NXT Takeover: Chicago

Legacy Review

NXT Takeover: Chicago

May 20, 2017 from the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, IL

Commentary: Tom Phillips, Nigel McGuinness and Percy Watson

This is the "odd" Takeover for 2017, the one not taking place with any of the Big 4 PPVs. In fact it's happening in conjunction with Backlash, barely a month and a half after the last Takeover. Several major names were called up just after Wrestlemania (among them Shinsuke Nakamura, Tye Dillinger and The Revival) so NXT is in a bit of a roster switchover and restock.

Roderick Strong def Eric Young (w/Alexander Wolfe and Killian Dain) in 13:42- Strong has been Sanity's latest target for months, with a bit of a "Roddy vs the world" story going. Strong gets one up on Sanity early, faking out his entrance and coming through the crowd to take out Wolfe and Dain before getting in the ring. Young tries to back off but Strong is all over him. He 360 clotheslines Young to the floor. The crowd is all Roddy. Back in Strong hits chops and a dropkick. Young gets a back elbow in the corner and hits a side suplex to huge boos. Swinging neckbreaker for 2. Strong turns on the jets and hits a clothesline. Running corner elbows. Young does a flip over in the corner and lands on the apron. Strong knocks him down with a running knee. Wolfe tries to get Young out of the way during a Strong charge and Strong takes Wolfe out with a baseball slide. Dain crossbodys Strong on the floor as the numbers start to be too much. Back in Young goes into slowish beatdown mode. He hooks on his corner hanging dragon sleeper, then an elbow off the second rope for 2. Wolfe gets a kick in. More slow beatdown from Young. A Strong comeback is cut off with a back elbow. Young goes for the hanging sleeper again. Strong fights out of it. Young tries coming off the second rope but Strong dropkicks him in midair. That starts off a Strong comeback flurry. Backbreaker! What else would you expect from Strong? Corner high knee and flip slam for 2. Young bails to the floor. Strong follows. Young plucks him off the apron and hits the wheelbarrow neckbreaker on the floor! Both guys are down for a while. Young rolls Strong back in and covers him for 2. He goes up top. Strong grabs his foot. Young headbutts him back down and hits an elbow off the top for 2. He sets up for the finishing wheelbarrow neckbreaker. Strong counters into a cradle for 2. Dain and Wolfe get taken out again. Strong goes for the Olympic slam but Young eye rakes him mid-move. Both guys go up top and have a suplex leverage fight. Strong hits another high knee and Young falls down into the other Sanity guys! Back in Young hits a kick. Another Strong high knee. Vertebraker! That gets the pin for Strong! I believe this was the first time Sanity had ever been defeated in any real way. Quality opener. ***1/4

Jim Ross comes out to join the booth for the next match, his first match called at a Takeover. Fortunately we don't get into an AEW-style overcrowded booth situation (they really need to streamline commentary) as Phillips and Watson both leave to let just Nigel call it with JR.

 

WWE United Kingdom Championship: "The Bruiserweight" Pete Dunne def Tyler Bate (c) in 15:27- While plans are still being put together to make what would be called NXT UK a full time brand, the WWE UK title that was introduced in January gets its first defense in the US. Dunne won this title shot on another UK Championship Special that was aired the night before this show. The crowd is mostly behind heel Dunne. I'd say that's Chicago being Chicago, but no offense to Bate I think that'd be true just about anywhere. Good basic back and forth mat wrestling start. Bate tries a headscissors escape but Dunne moves his legs around to re-trap him. Another attempt and Bate is out. Reset lockup and Dunne grounds Bate again, working his arm and doing a bit of finger joint manipulation. Bate escapes, hits a dropkick and kips up. Dunne goes out to the floor. Bate follows and gets a huge forearm for his trouble. Dunne twists fingers and sets up for a stair stomp. Bate gets his hand out just in time and leaps off the stairs for a flying elbow. He rolls Dunne back in and Dunne goes right back out the other side. Bate follows and again eats a forearm. Dunne x-plex onto the apron! Hardest Part of the Ring TM. Back in Dunne hits some mocking slaps and plays to the crowd. He grounds Bate with a hammerlock and does some more finger twisting. The ref counts that so Dunne stomps Bate in the very exposed ribs. Dunne hits some more forearms and stomps to the head. Kicks to the face start to fire Bate back up. Delayed exploder suplex from Bate! Running corner uppercuts. Dunne responds with a corner dropkick. Bate flips out of another x-plex attempt and hits a standing 360 splash. He plants Dunne with a Saito suplex for 2. Bate runs and tries another 360 splash. Dunne catches him in a triangle choke! Bate tries to use the position to work Dunne into a pin, then uses his superior strength to lift him up and slam him. Bate hoists Dunne up in a fireman's carry. Airplane spin! Around and around they go! This is a 21st century style airplane spin! The crowd goes bonkers for it. Bate drops Dunne, falls on top of him and gets a LONG 2 count. Dunne flips out of a German suplex attempt. Bate tries springboarding off the second rope but Dunne knocks him out of the air with a forearm! Dunne looks like he's going for another x-plex, but switches into a sitout powerbomb for 2. The crowd's freaking unglued now, hanging on every near fall. Kneeling light strikes evolve into a full on standing pub brawl. Bate throws up bop and hits bang! Dunne enzuguri! More strikes. Bate hits a pele kick. Dunne gets a PK. Bate goes into the ropes, does his crazy leaping head first slingshot, and hits a clothesline! Cover for 2. Bate hooks up for Tyler Driver '97. He lifts Dunne but can't hold him up. Dunne takes the opening and goes for the Bitter End. Bate counters into a DDT midmove! That gets a "holy shit" chant. Dunne goes to the floor again. Bate hits an asai moonsault! He rolls Dunne back in and goes up top. Corkscrew 450 splash! Dunne kicks out! And again rolls outside. Dunne goes for a huge tope dive. Dunne dodges and splats Bate on the floor! The Bitter End hits in the ring! Dunne gets the pin and the title! British Strong Style is the best. Or at worst a close second to Japanese Strong Style. Loved the psychology of Dunne continuing to make the rolling out to the floor work to get moves in when he knew Bate wasn't patient enough to not go for it, and it eventually won him the match. The Takeover hardcore fan crowd ate up every single second of this match as well, adding even more to the atmosphere. ****3/4

 

Triple Threat Match for the NXT Women's Championship: Asuka (c) def Nikki Cross and Ruby Riot in 12:30- This was supposed to be the second Fatal Four Way in three Takeovers for the Women's title, but Ember Moon, who lost to Asuka one on one at the last Takeover, got legitimately injured shortly before the show. Asuka has crossed one year as champion, is still undefeated in NXT, and was showing no sign of slowing down or losing fan support. Even with her recent attempted heel turn for the Moon match she was still cheered. With Moon out this match has a very "challengers of the month" feel, especially since Cross and Riot seemed more interested in tearing each other apart than winning the title. After intros Cross tosses her jacket at Riot and runs her down with a forearm, then goes after Asuka. Off a whip Asuka accidentally/on purpose hip attacks Riot off the apron back to the floor. Cross takes a hip attack in the ring. Crossbody from Cross and she does her crazy unhinged attack on Asuka. Cross gets tossed out. Riot casually kicks her on the way back in the ring and stares down Asuka. Lockup. Dodges and shoulderblock collision! Another one! Asuka tries some maneuvering but Riot rolls her up for 1. A Riot kick sends Asuka down to the floor. Riot's dive attempt is cut off by Cross. They fight down to the floor. Cross tries to whip Riot into the steps. Riot leaps over the steps and hits Asuka with a forearm! Cross tackles Riot from behind. That's a penalty in the NFL. The injured Moon watches the match from one of the suites up in the arena while Cross beats Riot down in the ring. Neckbreaker. Asuka comes back in with a missile dropkick on Cross, then pummels her with chest kicks. Cross hits an elbow to the gut and a neckbreaker for 2. Asuka gets a kick in and hits a codebreaker. Riot comes back in with kicks that Asuka uses to lift her into a powerbomb. Into an ankle lock! Cross, with some difficulty, breaks it up. Riot rolls into a Cross forearm. Asuka gets low bridged down to the floor. Cross plays with Riot a bit while Riot says bring it on. Riot hits chops. Clothesline. Dropkick. She flying headscissors Asuka off the second rope, then uses her legs to push Cross into the middle buckle in the opposite corner. Everyone goes out again. Cross dives off the apron into an Asuka knee. Riot hits a tope suicida! Back in she hits a senton off the top rope on Cross. Asuka comes in and breaks the pin up by lifting Riot up into a German suplex for 2. Cross blocks an Asuka German, then blocks a spinning backfist, and takes Asuka down for 2. Then Cross jumps on Riot's back and tries to put on a sleeper. Asuka lifts her up and, with a Riot kick assist, hits the German on Cross. Riot takes Asuka down with another kick. Asuka dodges the top rope senton. Asuka Lock! A Cross splash breaks it up. Cross reverse DDTs Riot on the apron. She dodges an Asuka baseball slide and does her patented ring skirt trap and beatdown. Back in Cross hits a rope assisted magic killer on Asuka. Riot breaks the pin up. Cross and Riot hit simultaneous crossbodys. All three slowly get up. Cross and Riot look at each other, asses, and both charge at Asuka with a 360 clothesline! Cross then quickly tries to roll Riot up for 2. Riot crucifix pin for 2. Cross hits a knee to the head. She goes for the fisherman's neckbreaker. Riot counters out and nails Cross with an arm wringer kick. Cross is out. Asuka comes back in, MURDERS Riot with a knee right in the face, and covers *both* opponents for the pin! Well, that's a statement. Commentary asks the obvious question: can ANYBODY beat Asuka? Well it just so happens (this is me bringing this up, not commentary) the start of the first Mae Young Classic is less than two months away, and with it a wholesale restocking of the NXT women's division. The match was good, but only just. Nothing hugely wrong, it just didn't come together the way it could have. I think it was missing that crazy Cross spot that the four way back at San Antonio had too. ***

 

NXT Championship: Bobby Roode (c) def Hideo Itami in 17:50- After missing significant parts of the past two years with multiple injuries, much hyped signee Itami (KENTA) made his return on weekly NXT TV right after the last Takeover and attacked Roode to get thrown immediately into a title shot. With his return Itami also got the GTS back as his finisher. He invented the move but WWE wouldn't let him use it in the past due to its connections to persona non grata CM Punk. The fact this match isn't getting the main event spot doesn't say much about his pedigree as challenger either, though there are other reasons for the card structure. The Chicago crowd is firmly behind Roode. Staredown and lockup. Roode gives Itami a head games clean break. He winds the arms up. "Glo.." Itami scoops him up for a GTS! Roode squirts free and gets the hell out of town. Almost all the way up the aisle out. Back in they work through some basics and Itami hits a back elbow for 2. They trade shots in the corner with Itami getting the upper hand with chops. He hits a pair of PKs from both sides. Snap mare and kneedrop. He puts a knee pad down, then jumps over Roode and kicks some dirt back on him. Then Itami has the AUDACITY to try to do Roode's "GLORIOUS" shout. Roode pushes out of a tornado DDT attempt and hits a blockbuster for 2. Chops and corner clotheslines from Roode. Neckbreaker for 2. I'd forgotten how many people were doing a Rude Awakening-style hangman neckbreaker in NXT in these days. More people should be doing it now. I'd bring it back as a finisher. Roode kills a couple of minutes with an arm stretch and chinlock. An Itami comeback is cut off with a knee to the gut. Roode goes for another neckbreaker. Itami turns it into a backslide for 2. Roode hits a clothesline and taunts Itami. Itami responds with a huge stiff KENTA-esque open hand slap! Running kick from Itami, followed by a clothesline and more kicks. Suplex. He goes for the tornado DDT again, this time adjusting to snap Roode over the top rope. Clothesline off the top for 2. He tries to scoop for the GTS. Roode fight it off and pushes Itami into the corner. Itami dodges and Roode's shoulder is posted. Itami goes right to work on it with kicks. Roode tries a rollup. Itami blocks it and grabs the hurt arm for some kind of armbar but Roode keeps it from being fully applied. They go up top and Roode fights off a superplex. Itami dodges another blockbuster attempt. Falcon arrow for 2. More kicks to the shoulder. Itami goes for the corner dropkick but runs into a Roode spinebuster for 2. Roode does the "GLORIOUS" shout with only one arm. He goes for the Glorious DDT but his hurt arm gives out. Another GTS scoop. Roode grabs the top rope and snaps Itami over it. On the floor Itami is run into the barricade. Whip reversal and Roode goes bad shoulder first into the steps. Itami goes for the diving dropkick on the floor. Roode doges and Itami hits the steps, hurting his ankle in the process. Both guys stagger back in the ring. Slugfest. Itami hits some rapid strikes. The corner dropkick hits. He gets Roode up for the GTS! His leg gives out! Glorious DDT! Slow cover from the hurt Roode. Itami kicks out! The GTS hits! Roode falls out of the ring! Itami rolls him back in and covers for a long 2. He goes for another GTS. Roode tries to roll him up but Itami stacks him up for 2. More huge open hand slaps from Itami and Roode goes down. The kneepad is down. Itami goes for another GTS. Roode counters into a Glorious DDT! That gets the pin! Really good match, but missing that little bit extra to hit the upper echelon. Given his NXT history I don't think much of anyone was taking Itami any more seriously than a challenger of the month. ***3/4

Jinder Mahal challenging for the WWE Championship? Yeah, that'd never happen. That'd be the worst title reign of the modern era if it did. The only thing that could possibly make him winning the title worse is if he successfully retained against a red hot fresh from NXT Shinsuke Nakamura, and on a Big 4 PPV to boot. In a not at all related note, I still hate Summerslam 2017.

Fozzy's "Judas" is one of the 17 official theme songs for this Takeover, proving we are definitely in a pre-AEW world.

 

Ladder Match for the NXT Tag Team Championship: The Authors of Pain (c) (w/Paul Ellering) def DIY in 20:06- This is the one on one rematch DIY had been demanding for months. Only one ladder is visible at the start of the match, which is a nice change, but you know there'll be more. Someone in the crowd has a sign that says "Authors of Poop" which gives me a very juvenile chuckle. The bell rings and the big brawl is on. AOP uses Big Guy Logic to get the quick edge. DIY counter with some speed strikes and clear the ring to the delight of the crowd. They go out and start pulling more ladders out from under the ring. Knew there'd be more. While they're trying to decide what size they want for this ladder season AOP jump them from behind. Ciampa drop toe holds Rezar into the steps. Gargano hits a canonball senton off the apron. DIY go up the aisle and grab the tallest of all ladders, AKA the Jeff Hardy Suicide Ladder. They almost drop it on the way to the ring. AOP tries to fight them getting it all the way in the ring. Gargano with a tope suicida on them THROUGH the ladder! DIY get in and climb one of the regular size ladders, which look super tiny now. Akam comes in and tries to push them off but gets a ladder in the face instead. DIY try a double team on Rezar but he catches Gargano and drops him on top of Ciampa. AOP set up and start a slooooooow climb. Ciampa attacks them with another ladder. After getting AOP down he drops the ladder on them. Rezar holds a folded ladder up. Ciampa tries to climb it while Rezar is holding it! DIY both take a ladder in the face. AOP sets up for the super collider. DIY use the position to hop on the set up ladder! AOP push the ladder down. Ciampa comes down holding his knee and talks to the ref for a minute. More on that later. He's back up pretty quickly and gets whipped into the ladder. AOP trap Ciampa in the corner with a ladder and pummel him with it. The crowd is not happy. Another AOP slow setup and climb. They see DIY getting up to stop them so they hop down to punish them some more. DIY takes some more ladder shots. AOP get a couple of fresh large ladders out and straddle them between the ring corner and barricade. They set up to powerbomb DIY off the apron through those ladders. Ciampa squirts free and saves Gargano. Superkick from Gargano. A pair of DIY knees send AOP onto the horizontal ladders that they themselves set up. DIY takes a look at the Hardy Suicide Ladder and you can see the lightbulb go off. They climb up the tallest of the tall ladders. "Please don't die" chant. Double splash putting AOP through the ladders! One ladder broke. One didn't. Thankfully the whole spot was shown on TV in one wide shot with no camera cuts or zooms. "Holy shit" chant. After requisite recovery/replay showing time Ciampa is back in the ring. He sets up one of the normal sized ladders. Akam also gets in and they both climb. Gargano sets another ladder up adjacent to the one they're on. Rezar joins him. Ciampa gets knocked off. Rezar tries to push Gargano's ladder, but Gargano hops onto the ladder right below the belts! He punches Akam off! Gargano is all alone! The crowd goes wild for his apparent clear shot at the belts. But wait, Ellering gets in the ring! He pulls Gargano down! And the ladder! GARGANO SUPERKICKS ELLERING! Elder abuse! Good sell from the old man though. He's still got it. Akam takes Gargano out and AOP check on Ellering. They clearly care. Ciampa is isolated in the ring. AOP set up another large ladder in the corner and pound Ciampa into it. They set Ciampa up for what could be a kill shot. Gargano pushes Ciampa out of the way and clearly intends to take the shot himself! AOP hesitates for a second, then nail Gargano right in the face with the top of a ladder! That was *brutal* looking. Ciampa is distraught as Gargano writhes in pain. Small criticism: a shot like that should have drawn blood. AOP reset and start climbing again. Ciampa hops up behind Rezar, teases a German, then drops Rezar down through the ladder in the corner which SHATTERS! Almost like it was made of wood. Akam is still up the main ladder. Gargano is alive and grabs his foot! DIY wobble Akam with superkicks. The folded ladder falls on his shoulders! DIY finisher into the ladder! DIY stagger to get the ladder set back up and start climbing with the crowd going bonkers. They get hands on the belts! AOP pulls the ladder out and DIY dangle by the belt hook! AOP dual powerbombs! Super collider! With the crowd serenading them with boos, AOP get up the ladder, get the belts, and win to retain. Perfectly solid modern ladder match, with DIY again making the big monsters look like a million bucks. ****1/4

AOP leave and sad DIY are left in the ring. The crowd chants for them. Ciampa consoles Gargano with Gargano still selling the wicked ladder shot to the face. They help each other up and take a minute to soak in the applause and chants. More replays break the scene up. When we come back DIY are on the entrance stage arm in arm. The copyright box comes up. Well, I guess that's all for tonight, folks. Good night.

NO, THAT'S NOT ALL! CIAMPA SNAPS AND RUNS GARGANO INTO THE TRON! He punches Gargano down. They stare at each other, Gargano shocked, Ciampa pure steel. Running knee! Ciampa's face is full in frame and that's cold Psycho Killer eyes for sure. Even the heel loving Chicago crowd is booing Ciampa. The kneepad comes off. Another running knee! Even louder boos. Gargano is laid out on the commentary table platform. "Fuck you Ciampa" chant. Ciampa drags Gargano up onto the announce table, stands up, pulls Gargano up......AIR RAID CRASH OFF THE ANNOUNCE TABLE, OFF THE PLATFORM AND THROUGH A SIDE PLATFORM NEXT TO IT! Ciampa stands back up on the announce table to soak in the crowd's hate while medics run in to check on Gargano. "Asshole" chant. The stretcher is wheeled out. Ciampa sits down on the announce table to admire his handiwork while Gargano is neck braced. The copyright box comes up again, for real this time. Fade out and end scene.

Not to kill the mood, but it's essential I get this in: Ciampa legitimately tore his ACL during the match (and still not only finished the damn match, but the whole postmatch angle), meaning this long awaited red hot feud would unfortunately have to be put on ice until next year. In the end though, it might only have helped make it bigger.

OVERALL SHOW THOUGHTS- The best Takeover of the year so far. Everything delivered to at least some degree, with Dunne and Bate putting on a near MOTYC (Match of the Year Candidate, which these days you pretty much have to hit 5 stars to truly be). One nitpick I would have is that in the three "proper" NXT title matches none of the titles really felt in jeopardy going into the show, which makes having the UK title change on here all the more smart. However, that nitpick is completely erased in the final evaluation by the long expected Ciampa turn on Gargano, which was executed to perfection. This was the night that we learned on Triple H booked shows, never trust the copyright box. It's not over until the screen completely fades out.

OVERALL SHOW GRADE: A