NXT TakeOver: San Antonio is…… Glorious

Before we get into the show itself, let’s talk this NXT TakeOver Theme from the band Ghost.  This song is pretty bad ass:

Ok, so this show wasn’t exactly perfect by any means, but if you’re going to have a TakeOver, how the hell else should a show kick off, except Perfectly….

Tye Dillinger vs Eric Young (w/ the men of Sanity at Ringside)

Preshow Predictions:  Jeremy: Eric Young  Matt: Eric Young

I won’t lie, and I think I was more focused on Dillinger getting a call up than this match itself in my prediction, but I knew going into it that this one had definite match of the weekend potential.  One on one, this match probably had that potential, but as good as these guys are, having the extra elements around the ring were detrimental to what these two were capable of doing on their own.

The pacing was slower than I expected.  I don’t know if everyone is the Tye Dillinger mark that I am, but when he started to power back in this one, I got really amped up, even several hours later than I’m normally awake.

Dillinger was practically in a three on one handicapped match in this one, and at every opportunity to get the victory, one of the Sanity goons cost him the win.  Eric Young finally lands a neck breaker and picks up the victory.  

Roderick Strong vs Andrade “Cien” Almas

Preshow Predictions:  Jeremy: Almas  Matt: Strong

I don’t pay attention to much about what people say from the house shows, but Jeremy was following the reviews of matches between these two guys going into this match and I’ve got to admit, it lived up to their reports.  This was the fast paced match I was expecting between Dillinger and Young, two seasoned veterans that simply put on a great, great wrestling match.  Either one of these guys is probably next in line for an NXT Championship opportunity, and given how great this was, I really don’t care which one.  Strong worked an “injured arm” throughout.  About 3/4 of the way through, both guys just seemed absolutely exhausted and they just kept on going.  At one point, Roderick hit a backbreaker across the top turnbuckle from the superplex position.  That was awesome.  I don’t know that I’ve seen that before.  Strong with a Sick Kick and the pinfall.

NXT Tag Team Championship – #DIY vs Authors of Pain

Preshow Predictions:  Jeremy: DIY  Matt: DIY

If there’s one thing I can absolutely say about this match, it’s that DIY didn’t have to work down to their competition, but rather they did the same thing for the Authors of Pain that AJ Styles did for Roman last summer.  AoP worked up to their competitors in this one and it made for a much better overall match than I thought they were capable of.

Authors of Pain were booked to look strong throughout, DIY was booked to look like the heart filled fighters.  It was a well worked match by both groups.  When DIY got momentum, they worked it perfectly.  Ciampa is an amazing performer.  For a smaller guy, he came in on a hot tag and german suplexed both members of AoP like he was Jason Jordan, without either of them visibly providing any aid in lifting their big asses up off the mat.

In all honesty, holy shit.  That match was great.  Authors of Pain are the new NXT Tag Team Champions.

WELL WHY WAIT FOR MANIA

Seth Rollins just appears in the ring and says he’s not leaving unless Triple H comes out and faces him right now.  Triple H emerges, but just sends security to the ring.  So of course Seth gets the better of those three men, then charges towards the backstage area, but is finally corralled by several more security guys on his way up the ramp.  I think this may be one of the first times they’ve actually allowed them to bleed over.

NXT Women’s Championship – Asuka vs Billie Kay vs Peyton Royce vs Nikki Cross

Preshow Predictions:  Jeremy: Asuka  Matt: Asuka

If you watched NXT end on Wednesday evening, you sort of expected that it was going to be mostly Asuka and Nikki Cross but Billie Kay and Peyton Royce would dive in and do their thing periodically, but spend most of them time on the outside of their own accord or after being obliterated by Asuka.

This match wasn’t all that great.  It is probably a combination of a handful of things, like overbooking a match they clearly wanted to be between Nikki Cross and Asuka by adding two other people to the mix and it coming after that DIY-AoP match/Seth Rollins appearance.  There’s also the fact that Nikki Cross makes way too much unnecessary noise when she’s in the ring.  Just way too much.  It is possible to overplay the crazy thing.  Ask Dean Ambrose.  It took him a while to find the perfect middle ground for the character to have any legitimacy at the top of the card.

Billie and Peyton would get their moment in the sun, after Cross had incapacitated Asuka, they drove Cross up the ramp to the announcers area and suplexed her through a table, eliminating her for a while.  If we’re picking up one thing from this match, it’s that Peyton Royce is actually a pretty damn good performer, but she eats a spin kick to the face and Asuka retains.

NXT Championship – Glorious Bobby Roode vs Shinsuke Nakamura

Preshow Predictions:  Jeremy: Roode  Matt: Roode

I think this is the first time someone has upstaged Nakamura’s entrance, but Bobby Roode brought the A-Game, and walked to the ring like Ric Flair walks everywhere, you just have to see it.

I think Nakamura may be legitimately hurt, taking a hell of a bump after being flipped off the top turnbuckle and landing awkwardly head first on the apron before tumbling to the floor.  It did not look good.  Then later diving off the top rope and landing on the apron in a way that did not seem to go well on his knee.  There were multiple bumps which could lead to shelf time from this one.

I love Bobby Roode in the ring.  At one point Graves even points it out, every movement he makes is just so deliberate.  It’s great.  And he carries himself like an old school guy, actually reminds me a lot of a Chris Benoit (I know, the name we aren’t supposed to mention).

Nakamura attempts the Kinshasa but Roode refuses to get up, drawing the Champ in and attempting the roll up.  These sort of little touches made this match pretty good.  I think we spent so long seeing the setup for it always ending with contact that it was actually a really pleasant change of pace to see someone find ways of getting out of it multiple times, and when he finally landed one, it was with the injured leg and he couldn’t get over for the pin.

After a short medical delay, Nakamura fights his way back into the ring only to eat a ridiculous Glorious DDT, then Roode rolled him over with a half crab on the hurt leg.  Nakamura would fight out and get planted with a second Glorious DDT.  And Bobby Roode is the new NXT Champion.  

Prediction Scorecard:  Jeremy:  3    Matt:  4