NXT Takeover: San Antonio

Legacy Review

NXT Takeover: San Antonio

January 28, 2017 from the Freeman Coliseum in San Antonio, TX

Commentary: Tom Phillips, Corey Graves and Percy Watson

2017 is the first year the entire Takeover schedule was synced with main roster PPVs, with this being the first Takeover to take place the Saturday before the Royal Rumble. This is also the start of another turnover in commentary. On the preshow Corey Graves announced this would be his final NXT event before moving over to join the Raw commentary booth. Percy Watson had joined the NXT booth at the end of '16 and would be making his Takeover debut tonight.

 

Small personal note no one cares about but me but it's my blog: I didn't watch this show live because we were at a main roster house show in my hometown. It was a great double weekend: house show on Saturday, and the next day we drove to San Antonio to attend the Rumble. And then we would top it in November.

Eric Young (w/Killian Dain and Alexander Wolfe) def Tye Dillinger in 10:55- The crowd is *bonkers* for Dillinger. Longtime TNA/Impact star Eric Young had been with NXT off and on since mid-'16 but was now signed full time with Sanity coming together over the last part of the year. It's kind of crazy, but all the things that Vince tried to accomplish with the COVID-era epic flop that was Retribution, he'd already had right in his hands with Sanity and let it slip away. Nikki Cross is also with Sanity but she has other business later tonight. They're doing the DDP/NWO story here, with Sanity trying to get Dillinger to join and Dillinger refusing. After the bell Young says he's giving Dillinger "one more chance" and tosses his jacket at him. Dillinger picks it up, pretends to think, tosses it at Young's face and attacks him. Young reverses a corner whip but Dillinger pops out with a clothesline. Young bails. Dain and Wolfe form human shields for him to recover. Rough lockup back in. Dillinger gets the upper hand again. Young tosses him out. Sanity tries to corner him on the floor but he slips back in the ring. Corner whip and Young does the flip over the top rope. Back in Dillinger goes to mounted punches. Young gouges his eyes to stop that. Dillinger ends up on the floor. Dain crossbody on the floor! He rolls Dillinger back in and Young hits an elbow off the top rope. Young mocks Dillinger's "10" and punches him. He lifts Dillinger up into a hanging dragon sleeper on the ropes. Neckbreaker for 2. He goes for the hanging dragon sleeper again but Dillinger fights out. Young blocks a superplex and knocks Dillinger back down to the mat. He comes off the top. Dillinger dropkicks him in midair! Boo/yay punches and chops. Young floors Dillinger with a straight right. Dillinger grabs Young's beard and headbutts him! Dillinger turns up the jets and strings some fast moves together to build momentum. Corner running chop. Young does the Flair flip over the top run across and go up the top on the other side. Dillinger leaps up to join him and superplexes him! Cover for 2. Corner stomp down. The kneepad is down! Wolfe knows what's coming and gets on the apron. Dillinger flips him in. Tyebreaker on Wolfe! Dain comes in and takes a superkick. Young hits Dillinger from behind. He goes for the wheelbarrow neckbreaker but Dillinger counters into a roll up for 2. Tyebreaker! Wolfe puts Young's foot on the rope! Dillinger plancha on Wolfe and Dain! He goes for a crossbody off the top but Young reverses it for 2. Again Dillinger goes for the seconds with a baseball slide. He tries to do a fancy flip back in over the ropes, but Young grabs him in perfect position, hits the wheelbarrow neckbreaker, and gets the pin! Man that was a shock, at least to me. I really thought it was Dillinger's night. So did the crowd. It maybe still should have been, all the air went out of the arena with that result. I get that Sanity was destined to be a big thing throughout the year, but I don't think giving Dillinger his Takeover victory moment here would have hurt them any. And he'd never get another shot in a singles match. The match was a solid enough opener but nothing blowaway even minus the crowd deflating result. **1/2

On the plus side for Dillinger, he'd make a very hoped for "surprise" appearance in the Royal Rumble the next night, naturally coming out at #10, with the crowd going absolutely nuts for him. Not only was I in the arena for that, but my cousin and I are actually on screen freaking out over it.

Samoa Joe is ringside! He's signed again! What a shock!

 

Roderick Strong def Andrade Cien Almas in 11:40- Almas is still having trouble finding his footing in NXT nearly a year after his debut. To that end he gets almost no reaction at all from the crowd, even in normally very pro-hispanic San Antonio. Given a crowd still getting over Dillinger losing. Longtime Ring of Honor stalwart Strong came to NXT in the fall, debuting as Austin Aries' tag partner in the Dusty Classic, and is making his first Takeover appearance. Lockup! Mat wrestling! Almas ends up on the wrong end and goes for a rope break. Standing switches, Strong pushes, and Almas does the tranquilo pose in the ropes. Speedy back and forth and Strong hits a spinning heel kick. Backbreaker! Nothing from commentary on that. Come on guys, Messiah of the Backbreaker! No? Almas snaps Strong's arm over the middle rope. He stays on top of Stong aggressively in the corner. He teases a meteora but slams on the brakes and slaps Strong instead. Suplex leverage fight, Almas ends up on the apron and puts on a hanging armbreaker in the ropes. Back in Almas does some more picking apart of the hurt arm. Strong tries to catch Almas but Almas turns it into a snap mare. Running kick. Cover into a Fujiwara armbar. Armbar slam. Almas goes for a moonsault. Strong dodges but Almas lands on his feet. Strong gets an Olympic slam! Stiff chops, enzuguri and clothesline from Strong. Front suplex and corner knee. Another backbreaker from Strong. Now commentary talks about how Strong has a million different ways of hitting you with a backbreaker. Suplex counters and Almas hits a German for 2. Almas tights pulls Strong into a deadlift slam. Chop and forearm exchange. Almas gets a kick in and goes for the meteora. Strong counters with a high knee. More forearm shots. Almas blocks a backbreaker and hooks on a very ZSJ-like double arm stretch. Strong gets a foot on the rope. Almas goes up top. Strong pushes him down and they trade shots on the top rope. Strong lifts Almas and drops him in a backbreaker across the top turnbuckle! Ouch. Cover for 2. Strong counters out of a hammerlock DDT attempt. Almas hiptosses him upside down into the corner! Strong dodges another meteora attempt but runs into a huge clothesline. The meteora finally hits! The hammerlock DDT is blocked again. High knee from Strong. Sick Kick! That gets the pin! Very nicely stiff match and definitely good, but not without a few slightly rough spots. ***1/4

Michael PS Hayes is ringside! Oh my God the Freebirds have signed with NXT!....OK, that joke will get old at some point.

 

NXT Tag Team Championship: The Authors of Pain (w/Paul Ellering) def DIY (c) in 14:30- AOP steamrolled everyone in the Dusty Classic and are still undefeated in NXT. After a slow start Ellering has gotten back in his managerial groove and has added a ton to the team. Ciampa and Rezar start. Rezar ducks Ciampa to try to attack Gargano but Ciampa gets him away. Back elbow from Ciampa. Rezar blocks a German suplex attempt, which is probably not the smartest thing for Ciampa to be going for this early. Ciampa tries to grind Rezar down to the mat but Rezar is too strong. Ciampa blocks a powerbomb, escapes and tags. Gargano tries to come in with the slingshot spear but Rezar swats him away. Gargano is quickly overpowered and has to escape from the heel corner. All four guys are in. Gargano hits a superkicks and DIY clear the ring of big men. Gargano tope suicida! Back in and another one on the other side! Ciampa flying knee off the apron! Gargano tries for the slingshot DDT back in but Rezar blocks it. Gargano gets pushed off the apron into the guardrail. Akam carries him back into the ring and tosses him down. Beat down in the heel corner. Akam puts Gargano in a Canadian backbreaker. Gargano manages to wiggle free. He dodges in the corner and goes for a tag. Akam pulls him back. Gargano tries an enzuguri but it has zero effect. AOP double team side suplex/second rope stomp for 2. Gargano dodges on the floor and Akam clotheslines the post. Gargano manages to maneuver around in the ring and gets the tag to Ciampa! Ciampa chops down Akam. Corner clotheslines on both AOP. One German suplex! Two German suplexes! Running knee for 2. Ciampa chops Akam while Akam is on his knees. Akam wants more. Kick. Akam still wants more. Another kick. Still more. Ciampa slaps. Akam clothesline! Cover for 2. Now it's Ciampa's turn for a corner beatdown. He slips out of a double team and DIY hit a double slingshot spear for 2! Gargano goes nuts with punches and chops in the corner and won't stop. Akam dodges a corner double team. AOP double team powerbomb/neckbreaker combo for a LONG 2. They go for the Last Chapter but Gargano cuts it off with a superkick! Ciampa roll up for 2! Armbar! Gargano puts on a crossface! DIY classic stereo submission holds! Both AOP guys fight. Rezar gets free from Gargano's crossface, lifts him up, and slams him on Ciampa to break the armbar up! All four guys fight on their knees. Double DIY high knee. They set up for their finisher. Cut off! AOP super collider! Last Chapter on Ciampa! It's all over. The most predictable result of the night, though the crowd certainly hoped for something different. AOP played their role as monsters to perfection with Gargano and Ciampa carrying the rest like their usual awesome selves. ***1/2

While commentary is doing a stand up someone gets in the ring behind them. It's Seth Rollins! Rollins calls out Triple H! After a minute Trips himself comes out. Rollins gets ready for a fight. Trips stares, teases, then gestures for security goons and leaves. Rollins tries to fight them off but eventually gets overwhelmed and dragged off with the crowd chanting "bullshit". This was a nice surprise and good build for their eventual Wrestlemania match. The tightrope that had to be walked when Trips was very publicly NXT's head booker (I like the old school terms) but also still wrestling as a heel on the main roster is endlessly fascinating.

 

Fatal Four Way Match for the NXT Women's Championship: Asuka (c) def Peyton Royce, Billie Kay and Nikki Cross in 9:55- Like with Asuka defending against Mickie James at the last Takeover, the women's division is still retooling post-Four Horsewomen and wouldn't really be fully restocked until after the first Mae Young Classic during the summer. Heir apparent Ember Moon was also still being warmed up, therefore this is a "throw everyone we've got at Asuka" type of match. Kay and Royce both started wrestling at a very young age in their native Australia and had years of indie experience but were widely seen as NXT projects. Cross was a bit more of a known commodity in the indies, as Nikki Storm, before signing with NXT in mid-'16. She started out as a face but, after a short repackaging hiatus, hooked up with Sanity when they first came together while also debuting her new psycho character. All during intros Royce and Kay hold hands and try to look as small as possible in the corner. After the bell they cautiously come out, go back to back, try to muster up the courage.....and roll out to the floor. Asuka and Cross say that's fine, they'd rather fight each other anyway. Asuka starts out in dodge mode. The Iconics take the opening and come back in to attack. Cross gets dangled in the tree of woe while they try to take out Asuka. Bad move. Asuka hits a hip attack on Kay and double clotheslines both. Cross and Asuka try to go at it one on one again but get jumped by the Iconics again. Royce tries to German suplex Asuka with Kay helping for leverage. Asuka holds onto the rope, standing switches behind both women, and Germans them both! The Aussies roll back out and Asuka and Cross start all out brawling. Huge Cross headbutt. Asuka hits her with a German for 2. A casual hip attack knocks the Iconics off the apron back to the floor. Cross ducks an Asuka kick and hits a straitjacket neckbreaker for 2. Reverse DDT for 2. Asuka low bridges Cross to the floor. Cross ducks a kick and trips Asuka on the apron (Hardest Part of the Ring TM). Hanging neckbreaker on the floor! Cross climbs up top, but she's not looking or aiming at Asuka. Crossbody to the floor onto the Iconics! The Aussies get the edge on Cross, run her into the guardrail, and they brawl up the aisle over to where commentary is stationed. Cross climbs commentary's platform and gets on the table. Kay trips her from behind. She calls for Royce and all three set up on the announce table. The Iconics double suplex Cross off the announce table through another covered table that's next to commentary for no reason whatsoever! The Iconics are very pleased with themselves and turn their attention to Asuka, who's been out on the floor this whole time. Man, someone really should have rolled her in and pinned her. Double team knee to the face on Asuka. Double cover. Asuka kicks out! The Aussies are shocked. "Asuka's gonna kill you" chant from the crowd, the first time they've sounded invested the whole match. The Iconics set up for another double team. Asuka counters and takes Kay out. Royce ducks Asuka's kick and hits one of her own. Widow's Peak from Royce! Asuka kicks out again! Royce goes into full on bear poking mode, pushing Asuka around. Asuka responds with a kick to the head. Fuck around, find out. Another kick to the head finishes Royce and Asuka covers for the pin. As Asuka leaves Cross is still out on the commentary platform, but sees Asuka and smiles. They definitely need a one on one match. This match was solid enough with everyone playing their roles right, but never hit any kind of real high gear and the outcome was never in doubt. **3/4

Newly crowned WWE UK Champion Tyler Bate is ringside. I fully intend to review that tournament one day. Let me get done with all the Takeovers first.

 

NXT Championship: Bobby Roode def Shinsuke Nakamura (c) in 27:15- Find someone who loves you as much as Corey Graves loves Bobby Roode. Roode has a very Flair-like entrance with all the women on his arms. And some of them are actually hot! Real life amateur surfer Nakamura gets a cool little surfing in entrance. It's not the live violin but it's something different. The crowd is super into it, the first time they've felt fully engaged in the show since the opener. Dueling chants after intros that sound about 70/30 pro Nakamura. Both guys let things breathe and the crowd starts singing Nakamura's music again. More dueling chants follow that now sound around 60/40. Both guys move in cautiously. Nakamura swings an exploratory knee that Roode dodges. "This is glorious" chant. Nakamura leads in with some basic arm work. Roode escapes and we get the headlock/headscissors counter. Lockup and rope break. Nakamura starts to do the head waggle but Roode almost immediately pushes him off. "COME ON!" "NO!....GLORIOUS!" Nakamura is not impressed. More cautious jockeying and Roode hides in the ropes. Countering Nakamura's famous mind games with some of his own, which is getting Nakamura frustrated. Nakamura gets a go behind and Roode backs him into the ropes for a break. Cheap back elbow from Roode on the ropes. Now he cranks on Nakamura's arm. Nakamura does a super elaborate escape and they do the headlock/headscissors again with positions swapped. Roode dodges kicks. He goes for another "GLORIOUS" and Nakamura takes the opening to attack. Kneedrop. Roode counters good vibrations. Nakamura hits a misdirection kick. The fight goes to the floor for a minute with Nakamura in control. Knees in the corner from Nakamura back in. Roode counters a charge, places Nakamura on the top rope, and dumps him down to the floor! Nakamura gets thrown into the stairs and the back of his neck is hurting. Roode goes into beatdown mode back in. Double ax handle off the second rope for 2. More work targeting Nakamura's hurt neck. Nakamura tries to fight back but Roode pulls him down by the hair. Kneedrops to the hurt neck for 2. Roode does his own good vibrations. Nakamura rolls to the apron and gets a kick in from there. Running apron knee. Apron kneedrop. Strike combo and kicks from Nakamura. More corner knees and Nakamura gives us the real good vibrations. He sets Roode up top for the running draping knee. Roode dodges and Nakamura knees the top turnbuckle. Nakamura dodges another double ax handle off the second rope. Roode blocks an inverted exploder attempt but runs into a knee. Another setup and this time the running knee hits. Inverted exploder! Nakamura sets up for the Kinshasa. Roode won't get up. Nakamura gets frustrated again. He walks over and Roode rolls him up for 2! Vertebraker from Roode for 2. He goes for the Glorious DDT but Nakamura gets free. Roode spinebuster for 2. He sets Nakamura up top. Nakamura blocks a superplex and drops Roode back to the mat. Flying kick off the second rope. He sets up to finish it again. Charge but Roode gets a boot up in the corner. He tries for a leverage pin! The ref catches him! Roode corner chops on Nakamura. He bends over and does the head waggle! Now Roode's frustrated. Nakamura smiles. Roode shoves. Another "COME ON!" suckers Roode into a stiff Nakamura strike flurry. He stomps Roode's head while in the ropes. Nakamura spins into an armbar! Roode blocks it, so Nakamura switches to a triangle choke. Roode lifts him up. Nakamura rolls through and hits a running knee to the gut for 2. Nakamura gets on the second rope again. Roode rolls to the apron. Nakamura retargets and hits Roode with the knee off the second rope to the apron! But Nakamura hurts his own knee on the landing! He gets Roode back in the ring. KINSHASA! But that only hurt Nakamura's knee more! Roode's out but Nakamura's across the ring in agony. The ref calls a trainer in as the crowd boos. Nakamura can't stand. Roode comes to and chills in the corner while Nakamura is checked out. Nakamura signals he wants to keep going. He crawls back in. As soon as he does Roode runs over and plants him with the Glorious DDT! Nakamura kicks out! Roode is stunned. Nakamura's knee is still killing him. Roode puts on a single leg crab and punches the knee! Nakamura tries to get to the ropes but Roode drags him back to the center. Nakamura manages to fight over and tries to put the triangle on again, but his knee won't support it. Another Glorious DDT! Roode gets the pin and the title! I'm just about the biggest Nakamura fan in the world, but going that far to protect him in losing was a bit much even for me. Still, the rest of the match is great and another worthy Takeover main event. ****

 

OVERALL SHOW THOUGHTS- Definitely middling as far as Takeovers go. I still say Dillinger losing in the opener was a bad booking call because it deflated the crowd horribly and never fully recovered until the main event. Watson added absolutely nothing on commentary. Maybe less than nothing. NXT as a whole was in a bit of a retooling phase. Things would pick up again around midyear with the aforementioned very successful first Mae Young Classic (another one on the to review list), some more huge signings, and a long awaited breakup that would lead to a year long feud.

OVERALL SHOW GRADE: B