NXT Takeover Philadelphia

[JDD]

Anyone watch this show? No suprise, it was another great Takeover. Every match was at least solid, and Almas vs Gargano is an early MOTY contender that’s goin to have a hard time being topped. Even if you dint end up wtching the whole show, I highly reccomend watching at least this match. In my opinion the best NXT match yet, and the best WWE match since Cena vs Punk.

As for the rest of the show, the opening Tag was great. I hope AoP get called up to the main roster soon. They’ve greatly improved and are gonna have fantastic matches with the current tag teams.

Ohno vs Velveteen Dream continued to prove that Dream is a fucking star. The match was sloppy at some points, but Dreams character work is excellent and he’s the best personality in NXT at the moment.

Moon vs Baszler was probably the worst match of the night, but worst match on a Takeover card is still a good match. I was kind of hoping Baszler would just squash moon, like Brock v Cena at Summerslam, but they did a good job making her look strong while still protecting Ember.

Cole vs Black extreme rules was brutal and fantastic. I didnt think it would be topped but Almas & Gargano found a way.

Another great takeover is in the books. If you’re not watching NXT for whatever reason, I really suggest you do. The weekly show is the best it’s been since the Sami/Neville days and the Takeovers just get better and better. With EC3, Rochochet, Candice & War Marchie joining, its only going to get better from here.

[Hanley!]

This is a pointless tangent, but I always thought Cena vs Punk was overrated based on the exciting finish. Cena's had better matches since then (against Styles for example). It was still really good, but Almas vs Gargano was even better. One of the best matches I've seen from WWE in years. Definitely the best since ... the last great DIY match, I guess.

I love Johnny Gargano. He's my favourite character in WWE right now. He's easily the best babyface in the entire company, with nobody running him close. He's probably the second best wrestler in the company after Styles also. He can't have a bad match. He's already had some killer offerings this year and it's only January. This might have been the best NXT match I've seen, and it's definitely in the Top 5. Which is saying a lot when you look at the consistent high standard of the NXT Takeover shows.

The rest of the show was good, but the main event made it. Almas has come a long way too. His manager adds a lot to his act and he's class in the ring. Candice Le Rae getting involved was done really well. Looking forward to seeing more of her in NXT, though I'm disappointed I won't be seeing her live again any time soon.

The Extreme Rules match was really cool, and would have been match of the night on another show. I'm not as into Alaister Black as everyone else seems to be though. He's great in ring, but he's such a flat character. Very much like modern Undertaker: there's just nothing to him. I'd like to see him find a way to add some more personality to his act. Cos people are treating him as the next breakout star in/from NXT and there are a bunch of guys there that I think should be higher up the pecking order than him.

The other matches were all good, but on the lower end of the Takeover standard. I am really excited about Velveteen Dream though. He's only 22, and he's got a great gimmick and personality, and is pretty damn good in the ring despite still being green. He has a couple of unique moves that will stand to him too. He could be a world champion some day. The chemistry with Ohno wasn't quite there on Saturday, but the match was still decent and he's just going to get better and better.