Thumbs UP!
Best Match: Finn Bálor vs. Kevin Owens
Worst Match: Apollo Crews vs. Tye Dillinger
*Fun show where all the faces were victorious.
*Watching Liger compete for WWE was fun but his age showed in the pacing. Still, the match wasn’t bad.
*The tag match had some fun spots that elevated it above some of Blake & Murphy’s other bouts. It wasn’t great, but I still liked it.
*Definitely Baron Corbin’s best match to date. They laid in some good looking shots to each other. Glad Samoa Joe won clean and convincingly. Now, are we ever going to get a blow off to Joe vs. Owens?
*Apollo Crews mostly looked good with energy and presence. I liked how the camera caught him saying “That’s so many people” during his entrance. This match was just okay though because Dillinger never really came across as a real challenger. He’s the new CJ Parker.
*The women’s title match was really good. Not quite as good as Sasha vs. Becky from the last TakeOver. Still, they put on a good show and I popped at home when Bayley got the win. The top rope reverse rana looked great too. Sasha’s double knee dive from the second rope also looked good. On a side note, it annoyed me to hear Stephanie call this “main eventing” and I hope one day they will let the ladies actually close the show because that is the real main event.
*The main event of this show was great. Both guys had some innovative offense I haven’t seen in a ladder match (which has to be getting difficult). Having said that, I didn’t think they were killing themselves even though I gasped multiple times. Both guys looked strong and Bálor continues his reign. My big question moving forward is who gets the title picture next considering all the heels lost tonight?
–Christian Norman
Atlanta, GA
How you doin’ Dave,
Big Thumbs Up
Best Match: Bayley vs. Sasha Banks ****1/2
By women’s standards I thought it was fantastic. There were some things that weren’t overly smooth, but it had a great layout and overall I thought it was a tremendous effort by the girls. Although frankly they did some stuff that I don’t think women should be doing, and on this occasion one girl could’ve broke an ankle and another their neck. In addition if this is the standard these girls are going to set work wise they’re going to have relatively short careers or end up in a lot of pain. Women’s frames aren’t meant for it.
Worst Match: Liger vs. Breeze **
Didn’t think the chemistry was particularly good, there was a fair bit of sloppy stuff that had to be covered with favourable camera angles and I didn’t think the layout suited Liger.
Vaudevillians vs. Blake & Murphy ***1/2
Nothing overly speculator but I thought it was a real good solid match.
Crews vs. Dillinger **1/4
Samoa Joe vs. Baron Corbin ***
Balor vs. Owens ****
Thought they worked very hard but after the women’s match the crowd became restless, impatient and greedy which I felt hurt it, and also the flow wasn’t quite right. I was surprised with some of the bumps Owens took as he’s got Cesaro tomorrow, hopefully they give him some time off next week, they’ve been working him into the ground lately. Also it seemed Balor got lost a couple of times and needed direction, and frankly I was a little disappointed with his performance in certain areas.
Thanks Dave
Tom Griffiths
Definitely a THUMBS UP. I would say none of the matches were bad. The most interesting part is that sometimes when an NXT wrestler gets called up to RAW in a big arena, he just seems not to fill up the space. However, I think the show played great in front of a big crowd. I am very interested to see what is going to happen with NXT going forward. Baron Corbin looked the best he’s ever looked, and managed to look very strong in losing to Samoa Joe. I had mixed feelings about the “Curtain Call” redux involving the women. I appreciated it on one level, but I didn’t understand undermining this feud on the main roster with Sasha v. Charlotte & Becky. I would love to see this paid off tomorrow with a re-shuffling of these false Women’s alliances that have not exactly gotten a lot of traction. It would be the perfect time for the NXT girls to turn on the cast of Total Divas, and come full circle turn on AJ’s pipe bomb promo, heretofore the most memorable thing in Women’s Wresting on the main roster in the last 5 years. I also didn’t love Owens losing, again, but it was a great match, and a great performance by both guys. BEST MATCH: Sasha v. Bayley wins by a nose over the Ladder match. Sasha is a great, great, great performer. She is shaping up to have Dwayne Johnson-like charisma. WORST MATCH: I guess the tag match, which wasn’t bad at all. I am still not fully a believer in Aiden English, but I don’t dislike him at all.
Richard Orloski
Thumbs Way UpBest Match: Sasha Banks vs. BayleyWorst Match: N/A A phenomenal show that could give Summerslam a run for it’s money. Best Takeover show since they started the specials. Tyler Breeze vs Jushin Thunder Liger. Good solid match. Liger got all his trademark moves but felt Breeze should’ve won and be showcased. It did feel like they were just doing moves for the sake of moves. ** 3/4 Vaudevillians vs. Blake and Murphy. Amazing how NXT can create a cult hero star named after clearance aisle pants. Best match of Blake and Murphy’s careers. Villians were very solid and this was a fun match. *** Apollo Crews vs. Tye Dillinger. Good showcase match for Crews who I imagine Vince will want on the main roster right away. ** 3/4 Samoa Joe vs. Baron Corbin. Great mean guy match. Best match of Corbin’s career and Joe was really good here. *** 1/4 Sasha Banks vs. Bayley. Amazing amazing amazing. The only negatives of this match were the two semi blown spots where Sasha nearly died falling off the ropes and Bayley nearly breaking her neck on the first frankensteiner. Other than that this was a match of the year candidate. Great psychology, selling, drama. Crowd going nuts for the finish and the postmatch was great. Don’t think she’ll win but Sasha needs to be brought up as a possible wrestler of the year candidate **** 3/4 Kevin Owens vs Finn Balor. Good match but it really couldn’t follow the women’s title match and post match celebration as the crowd seemed to peak and it was downhill. It was still a good match although a little tame by WWE standards. *** 1/2 Josh Hayes
Thumbs way up
Best Match: Sasha Banks vs Bayley
Worst Match: Blake&Murphy v Vaudevillians (though nothing wrong with it)
What a killer show- The Womens title match is must watch for anyone who may have skipped this show. I cant think of another match in recent times where you could suspend disbelief so easily and just feel that the characters badly wanted the win. The submission reversal sequence with the stomping of the hand gave me chills. Before and as it was happening I wanted to see Banks retain and elevate Bayley another level in a loss like has been done in the past. Had that occured though we would have been denied the post match which was one of the realest things we have seen in the ring. I hope once Nikki reaches 300 in their plan for her than Banks gets the big title. Theyve got something special there. The one bad part about the women? Stephanie trying to have her Hunter moment around it, really the only bad part of the show was that aspect.
Id love to see them call up Crews right now. Havent been a Corbin fan but saw a little more tonight. Gave the tag match the lowest marks but was better than most of the stuff we see on regulat tv every week.
Owens and Balor had another tremendous match. Owens is likely to have the best WWE two match stretch within hours of each other since Daniel Bryan at Wrestlemania 30.
Isnt it amazing how good the announcing and pacing of an event is when Vince obviously doesnt watch/care and isnt tearing scripts up or yelling into headsets? Reminiscent of when they let Heyman just go with Smackdown since it was the “B show”.
This was also one of those shows with a crowd that you wish you were right there for like Canadian Stampede or the night after Mania 29.
Great job all around and looking forward even more to Summerslam now.
Michael O’Brien
Thumbs up
Best: Sasha Banks vs Bayley
Worst: Apollo Crews vs Tye Dillenger, only because I saw a house show match between Crews and Crowe a couple weeks ago that was far better.
For all the crap that WWE gives Heyman from ECW, HHH is sure trying his best to be him. That opening promo was right out of ECW.
Not taking away anything from the main event, which was a tremendous match, but the women’s match was the match of the night due to presentation and the crowd being 1000% invested. It showed the difference between the so-called Divas Revolution and NXT women’s wrestling. Putting on better matches in a vacuum is nothing compared to the story arc of Bayley that culminated tonight. The go-home promo between the two was great, and even the small touch of the polka dots gave you the impression that she had to win it tonight. I haven’t seen a title win be received at that level since Daniel Bryan at Wrestlemania, and probably CM Punk in 2011 before that.
The main roster has their work cut out for them tomorrow night, and I expect them to be up for the challenge.
– Chris
Lakeland, FL
Wow NXT hits yet another home run. Huge thumbs up mainly because of the last two matches. Motn goes to Bailey v Sasha…just absolutely incredible as both women left everything in that ring and seeing the four horsewomen at the end of the match just made it that much more special. Hate calling it the worst match of the night so the least best match was the tag team match…was still a great pop and hopi g this makes blue pants a bigger player in NXT. ~John ChagarisDavenport, Fl
Hi Dave,
Thumbs Up
Best Match: Balor vs. Owens
Worst Match: Crews vs. Dillinger
The production and lighting tonight was excellent, as well as the atmosphere.
Liger def. Breeze: Not technically great, but entertaining. The Crowd loved Liger. I was surprised to see Liger win, as I thought WWE wasn’t going to let an outside wrestler come in on a one time deal and beat one of their guys. Maybe we’ll see more of Liger/NJPW?
Vaudevillains def. Blake and Murphy(c): Blue Pants was the mystery woman, not Mae Young. The match was ***¼, but Alexa Bliss was *****.
Apollo Crews def. Tye Dillinger: Pretty underwhelming. Crews should’ve done more for the debut, still looked impressive. Crews won with a standing moonsault.
Samoa Joe def. Baron Corbin: Corbin was choked out. Corbin perhaps the only heel tonight that the crowd actually disliked. The crowd was kind of cold, but the match was better than I expected. I loved that the referee called the match as soon as he was sure Corbin was out, not doing the usual three falling arms. Corbin sold post-chokeout confusion.
They show some people in the crowd, one of which is a female Japanese wrestler. I don’t know who she is, but she intimidates me… and I like it.
Bayley def. Banks(c): This was great. Just as good, maybe better, than Banks vs. Lynch. This match was billed as co-main, and it didn’t feel like anything less than co-main. Post match hugs between Bayley, Banks, Lynch, and Charlotte.
Finn Balor(c) def. Kevin Owens: Balor used some black magic, voodoo, witchcraft, teleportation during the entrance. This demon gimmick may be a shoot. The crowd was good all night, but they sucked here. Random chants, not really showing the main event the respect they should’ve. Great match, Balor used the double foot stomp off the top of a ladder and grabbed the belt. The demon retains.
Casey Goss
@Casey_Goss
Virginia
Hey Dave, Overall: Thumbs way up. Solid show from top to bottom.Best Match: Both main event matches delivered. I will give a slight edge to the women’s match. It was fantastic.Worst Match: There was not one match that did not meet it’s objective. Preshow; I enjoy the interplay between Graves and Saxton. It is interesting that Saxton plays the face role, yet is the foil for everyone’s jokes. Lita did her homework; she actually made a meaningful contribution and added a unique perspective. The Bailey video package was well done. After seeing that, it is hard not to root for Bailey. As has become the norm, this special was another example of a show where the whole is better than the sum of its parts. The undercard provided variety and good action that sustained momentum going into the two marquee matches. The two main events were fantastic. The atmosphere was electric and infectious to a degree where you could feel the energy through the television screen. Obviously the crowd was engaged, and while they did attempt to pop themselves, they did not attempt to “hijack” the show. The only chant that rubbed me the wrong way was the “Full Sail sucks” chant. But, I guess Full Sail started it. NXT continues the trend of fun filled and thoroughly enjoyable special events. 1. Tyler Breeze vs. Jushin Thunder Liger. Another character consistent and unique entrance for Breeze only to be outdone by a huge pop for Liger. I enjoyed Liger playing to the crowd to spite Breeze. The pacing was slower than expected, but all of the action was solid and deliberate. I was somewhat surprised Breeze lost in such convincing fashion, but he did not appear outclassed by a bonafide legend. ** 2. NXT Tag Title Match: Vaudevillains vs. Blake and Murphy. I appreciated the Sherlock and Watson get up sported by the Vaudevillains. This was the best showcase of the Vaudevillains in NXT, and perhaps the best tag team match on any of the NXT specials. The match, especially the finish, was smartly booked and well executed. **1/2 3. Tye Dillinger vs. Apollo Crews. Good showcase for Dillinger’s new gimmick, nice debut for Crews. Both of these guys are capable of much, much more, but what was displayed was good. Apollo has the physique, the athleticism, and possibly the “it” factor. ** 4. Baron Corbin vs. Samoa Joe. Decent heavyweight style match with good intensity from both competitors. Corbin did indeed show more skill and poise than he has in the past. He is not there yet, but I do think he is slowly getting there. Mostly, I am relieved Joe was victorious. **1/2 5. NXT Women’s Championship Match: Bailey vs. Sasha Banks. The storyline was reminiscent of a grunge match, and the action was consistent with the feud temperature. I loved Bank’s mean streak. Not to be outdone, Bailey’s babyface fire was fantastic. The late match submission exchange was brilliant, and the closing sequences were equally tremendous. Goosebump inducing match. ****1/4 6. NXT Title Ladder Match: Finn Balor vs. Kevin Owens. Nicely built ladder match that relied on both story and high spots. At the onset, the crowd had comedown from the white hot women’s match and resorted to some silly chants. The contest escalated in physicality and excitement as the match progressed and the crowd engaged. The match concluded with a memorable highlight spot. **** Derrick Hubbard
from Utah
Thumbs in the middleBest Match: Banks vs BayleyWorst Match: Vaudevillains/Blake & Murphy 1) Jushin Thunder Liger def Tyler Breeze: This was kind of disappointing, and I’m not saying that because the last time I saw Liger was when he was doing Shooting Star Presses in WCW. Liger has proven he can have great matches even at his age (vs Yohei Komatsu, BoSJ Night 1 this year), but this just seemed off. I guess that’s adapting to American style for you. (**1/4) 2) The Vaudevillains def Blake & Murphy: God do Blake and Murphy suck. This was a completely nothing match with a cool finishing stretch that didn’t make up for the incompetence of one half of the competitors. (**) 3) Apollo Crews def Tye Dillinger: Fun match that showcased ‘Crews’ really well. (**1/2) 4) Samoa Joe def Baron Corbin: Good big guy match. Yeah. (**3/4) 5) Bayley def Sasha Banks to win the NXT Women’s Championship: Great match, with a great moment to end it. This reminded me of a toned-down New Japan main event match where everything builds up to a crazy finish and the crowd goes wild. Extra marks for the whole presentation, really came across as a big match. (****) 6) Finn Balor def Kevin Owens: Eh. Ladder match in 2015. (**1/2) Overall a decent show but nothing really reached the level of the women’s match. The main event was literally every ladder match you’ve ever seen in WWE. What a waste of one really talented guy and one overweight good talker. Nothing else really did anything for me.
Brian Jackson
NXT Takeover: Thumbs UpBest Match: Baley vs. Sasha BanksWorst Match: Breeze vs. Liger (not bad at all, just by default) Great show and lots of fun from top to bottom. Liger vs. Breeze was good, but nothing great and the worst match of the night just by default since nothing was bad. Enjoyed the Tag Title match much more than expected. Entertaining and fun. Crews had a nice debut over Tye Dillinger who seems better than I recall. Even Joe vs. Corbin was good and I am not a Corbin fan. Women’s Championship was excellent. The difference between the presentation on NXT and WWE even after the call up of some of the ladies recently is still a big one and WWE is not doing all it can to make it feel as important. Finn Balor over Kevin Owens another good match and a great finish to the night as NXT delivers yet again. Not sure how Summer Slam will measure up, but assuming at least the top few matches should be very good. Robb Block
Overall:Thumbs UpBest Match:Sasha vs. Bayley (Not even close)Worst Match:Crews vs. Dillinger Tyler Breeze vs. Jushin Thunder Liger-Great appearance(or debut?) from Liger here. Nice intro spot for Breeze in beginning. Good little match. Liger had complete control of the crowd, like a multi-decade legend would. WWE wouldn’t be dumb if they just signed Lfor a short run. Hey, the guy is under a mask, it doesn’t matter how old he is! He gets over like crazy, and that’s all that matters. Honestly, Liger could fill role left vacant since Rey Misterio left the company. ***(3 stars)Blake & Murphy (with Alexa Bliss) vs. The Vaudevillians (with Blue Pants)-This was a pretty good match. Easily the best Vaudevillians match I’ve seen. Blue Pants got a huge reaction. Nice build-up to a emotional title win for the Vaudevillians. ***(3 stars)Crews vs. Dillinger-Crews definitely seems like he is going to be a real player. Great athlete and a ton of charisma. Just what WWE looks for. Not much of a match. Mostly just showcasing Crews arsenal. **(2 stars)Samoa Joe vs. Baron Corbin-Joe is super over in Brooklyn. This is what you would expect:A Slobberknocker. Very good match, easily the best of Corbin’s NXT run. Corbin still has a ton of upside, but you gotta give Joe the push as his time is now. Joe took a beating in this match to build this thing to a fever pitch. Some really great striking exchanges between the two toward the end of the match. But ultimately, Joe is built for Main Event combat, not these mid-card feuds. Regardless, Joe continues to build onto his BAMF Reputation which will see him in the main events in WWE very soon. *** 1/2 (3 & 1/2 stars)Bayley vs. Sasha Banks(NXT Women’s Title)-The emotions were running high even from the entrances. Bayley seemed like she was stepping onto a different plane, charisma-wise. Tonight she proved to me she can be as big a star as Sasha, Charlotte, or Becky. She was like a female Dusty out there. She had the crowd in the palm of her hands. Sasha, of course, had a masterful entrance as well. Complete with Vehicle and Security leading her to the ring. This had a big fight feel and the crowd was amped. Everyone knew they were seeing excellence in that ring. The match itself was gritty, championship story-telling at it’s finest. A strong face and a strong heel, complimenting each other perfectly. . In my opinion, the best Women’s match in NXT history. I know that’s a bold statement, but this match had it all. Both ladies left it all in the ring. This match felt like a female version of Dusty-Flair. At times, you could visibly see them getting emotional as the crowd got more and more into the match. Gutsy Greatness. An emotional Bayley victory, and the crowd became unglued. Bayley again proved she can be a monster babyface on the big stage. After Bayley won and was having her moment, you could see Sasha laying on the mat and visibly crying as she stared into the rafters. I will never forget that image. Emotional scene after the match between the Four Horsewomen of NXT was the cherry on top of the match. This was easily most crowd reaction for a Women’s match I’ve ever seen. Unreal match.**** 1/2 (4 and 1/2 stars)Balor vs. Owens (NXT Championship Ladder match)-Another great performance by these men. An even more epic entrance by Balor tonight. Loved the appearing and re-appearing in the red fog. Another match with Big Fight Feel. This was tame in comparison to most Ladder Matches in terms of danger. But what the lacked in Tables and a plethora of high-impact spots, they made up for with more psychology. My favorite spots were the Powerbomb by Owens on Balor as he stood on the ladder, or the Double Foot stomp from the ladder that sealed the win. These two don’t turn in bad performances. Excellent. **** (4 stars)BTW-Can’t wait for the Dusty Tag Classic! I hope it’s similar to the Crockett Cup. NXT delivers their best show on the biggest stage. Bravo. J.C. Gethicker
Hey Dave, No long-winded review, but since this is the first proper show I’ve seen live since Mania… Thumbs UPBest match: Bayley vs SashaWorst match: by default, I’d have to say Crews vs Dillinger If you’re the kind of fan who (for whatever reason) is ultra resistant to watching any wrestling that doesn’t have the WWE badge on it, then this show will be one of the reasons why you’d fall (back?) into love with wrestling. Bayley vs Sasha had me on the edge of my seat throughout, but in truth, this was a perfect card. Every match was different, and built up to the double crescendo of the main events. If only WWE could replicate this on their bigger shows, rather than the turgid messes we usually get every week. SummerSlam will have to be a hell of a show to even come close to topping this… and given all of the back shots, Kevin Owens took tonight, I’d be stunned if he was even able to make it to SummerSlam. No disappointments at all from the card, and with the announced UK tour, I am eagerly awaiting their night in Wembley on 12/16. Ian Hamilton@theianhamilton Thumbs up show. Best match was Sasha vs Bayley. No bad matches. Liger vs Breeze Nice response to Liger. Liger taking selfie’s nice. Liger’s focus on the back is solid. A basic showcase for Liger. Almost booked like a newcomer to a territory who they have hopes to get over. 2 1/2* coming soon Nya Jax Vaudevillians vs Blake and Murphy Blake and Murphy are growing on me. Blue Pants is the equalizer. Vaudvillians are having a good, solid shine. Blake sets up the heat by cheating. Good heel psychology. Though the heat was lackluster. I get not wanting to outshine the faces but at least make it interesting. Like the distraction spot to keep the heat. Built to a hot finish. 2 1/2* Apollo Crews vs Dillenger Crews owned that crowd. Crews sold too much. Regal introduces the Dusty Rhodes tag tournament. Samoa Joe vs Baron Corbin As far as prescence, best Corbin’s looked. Joe showing off his ring generalism with all the different rope stops. Heel Hook by Corbin was a game changer. Back and forth fight. Loved this finish.Where it was the vet taught the student a lesson. 2 3/4* Babyface Steph loses her milfness. Bayley vs The Boss That is an opening. Fun back and forth so far. Sasha’s charisma is off the charts. Sasha in control and playing the bully role or mean girl. Love Bayley kicking her in the mush while Sasha talked trash. Big spot was the hand getting hurt again. Sasha all over it. Sasha has such a mean streak. Liger flip dive alla Misterio over the ref. Nice counter by Bayley and gives her some much needed seperation. Loving Bayley using her left arm. The stomping on the hand was sick. Reversal of the Bank Statement. Bayley to Belly she kicks out. Bayley took a nasty bump. Frankentoyota into a Bayley to belly. 4 3/4* Balor vs Owen Ladder Match Balor is no Zayn so I don’t think they’ll be able to follow that. Owens mocking the Zayn chant. Balor is a believable worker, but he needs to work on his story telling. Owens getting heat was well done. Just couldn’t follow the girls. 3 1/4* Pete Schirmacher 8/22/15 NXT TakeOver: BrooklynOverall: Thumbs UpBest Match: Bayley vs. Sasha BanksWorst Match: Vaudevillains vs Blank and Murphy This show was a great example of the problems faced when watching NXT, the great wrestlers are fantastic and the novice wrestlers are a bore. Yet this is how it should be. It’s a developmental league and by it’s nature it’s just going to have some boring newbie matches. Liger-BreezeNot as good as any of his matches in ROH but still good. Liger is immortal it would seem.Vaudevillains-Blake and MurphyZZZZzzzzzzZZZZZzzzzzz……Don’t care about these guys and the match was what it was. Bliss is undeniable, though.Crews-DillengerCrews looks and wrestles like a Dragon Gate wrestler made in a laboratory. Can’t imagine he’ll be in NXT all that long. Joe-CorbinI just haven’t been super impressed with the matches I’ve seen Joe have in NXT. Maybe they just don’t appreciate how “firm” he usually is or maybe it’s just the level of talent he’s working with but his match against Jay Briscoe in ROH was better than anything he’s done in NXT. Joe physically looked great though. Bayley-BanksSasha Banks is a genuinely good wrestler. Not just grading her on a “good for a women” curve either. Her selling is just the best. I can’t quite put it into words, and I don’t want to use the word “stiff”, but there is something about the way she moves around the ring and wrestles that is so much smoother and more intentional than the other Divas. When Nikki Bella does an Irish Whip it looks like she’s waiting for the girl to start running as she eases her arm forward, when Banks does it looks like she’s really whipping her as hard as she can. With all that said, great match and hopefully one day, after Vince is gone and they put the Diva’s belt in a metal grinder, they can be taken seriously on the main roster.Balor-OwensGood ladder spot fest. I hope Balor buys Kevin a beer or something because he did him some huge favors with the massive bumps he took. Kevin is a mad man when it comes to these kind of matches. Makes me wish they wouldn’t have asked him to do it. -Matthew Burrill@mattb425