NXT TakeOver Orlando

[KaiserGlider]

TakeOver always delivers.

That tag match was a match of the year candidate to say the least. The tag team division in NXT is out of this world. Asuka's reign of destruction continues, but she had to cheat to win this time so I'm intrigued where they're taking her going forward. Drew McIntyre is back, thoughts on him?

[SlightlyJames]

God damn that tag match was a great time, it is going to be a crying shame for NXT fans when the Revival head on up. Glad Asuka kept a hold of the title, she's just starting to really own her character, nice that it'll have some more time to develop. I lost my shit when they showed Drew, aw hell yeah, wanted to see him back with the company for so long. NXT is a good choice too, a run on top should do a lot to wash off any stink from his 3MB days.

[Str8Shooter]

I thought it was a pretty good show. The tag match was fantastic, DIY and the Revival are off the charts, and AoP was solid as well. The crowd was pissed when DIY went out and there was a moment where it looked like they might hijack the match but they got back into it. I still am not sure what AoP's ceiling is, the NXT crowd isn't particularly fond of them and they have a "generic heel monster team" vibe. I'm not sure what's next for these teams now though, DIY and Revival can't beat AoP on their own and they can't beat them aligning together either. And there's no other teams. Unless they throw together a team like Ohno and Aleister Black or something.

Asuka vs Ember Moon I quite liked. Both were busting their asses and Moon had her best match I've seen her have. Lots of hard strikes in this one. Asuka's character work is really good, even with her english not being the best. Her mannerism's and facial expressions are great. I'm excited to see her as a full heel, although it means she's not coming up anytime soon.

Nakamura vs Roode was solid, although it seems like these main events lately leave you wanting more. With Roode winning it certainly looks like Nakamura will be on Raw or Smackdown this week.

[Kreashko]

I didn't watch it but damn the new NXT titles pretty much look the same. WHY?!

[Hanley!]

I watched it last night and enjoyed the show. It wasn't one of the better Takeovers, but it delivered from start to finish and was an enjoyable watch. Takeover is just so consistent that regardless of the lack of hype for some of them, I'll still look forward to watching them until something changes.

There are two things that really make Takeovers work that the main roster doesn't have. The length is the first thing. They usually clock in at just under two and a half hours, and it feels like just the right length basically every time I watch the show. They give you enough content to sink your teeth into, but don't overstay their welcome.

The other thing Takeover shows really have in their favour is the title matches. Basically every Takeover show is based around three strong title matches: a women's title match, a men's title match and a tag team title match. The titles are all prestigious and have been built to mean something. Fans care about who holds those belts. If you're a champion on NXT then you're instantly a top guy on that brand. So there are three matches at every Takeover that I care about, essentially by default.

I wish WWE would get to a point where all of their titles could be viewed this way. But to get there, they'd really need to drop some of them.