Supercard Review: WWE NXT Takeover: San Antonio - Bobby Roode v Shinsuke Nakamura

On 28th January, NXT Takeover returned to Texas for the second time in ten months, as San Antonio hosted the event from the Freeman Coliseum, with Bobby Roode challenging Shinsuke Nakamura for the NXT Championship headlining the event, as well as action featuring the likes of Roderick Strong, Eric Young, NXT Women's Champion Asuka and NXT Tag Team Champions #DIY (Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa). Could NXT pull out a repeat of Takeover: Dallas? 

Match One

Eric Young 

(with Alexander Wolfe [Axeman] & Killain Dain [Damian O'Connor]) 

def. 

"The Perfect Ten" Tye Dillinger [Shawn Spears] 

(10:53)

Dillinger's role of jobber to the stars continues in another spirited showing that will do nothing to harm the former OVW Television Champion's runaway popularity among fan all over the world (just attend any British wrestling show to find out just how over Dillinger (or at least, the number ten) is right now). The bout set out it's stall early on, with Eric Young and his SAni†Y co-horts doing all they could to hold Dillinger down, with plenty of dubious activity inside and outside of the ring. The Perfect Ten's face shine went on a little too long for my liking, but considering the crowd's reaction for him, it's understandable why NXT had Dillinger running wild for an extended period before settling things down. The numbers game became the cliche from then on in, but a number of well placed near falls and cute spots kept this entertaining, helped, perhaps, by the rocking Freeman Coliseum. The finish featured a nice nod towards the Royal Rumble happening on the 29th, with Dillinger "skinning the cat" straight into Young's signature Youngblood, in perhaps another piece of the story being told about Dillinger getting carried away during the brand's more high profile matches. 

Match Two

Roderick Strong 

def. 

Andrade "Cien" Almas [La Sombra] 

(11:50) 

This match did very little for me, if I'm honest. There was some lovely sequences at times and the two showed they could change gear, but it just felt strikingly disjointed and Strong and Almas never seemed to completely "click". There was early stuff with Strong hurting his arm, which was initial sold well, but got completely lost latter on, almost as soon as "The Messiah of the Backbreaker" had escaped Almas' Ring of Saturn-esque hold. Following this the match upped the pace and went back and forth, with the pair working hard in an attempt to mesh their various signature holds, but with a lack of anything substantial. I don't want you to think that this was a bad match, because it wasn't at all, there was A LOT of good to very good work here and there, and some very pacy wrestling in the closing stages, but none of it seemed to slot together to create a match that could hold my interest for the length required. 

Match Three

The Authors of Pain

Akam [Sunny Dhisa] & Rezar 

(with Paul Ellering) 

def. 

#DIY

Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa

 to win the NXT Tag Team Championship 

(14:25)

I called The AOP taking the titles here (ask Jozef), for the simple reason that #DIY were so good when chasing the titles from The Revival, that it felt like the natural extension of that story to have them go on to chase a bigger, badder, meaner and very different tag team. That's exactly what unfolded here as we got Gargano and Ciampa taking the fight to the challengers and Akam and Rezar, in a hard-hitting clash that ended with AOP swatting the game champions to the side. The match structure kept the rookies protected, lending from #DIY and The Revival's MOTY at Takeover: Toronto last November to bolster the drama when necessary, whilst giving #DIY just enough hope that a potential rematch is still an exciting prospect. The crowd reaction to Ciampa's electric German suplex comeback as well as when #DIY caught The AOP in their respective submissions holds was superb and a tribute to the hard work that all five men involved put in here. By the conclusion both teams had been elevated and a potential rematch, with #DIY looking to win back their belts, is positively mouthwatering. There's more to come in the story of both these teams, here's to the next chapter! 

• Seth Rollins made a surprise return to NXT, calling out Triple H, only to be carried away by security in a segment that was almost perfect tonally.

Match Four

Asuka [Kana]

def. 

Peyton Royce, Billie Kay [Jessie McKay] and Nikki Cross [Nikki Storm] 

(Fatal 4Way)

to retain the NXT Women's Championship

(9:54)

Another storyline driven bout here as NXT looked to make the most of it's female roster which has been heavily depleted since July's brand split and they actually did a cracking job, with Peyton Royce, Billie Kay and Nikki Cross all stepping up to create a fun jaunt, alongside NXT's resident female bad-ass Asuka. The story of Royce and Kay wanting to win the match together was refreshingly handled as it easily could have descended into the cliche of them both trying to nick pins on each other. This lead to some of the most interesting movement in the Women's division for sometime, as Cross was presented almost as an equal to Asuka. The storyline elements were tent poled with a handful of big spots, including Cross nailing a elevated spinning neckbreaker off the apron to the floor, before the SAni†Y member took a double release verticle suplex off the announce table, that sent her crashing through a regular table below. Asuka was eventually able to secure victory with a stunning flurry to remain champion, but it seemed like everyone involved took a step up here and delivered beyond many expectations. With these four ladies, as well as Ember Moon and the likes of Crazy Mary Dobson and Kimber Lee waiting on the sidelines it feels like NXT's Women's division is going to be just fine in 2017. 

• Fuck me on a bicycle made of sticks, the entrances for the main event were all I wanted them to be and more.

Match Five

Bobby Roode

def.

Shinsuke Nakamura

to win the NXT Championship

(27:07)

Genuinely, I hadn't been that excited for Roode v Nakamura, after the oddity of Nakamura's feud with Samoa Joe, the bout came at an odd time in NXT's history. However, by the end of the match I was on the edge of my seat, completely gripped by some marvelous theatricality as Nakamura grabbed hold of his knee after hitting a knee strike from the middle rope that knocked Roode off the apron. From that moment forward Roode and Nakamura knocked their match up several notches, with desperate near-falls or non-falls (The King of Strong Style being unable to cover after hitting a clean Kinshasa). Both men sold every element of desperation and pain across their entire bodies and whilst the Doctors seeing to Nakkers went a little long, the commentary team and the two lads in the ring made it unbelievably captivating piece of television. By the time Roode held the title a loft, after hitting two Glorious DDT's and holding Nakamura in a Boston Crab for about two weeks, I was gutted and ecstatic all in the same moment. 

Okay, that was the finish, but what about the meat and potatoes of the match? The duo took their time early on and allowed the crowd to settle themselves down, so that they could take them on the journey that they wanted to take them on and to be fair to San Antonio, they went with Roode and Nakamura on every step. The two wrestled a little and it was passable, not the smoothest stuff you'll see, but watchable, mainly thanks to the two characters involved and the crowd's energy. The Red Roodester controlled following a nasty moment that saw Shinsuke pushed from the top rope and crash the floor onto his upper back. There was some decent submission work in the middle of the bout, as Nakamura flew into an armbar and transitioned it into a chicken wing, which I think the pair could potentially have built upon. Roode has regularly used a Crossface and Fujiwara Armbar in his past, so I would've liked to have seen them go down this route, rather than the kind of messy power out routine they went down.

In his first Takeover main event and title win, Roode's character work stood out more than his wrestling. He looked great as dominant bruising heel, happy to take advantage of any situation that came his way (Nakamura crashing to the outside and the knee problems). The former TNA World Heavyweight Champion also showed his intelligence as he lay prone on the mat following an inverted exploder suplex that had been well built towards, denying Shinsuke the chance to hit the Kinshasa, whilst also earning strong near falls off a roll up and a backstabber. There did seem to be a few moment however where the Glorious One looked a little awkward taking some of The King of Strong Styles' offence, especially some of the kicks. Yes, it could've have been slicker, but this match showed how strength of character and theatricality are arguably the two most important elements in modern pro wrestling. Any way you shake it, this was Roode's best singles match in over four years and perhaps his crowning glory as a sports entertainer.

Finally...

ATPW Scale Rating - 7.31/10

A rock solid show from NXT, with a card that over delivered on my expectations going in. Whilst it wasn't as strong as Dallas, there was still a strong variety of action on display with a focus on telling stories and developing characters. With Takeover: Orlando during WrestleMania weekend so close and with only one hour a week to build, it certainly felt like there was one eye on that show here, but if this event ends up making that show even more compelling and dramatic then I'm all in. All three title pictures look more interesting than they did before and we got to watch some quality wrestling along the way. 

Wrestling is good. Believe in wrestling.

Review - James Marston 
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Supercard Review: WWE NXT Takeover: Brooklyn II - Shinsuke Nakamura v Samoa Joe

As NXT Takeover returned to Brooklyn, the line-up appeared to be just as strong as the previous year's triumphant event. However, with the likes of Kevin Owens, Jushin Thunder Liger and Sasha Banks being replaced with names like Shinsuke Nakamura, Austin Aries and Asuka the faces were a little different. With Samoa Joe rising to the groups figure head as champion after an undercard bout a year ago, could Takeover: Brooklyn II live up to it's predecessor? 

Two of the greatest wrestlers in the world tangled in the main event, as Samoa Joe put his 121 day NXT title reign on the line against 3 time IWGP Heavyweight Champion Shinsuke Nakamura. Before I start about how good the clash was, I have to mention all the marvelous stuff that went down before the bell even rang. When I say marvelous stuff, I mostly mean Nakamura's entrance, which was spectacular, without feeling over the top. Lee England Jr. turned up and performed magic with a violin, initially playing The King of Strong Style's theme, The Rising Sun (originally recorded by CFO$) in an elegant solo, before the full theme kicked in and Nakamura did his thing around his new pal. LEJ was a perfect fit for the NJPW star and the whole product was incredible, with Brooklyn crowd marking out massively for it. Joe and Nakamura's interaction during the in-ring announcements lifted the bout even further, after what has been a dramatic build up.

Nakamura and Joe put on a match that lived up to the huge amount of hype, in a style of wrestling that I love to watch, that being the slow-burner. However, I think it has to be noted to after the buzz had warmed off from the entrances, the pair seemed to lose the crowd slightly. The action was of a high quality with Joe controlling a lot of the early going and the two exchanged holds, with the commentary team putting over both the respect and the dislike between the two competitors. It wasn't the kind of wrestling that was going to send the crowd into a frenzy, however the Barclays Center seemed to drift away, politely clapping the action with a few odd chants breaking out also. Personally, I felt like booking the three title matches, arguably the three biggest bouts on the show on after another meant that the crowd was emotionally burnt out and then knackered even more by Nakamura's entrance and the audience used the start of the match to re-charge. It took them until the former MMA star went for his first Kinshasa of the night to come back to life. 

Whilst it the crowd were still recovering, the bout picked up for me as soon as Joe hit an Enziguiri with Nakamura on the top and from that point as the contest began to develop into a strike and submission based encounter. The little details made everything so much more enjoyable, I'm talking about things like Joe putting his hands up and trying to block Nakamura's grounded knee strikes and this match was full of things like that. A submission sequence that included Nakamura flying into a cross armbreaker and Joe transitioning into a California Cloverleaf was smashing stuff, with both selling the severity of the hold, whilst crisply moving from move to move. Two massive near falls off Muscle Buster for Joe and a Kinshasa for Nakamura got big reactions from the reawakened crowd, whilst The Samoan Submission Machine selling after the Kinshasa was unbelievably good as he called the referee over to check on his jaw, which, of course, helps to protect Joe for what was about to come. Moments later it would be a middle rope knee to the back of the neck and second Kinshasa that got him the NXT title just 9 televised singles matches into his NXT run, only Kevin Owens (3) and Seth Rollins (6) have done it in less. 

Asuka putting the Women's Championship on the line against the woman she defeated for the title, Bayley found itself in the semi-main slot. The hype promo prior to the bout had told a brilliant story of redemption for Bayley, whilst painting Asuka as a dominant and powerful champion and that's mostly the way the match played out. In opening stages the commentary team did a superb job of putting over the contrasts between the two fighters, whilst the pair added to this through their body language during in the in-ring announcements and their initial exchanges. The back and forth start, with Bayley eventually leaping into a knee, emphasised the challenger as the underdog, whilst also showing that she could still hold her own with The Empress of Tomorrow. 

Comparable to how the Barclays Center effected the feel of the main event on television and possibly even directly related to that, they were on fire for Asuka v Bayley. It seemed to be like they were split 50/50, with chants for both women, often dueling and reacting to every move the couple made. I'm not sure how it felt in the building but it made for fantastic viewing at home and is testament to how the match has been built to ever since Asuka turned up in NXT. Having two babyfaces go head to head can cause the crowd to decide to get behind neither competitor, but despite both being likeable and entertaining characters and superlative pro wrestlers, the differences between their demeanors have been exentuated over the last few weeks and months, which continued throughout the contest and meant that different sections of the crowd could relate to different woman more. Clearly defined and well-rounded roles should mean that any combination gets a crowd excited and that's what we saw here. 

For me, the clash took a while to find it's place, but was great in closing stages with some strong near falls. A Bayley to Belly suplex got a marvelous response from the crowd, whilst the former champ struggling to escape the Asuka Lock was the best part of the battle as it was played perfectly both women and the commentators. The story of Bayley going toe to toe with the woman who took the title from her, played out through a number of back and forth sequences, fighting hard but mostly coming out with the short straw in each exchange played out well, leading to a finishing flurry where Asuka retained her belt with a series of kicks to the head. Bayley's slap that resulted in the flurry bought the narrative to a satisfying climax. The way Bayley sold the loss, remaining in the ring after Asuka had left, in what could very well be her final appearance for NXT, elevates the women's belt further as it was so clear what not being able to get the win and the strap meant to Bayley.

The match of the night came in the form of NXT's strongest tag team contests to date as The Revival (Dash Wilder & Scott Dawson) went to war with AIW's Johnny Gargano and CW's Tommaso Ciampa. There was so much that I enjoyed in this one, that it's difficult to know where to start and still have a coherent review, that isn't rambling madness. I'll start at the end, which saw Gargano tap out to an inverted figure four leg lock from Dawson in a dramatic conclusion. The work that was put in to legitmise the tap out and protect Gargano was exemplary, showing a proper intelligence for long-term booking and storytelling. With Ciampa sent into the post, The Revival focused all their attention on Johnny Wrestling, using the same move they put Big Cass on the shelf with, moments after a vicious chop block. A convincing and gratifying conclusion that adds another string to The Revival's bow and will make future matches involving the pair potentially even theatrical.

Over the last month or so, The Revival have become my favourite tag team in wrestling, taking that spot around the time of their 2/3 Falls bout with American Alpha and this match completely solidified them in that spot. Both men where excellent throughout, getting their old-school heel tag team act down to fine art and continuing to explore the possibilities within the genre. The work they did whilst Ciampa was working the psycho killer in peril role was sublime stuff. The spot where Wilder would purposefully fall into the ring to distract the referee, meaning he missed Ciampa's hot tag to Gargano and whilst the ref was trying to keep Johnny Wrestling out of the ring, The Revival went to work double teaming The Sicilian Psychopath. It was like "Ah that's good, oh that's better, sweet baby Jesus that's the best", consistently adding that extra level and then raising the bar. I like the Revival. 

As much as I mark out for Wilder & Dawson's act, the action took on a whole other dimension as soon as that hot tag was made. The near falls mounted up at a hectic pace and whipped the crowd into a frenzy as they willed the indy talents on grab their first titles in NXT. There was four or five genuinely convincing falls for Ciampa & Gargano, with each some how more convincing than the last and getting a better response each and everytime. Alongside the small package reversals and lengthy periods in submission holds, the strongest of these had to the pair hitting their superkick and running knee strike combination, only for Wilder to place Dawson's foot on the rope before the three count. The duo made each moment better than the last and their expressions got over their desperation to win the belt well. Despite being unsuccessful, Ciampa & Gargano helped raise the tag division up a couple of notches and with them going full time with NXT soon, things can only get better going forward!  

In the mid-card, Austin Aries and No Way Jose put on a good bout, that elevated Jose in defeat, but certainly could have been tighter in places. I was relatively impressed with Jose, who looked comfortable in the ring with the veteran Aries and pulled off some cool sequences in what was the biggest match of his career to date. The TKO reversal out of The Greatest Man That Ever Lived's roaring elbow attempt was crisp and Jose's TKO looked great, whilst reversing a brainbuster attempt with a falcon arrow also looked very nice. Placing Jose in their with Aries was undoubtedly a great decision as the 6 time TNA X Division Champion was able to lead Jose through an enjoyable opening match, that will no doubt have taught Jose a hell of a lot. 

For me, the contest was harmed by the Brooklyn crowd cheering for the heel Aries, but that shouldn't be the case in the feud that began once the match was over. Hideo Itami heading down to the ring to stop Aries from battering Jose even more got a big pop and the resulting scrap showed just the kind of action the duo could put on if asked. The back and forth strikes, whilst Itami was still wearing a suit (with bare ankles, because I imagine they overheat or something) was a great advert for a future clash between the two. Plus, Itami hit a GTS, which definitely pops the boys. Personally, I feel like this should have been the International Sensation's return to NXT, instead of having him worked two fairly simple bouts on TV on the last couple of weeks, as it would have felt like an even bigger moment.

With more than few similarities to Aries v Jose, 6 time TNA World Tag Team Champion Bobby Roode's NXT TV debut against Andrade Cien Almas was another good match that featured a former TNA main eventer opposite someone who has yet to fully connect with the NXT audience. Not only has Almas yet to win over the crowd, but they actively booed him, both on his entrance and during the match. Maybe that has something to do with how over the Glorious Domination (CFO$) theme and Gargano & Ciampa's "Glorious bomb" videos, but there's also an element of that Almas hasn't had much of an opportunity to truly show off what he can truly do, since transferring from CMLL, with this bout being double the length of any of his previous longest contest in NXT. I think the company overestimated La Sombra's reach outside of Mexico and things like his costume (the hat and braces thing) have not helped things at all. A crowd cheering for a heel and booing the babyface can have a real adverse consequences on how effective the storytelling of a match is, especially for a simple bout like this.

Having moaned about Almas' struggle to get over, it would wrong of me to not note that he and Roode put on an enjoyable fight, that had some great sequences of action in the second half. It's getting harder to be impressed by high-flying action, because it's abundant in 2016, even more so with the Cruiserweight Classic currently six week's into it's run. However, Cien's series of dives and tricks, that included a stunning double jump corkscrew dive to the outside, were genuinely impressive and the sequence where Almas feinted a moonsault then went for another on landing on his feet, only for Roode to get his knees up was a clever use of his skills. The two seemed to connect in the ring in that second portion, flowing through some great action and getting a couple of quality near falls. The finish was a dominant display from The It-Factor of Professional Wrestling as he came out of a back and forth sequence with the upperhand after nailing a big spinebuster and picked up the pin with the Glorious Bomb (Pumphandle Drop). I'm hoping beyond hope that Roode switches to a better finish sooner rather than later, as the Glorious Bomb was probably one of the weakest looking moves of the entire show. 

Rounding off the show, we had Ember Moon [Athena] making her debut against Billie Kay, in a decent introduction to Moon that showcased her pace and offence, although I'm still not convinced by Kay. For me, Kay still seems a bit off when on the offensive. When she was in control the action didn't seem to have any direction and she just randomly used other people's finishes. Using moves like Gail Kim/Xavier Woods' Eat Defeat/Lost in the Woods or a variation of Victoria's Widow's Peak just made the match feel clunky, as the moves came way too early for anyone to buy them as an effective near fall, whilst it causes you to think about how someone else did that move better because they could or can beat people with it! The struggle to get the Gory Special locked in didn't help things either. Luckily, Athena was impressive enough to get the crowd on her side towards the end of the match, with some groovy moves, including the O-Face (Diving Corkscrew Stunner) which got her the win. She's a welcome addition to the TV roster, hopefully we get to see her mix it up with the likes of Asuka, Bayley and Peyton Royce sooner rather than later. 

Finally...

ATPW Scale Rating - 7.14/10

NXT has worked itself into a position, where the expectation of their supercards is so high, that it can be difficult for them to live up to the hype. Luckily for us viewers, NXT has so far managed to deliver on each and every one of them, getting a consistency that is few and far between in modern day wrestling. This show was a very good wrestling presentation, that did a number of jobs across the two hours, whether that be to introduce a performer, say goodbye to another or just to have a damn good match and manage to do all of these well. The Revival v Gargano & Ciampa was the strongest match of the night, with Nakamura v Joe not far behind, Bayley v Asuka up there as well, with a good quality undercard involving Aries, Roode and the debut of Moon. 

Was it as strong as the first one? Ummm...I'm going to say no. Whilst #2's undercard was strong, #1 had Bayley v Banks and Balor v Owens in a Ladder match, which were both a step above their opposite number on this show. However as sequels go, it certainly wasn't far off! 

The brand continues to evolve and I'd expect another completely different card when they head back to Brooklyn on 19th August 2017! 

All content - James Marston

TV Review - WWE NXT #205 - Nia Jax v Bayley

After two weeks of very good - superb television, NXT presented a show with three big matches on it, in hopes of continuing it's fine run of form. With Nia Jax facing Bayley, American Alpha finally getting a match with The Authors of Pain and NXT Champion Samoa Joe in action against Rhyno, would this week's episode continue the show's strong run of form? 

A real shining moment for the women's division here, getting to main event such a strong card, as Bayley defeated Nia Jax in a match that built and built into a very good television bout. Having said that, the first portion of the match didn't do much for me at all, and it seemed like it took the wind out of the live crowd also. It was weirdly based around Jax being over-confident and putting on cocky pin-covers, whilst also constantly throwing Bayley outside of the ring. Jax would control the opening portion, until Bayley was able to throw her to the outside. I can kind of see where they were going story-wise, but it was just a little bit lame. It was a disappointment not to see Bayley's supposedly injured knee, the knee that Jax had injured herself, play into the story of the match. There wasn't even a hint of this and it felt like a missed opportunity. 

Okay, James, you said this was a good match, but all you've done is moaned so far. Well, erm, yes, but here's some positives. Following Jax being sent to the outside, the match kicked up a gear, shifting to an idea of Bayley attempting to knock Jax off her feet. This lead to the former Women's Champion getting to show a whole lot of babyface fire, as he layed it on thick with a series of knees on the apron and lovely crossbody that would finally take her opponent down. The crowd would finally come to life when Jax had a nearfall off a Jaxhammer and the expression of anger on her face was spot on, instantly igniting the crowd as they began to push for a Bayley win. The final moments would bring back the themes from the beginning with Jax deciding against hitting a normal leg drop for a diving one, confident she'd have enough time to move Bayley and hit the move, only to get hit with middle rope Bayley-to-Belly and lose the match. With Jax moving onto RAW from Monday, it certainly makes sense to have her put over Bayley clean on the way out, but it's a real shame that it's not Bayley getting the leg up to the main roster. 

The Authors of Pain (Gzim Selmani & Sunny Dhisa) would pick up an impressive victory over American Alpha (Chad Gable & Jason Jordan) in a match that was surprisingly well-worked. I say surprisingly because no one really had any idea what Selmani and Dhisa could do in the ring, beyond a squash match from #200, but they looked more than competent in the ring, whilst Gable & Jordan allowed them to look like world beaters. A pre-match attack on the ramp fueled the match, as American Alpha were always fighting from underneath after fighting through the initial attack. Both of Authors of Pain took Gable and Jordan's series of suplexes very well, bumping crisply for their opponents, making them American Alpha look brilliant in the process. The finish was put together nicely with The A.O.P. able to take control on the outside, Jordan running into the steel steps, leaving Gable to fall to his rivals. I'm not a fan of the A.O.P's leg sweep, clothesline finish, as although it's done with a physicality it doesn't look as a devastating a move as the teams finish should be. With American Alpha drafted to Smackdown Live from next Tuesday, this may have been their last match for NXT, which would explain them doing such a convincing job here. 

The weakest of the heavily promoted contests was NXT Champion Samoa Joe beating Rhyno via submission, in a plodding bout. The crowd never seemed to pick up as Rhyno had only recently returned to the brand, and suddenly become a babyface and therefore didn't have a whole lot of supports from the fans in attention. That meant that the pedestrian pace was shown up even more, because the crowd had little to get excited about at all. It was however a strong and dominant match for Joe against a performer who will not be hurt by a loss but will provide extra legitimacy to "The Samoan Submission Machine" as Champion, in a similar way to how NXT bought Eric Young into job for Joe a few months a go. This was a good match for Joe's title reign, but not a good match to watch. 

Austin Aries' feud with No Way Jose would continue to gather steam as Jose would attack "The Greatest Man That Ever Lived" after the former had squashed Patrick Clark. I'm interested to see where this feud is heading as we got a different side of Jose here, that I'd be interested to see how it could be worked into his fun loving, dancing gimmick situation he's got going on. The idea of Aries escaping through the crowd sold the beating nicely, as well as putting Aries over as a cowardly heel, which is a role he happens to excel in. This rivalry could end up helping both men in NXT, but only if it's done correctly and plays true to the two characters! 

Results 

Singles Match: NXT Champion Samoa Joe def. Rhyno in 6 minutes, 20 seconds 

Tag Team Match: The Authors of Pain - Gzim Selmani & Sunny Dhisa (with Paul Ellering) def. American Alpha - Chad Gable & Jason Jordan in 6 minutes, 34 seconds

Singles Match: Austin Aries def. Patrick Clark in 1 minute, 54 seconds 

Singles Match: Bayley def. Nia Jax in 13 minutes, 35 seconds

Finally...

ATPW Scale Rating - 5.3/10

Certainly this episode didn't have anything as strong as American Alpha v The Revival or Shinsuke Nakamura v Finn Balor, but this was still a solid hour of wrestling with a lot of different things to be enjoyed throughout the card. The mixture of focus of NXT's three distinct division was done rather nicely and gave each match it's own feel. This was helped by wonderful performances from the likes of Bayley and American Alpha, who both showed their capable of taking on any opponent and making a good match, and in the case of Bayley facing the same opponent on multiple occasions and producing different ways of approaching each match. There was also the added bonus of no random squash matches this week, as whilst Aries smashed through Clark it was all a set up for the Jose angle. Therefore everything meant something and everything had a reason for the viewer to stick around, whilst simultaneously keeping a solid range of action.

A case of it not being the most memorable episode, but a number of competitors will have benefited from it existing and for the most part it was an easy watch. With WWE snapping up Finn Balor, Nia Jaxx, American Alpha, Alexa Bliss, Carmella and Mojo Rawley for it's separate brands drawing the draft on Tuesday, we could be seeing some big changes to the NXT landscape over the next few weeks and months.

Article by James Marston

TV Review: WWE NXT #204 - Balor v Nakamura (James Marston)

The 13th July 2016 edition of NXT may have been one of the most anticipated episode of the show since it's inception in June 2012. Shinsuke Nakamura and Finn Balor would go one on one for the first time in the United States and only the second time in history. There had been weeks of build up, with interviews and vignettes and promos, but it was finally time for NXT to deliver the match. Could it live up to the lofty expectations? 

In the only match on the show, Shinsuke Nakamura defeated Finn Balor, after delivering a middle-rope Kinshasa, following by a running Kinshasa and boy, what a match it was. Things were electric from before the bell had even been rung and even before anyone's theme music had hit. The tension and anticipation for the match were expertly manipulated by the production as the match came closer and closer throughout the show. By the time Balor was standing in the ring, the crowd was so ready to see a fight and so was I. We had to wait just that little bit longer of Nakamura to come out, which made his entrance even sweeter. The in-ring announcement were also a nice touch, recognising the anticipation and playing with it even more, in a ceremony that is usually only reserved for title match. 

For two lesser workers the anticipation would any match that would follow a let down, however these are two of the greatest workers around today, both among the best of all-time. They put on an excellent match and made it look easy. Effortless. After some early joking around by both, the action got serious when Balor nailed a dropkick to "The King of Strong-Style"'s knee as the main narrative of the match began to develop. Corey Graves did a brilliant job of explaining how the focus of Nakamara's left knee would effect his game and benefit Balor. The former NXT Champion would attack his opponents left knee hard and often for the rest of the match, including a surfboard stretch, a heel hook and a dramatic knee bar, also using the injury as a way to stop Nakamura from gaining to much momentum and as a way of blocking the Kinshasa, all with some lovely selling from the Japanese star. I'd have like to have seen Nakamura's offence a little more affected by the attacks, to add a further depth to the story, but that's only a mild criticism, that problem only worried me!

The action would build and build throughout the final third, with both men hitting variations of their finishes for near falls, whilst riffling through a tremendous back and forth strike sequence. With both being put over as equals in the closing stages, it was Nakamura who would manage to be one step ahead of his former NJPW colleage, managing to doge a Coup de Grat attempt, leading to the finish. Everything in closing stages was fluid but powerfully hit at the same time, with the duo logically moving from one stage to the next and lifting the crowd time and time again as they headed towards the pinfall. I think a couple more believable false finishes and this would have been a five star bout, that rivaled Nakamura's debut against Sami Zayn in April. If this is Balor's last hurrah in NXT then he certainly went out with a bang, with the bonus of having his handful of finishes protected, whilst putting over Nakamura, in what was arguably the Irishman's strongest singles match to date, on his way out. 

Whilst there was no other wrestling conflicts on the show this week, NXT Champion Samoa Joe did make his first appearance on television since bettering Balor in a Steel Cage match in early June. The segment saw Joe cut a strong heel promo, chastising those that cheered for him as hypocrites and criticising fan favourites Balor and Nakamura for believing a win against each other would entitle them to a NXT title shot. Delivered with conviction Joe look like a beast and every inch of the World champion that he is. "Shinsuke, if you are the king [of Strong-Style] then say hello to the Emperor" was superb line that lay the foundation for a new inevitable feud with the 3 time IWGP Heavyweight Champion. Before that though it appear's Joe will be feuding with Rhyno as "The Man Beast" would interrupt the NXT Champion with a challenge. After returning last week, it seems Rhyno is going to be used to bolster "The Samoan Submission Machine"'s title run. The two have previously battled all over the USA, Canada and England for over ten years, having collided for the likes of NWA, JAPW & TNA, as well as NXT, where they their last singles match in July of last year. 

Also on the show, it was announced that next week's episode will feature a trio of big matches with Bayley facing Nia Jaxx, American Alpha finally getting their hands on the Authors of Pain and Samoa Joe going one on one with Rhyno.

Finally...

ATPW Scale Rating - 8.06/10 

What an episode this was, showcasing the full potential of what can be done with the one hour a week slot. Shinsuke Nakamura and Finn Balor created magic, in one of the best matches that will air this year. Certainly one of the best non-Takeover matches the brand has produced. Outside of this there was a strong characterful performance from the group's Champion on the microphone, which provided a match that will add weight to his title reign opposite Rhyno, whilst setting the stage for a huge feud with Nakamura that looks set to headline August's Takeover: Back to Brooklyn special.

Special Event Review: WWE NXT Takeover: Dallas (Zayn vs. Nakamura)

Check out our review of this week's NXT, featuring thoughts on Samoa Joe vs. Bull Dempsey here.

On 1st April 2016, WWE aired NXT Takeover: Dallas live from the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center in Dallas, Texas, USA on the WWE Network. Shinsuke Nakamuara made his WWE debut against Sami Zayn, Finn Balor put the WWE NXT Championship on the line against Samoa Joe and Asuka challenged for Bayley's WWE NXT Women's Championship...but was it any good? Let's find out?

nxt takeover: dallas match card

Match 1 - WWE NXT Tag Team Championship - American Alpha: Chad Gable & Jason Jordan vs. The Revival: Dash Wilder & Scott Dawson (C)

Match 2 - Singles - Baron Corbin vs. Austin Aries

Match 3 - Singles - Sami Zayn vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Match 4 - WWE NXT Women's Championship - Asuka vs. Bayley (C)

Match 5 - WWE NXT Championship - Samoa Joe vs. Finn Balor (C)

Commentary: Tom Phillips & Corey Graves

Ring Announcer: Greg Hamilton

fast-forward...Opening hype video with a focus on the many stars that have come from the state of Texas and Sami Zayn vs. Shinsuke Nakamura and the WWE NXT and WWE NXT Women's Championship matches...

american alpha defeats the revival to win the wwe nxt tag team championships

A quality opener here that has to be considered one of the best tag team bouts that the NXT brand has ever put on. The two teams styles completely meshed together and ended up producing some great action inside the ring. The no-nonsense, old-school tag team vibe that the Revival have going on is pretty much the antithesis of what American Alpha have been doing recently. I was slightly surprised to see Chad Gable and Jason Jordan get such a long face shine, but it actually worked fantastically here. Despite the underhanded tactics of Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder, American Alpha continued to find a way to get back in control, and this idea drove the narrative of the match as The Revival had to find new ways to take the momentum back. A lively Dallas made the contest even easier to watch and made it easy to get swept away in the excitement of it all.

It was such a shame that parts of the match weren't as crisp as they should have been. Obviously, there was the moment where The Revival went for a double team manoevre in their corner and majorly fucked it up, with the crowd jumping straight on them, but there was also a couple of moments where everyone seemed to be trying to rush the moment, perhaps this was down to the nerves of performing on such a huge show. Luckily those moments didn't seem to effect any of the four guys for two long, as they could easily have continued to go downhill afterwards. The crowd quickly got back into the action popping for every near fall and going nuts for a great pinning sequence between Gable and Dawson. The moment when Gable & Jordan finally won the gold hitting Grand Amplitude for the win got a huge reaction and seeing Jordan in floods of tears to celebrate his victory made the moment even more special!

aries defeats corbin

Now this was never going to be a technical masterpiece and it was never going to able to compete with the four other matches on the show, but that's not what it was designed to do. It was seemingly designed to introduce former TNA wrestler Austin Aries to the WWE audience, whilst also raising Baron Corbin to a new level himself. On those two counts, I think everyone involved in putting the match together did a pretty good job. Did they do the best job they could've done? Maybe not. But Aries looked comfortable working with the crowd and bought a few little touches to his performance that should stand him in good stead in his WWE career. 

It was always going to a difficult night for Aries to make his in-ring TV debut for WWE, as he was doing so on the same night and directly before Shinsuke Nakamura made his, in a bout with a much higher profile. Personally, I'd have like to have seen more of Aries offence to really show what he can do in the ring to a new audience, but I do understand why the structure that was chosen here was chosen. Corbin needed to look impressive, because Aries was going over and he did so with a long period of scrappy dominance at the start of the bout and a huge Deep Six on the outside of the ring. The finish of Aries flipping out of End of Days and turning it into a sunset flip pin looked pretty cool, but for me felt just a little flat as I'm sure many were expecting it to be only a near fall. But once again I can see why WWE didn't want Corbin to take a barage of offence on his way to defeat, especially after coming out on the losing end of the Triple Threat #1 Contender's bout a few months ago. I'm looking forward to seeing where Aries and Corbin go heading out of Dallas over the next few weeks and months.

nakamura defeated zayn 

This was alright. Okay. Not bad, really. Decent. A solid encounter. Entertaining. Fun to watch, Maggle. Oh who am I kidding? This was utterly incredible, wasn't it? I mean, I was a little apprehensive going into the bout, because I was worried that the match had been so heavily hyped up on social media that it would never be able to live up to the expectations of the fans, which would ultimately lead to disappointment. How wrong was I? This match was everything that I wanted it to be and more. The crowd was super hyped, the debuting NJPW wrestler Shinsuke Nakamura looked like a mega star and Sami Zayn raised his game to a ridiculous level, this match was the full package.

I'd expected the two characters to mesh well, but I'm not sure I was expecting them to mesh THIS well! The King of Strong-Style really came to town as Nakamura brought it to Zayn with some of the stiffest strikes that the WWE has ever seen, whilst Zayn got to take the Underdog from the Underground to the next level, selling like a dream and fighting valiantly against his more aggressive and violent foe. Two moments in particular stand out where the characters and the story-telling were at their most effective. 1. Zayn firing Nakamura back with some stiff strikes of his own, showing a more fiery side and getting a great reaction out of the crowd. 2. Zayn going for the trademark suicide dive through the turnbuckles into a Tornado DDT, only to be hit with a huge kick to the head by Nakamura. 

The pair created some fantastic sequences of action throughout the bout, including world-class submission and strike based arrangements. The crowd roaring "Fight Forever" made things even more perfect as Zayn and Nakamura continued to knock seven shades of shit into each other. The contest built to a satisfying crescendo with Zayn looking to hit the Helluva Kick, whilst Nakamura searched for the opportunity to hit the Kinshasa (fka Boma Ye). The closing sequence saw Nakamura fight out of Zayn's exploder suplex (his usual set up for the Helluva Kick) deliver a knee strike to the back of the head off the second rope before leveling Zayn with the Kinshasa to pick up the win! Just a fantastic close to the match, making Nakamura look very strong indeed, whilst Zayn gave back to the brand that he has helped to build over the last two years as he heads towards a spot on the main roster.  

asuka defeats bayley to win the wwe nxt women's championship

I found it really hard to get into this match at the start and that isn't anything to do with what the two girls were doing in the ring. Having to settle back down from the utter brilliance of the bout it had followed was a difficult thing to do, I was pretty drained from being so invested. To be honest with you, I did consider going back and watching this match on it's own and do the review that way, but I don't think that would be particularly fair. This is a show review and therefore everything needs to be reviewed in context to the rest of the show. I would have liked a bit more of a buffer between the two matches to allow things to settle down, before picking them back up.

With that being said, this was another great match in the women's division on NXT. There was a danger that it could have ended up being a little too similar to the Nakamura/Zayn match in terms of it's story-telling, but luckily it took things down a different direction and was all the better for it. I like the idea of Bayley starting off strong, as it showcased her respect for her opponent and her acknowledgment of how much of a challenge this would be, in a way being reminiscent of her bout with Nia Jaxx from NXT Takeover: London in December. Despite coming out on the losing side, I thought that Bayley shone bright in this bout, as alongside some crisp wrestling, her selling throughout the bout made the match for me. She looked in pain, which made her valiant fight all the more admirable in the story, and meant her eventual defeat was cushioned.

There was a lot of submission based offence here, and it took up the majority of the fight's narrative. Bayley looking for the guillotine choke she defeated Nia with was a nice callback, an arm-bar sequence between the two was spot on, as was both girls locking on knee bars at points in the match. The submission offence was supplemented nicely with some incredibly well-timed strikes from Asuka. I've said Bayley looked like a star in this match, but Asuka looked every inch of the star Bayley did here, and potentially more and therefore it was very interesting to hear the reaction of the crowd when Asuka picked up the victory after Bayley passed out whilst in the Asuka Lock. Whether Dallas wasn't quite ready for a title change, or they didn't like how the finish was handled I'm not sure. Either way, I enjoyed the finish, I felt like it was Asuka's time to take the title and have the women's division molded around her in NXT, whilst Bayley now has the opportunity to step up the main roster.

balor defeated joe to retain the wwe nxt championship

I've got start the review of this one by talking about the lengthy stoppages of the contest, due to Samoa Joe suffering a nasty cut just above his eye in the opening exchange between he and Balor. The visual of an angry Joe with blood down one side of his face and dripping onto his chest was fantastic, he looked like such a bad ass. However, I was definitely uncomfortable when fans started chanting "Let Joe bleed" when the doctor's where looking over him. The cut looked nasty and needed to be dealt with, but I don't think the doctor's went the right way about it and this wasn't helped by Joe's early refusal to be looked at. It was obvious with the cuts position that it was going to keep opening up and bleeding more, so the doctor's surely should have done something a little more permanent to stop the cut from bleeding? Wrap a bandage round him and Joe would still look a real ass kicker in there. The pacing of the first piece of the match really suffered from the numerous stoppages and it inadvertently turned Joe into a babyface with portions of the crowd. This should have been handled much better by all involved.

Luckily, the really connected later on putting together some cool stuff inside the ring and transitioning from one hold to the next well. The sequence that would lead to Joe hitting the Muscle Buster stands out as some of the strongest activity of the outing and the moment where the match truly began to live up to it's earlier promise. The crowd's reaction to the near fall off the Muscle Buster was superb and goes to show the value of protecting certain moves on holds. Joe has used the move sparingly in WWE and it's been built as a move to be feared, so when he does hit it and his opponent isn't down for the count it makes the moment all the more important. Joe's reaction to Balor kicking out was almost as good as that of the live crowd!

The closing sequence of the match was as good as anything that had gone on previously and the best piece of work Balor and Joe have done together to this point. Balor bringing the Demon gimmick to it's highest point to date by bring in a new vicious determination to the gimmick and flowing through his back catalogue of moves in the lead up to the Coup de Grace was great to watch with the crowd adding something to the moment also. We've seen Balor follow up Coup de Grace in recent months with the Bloody Sunday DDT, so when Joe managed to lock in the Coquina Clutch as a reversal I was convincing the match was over. It seemed almost inevitable that Joe would win the title at this point and that was due to both men's facial expressions, as well as the brilliant work of Corey Graves and Tom Philips on commentary. There was however one last twist in the tale as Balor fought back to his and used the turnbuckles to flip over and steal a pinfall to retain his title. It's a finish that we've seen multiple variations of over the years, but after what had gone before it felt right to bring it back here. The last half and especially the final third of the bout makes me wonder just how much better the contest would had the match been allowed to play out properly in the earlier stages. Still a very good match in my opinion that managed to close the show well.

finally...

atpw scale rating - 7.79/10

This is the biggest rating I've given to an NXT Takeover special, just slightly ahead of NXT Takeover: Respect and I feel that that's probably about right. Shinsuke Nakamura and Sami Zayn put on an instant classic of a bout that I feel will be talk about for a long time to come. Finn Balor's WWE NXT Championship defense against Samoa Joe had it's troubles in the opening stages, but managed to turn in some great action and false finishes by the end of the contest. Asuka capturing the WWE NXT Women's Championship from Bayley was crafted superbly by both women and a pleasure to watch from start to finish. The undercard was highlighted by American Alpha's excellent performance en route to winning the WWE NXT Tag Team Championships, whilst Austin Aries looked comfortable in his in-ring TV debut for WWE also. 

After this killer show, I can't wait to see the direction that NXT takes coming out of the show over the next few weeks. With Balor holding onto his title, surely Shinsuke Nakamura and Austin Aries are immediately pushed to the front of the que for a title shot after winning their matches on the big show? I'm looking forward to find out!