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NXT Takeover: New Orleans - Your thoughts?

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NXT Takeover: New Orleans - Your thoughts?

Postby Messiah » Apr 08, '18, 9:52 am

I'm still at a loss for words. I can't tell if it is because it is so soon after and I'm naturally over-hyping it, but I genuinely think this is the best Takeover they have done from top to bottom. Not only is it the best one, but it is one of the best wrestling shows I've watched (keep in mind I only keep up with WWE so there's that) in the last 10 years.

- Baszler and Moon wasn't a technical classic. Instead it was a stiff, physical match-up that aligned with the skills of both. The finishing sequence I felt was phenomenal too. It put Baszler over as a bad-ass but you also thought Moon had a chance of escaping. I'd like to see a 3rd, final match between the two. Side note: Baszler is probably one of my favorite wrestlers in either NXT or the main roster right now. She's got good character work and a nasty in-ring style.

- The tag team match was probably my least favorite match on the show, which is saying something because it was still very good. I'm a huge fan of AOP and I expect them to have a lot of success on the main roster - great look and they work well as a team. Strong turning on Dunne shocked the hell out of me and yet, it was a brilliant decision. Strong is too damn talented to be floating and Undisputed ERA needed a 3rd member with Bobby out. Also, Kyle O'Reily is a star in the making. There is something about him that clicks with me and he's super talented.

- The ladder match was just... I love Adam Cole.

- Almas/Black was tremendous. Almas has won me over so much over the last year and while I'm not the biggest Black fan, he's talented and the fans love him. Can't complain about the decision to put the title on him.

- Gargano/Ciampa took my heart and pulled it for 30+ minutes. What a brawl with plenty of good call-backs to their rivalry and tag team. The heat Ciampa was getting was bonkers.

I'm stoked for the next year of NXT. The roster is loaded and there are so many directions they can take.
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Re: NXT Takeover: New Orleans - Your thoughts?

Postby VaderBomb » Apr 08, '18, 10:07 am

Easily in the top three greatest and most solid PPVs that WWE has ever had.
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Re: NXT Takeover: New Orleans - Your thoughts?

Postby The Legend » Apr 08, '18, 11:28 am

I won't call it the best PPV I've seen in WWE or even the best Takeover, and the reason is simple, I wasn't a fan of the NXT championship match from the start and if I don't buy in to the biggest title match on the card it's hard to say that the show as a whole is strong. Although it was a brilliant decision to go with Gargano/Ciampa as the main event and proof positive that in the right situation that shouldn't be the main event (by the way I think Gargano/Ciampa is the best story in wrestling right now).

As for each match one by one: That ladder match was ridiculous, like seriously I enjoyed it more than I remember enjoying the original TLC matches. Dain and Anderson put out the two best big man performances ever in any kind of ladder matches. Some of those spots were ridiculous. The things Ricochet did have me so pumped to see more of him. Dream and Cole won me over big time with what they were willing to do in the match, just fantastic.

That Baszler vs Moon match was so intense, the things they did to put that fight over were fantastic, I was actually dreading them putting the belt on Baszler because she's still so green to me, but she won me over in that match.

The tag match was the oddest match on the card, the pacing of the match was always off with the sometimes you have to tag in, sometimes the referee is just there for window dressing booking decisions for the match. That made the contest go all over the place, but that ending came from out of nowhere, and not in a were WWE so we are going to come up with the most illogical thing imaginable just to say we fooled people kind of way, but in a wonderful way that surprises are meant to be.

Oh God that Unsanctioned fight was so good. There's a lot of guys in wrestling that can do all kinds of crazy tricks and death defying moves, Gargano and Ciampa are two of them, what sets them apart though is every high spot they do has meaning, is set up well and ties perfectly to the story. I can't remember the last time I was pulling for a wrestler to win a match as much as I was marking out for Johnny and part of me thought he might actually lose (I figured that'd just be a way to put him on the main roster since it isn't NXT). Then you get to the ending sequence and it wasn't violent, it wasn't over the top, it was actually quite small in scale, but the emotional intensity was off the charts, to have a man being pushed to the brink, but then showing he has a limit he won't go to even if another man will is the stuff great faces are made of, then Gargano avoids Ciampa and picks up the win anyhow.

Three of the five matches were amazing, one was decent up until the finish pushed it higher and one I just wasn't personally into, but still a fantastic show and wrestling done right in terms of booking and storytelling.
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Re: NXT Takeover: New Orleans - Your thoughts?

Postby Str8Shooter » Apr 08, '18, 11:34 am

Yeah at this point you can't even imagine a Takeover event that isn't great, not even good, great.

The ladder match was bonkers. All these guys got their moments to shine and look good. Ricochet is amazing, his addition to NXT is tremendous. Dain and Sullivan were great as the two big monsters in the match. Velveteen continued to show why he has a huge future, Cole was steady and reliable, and EC3 proved himself in his first NXT match. The match had everything you want from a Ladder match, crazy car crash spots, great, unique use of the ladders as weapons, and creative as hell.

The women's match was pretty good but I'll admit I was coming down off the Ladder high and wasn't paying too close attention to it. I'm lukewarm on Shayna, maybe it's the Brock and Ronda thing, but seeing people working the faux MMA style i'm not that high on. I think she's getting better though and I wanna see what she does with this feud over. I like Ember but it's clear she's treading water in NXT now and likely will be on Raw or SD soon.

The tag match was fine, it seemed like it was just awaiting the big finishing stretch when the big turn happened. I liked it too, I even didn't mind waiting til the end of the match after fighting the whole way beforehand. Clearly Cole and O'Reilly didn't know it was happening by their reactions, meaning Strong must have decided during the match to do it. Like Messiah said, with Fish out long term adding another member was a good idea. And all three can work so their matches will be fun to watch. Dunne had already hinted online about getting Tyler Bate and Trent Seven to help him and those matches should be a blast.

Black/Almas was really good, overshadowed by both the opener and the closer though. The story of Zelina interfering and how that played into the tremendous finish was well told. I'm a fan of Black, his lack of mic skills and an understated character though means he's heavily reliant on good booking and his opponent being strong to look great. I think he'll have a good run as champ though. Almas has looked great lately and I believe is headed for Raw or SD, hopefully with Vega, soon.

Gargano vs Ciampa was what you would expect it to be. It felt long in parts near the end. But the finish and the storytelling that came with it was fantastic stuff and had me on the edge of my seat. I felt like Gargano losing and heading to the main roster could easily have happened. The powerbomb to the concrete was sick, and they beat the hell out of each other. The use of the crutch and knee brace near the end were nice touches as well. A feel good ending and I wonder now if this story is done or if the feud continues in NXT.
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Re: NXT Takeover: New Orleans - Your thoughts?

Postby Hanley! » Apr 08, '18, 12:49 pm

This might have been the best Takeover ever. It's up there in the conversation at the very least.

The opening ladder match was one of the best ladder matches I've ever seen, if not the best. I think it was better than any of the multi-men matches I've seen in the past at least. It's kinda hard to compare it to the best singles ladder matches, as it's such a different kind of spectacle. I thought everyone came off great in the match, and it was a fantastic debut for Ricochet which showed people what he's all about.

The women's match told a fantastic story. The crowd weren't as hot for this match, but that was always going to happen after the great ladder match and because of the status of the performers here. Ember isn't that hot as babyface champion, despite her many great qualities. It was always going to be tough to try and replace Asuka (the greatest champion in NXT history) and Ember is a little too close to her in character type and suffers from the comparison. I really like Shayna though. She's still a bit green, but she's such a natural when it comes to selling her character and holding herself like a star. She's an awesome heel and could be a great champion. The story of her fighting through a dislocated shoulder made her look like a badass. Meanwhile, Ember showed a mean streak here that suggests a possible heel turn. I think that could be really good for her.

The tag match was good too. Authors of Pain are much improved. I love that they pulled a swerve that makes sense. They teased the Roderick Strong turn months ago, but this is the right time for him to join with these guys. Due to Fish being injured and Cole being the North American Champion, Roddy will become a tag team champion under the free bird rule without actually winning the belts. It was clever to have Cole and O'Reilly act surprised here: it only makes sense if this was a late decision by Roddy. I'm a massive, massive fan of British Strong Style, so the thought of an Undisputed vs British Strong Style feud has me psyched.

The NXT title match was really good. Personally, I don't think Black is ready to be champion and I would have liked Almas to continue his reign. But there aren't a lot of male singles wrestlers who are ready to be called up from NXT yet, so maybe they took the title from him so he could come up to the main roster after Wrestlemania. I can't fault the match at all though, it would have been match of the night on most shows. I'm becoming a massive Almas fan, and a big fan of Vega also. They've become one of the best acts in the company - everything Del Rio was supposed to be but never was.

The main event was one of the best matches I've seen in ages. I really hope Ciampa can keep this heel heat after the feud ends, because it's so refreshing to see someone that hated, but in a positive way that sells tickets. I love Ciampa, he's an awesome talent, but I've really been enjoying hating his guts. That main event was a masterclass in storytelling and building emotion into a match. It really doesn't get much better than that.

NXT was gutted by main roster call ups for a while and it wasn't quite as awesome as it once had been (though there still hasn't been a bad Takeover). But you can really see from this show that it's back to its best now. Maybe even better than ever. The roster is so good, and I don't think many will be called up post Wrestlemania because they all still have too much to do on NXT television. I think we could see Sanity, Authors of Pain, the Iconic Duo, and maybe Almas moving up to the main roster. Everyone else looks to be staying, and that still leaves NXT with an unbelievably good roster.
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Re: NXT Takeover: New Orleans - Your thoughts?

Postby Messiah » Apr 08, '18, 12:50 pm

The Legend wrote:I won't call it the best PPV I've seen in WWE or even the best Takeover, and the reason is simple, I wasn't a fan of the NXT championship match from the start and if I don't buy in to the biggest title match on the card it's hard to say that the show as a whole is strong.


I definitely understand this perspective. However, I do think there are exceptions that can be made. This show had a gripping enough main story (Gargano/Ciampa), the strongest story of the last year and arguably the last two years when you consider the rise of DIY in the first place, that it more than makes up for what may have been a lack of interest in the world title match (relative to the rest of the card).

On that subject, it is incredible that if you were to make a list of the 10 best NXT (and maybe WWE too?) matches of the last two years, over half of them would probably include Gargano and/or Ciampa. Gargano vs Ciampa, DIY vs Revival (both maches), DIY vs Revival vs AOP, Gargano vs Almas. What makes it even more impressive to me is it isn't like these two got a big roll-out like Balor, Nakamura, Cole, Roode, etc. got. It is one of wrestling's greatest examples of how to take two guys and make them into people the audience is heavily invested in. You can't help but appreciate the storytelling, the slow build, and the patience to turn a blank slate into gold.
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Re: NXT Takeover: New Orleans - Your thoughts?

Postby JDD » Apr 08, '18, 2:46 pm

I feel like I’ve been saying this since like Takeover: Chicago, but that really was the best Takeover yet. Not a single dissapointing moment. The openingmatch was the best 6 man ladder match in WWE history. Insane spots, a crazy hot crowd and just an awesome way to start the show.

Moon/Bazler was a million times better than the match at Takeover/San Antonio. Fantastic storytelling throughout this match. The spot with Shayna using the rinpost to pop her elbow back in to place was fasntastic.

The tag match good. I think I enjoyed last years triple threat tag team matvh a little better, but this was still great. Im hoping we get British Strong Style vs TUE in War Games this year after that finish.

Almas/Black was fantastic, but I hated seeing Almas’s reign end so quick. He’s become one of my favorites in all of WWE, so I hope if he is getting called up soon they do great things with him.

As for the main event, it was quite simply the best match in NXT history. One of the best matches i’ve ever seen. This Gargano/Ciampa feud will go down as one of wrestlings best story’s and this was a great blow off. The powerbomb to the outside was fucking insane and i love that it was followed up by the most approptiate use of the “you deserve it” chant ever.

NXT once again stole Wretlemania weekend with their best show yet.
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