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Reviewing NXT Takeover: The End
- Updated: June 9, 2016
Wednesday saw the superstars of NXT take to the ring again in a card full of potential. Now that NXT Takeover: The End is in the books, it’s time to take a look back at it and see how my predictions fared.
Andrade “Cien’ Almas vs Ty Dillinger
In a solid opener, we saw the veteran Dillinger welcome Almas to NXT. Almas looked quick, flashy and entertaining. The two had great chemistry, but the match was not designed to light the world on fire. It got the crowd into it early, and served its purpose in introducing the newcomer. Hopefully Dillinger doesn’t get lost in the shuffle as his “Ten” gimmick is very over with fans.
Match rating: 2.5/5
NXT Tag Team Championships: The Revival vs. American Alpha ©
I expected this match to be a barnburner, and it did not disappoint. The pace was frantic and the action was plenty. American Alpha seemed to have it well in hand until Wilder and Dawson got crafty and pulled out the win in the end for a second NXT tag title reign. I had AA winning here, as they were on such a roll as a team while the Revival seem a little too vanilla for me. I suppose that is the point, as AA doesn’t need the titles while Revival can lay claim to being the first two-time tag champions and winning cleanly. The post-match action with the mysterious tag team attacking Alpha sets up a feud for the immediate future, while leaving fans to wonder who Revival will defense the titles against.
Match rating: 4/5
Shinsuke Nakamura vs Austin Aries
The two veterans put on a hell of a match with many stiff shots and close falls. I knew it would be a stellar showing for both. My prediction of Aries winning was that he needed it more, and also expecting him to turn full heel during the match and playing dirty for the win once he realized Nakamura wouldn’t quit. We didn’t get that, but Nakamura continues his hot streak. The ending saw him use a slew of brutal moves to finish off the resilient Aries. Aries looked strong in defeat, and it should be interesting to see where they take these two following The End.
Match Rating: 3.5/5
NXT Women’s Championship: Nia Jax vs Asuka ©
The female equivalent of David and Goliath saw Jax look like a monster for a majority of it, yet losing to the resourceful and tough Asuka. I predicted wrong here again, but while other booking decisions made sense- this one perplexed me. The two had better chemistry in-ring than many had thought heading into the match. Jax was dominant early, shaking off Asuka’s offense with her power and looked every bit a future champion. But Asuka would put away Jax and pin her cleanly. This now puts Nia at 0-2 in title matches in NXT, diminishing her value in my eyes. Instead of being looked at as unstoppable and a force, Jax is simlply beatable. First it was Bayley, now Asuka. Losing to those two by no way means you are a failure. But it isn’t a good start for such a unique talent in Jax. My bet was putting the belt on her and having Asuka chase, but WWE had other ideas. The match itself wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t above and beyond either. The booking decisions also hurt it.
Match rating: 3/5
NXT Championship: Finn Balor vs Samoa Joe ©
I hate to say these two were anything less than impressive, but even with the steel cage stipulation this match seemed to be lacking. It’s hard to put a finger on it exactly, but this being their third NXT special main event- maybe the feud was just played out? The cage added very little to the match. Sure, they slammed into it for a majority of it but I couldn’t wrap my head around the logic of both men. They didn’t start brawling, instead choosing to have a feeling out process. Then Joe look to escape almost right away- not exactly what a monster heel would typically do. Then a few times, Balor looked to escape as well. This surprised me more, as he’s the fighting type. Trying to escape the cage and not finish off Joe had me scratching me head. All that being said, the ending muscle-buster/top rope sequence was impressive and had me glad both men were ok.
It was a serviceable end to the feud, but could have used more. This would have been a good time to use blood to sell the severity of the feud. With such an intense interview on the go-home show, this match failed to live up to the hype.
Match rating: 3.5/5
Overall thoughts:
NXT gives us some of the best wrestling you’ll see, especially during their Takeover specials. But tonight just felt more ordinary than any of the previous efforts. I hate to sound overly pessimistic, but the night lacked any standout moments. Teasing Bobby Roode backstage to then turn around and not address it later was a mistake as well. Of course fans want instant gratification, and shouldn’t always get it- but to have Roode walking in the background of an interview and not even address Regal seemed…off. The one phrase running through my mind is “going through the motions”. At times the wrestling felt top-notch, but as a whole the show felt like it was simply there for the sake of it.
Overall show rating: 3.3/5
Kevin:
Like it? Love it? Hate it? Let me know @SeanNeutron.