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Csonka’s NXT Takeover: R Evolution Review 12.11.14

December 12, 2014 | Posted by Larry Csonka
8.5
The 411 Rating
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Csonka’s NXT Takeover: R Evolution Review 12.11.14  

Introduction
As a reminder, this will not be another traditional recap, but instead it will be a mash up of the Rs, Instant Analysis and my usual Twitter ramblings I would do during the shows; completely uncensored and as the ideas flow unfiltered to the old keyboard. Remember, this is a review; and I am here to review the show. As always, I encourage discussion and even disagreement, just do so in a respectful manner. I will be doing the review for Raw and most PPVs and iPPVs going forward.

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NXT Takeover: R Evolution Review 12.11.14


OFFICIAL RESULTS
– Kevin Owens defeated CJ Parker @ 3:14 via pin [**]
NXT Tag Team Title Match: The Lucha Dragons © defeated The Vaudevillains @ 6:40 via pin [**]
– Baron Corbin defeated Tye Dillinger @ 0:40 via pin [NR under three minutes long]
– Finn Balor and Hideo Itami defeated The Ascension @ 11:30 via pin [***¼]
NXT Women’s Title Match: Charlotte © defeated Sasha Banks @ 12:15 via pin [****]
NXT Title Match: Sami Zayn defeated Adrian Neville © to become the new champion @ 23:20 via pin [****¾]


Kevin Owens vs. CJ Parker: Kevin Owens is of course Kevin Steen of ROH and pretty much everywhere independent fame. CJ Parker is best described as an unmotivated Carlito. This was an overall strong debut for Owens, but I would have preferred that he dominated the match instead of going 50-50 with Parker. He ran wild early and the crowd was completely jazzed for his debut, making for a great environment. Parker got some taken offense and busted Owens’ nose (literally) with a palm strike. The thing was that the accidental blood added to the aura and real feel of the Owens character, leading to him destroying Parker to secure the debut victory. I loved the look, the entrance, the music, his style, it all tied together very well.

NXT Tag Team Title Match: The Lucha Dragons © vs. The Vaudevillains: This wasn’t bas so much as it felt as if it was missing a lot. Sin Cara looked slow and off his game, and since they worked the heat on him, he was in there forever. Secondly, this match simply had none of the juice that the opening match had. It got better when Kalisto got the hot tag, the pace picked up and the crowd was into it better, but overall it was a match. English shoved Gotch out of the way late and ate a double dive from the Dragons, but then Gotch got pinned moments later. It was fine, but it just lacked something. The NXT tag team division, as a whole, continues to lack overall.

Baron Corbin vs. Tye Dillinger: Corbin won in under a minute as the crowd does the count along poorly gimmick. Bull Dempsey was at ringside, and clapped for Corbin and they had a stare down. They’ve been doing an “anything you can do I can do better” feud on TV, and this continued that here.

Finn Balor and Hideo Itami vs. The Ascension: So just give Finn Balor all of the fucking entrances in wrestling, because that man stole the show before the match even started. Beyond breaking out the body paint, he has a very elaborately produced entrance that was just awesome. This feud started all the way back at the last NXT special, when Hideo Itami debuted and instantly had a brawl with The Ascension, who had lost the tag titles that night. Slow beginning portion of the match, I was getting worried because it just felt long and I was starting to lose interest on the overly long (or so it felt) heat on Itami. Balor got the hot tag and the script flipped, and this got really good with the offense clicking better and some very good near falls. They did a spectacular tease of Itami doing the GTS late, the crowd bought it big time. The double top rope double stomps won it for Itami and Balor. No disrespect to Itami, but Balor came off (in performance and in crowd reaction) as the real star of this whole thing. If you know anything about Balor, you know that he can go big time and work with anyone, WWE has something there if they want it.

NXT Women’s Title Match: Charlotte © vs. Sasha Banks: Charlotte and Sasha were previously BFFs, until Charlotte started to show respect for Bayley Sasha would have no part of that. Once again the presentation of the women’s product between NXT and the main roster is night and day, with NXT continuing to get it right. The match is presented as an actual battle for a title that both competitors want. They worked hard, they put together a good match and they were able to keep the crowd emotionally invested because they are given the proper formula to do so. They had a great back and forth match, with Banks providing (in my opinion) her best in ring sampling to date. I had liked a lot of what she had to offer previously, but she stepped up here. Both ladies did an excellent job playing their roles, which could have been difficult due to the size difference and Charlotte appearing to be more natural for the heel role. But the way Banks continually acting entitled and that she was more important than she is allowed the dynamic to play out correctly. It’s so insanely frustrating watching the NXT product do the ladies so right, while the main product refuses to change with the times. Charlotte continues to prove that she is a star, and Banks had a star making night here.

NXT Title Match: Adrian Neville © vs. Sami Zayn: The crowd was wild to begin, and Zayn was all apmed up, so Neville immediately slowed things down and grounded Zayn. Neville couldn’t keep Zayn down, which led to a lot of countering and the whole they know each other extremely well deal. They work so well together, and at times the things they did came off as completely effortless. They did this mini-ref bump spot, where they teased that once again Zayn’s compassion would cost him, but he managed to survive a superkick and reverse RANA to the delight of the crowd. Zayn later ran wild, and Neville pulled the ref into the way as Zayn landed the HELLUVA kick, because he’s stated that he will do anything to win. Neville tried to use the title, got stopped and then Zayn had the big moral dilemma whether or not to use the title. Zayn would refuse, survive a roll up and hit the HELLUVA kick and that was enough to win the title. Sami Zayn is babyface fire, the guy is so good and just gets better. The fact that he treated this win meant something but also that the title meant everything sold it. This was just an awesome match, from the story going in to the story they told, the pacing and the overall in ring work and yes the ref bumps, this all worked to get the goal, which was Zayn with the title. They told the story; they completed the journey and delivered excellent wrestling. This is a true MOTY candidate.

* Post match they did the big post match celebration with Zayn on the shoulders of the guys, and of course this…

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ALL THE FUCKIN FEELS

* BUT WAIT! Kevin Owens then attacked Zayn as they were leaving and killed him with a powerbomb on the fucking apron! Beautiful.

* End scene.

* Thanks for reading.

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“Byyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyye Felicia!”

8.5
The final score: review Very Good
The 411
This show was awesome overall. The Owens in ring debut was solid, but the crowd reacted well and he came off as an important new figure for NXT. The tag team title match was perfectly fine, while Corbin won another squash and teased his big clash with Bull Dempsey. Finn Balor and Hideo Itami defeated The Ascension ended up being a good match, and a star-making vehicle for Balor to new fans. If you know the guy you already knew what he could do, but he looked like a star in front of a whole new audience tonight. Charlotte vs. Banks was a great piece of business, and not a “good women’s wrestling match,” this was a damn good wrestling match. The ladies continue to get the chance to be taken seriously and the chances to succeed, and they continue to deliver time in and out on these specials.

The main event and was quite the piece of professional wrestling. As I said above, the main event clicked from the journey, to the story they told to the in ring work, it was damn near perfect and is the kind of thing that makes you love wrestling. They made the journey important, they made the title win important and then after all the feels were had, they fucked you and took it away to set up the next program.

NXT continues to be a good and enjoyable product, especially when it comes to these specials. In ways this show felt like a NJPW show, a solid and entertaining first half, with the big hitters and quality carrying the second half and doing a damn good job of it. Go watch this show now, it’s easily in the top 20 major shows I have watched this year.

legend