Casual Wrestling Fan Watches NXT Takeover: Brooklyn II & Review

Hi, I’m Justin Watry. You may remember me from such classic columns as March 2012’s “WWE WrestleMania 28: Sheamus Should Defeat Daniel Bryan in Less Than a Minute” and October 2015’s “WWE NXT: Bobby Roode, You’re Next.”

Reader Feedback

menstruatingheart: Bray Wyatt costs Orton the match. So predictable.

“So predictable.”

You nailed it. Congrats.

RipStamps: 100 percent agree on Ziggler. He’s been around 8 years and has no idea who he is.

I know who he is. Dolph Ziggler.

C.M. Troll: Lesnar is entertaining? This Brock run is boring and not appealing. Show up every few months squash current talent, not wanting to work and help the other guy. Hope he leaves.

Fitting username. The last guy Brock Lesnar supposedly ‘squashed’ was Dean Ambrose in April. You know, the current WWE Champion headlining and winning pay-per-view main events. Just over two months removed from the proclaimed devastating loss to Brock at WrestleMania 32. Heck of a ‘squash’ there! Exactly why I repeatedly say nobody is ever truly “buried” or whatever term clowns want to use to try and sound intelligent. No such thing. Enjoy the comment section though. I will handle the columns…

ReadySaltedChips: It’s the annual “Let’s push Ziggler so he doesn’t go to TNA” angle!

Dolph Ziggler was wise and signed a new contract with WWE last year. He isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Certainly not to TNA Impact Wrestling. I would assume the man knows better.

Zoidberg: “Why Dolph Ziggler?”

Why not, Zoidberg?

Why not?

Backstory

Pretty simple subject to write about this week. With NXT Takeover Brooklyn II on Saturday night, it was obvious. The only thing unique about this column (besides me writing it) is that I had the pleasure of watching NXT with my friend’s mom. She came over on Saturday and was interested in checking out the event. Keep in mind when discussing that she was a super fan during the 1980’s and 1990’s but fell out of the wrestling scene during the Attitude Era because Vince McMahon is “evil and the devil.”

Yeah. Hasn’t watched much in about a decade or so. I would tell her that the company is now PG, but I doubt it matters…

Note: I will be calling the casual wrestling fan Sarah in the column (not real name).

NXT Takeover Brooklyn II

The pre-show was fine. Didn’t plan to watch it but whatever. I had it on to get the casual fan invested in the product. Beforehand, we watched some classic Macho Man clips. Highlight of the 30 minute hype was Sarah calling Mauro Ranallo a “bozo’ after one of his many failed attempts at making a clever pop culture joke. Plus, she loved Lilla and recalled her teaming up with the Hardy Boyz. Yes, Lilla…

Austin Aries vs. No Way Jose – This was a good choice to open up the live special. With only six matches to pick, it was either going to be this one the tag team title bout. NXT made the correct decision in going with this. Austin Aries was the clear favorite, but I loved how No Way Jose went from fun loving to serious and intense once things got under way. He is going to need to be able to flip that switch in order to work long-term. As much fight as he put up though, this match belonged to Aries. Winning clean was 100% the right move, even if he was a heel.

Post-match saw Hideo Itami come out, confront Aries and FINALLY hit the GTS! Massive crowd reaction for the move. It was the perfect moment at the perfect moment. Whether some want to admit it or not, Itami is facing an uphill climb since returning from injury. So much has changed in NXT since last year. He NEEDED that moment in front of a sold out arena. Big momentum shifter for him before feuding with Austin Aries.

Sarah openly said she wasn’t rooting for Jose and despite being announced from Milwaukee, Aries was not getting any support either. She wondered if nobody could win. Also, no reaction for Itami. This was the point where I had to explain to her that this WAS WWE run by Vince McMahon but actually NXT run by Triple H and a new direction for wrestling. Confused her every time I tried to explain it.

Ember Moon vs. Billie Kay – I am sold on Ember Moon. The presentation was gold. Entrance, eyes, look, fan interaction, gear, athleticism, and an epic finisher to win over everybody else still not convinced. As is custom, I saw next to nothing of her work prior to NXT, so this was my introduction to her. Two thumbs up and perfect choice in having her defeat Billie Kay. Somebody with a little bit of momentum as a heel but nothing that will be too damaging in taking a loss.

Sarah called Billie a “tall b***h” and compared her to Chyna. Did notice that Ember was the one getting all the love. I told her it was to make her debut seem impressive and impactful. Also discussed the top rope stunner and if Stone Cold approved…interesting…

Bobby Roode vs. Andrade Almas – Like the opening bout, this was very much about one man. Yet, at the same time, the other competitor out there more than held his own. Almas may be off to a slow start in NXT, but was fine here. Still needs to find his groove and get his character over with the crowd. The in-ring ability is not the problem. Ultimately though, this was all about Bobby Roode, Bobby Roode, and Bobby Roode. The entrance was as glorious as expected, the Brooklyn fans were as jacked as can be, and his victory was obvious but the right move. His finisher is fairly weak, but that is a nitpick.

Roode is a star, and in ten minutes, he means more then he has the past ten years. That is not even sarcasm or a joke. All it took was ten minutes to outshine the previous decade in wrestling. It is just amazing how clear talent can shine when given an opportunity. Austin Aries, Bobby Roode, Samoa Joe, AJ Styles, etc. Seriously, take a chance on yourself and let all the conspiracy theories and nonsense about ‘being held back’ or “BURIEDDDDDD!!!!” aside. It is garbage. There is a reason why I have said for years these guys should have ditched the minors and headed up north. Now we are seeing why.

Next on the agenda is cleaning up this Bobby Roode Youtube video…

When you see it… @nodqdotcom #GLORIOUS #NXTTakeOver pic.twitter.com/Cbk9Dawkge

— Justin Watry (@JustinWatry) August 21, 2016

Sarah was into the GLORIOUS entrance, thought Bobby Roode was Rick’s son (ha!) and didn’t care much for Almas. Like Jose earlier, it just didn’t click.

NXT Tag Team Titles – In my preview column (on another website), I said this match could not only steal the show but also steal the weekend. It had massive potential. Well, guess what? It lived up to the hype and then some. There are two things to note here: First is that the correct decision was made in sticking with The Revival as champs. I picked them to win (as I did all the other winners) because of many reasons. Ultimately though, it just didn’t feel like the timing was right. Most of the time you can tell when the beloved faces are going to get their moment in the sun (Bayley last year, American Alpha in Dallas). In this case, it never truly felt as if a tag team title change was near in NXT. That was the best call for both Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa.

The second part was that it FINALLY won over Sarah. Up until this point, she was enjoying the show, asking questions, but I knew she wanted to keep watching…but hardly cared one way or another. It was this bout that got her into the show. Every time Ciampa would miss the tag or Gargano would get beat down or a referee’s distraction or false finish. Wow, it was great to see. From saying “Who are they?” when The Revival made their entrance to wanting them to lose SO bad at the end! She bit the foot on the rope ending (even though I saw it clear as day) and was extremely disappointing it didn’t end things. Sarah even gave her first compliment of the evening to NXT proclaiming “This isn’t half bad.” No, no, it isn’t. Final words on the tag bout were the icing on the cake as Ciampa and Gargano were stunned afterwards: “I really wish they would have won.”

NXT Womens Title – Exactly what it should have been. Bayley gave it her all, but it wasn’t enough to dethrone Asuka. After a back and forth contest that was both emotional and intense, the champion put away the resilient challenger with one swift kick to the head. One, two, three. A new era in the NXT women’s division was officially off and running. We all knew going in there would be a farewell for Bayley and a stamp on the arrival of Asuka. We got both of those things and then some. Personally, I enjoyed this one more than their original clash in Dallas…which is funny. Their first meeting was pretty unpredictable going in as to who might win, yet this was one was obvious, and I liked this one better. More on that later. All in all, great bout AGAIN for the women’s division and such a fitting ending for Bayley in Brooklyn. Full circle story. See you on the main roster!

Sarah made a few jokes about Asuka’s ring attire and noted that Bayley was the happy go lucky girl who smiled a lot. Both fan favorites and were cheered. After the bout, she again praised NXT saying it’s NOT like Vince McMahon’s “show stuff” and kept to the wrestling. Seriously, she said that. I told her it was more of what Triple H does in NXT than Vinny Mac does in WWE. A sign of the future perhaps?

NXT Title – Back in April, I wrote (on another website) about the NXT Championship plans for the next four months leading up to Summerslam weekend. The title belt was going from Finn Balor to Samoa Joe once the longest title reign record was broken. That happened at a live event in Massachusetts. Then I wrote Balor was heading to the main roster, while Joe would have a short title run during the summer before dropping the gold to Shinsuke Nakamura in Brooklyn. That happened on Saturday night, and what a moment it was! The violin entrance was just ridiculously magical. The fans were more than ready for the showdown, and Joe (even as a transitional champion) played his role perfectly. This match was nothing new or unique. It was just Joe dominating until Nakamura made the comeback and was crowned the NEWWWW NXT Champion. It was all about the ending and giving the fans what they wanted. Mission accomplished.

Sarah called Joe an ugly, angry man and questioned why he was champion. She didn’t think Nakamura would wrestle in his Michael Jackson clothes but got into it as the bout went on.

Predictable AND Good! – I predicted every outcome of NXT Brooklyn II. I don’t say that to brag. Heck, who DIDN’T call every one of the six matches correctly? Of course, Aries would beat Jose. Of course, Ember Moon would win her debut. Of course, Roode would beat Almas. Duh, Bayley was leaving NXT. Yeah, she was losing. Obviously, Nakamura was getting the gold on Saturday. I wrote about those plans back in April. You can argue the tag team title bout, but again, The Revival were winning. You know the best part about all the predictable outcomes? It did NOT matter one bit! The live special on the WWE Network was top notch, the fans were into it from start to finish, and everybody left the arena singing, dancing, and happy they attended! I have said it once, and I will continue to say it – predictability is NOT a bad thing! It never has been. Fans use it as a crutch or excuse to voice a criticism when in reality, NXT proves that is wrong every time they have a so called “predictable” live special.

Summary: NXT hits another home run. A casual fan started out not knowing anything about the brand but slowly got into it. Even biting on many false finishes and being upset Gargano and Ciampa didn’t win the tag titles. The true mark of a good show; not just entertaining the die hards but also getting the casuals to care. Job well done NXT. Looking forward to much more sanity…

Self Promotion

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