally got some heel tactics out of Almas as he distracted the ref to allow Vegas to come in and hit a hurricanrana on the champ. A DDT from Almas followed, but it wasn't enough. McIntyre miraculously hit a massive running big boot (the Claymore) that turned Almas inside out - but Cien got his foot on the rope (with some assistance by Vegas) to stop the count at 2. The crowd now seemed fully behind Almas, or at least the portion of the audience that was most vocal about this match did. Almas landed a stiff DDT from the top rope to secure the win and the NXT Championship. This is booking in the right direction as there remains a "fan connection" problem in the McIntyre package that can't be ignored and Almas and Vegas are the undeniably better act. I'd love to see them build Gargano as a challenger for the night before WrestleMania as he's arguably the most over babyface they have and has great chemistry with Almas. Oddly, McIntyre's disappointment in the ring (which was probably partially kayfabe and part reality as he suffered a legit injury it seemed) might be the best moments of character work he's ever done. Not a must-see match necessarily, but maybe the best these somewhat one-dimensional characters could be expected to deliver in front of a crowd that was at least a quarter indifferent when the bell rang. (3/5)

Main event time - SAnity vs. Strong and the Authors of Pain vs. The Undisputed Era in a War Games Match (or should I say War Games style match because this was not really a War Games match at all). Starting things off were Eric Young, Adam Cole( who got a pretty loud "Adam Cole Baby" pop upon his entrance), and Roderick Strong (who was sporting AOP gear in a cool little change-up from his generic babyface get-up). The start of the match was your basic triangle start, no one really dominating. Compared to the other matches of the night, the crowd was somewhat dead for the start, possibly from natural fatigue but also because of the fact that none of the competitors involved in this match are real "Superstars" yet, even in the NXT Universe. In another change from the traditional War Games rules, Bobby Fish and Kyle O'Reilly came out at the end of the first 5-minute round, Young and Strong now at the mercy of the Undisputed Era for the next 3 minutes (I think it was). After crushing their opponents against the cage with repeated running hip attacks, the Era basically left their opponents alone, showing no real urgency (though, to be fair, at this point in the match, the "war games" had not yet begun so its not like they should've trying to get someone to submit). The Authors of Pain came in next and immediately the tables turned, Akam and Rezar tossing mofos around with relative ease (including their own partner at one point). In a cool spot, the Authors struck down all 4 of their opponents by tossing two guys into corners and then driving another two guys into them with fireman's carries. Wolfe and Dane came in last, Wolfe showing up with a weapon in hand. Dane, meanwhile, tossed in some more "plunda" as Dusty might've called it, including some chairs, some garbage cans, a chain, and a Singapore Cane. The crowd chanted "We Want Tables" in unison and Dane brought two out to the biggest cheer of the night thus far, sliding one into the ring for Wolfe to set up in the corner. With weapons all over the place, there was now some real drama in the match, Dane driving the "no escape" point home by swallowing the key to the cage door lock. Dane then took out the AOP with a senton dropkick that connected with both guys (one with the senton and one with the dropkick into the corner) before taking out a handful of guys with a splash from the top rope. Cole tried to strike him down with the cane, but ended up nearly chokeslammed for his efforts before he was rescued by Fish. Great counter out of Dane that saw him hit a Michinoku Driver on Cole onto Fish on the mat! Dane hit a much less flashy fallaway slam/samoan drop combo on Strong and O'Reilly next before going toe-to-toe with Rezar in a great exchange. Akam hit a powerslam on the Beast from Belfast and attempted a pin, which I didn't think were acceptable in this match but whatever, the old War Games rules were thrown out from the very start anyway. After fending off an attack from Wolfe, O'Reilly grabbed a chain and went to work on the SaNity member, wrapping him up in it before applying the crossarm breaker. Eric Young made the save with a huge elbow drop, only to end up the victim of a Bobby Fish moonsault. With every single competitor in the match down, the crowd tried to revive em' with a "We Want Tables" chant. Super Collider on FIsh and Reilly with Dane smushed in the middle for two! Dane ended up busted open in the milieu, though I'm not exactly sure how. Young showed considerable strength by Death Valley Driving one of the AOPs into the other, though he was only able to get a two count of it. Strong took over from here, taking out nearly everyone in the ring with a variety of backbreakers and strikes (and even hitting an Olympic Slam on Dane for good measure!). Again, a "We Want Tables" chant broke out, the fans seemingly not impressed with all the mayhem they'd already been witness to. Really cool and innovative middle-of-the-cage moment leading to an insane double Tower of Doom spot that left Cole to gloat in the middle unharmed. The Authors of Pain would change that rapidly, though, crotching him on the top turnbuckle and then setting up a pair of tables for his next landing. The AOP looked like they were going to attempt some sort of double back suplex through the tables, but Wolfe stopped their progress as Cole climbed further atop the cage. Wolfe then hit a german suplex on one of the AOP through a table, the move not quite getting the attention it deserved due to bad camera work. Wolfe was busted open in the process, gushing from the back of his head. Strong and Dane continued to fight it out in the middle of the first ring as Cole continued to take a powder atop the cage wall. In relative control, Dane set up Kyle O'Reilly in the corner and hit a HUGE Coast to Coast on him! Hmmm, I wonder what Shane-O thinks of that. Anyway, the move essentially took just as much out of the 300-pounder than it did Reilly, leaving Cole to enjoy a moment in the sun atop the cage. Strong climbed up to take him out, the two fighting it out at the very top of the cage wall as the crowd chanted "Please Don't Die." In a great moment of production work, Strong hit Cole with a superplex from on top of the cage into every other wrestler in the match (their presence was unrevealed until the last second). Cole miraculously kicked out at two, though. The Authors of Pain hit one of their signature double-teams on Dane but before they could go for the cover, Fish and O'Reilly attacked. Meanwhile, a bloody Wolfe and Young would strike as well, the match soon boiling down to the original three men. Cole hit Young with a big kendo stick shot, but Young grabbed onto a chair, the weapon unfortunately working less like a shield than he'd hoped. Adam Cole came out with his hand raised, but I wouldn't necessarily say he stole the match let alone the show. Things started off a little unremarkable but turned really fun once SaNity came in. Cole got his cowardly heel role over but I wouldn't be in too much of a rush to push him into the title picture as Almas and Vegas seem to be doing fine in a not-too-dissimilar role as crafty villains. Dane, meanwhile, came off as an unstoppable monster and someone that I could see the fans getting behind just as easy as they seem to have turned the corner on the Authors of Pain. I'm not going to call this a "must see" just because I don't think it had the star power or the stakes needed to make it feel like anything more than just a fun, crowd-pleasing, "popcorn" match. (3.5/5)

Once again, the NXT brand defied my somewhat lowered expectations and delivered a really strong, easily digested show. While the "highs" of this show didn't quite touch the same peaks as previous shows, when the worst match of the night is at least average (and arguably above average depending on how big a Lars Sullivan you are), you're doing something right from a booking and presentation standpoint. There's been writers and fans eager to take the brand down a notch for its lack of recognizable, bankable indie stars at the level of a Samoa Joe, Nakamura, and Sami Zayn, but tonight, a number of guys took huge steps in establishing their own name as being top prospects, most notably the Velveteen Dream, Aleister Black, Adam Cole, and Killian Dane. While the veterans like Ohno, Young, and Strong may never get the pushes their biggest supporters might have dreamt for them, their experience and talents certainly aren't being wasted based on their positioning and performances on this show. Survivor Series doesn't have to be perfect to be a better show than this, but the main roster stars will have to work hard to deliver something as consistently enjoyable.

FINAL RATING - Watch It...With Remote in Hand