NXT Takeover: Unstoppable

Legacy Review

NXT Takeover: Unstoppable

May 20, 2015 from Full Sail University in Winter Park, FL

Commentary: Rich Brennan, Corey Graves and Byron Saxton

Big "we love NXT" hype video to open showing how big and hot NXT was becoming. People say wrestling.

NXT Championship #1 Contender's Match: Finn Balor def Tyler Breeze in 11:04- This was supposed to be a triple threat match with Hideo Itami, but Itami suffered a rotator cuff injury just before the show. They show footage of Itami writhing in pain in the parking lot before the show, presumably after being attacked by person or persons unknown. Kevin Owens walks by and casually says "That's a shame" without ever breaking stride. The man is a legend. This was also the first instance of what would become a recurring NXT gag: the crazy unsafe parking lot that needed more OSHA regulation or something. Breeze gets the first ever super special Takeover entrance with a bunch of (female) models impersonating him. Balor also has some new bits added onto the Demon entrance. The crowd is absolutely insane for him. Basic start with some shoulderblock/quick cover combos and headlocks. They hit the jets and Balor hits a dropkick. He warms up a dive but Breeze sees it and rolls back in. One guy in the crowd tries a "Breeze is gorgeous" chant and gets over half the arena saying "NO HE'S NOT" in response. It does kick off a dueling chant though. The crowd is already way hotter than the last Takeover, which was a strangely sedate Full Sail crowd. Big Balor chop. They have a series of corner/apron counters and Breeze hits the Chris Jericho springboard dropkick off the second rope, sending Balor off the apron to the floor. Back in Breeze counters a backdrop and hits a neckbreaker for 2. Snap mare/legdrop combo. He pulls Balor's tights to keep him in a chinlock. Sunset flip from Breeze. Balor rolls through it and hits a basement dropkick. Flurry from Balor. He hits a leaping basement dropkick. Double stomp off the apron onto Breeze's back! He goes up top but Breeze rolls away. Bloody Sunday setup. Breeze counters and hits a forearm. Slingblade from Balor! But he runs into a Breeze superkick! Cover for 2. Breeze takes a top turnbuckle pad off. The ref pulls him back from attacking aggressively in the corner. Balor ducks a Beauty Shot. Breeze rolls away from a standing double stop and rolls Balor up for 2. Balor ducks in the corner, Breeze slams on the brakes before hitting the exposed buckle, but Balor rolls him up (with some tights) for 2. The kickout sends Balor into the exposed buckle! Beauty Shot! Balor kicks out! Breeze is furious and throws a tantrum while Balor goes out to the floor. The crowd lets the ref know "You're not counting". They're so helpful. Breeze goes after Balor on the floor....and walks into a slingblade on the ramp! Balor climbs up on the stage! Dive off the stage! Gotta say, that was a little underwhelming for a stage dive. Very basic. John WOOOOOO dropkick back in. Coupe de Gracie and it's over. Solid opener, but not a world beater. ***1/4

 

Video package for recent NXT house shows in Philly and Albany, NY, the first outside Florida and not connected to a major main roster PPV. The NXT explosion (NXTplosion? Nah, the T messes it up) is well and truly on.

 

Bayley and Charlotte def Dana Brooke and Emma in 6:51- Brooke was a development project with a background in bodybuilding and fitness competitions and had just made her TV debut about a month prior. She was very much a work in progress. Emma is back in NXT trying to revitalize her career as a heel after an unsuccessful main roster run and high profile incident involving an iPad case and a malfunctioning Walmart self checkout scanner. But let's be honest here, the sole purpose of this match is to get Charlotte and Bayley on the card. Bayley and Brooke start. Brooke unsurprisingly flashes early power. Bayley lifts her up, tags Charlotte, slingshots Brooke and Charlotte does.....something. Brooke escapes and tags Emma. Shoving match with Bayley and Emma bails to the floor, hiding behind Brooke. Bayley with a corner baseball slide into both of them! Bayley goes up to the second rope, Brooke distracts her, and Emma pulls her down. A slow beatdown from Emma follows. She pulls Bayley's ponytail! That's just mean. Quick tags and stomps in the heel corner. "We want Dana" "NO WE DON'T" dueling chant. Emma sandwich for 2. She mocks Bayley's hug, gives her a forearm and plays to the crowd. Bayley exploder suplex! Tags on both sides. Charlotte chops. Brooke's top is trying to come off. Big boot from Charlotte. She tosses Emma out and Brooke hits her from behind. Charlotte cartwheels out of a double team and hits a double DDT. Emma crossbody off the top rope. Charlotte rolls through, hooks on the figure four and bridges into the figure eight. Brooke runs in to try to break it up. Bayley slides under Charlotte's bridge and gives Brooke a Bayley to belly! Bad timing by Brooke there, she had to stop and stand for a bit. Rookie issues. Natural Selection on Emma and it's over. That was a match that existed. **

Recap of Sami Zayn answering John Cena's US Title open challenge on Raw a few weeks back, hurting his shoulder during the match. Or reaggrivating the injury he suffered at Owens' hands, according to Owens. After that is a shot of the PC "Class of 2015", with Peyton Royce & Billie Kay (the Iconics/Iiconics, and Inspiration post-WWE), Alexander Wolfe (an underrated future glue guy for both Sanity and Imperium), Uhaa Nation/Apollo Crews ("Uhaa" chant from the crowd), and a guy in the middle I honestly can't place. Readers? Hold on....my buddy Cody Kahne is letting me know it's King Constantine, AKA Radomic Petkovic. Never appeared on TV other than this according to Cagematch. Thanks Cody.

 

Baron Corbin def Rhyno in 7:13- ECW legend Rhyno made a surprise NXT debut earlier in the year and was a natural fit to go against the rising monster Corbin. Big boi lockup stalemate. Rhyno shoulderblock. He knocks Corbin to the floor a couple of times. Not sure that went how they planned. After a bit of a brawl on the floor Corbin knocks Rhyno off the second rope back to the floor. Rhyno gets whipped around the corners on a tour of the turnbuckles. After a missed corner charge Corbin gets pissed and lays in a ton of kicks and knees in the corner to the point the ref has to drag him out. After a slide to the floor and punch Corbin covers for 2. He hooks on a sort of cobra clutch. Collision and both guys go down. Rhyno is up first with punches and clotheslines. Spinebuster for 2. He sets up for the Gore. Corbin cuts him off with a clothesline! End of Days and good night. Meh. *1/2

Recap of Kevin Owens appearing on Raw the previous week, also to "accept" Cena's US open challenge. "Accept" in KO fashion, as in refuse the match then BEAT UP JOHN CENA (yes I know AJ Styles and Gallows/Anderson hadn't come up with that yet, they weren't even in WWE yet, bear with me). As an exclamation point Owens steps on the US title belt while holding his NXT title high. All in all, a legendary debut. He's already got a match signed with Cena for Elimination Chamber regardless of what happens tonight, which Owens would win and then spend the next two months losing to Cena as payback. Owens cuts a promo in the back where he manages to pump up both his Zayn and Cena matches. See, you don't need a huge video package after that. Owens just took care of all the hype needed.

 

NXT Tag Team Championship: Blake & Murphy (c) def Enzo Amore & Colin Cassidy (w/Carmella) in 8:52- The crowd goes absolutely mad for Enzo and Cass. Very little reaction for the champs....until they see Blake has his hair in pigtails, then they give him a "you look stupid" chant you can hear over the video package. Enzo and Blake's pigtails start. Enzo starts quick with a flash rollup, stiff crossbody (I'd tell him to ease off on that) and dropkick. Blake backs him into the heel corner but Enzo escapes and both sides tag. Cass no sells Murphy chops and tosses him aside on a tornado DDT attempt. Face corner double team. Enzo crossbody off the top for 2. He gets caught on the apron in the wrong part of town and Murphy nails him with a clothesline. Both Blake and Murphy go right to the chinlocks. I guess that's how you get heel heat nowadays. Murphy posts his shoulder after an Enzo dodge but Blake cuts a tag off. He hooks on an abdominal stretch. Enzo works him over into a rollup. Blake grabs Enzo's pants to keep him from tagging. Cass gets punched off the apron and the heels hit a double team vertebraker for 2. Enzo fights off a superplex. He dives off the top rope and DDTs Murphy! Tags! Cass cleans house with big boots for everyone. Sawft elbow on Blake. Murphy breaks the pin up. Cass fights B&M off with a clothesline for one and a side suplex for the other. Then he tags a barely alive Enzo, a questionable decision that commentary isn't sure about. He drags Enzo over to the top rope for their rocket launcher finisher. Alexa Bliss runs in! She takes out Carmella! Bliss knocks Enzo off the top rope! Blake covers for the pin and surprise retention to a chorus of boos that could probably be heard in Orlando. Everyone was expecting a title change here. I certainly was watching it live. Instead, Bliss turns heel and gets paired up with B&M to give their stagnant title run a bit of fresh life. She'd end up being the breakout star of the group after not getting much traction in NXT to date. No one would ever accuse Enzo or Cass of being good wrestlers no matter how popular they were, but they looked super motivated here while B&M were more going through the motions. **1/2

"Total Divas star" Eva Marie is here. She gets a small and polite mixed response. That would quickly change when everyone realized she was about to subject the world to her attempts at wrestling again.

 

NXT Women's Championship: Sasha Banks (c) def Becky Lynch in 15:28- Like the last Takeover very little reaction for Lynch on her entrance. The crowd is pro-Banks despite her being the clear heel. She was quickly becoming popular through sheer wrestling awesomeness no matter how evil her character was. Lynch is debuting her steampunk/goggles/bright orange hair look tonight. Mandatory "Sasha is ratchet/No she's not" chant before the bell. Rough lockup. Lynch grabs a hammerlock. A drop toe hold leads to a dizzying sequence of near fall tradeoffs, Savage/Steamboat style. On a speed run Lynch toe holds Banks down in the middle of a leapfrog! She goes for the armbar and Banks scurries out. Armdrags from Lynch. Banks hits a cheap forearm on a corner break. After another series of counters Banks rams Lynch's arm into the apron. She works the arm and wraps it around the top rope, then mocks Lynch's entrance pose. When she turns around Lynch grabs a flash small package for 2. Banks hooks on a straitjacket. She lifts Lynch up and gives her a vertebraker while still holding onto it, then really cranks it back. Lynch gets up and tries to back Banks into the corner but Banks lets go and Lynch goes into the buckles. Lynch tries to fight but Banks sets her up and drops the double knee stomp right on her arm! Banks pulls back hard on the arm again. We're getting into almost ZSJ Orienteering With Napalm Death territory here. Banks stomps on the arm and pulls back an armbreaker. Lynch tries to fight out, rolls over a couple of times, lifts Banks up by the arm and drops her. European uppercut flurry from Lynch with the good arm. Missile dropkick for 2. Now she goes back to work on Banks' arm. I love the submission focus this match has. There's a fine line between time killing arm holds and clearly working for a submission and they've got it right. Banks walks up the ropes and flips over to get out. High knee in the corner from Banks! Meteora! Cover for 2. Jawing and a slap from Banks. Lynch responds with an uppercut. Backslide try, tiltawhirl, Banks grabs the bad arm again, and Lynch throws her to the floor. Banks' arm is posted. Hammerlock suplex from Lynch back in. Legdrop on the arm. She hyperextends Banks' arm with her feet! German suplex with Banks' arm trapped for 2. She grabs a pumphandle. Banks flips out and tries for a suplex. Lynch blocks it and rolls into the armbar! Banks just gets to the ropes. She tosses a charging Lynch out and holds her hurt arm. Banks tope suicida, while still cradling the bad arm! Lynch catches her! She runs Banks into the stairs. Lynch goes up top. Banks slams her down by the arm! Banks Statement! Lynch taps out! After the match the crowd gives them a well deserved standing ovation. Banks leaves and lets Lynch have a moment with the crowd and they give it to her, showing new respect and singing her music. All four of the 4 Horsewomen have now officially made it. But in a career quirk she'd be the only one that didn't win the NXT Women's title, and this would be her last Takeover appearance before joining the mass women's call up that happens later in the summer. ****1/4

 

NXT Championship: Kevin Owens (c) and Sami Zayn no contest in 13:00ish- Owens comes out wearing Cena's US title shirt! Now that is some A+ trolling. As soon as the bell rings Owens steps out. The crowd responds to the shirt with a "John Cena suuuuuuuuuuuucks" chant. Zayn charges in, leaping off the steps with a forearm! He pummels Owens on the floor. Owens pummels him back in the ring. A Zayn clothesline sends Owens 360 to the floor. Owens grabs Zayn to powerbomb him on the floor! Zayn backdrops out. Owens goes into the steps. Zayn punches him over the guardrail. It's been a total brawl so far. They fight toward the back of the arena. Owens lifts Zayn to powerbomb him! Zayn grabs the stands rail to save his life! Owens charges and Zayn backdrops him back over the barricade to the ringside area. Blue thunder bomb back in for 2. Owens begs off. He tries to back elbow out of a German. Zayn grabs his arm and gives him an exploder suplex instead! Owens counters a tornado DDT with a backbreaker. Zayn dodges the cannonball! Corner exploder! Owens rolls away from the Helluva Kick. Zayn exploder on the floor! He charges, but Owens lifts him up and gives him another pop up powerbomb on the apron! Zayn is motionless on the floor as refs come out to check on him. Owens gives no shits and keeps attacking. Now a trainer is out to check on Zayn as Owens continues to get shots in. He grabs Zayn and drags his lifeless carcass back in the ring. GM William Regal is now out and he's not happy. He gets right in Owens' face with a finger point. Owens backs off.....then steps back in to hit another powerbomb. Regal drags Owens away by the nose! Owens headbutts Regal! Regal is down! Owens yells at JoJo and takes her chair. He lifts it up.....and music hits. What is this? Who is this? IT'S SAMOA F'N JOE! SAMOA JOE IS HERE! He gets in the ring and goes nose to nose with Owens. After a minute Owens walks away to the crowd's disappointment. By the way, the bell never rang to end the match so I guess we'll call it a sportz entertainment finish (as originally coined by Scott Keith). As Joe poses for the crowd Owens comes back out, teases getting back in the ring, and walks away again as the show closes Another Owens/Zayn Takeover match, another unusual finish. It was too short with that finish to hit the upper echelon of matches, but it worked perfectly to show Owens as a heartless bastard and Joe's debut is phenomenal. Zayn would end up taking most of the rest of the year off to heal what was a legit injury. ***1/2

 

OVERALL SHOW THOUGHTS- Thanks to a rough first half this is up there, or down there, with Fatal 4 Way as the weakest Takeover to date, possibly the weakest until the no crowd pandemic era and the end of Black & Gold NXT. It's also the first Takeover with no title changes. The two closing matches and Joe's debut means we still don't have any completely skippable Takeovers though. And plans were already being put together for NXT to take another major step forward with the next Takeover, a very special one....

OVERALL SHOW GRADE: C

 

BONUS MATCH REVIEW

 

From The Beast in the East (July 4, 2015 from the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo)- NXT Championship: Finn Balor def Kevin Owens (c) in 19:25- This is from one of those cool "house show plus" specials the Network used to do from time to time, a 4th of July show in Japan headlined by Brock Lesnar and John Cena but including this important little gem in the middle. It's great to see a WWE show in the Kokugikan, especially with the more casual house show style setup allowing the arena to retain more of its natural flavor. This is ground zero for major league sumo wrestling in Japan, as well as a regular venue for New Japan when the sumo schedule allows. Having a show here has been the closest thing so far to fulfilling my wish of having a televised WWE show from Korakuen Hall. Make it happen, Hunter. A much looser and less produced Michael Cole and Byron Saxton are on the call. Thanks to the looser production they make a big deal of Balor going back to the country where he became a star as Prince Devitt to go for the title, while Owens was furious about being forced to go to Japan. During the build he said he spent two months there years ago and swore he'd never come back to "this dump" again. Hideo Itami is ringside for this match, looking none too pleased to be there. He was still out with an injury. Once again Balor is bringing the Demon. They do the full flower ceremony before the match. Owens tosses the flowers halfway up the aisle! There's also epic ROH style streamers before the match. Are we sure this is a WWE show? The bell rings, and Balor instantly charges and hits the John WOOOO dropkick! He goes up top! Owens rolls to the floor. Balor switches gears and dives to the floor! Back in on a speed run Balor leaps and looks like he was going for either a forearm or a slingblade but Owens wasn't expecting it and just stands there. Ugly collision and miscommunication. They recover quickly as Owens dodges a dropkick and slides to the floor. Balor leaping dropkick in the ring hits Owens on the floor! Leaping dropkick against the barricade! They reset a little with some back and forth in the ring. I'm not used to seeing this many camera cuts in a show from Sumo Hall. Can we get the New Japan camera crew in here? Owens catches a leaping Balor. Balor slides around Owens and tries for a backslide. Owens drops him with a Samoan drop for 2. Some ground and pound follows as Owens slows the match down, beating Balor down and jawing with the crowd. Cole mentions all of Balor's IWGP Junior and Junior Tag Title wins as well as his two Best of the Super Juniors wins. Then Saxton says a lot of those came in the Tokyo Dome. This is how commentary should be. More crowd mocking from Owens. Balor gets some forearms in, hits the ropes, and runs right into an Owens back elbow. After some corner dodges Balor tries a sunset flip off the apron, but Owens punches him in midair and he falls to the floor! Stair shots for Balor. He barely gets back in at 9. Owens senton for 2. He tosses Balor out again and shouts "Everybody count!". Back in Owens sets Balor up, gets a ton of momentum off the ropes.....and stops and puts on a CHINLOCK! Fantastic. "I hate this stupid country and everyone in it". Whip reversal, Owens goes for a sunset flip, Balor does his basement dropkick counter, kicking off a comeback. Clothesline off the second rope for 2. Slugfest. Owens hits a tackle. A second one. Ohhhhh, we know what he's doing. Side slam. YOU CAN'T SEE ME. Five knuckle shuffle! Owens had another match scheduled with Cena for the next PPV. He goes for the Attitude Adjustment! Balor slips out and hits a standing double stomp. Corner shops. Another AA attempt is countered. Pele kick! Owens goes to the floor. Balor tope con hilo! Double stomp off the top to the back of Owens' head! Bloody Sunday! Owens kicks out! He goes up top again. Owens dodges the Coupe de Gracie and hits a German. Cannonball for 2. Package powerbomb for 2. He pushes Balor into the ropes for the pop up powerbomb. Balor grabs the rope to stop and hits the slingblade! He goes up top. Owens headbutts him off. Balor kick from the apron. Up top again. Coupe de Gracie hits! OWENS KICKS OUT! After Balor recovers from that shock he goes into corner beatdown mode. He tries a superplex. Owens tries the fisherman's buster counter. Balor gets out, drops down and high kicks Owens again. He gets back up top. Owens grabs him and hits a rolling senton off the top for 2! Owens up top again with a senton. Balor gets his knees up! A second Bloody Sunday! OWENS KICKS OUT AGAIN! What the hell does Balor have to do? Owens superkick! Sleeper suplex for 2. Owens shouts "You can't beat me" and slaps Balor. Balor slaps back. Owens goes for the pop up powerbomb. Balor clothesline counter! John WOOOOOO! Corner dropkick! COUPE DE GRACIE HITS AGAIN! That gets Balor the pin and the title! What a match. Not too much of a surprise though with Owens doing so much work on the main roster already. Newly minted WWE Hall of Famer Tatsumi Fujinami comes out to celebrate with Balor. Balor offers Owens a handshake and gets blown off. As Balor's leaving there's some definite too sweeting with the crowd happening. ****1/2