wrestling / TV Reports
St-Pierre’s NXT Takeover – San Antonio Review 1.28.17
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The latter half of 2016 into 2017 hasn’t exactly been the greatest in regards to the weekly NXT product. The Takeover shows have always been fantastic, but getting excited for the build to them is a bit of a chore. Nothing of consequence seems to happen in the two months between shows, nobody really shines, and everything comes off formulaic to the point where the weekly show doesn’t really need any attention when all of the build can be condensed into a video package. But hey, NXT must be doing something right, as the excitement for a Takeover event still creeps up despite my apathy at everything surrounding it, so I can’t be too negative about it really. The card isn’t nearly as strong on paper as plenty of past Takeovers, but there’s still loads of potential all over the card and it’s really only a question of if the guys in the match really go the extra mile. And let’s be real, any show that has Ghost as its theme music can’t be bad, can it?
We are LIVE from the Freeman Coliseum in San Antonio, TX.
Your hosts are Tom Philips, Percy Watson, and Corey Graves, who is calling his last Takeover before being ‘replaced’ by newly signed Nigel McGuinness.
Eric Young vs. Tye Dillinger
Tye Dillinger has seen an almost overnight uptick in support after his awesome match with Bobby Roode in Toronto, with the infamous 10 Chants being ever-present during Survivor Series the next night and pretty much everywhere else since. Eric Young’s Sanity group has started coming into its own after a rough beginning, with Big Damo/Killian Dane joining its ranks a few weeks ago after
Dillinger senses Young’s mindgames from the get-go, and he sends him packing early. He tries to follow up, but Young hides behind his Sanity cohorts before Dillinger can do any damage. Dillinger finds himself outside as well, but he outruns Wolfe and Dane back into the ring and sends Young flying over the top rope with an Irish Whip. Dillinger tries the 10 Punches, but Young shitcans him again, making him prime for a huge crossbody from Big Damo behind the ref’s back. Young follows up with a diving elbow. Tye measures for a superplex as he starts a comeback, but Young headbutts him to the mat… only for Tye to dropkick him out of midair as he dives! They’re trading strikes in the center of the ring until Young folds Dillinger with a right hook, but Tye grabs Young’s beard as Eric taunts him and headbutts him! Dillinger makes the babyface comeback to end all babyface comebacks, but Young does the Flair flip over the ropes… ONLY FOR DILLINGER TO POP UP AND HIT A BELLY-TO-BELLY SUPERPLEX~! Young kicks out! That was a fantastic spot. Tye measures for the Tyebreaker, but Alexander Wolfe and Killian Dane interfere to put an end to that. Dillinger counters the Wheelbarrow Neckbreaker into a Victory Roll for a nearfall, and he finally hits the Tyebreaker! Sanity puts Eric’s feet on the rope! TYE WITH THE UNDERTAKER PLANCHA ONTO EVERYBODY! Tye throws Young back into the ring, but nearly gets pinned when Young rolls through on a crossbody. Dillinger again goes after Sanity, and Eric Young drags him back in to hit a Wheelbarrow Neckbreaker for the win in 12 minutes. ***1/4 Another uber-fun opening match from Tye Dillinger, who is finally starting to get his due as a worker after the past year of being “The 10 Guy.” He showed outstanding babyface fire, timing his comebacks perfectly and countered the wackiness of Eric Young perfectly. Young did his job just as well, hopefully even showing detractors of his that he can actually work when he’s not made out to be a jabroni every week on Impact or something. This was pretty much all you could want out of a opening match for a big show, and the optimist in me hopes this result sets up Dillinger for a big debut at the Rumble.
Samoa Joe is at ringside for the show, which is kind of silly considering he’s still technically a roster member.
Andrade Almas vs. Roderick Strong
On paper, an easy contender for Match of the Night when you consider just how purely talented both men are. Roderick Strong has hit somewhat of a snag in his NXT career after Austin Aries busted his orbital bone, and with Aries being a shoe-in for 205 Live, he finds himself suddenly thrust into a singles career. Almas since his debut hasn’t exactly found his footing, but with his heel turn, he’s been coming along nicely after an almost fatally rocky start. Hopefully these two get a bit of time because there’s tons of potential here.
Roderick Strong gets an advantage early with his leg lariat, following up directly with a backbreaker. Almas battles right back and fakes out a cornered Roderick Strong with a stiff slap before locking in an armbar in the ropes. Roddy almost counters a corner elbow with a Half Nelson Backbreaker, but Almas snapmares out and puts in a Fujiwara Armbar. Roddy dodges the stuttering moonsault and hits a Teardrop Suplex, and he starts building his momentum. He hits a knee in the corner before Almas runs right into a dropkick. Almas boots him and attempts to head up top, but Roddy sweeps him off and gives him a backbreaker for a nearfall. He tries the Half Nelson Backbreaker, but Almas counters out and hits a German Suplex for a two count. He follows up with a Schoolboy right into a Powerbomb, but Roddy kicks out again. Almas goes toe-to-toe with Roddy in the striking department before booting him down in the corner, but HE RUNS INTO A JUMPING KNEE FROM RODDY! They trade some more strikes until Almas puts in a version of the Rings of Saturn, but Roddy gets to the ropes. Cien goes up top for a Moonsault, but Roddy crotches him and HITS A BACKBREAKER ON THE TOP ROPE! Andrade kicks out. Roddy goes for Death By Roderick, but Almas counters out and nearly hits the Hammerlock DDT, only for Roddy to break. Andrade hiptosses Roddy into the corner and misses the double knees, but KILLS HIM with a lariat! Double Knees score, but Roddy counters the Hammerlock DDT, hits his Flapjack, and the Sick Kick gives him the win in 12 minutes. ***1/2 Obviously not the best these two could hypothetically produce, but another total success given its place on the card. It was a midcard match, but was so incredibly fluid and polished that while you’re not able to marvel at the crazy counters and/or false finishes, you’re drawn in by just how easy these two men made this match look. It was fast and furious, had no downtime, both took some hard strikes during the course of it… but still, you get the impression that when it’s over, both men could go another 30 minutes and be fine. This match was basically Roderick Strong in a nutshell in that sense. And it warms the heart to see Andrade finally start to get some traction after his disastrous start, and hopefully these two get a few rematches down the road because this is the type of rivalry that can propel both men up the card on sheer match quality. Great stuff.
NXT Tag Team Titles: DIY © vs. The Authors of Pain
I say it a bunch, but I like the Authors of Pain. I think they have tons of potential as the big, speedy hoss tag team that kills everybody. Do they need to be carried? Yes, they do. They aren’t very experienced and still have cardio troubles in some of their more furious matches, but they’ve still had some really good efforts in their non-squash matches thus far. And if you’re gonna give them a babyface team to throw around, who better than Ciampa and Gargano?
Rezar and Ciampa start things, and Tommaso has trouble dealing with the big man’s power early on. Tommaso is able to roll through and tag Gargano in, and eventually they build up a huge head of steam and DIVE OUT ONTO EVERYONE! Gargano tries the slingshot DDT on Rezar, but that ends up a bad idea as Rezar catches him and sends Johnny face-first into the guardrail outside. Akam carries him back into the ring and drops him like a sack of shit as he gets back in. Akam just walks through an enzuigiri as he drags Gargano away from his corner, as Rezar helps him with a curb stomp/sidewalk slam combo. Gargano ducks a clothesline on the floor, and Akam’s arm goes bouncing off the post, allowing Johnny to try another tag to Ciampa… and here comes Tommaso! He runs wild on the Authors, DROPPING THEM BOTH WITH GERMAN SUPLEXES~! He hits a running knee, but Rezar kicks out. Tommaso SLAPS THE SHIT OUT OF AKAM… only for Akam to LARIAT HIM out of his shoes! Tommaso escapes a double team and dumps Rezar to the floor, and DIY hits a double Slingshot Spear! Johnny mauls Akam in the corner, but Akam lariats him on the apron, and the Authors hit Tommaso with a Neckbreaker/Powerbomb combo… FOR TWO! They set up for the Last Chapter, but JOHNNY SUPERKICKS REZAR! SCHOOLBOY FROM CIAMPA! STAR ARMBAR! GARGA-NO ESCAPE~! REZAR DEADLIFTS GARGANO AND POWERSLAMS HIM ON TOP OF CIAMPA~! All four men tries shots in the center of the ring, until DIY maul the Authors with punches. KNEE/SUPERKICK COMBO COUNTERED INTO THE POWERBOMB SANDWICH~! THE LAST CHAPTER! The Authors of Pain are your new champs in 15 minutes. **** I thought this match was fantastic and while I do admit to being a bigger Authors of Pain fan than most, I don’t think this was all DIY like I’ve already seen some people claim. This was a simple match psychologically; DIY is the speedy, plucky babyface team who looks overmatched against the gargantuan monster heels across from them. So what do they do? They go to their bread and butter and try to wear the Authors out. It’s a valiant effort, but they didn’t take into account just how powerful the Authors were, and despite using all the tricks they had, they were just overwhelmed by the raw strength and talent of the Authors. Do I agree with DIY dropping the belts so early? Not a chance. I think they were NXT’s best chance to carry the brand in a long-term fashion, and cutting them off so early was silly. But I would imagine this just sets them up for another chase rather than a simple cutting of the balls, which eases my heart a little bit. I thought this was better than anyone could have hoped for, and I’m proud of the Authors of Pain and their stepping up to the plate here. DIY did their fair share of carrying, but the big men stepped up and should be commended for it. Such a fun match.
We cut to a commentary talking heads shot, but we hear a voice in the background… and HERE’S SETH ROLLINS! He wants Triple H… and gets him! Hunter feigns walking down to the ring, but he walks to the back and brings security instead! Rollins kills the security geeks and tries marching to the back himself, but he’s eventually overwhelmed and carried to the back. The exact segment this feud needed and now we might actually have a hot feud going into Wrestlemania. Excellent.
NXT Women’s Title: Asuka © vs. Billie Kay vs. Peyton Royce vs. Nikki Cross
I’m not very sure what to expect from this match, especially after hearing how rough their house show practice run was. I find both Billie and Peyton to be okay personalities, but as boring and generic as you can get in the ring and not especially over. Nikki Cross is actually a great worker from what I saw of her pre-NXT, but she just makes me laugh in her current gimmick at times and seems miscast at points. But like her SaniTY cohorts, she’s starting to come along and there’s no reason to change progress. Asuka… is Asuka, but I am intrigued by the story of her having to deal with three women at once so maybe we’re in store for something.
Billie and Peyton tie Nikki Cross in the Tree of Woe and try to go after Asuka, but Asuka overwhelms them early, and she and Nikki face off again… only for the Aussies to break it up again. ASUKA HITS A DOUBLE GERMAN ON THEM! She and Nikki trade forearms immediately after until Nikki just headbutts the champ to drop her. Asuka hits a German to counter, getting a two count. Nikki battles back with a straight-jacket neckbreaker and a reverse DDT for a two count of her own. Nikki drops Asuka outside, and she goes up top and comes down to a crossbody on Kay and Royce on the floor! Peyton and Billie take Nikki out by the announce table, but Nikki runs them into the platform and climbs on the announce table… only for Billie Kay to cut her off and call Peyton up to SUPLEX NIKKI THROUGH ANOTHER TABLE! After murdering young Nikki Cross, they go after Asuka who still hasn’t gotten up, but can’t get the pinfall off of a double team knee. Asuka tries fighting back, but Peyton kills her with the Widow’s Peak… only for Asuka to kick out! Asuka battles back and drops both women with kicks, pinning Peyton Royce with a roundhouse in 10 minutes. ***1/4 A very pleasant surprise in a line of them for this show. This match was SUPERBLY laid out and told every story it needed to in excellent fashion. You had the immediate story of Asuka being the threat, so Nikki Cross did her part in trying to neutralize that. Then you had Billie and Peyton focusing in on the wildcard in Cross, who they took out with authority and virtually guaranteed that she wouldn’t be a problem after that. So you’d think, well, Asuka is dead and it’s a lock, right? No, because Asuka is a badass babyface who can kill anyone at will. Psychologically I had a few qualms with this one, especially down the stretch with Billie Kay and Peyton Royce as a team. They both tried to pin Asuka together and do the whole LayCool thing, which in theory is okay. But if that’s the case, why can’t one just pin the other while Asuka is out and take the belt for themselves? I get that that’s sort of a nitpick, but for a match that was so well agented and laid out, that little lapse in psychology was a bit irksome. Luckily, it wasn’t anything that a lot of people are going to care about, and it was a small part in what was an astonishingly well-booked match. Nikki Cross looked like a million bucks, Peyton Royce and Billie Kay actually showed me something as workers, and Asuka managed to work from underneath in a credible manner. The ratings suffers because of the lazy, abrupt finish and the short length, but everything else was excellent.
We see Tyler Bate at ringside. He’s younger than me and I hate him. The beautiful Matt Riddle is in the background, easing the pain.
NXT Title: Shinsuke Nakamura © vs. Bobby Roode
Pretty much since it was confirmed that Bobby Roode would debut in NXT, almost everyone with a brain knew this match was coming. It was a no-brainer. Bobby Roode’s entire presentation has been a home-run since the minute he debuted on NXT TV, and it was only an ineviability that this match was going to be for the belt. It’s a battle between two of the more bombastic personalities of NXT, and it has a bit of intrigue around the result as well which helps coming off of a set of underwhelming matches with Samoa Joe in Australia and Japan.
Bobby Roode’s entrance is good, just in case that was a point of contention. Does he come out on a cart though? No, but Shinsuke does and IT’S AWESOME. I talk about NXT’s lack of excitement, but they can still make a match feel like an enormous deal by doing small things like these entrances. Roode doesn’t fall for the champ’s mindgames early on, actually managing to fluster Shinsuke with some of his own. Nakamura gets a bit aggressive in return, but again Roode backs into the ropes and uses a dirty break to get an upper hand. Shinsuke looks for Good Vibrations, but Roode grabs the boot and rises out… only to eat an enzuigiri from the champ. Roode fights back and sets Nakamura on the top rope, just CHUCKING HIM TO THE FLOOR instead of doing anything fancy. Roode has the upper hand for a few minutes afterwards obviously. Roode goes to the second rope for a double axe handle to the neck, continuing to work on the neck hurt by the nasty spill to the floor. Roode hits GLORIOUS VIBRATIONS~! much to the disgust of Percy Watson who has barely talked all night. Nakamura ain’t happy at that, and he manages to get Roode on the apron for the jumping knee to the back of the head. Superman Elbow scores for Nakamura, who starts making his comeback with some kicks and an enzuigiri. He hits Good Vibrations himself, but misses the knee in the corner, allowing Roode to hang him up on the top rope. Nakamura dodges another Axehandle, but can’t get the Inverted Exploder off before Roode counters himself. Roode catches a knee running after Shinsuke, who finally hits the knee in the corner and the Inverted Exploder. He measures up for the Kinshasa, but Roode isn’t getting up… and HE WAS PLAYING POSSUM! Roode nearly gets the win with a Schoolboy, and hits a Backstabber for another nearfall! Fantastic psychology there. Nakamura gets out of the Glorious DDT, but runs right into a gorgeous spinebuster for a nearfall. Roode puts Shinsuke on the top rope for a Superplex, but Shinsuke isn’t going up easily, countering eventually into a Gordbuster from the top rope. He hits the dropkick off the second rope and measures for Kinshasa, but Roode counters and rolls him up with the ropes! The ref catches him! NAKAMURA NO-SELLS STRIKES! HE STOMPS ROODE TO DEATH! LARIAT COUNTERED INTO A CROSS ARMBREAKER~! INTO A TRIANGLE! ROODE LIFTS OUT… BUT NAKAMURA HITS KINSHASA! ROODE KICKS OUT! Nakamura goes back to the second rope, but Roode rolls to the apron… WHERE NAKAMURA HITS A DIVING KNEE! He hurts his knee though and struggles to get Roode back into the ring. YEAOH! KINSHASA! BUT HIS KNEE GOES OUT! And here comes a trainer. Nakamura still wants to go, but the pesky medical man won’t let him. Nakamura goes right back in, and ROODE HITS THE GLORIOUS DDT! NAKAMURA KICKS OUT~! SINGLE LEG CRAB! Here’s Matt Bloom! NAKAMURA COUNTERS OUT AND PUTS IN A TRIANGLE! ROODE GETS OUT! GLORIOUS DDT! Bobby Roode is NXT Champ in 27 minutes. ****1/4 This was a fabulous main event match, everything it needed to be and more. The peaks and valleys these two men worked to were sold so well and done so delightfully old school that it’s hard to put into words. It was really the best of both men’s styles, meshed into one. Everything they did had a purpose and worked to the utmost degree, and the way they build the intensity here was actually quite unique. It all sort of looked like your usual Nakamura NXT Title match, until his knee went out. Shinsuke sold it like death and undoubtedly had several viewers wondering if he was actually hurt, so when the match grinded to a halt, there was genuine tension in whether or not Shinsuke was okay. In terms of match structure, I thought the doctor coming in was a great touch, because it killed all of the momentum and caught the people resting on their laurels… then it built to the awesome Glorious DDT nearfall, and we got another minute of Nakamura valiantly fighting away from the inevitability, all the while selling the knee like it was about to fall off. Shinsuke’s big weakness has always been his long-term selling, so I thought it was utterly brilliant bit of psychology to put the injury near the end of the match after the crazy comeback, so it could be milked for all it was worth and not have any lapses in selling. That way you have something of an excuse for Nakamura losing, but also giving Roode a clean win to cement himself as a credible champion. Just a masterclass in making a heel champion while keeping the babyface strong, and thankfully puts a stop to the streak of underwhelming Nakamura title matches.
