Hall’s NXT Takeover R-Evolution Review

NXT Takeover: R-Evolution
Date: December 11, 2014
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Attendance: 400
Commentators: Rich Brennan, Alex Riley, Corey Graves

Sweet goodness this show was over eleven years ago. With that disturbing reality covered, here we have part of the incredible series of Takeovers, headlined by Sami Zayn getting a shot at the NXT Title. It is part of a story that has been set up for months now and the big payoff could be incredible. Let’s get to it.

The opening video looks at a debuting star, who is ready to prove what he can do. His name is Kevin Owens, and he is one of a bunch of people ready to show that it is their time as they take over.

Kevin Owens vs. CJ Parker

Parker would later be known as Juice Robinson and he really cares about taking care of the planet. That’s about all that matters for Parker right now though, as Owens gets an incredible reaction as the fans are VERY happy to have him in NXT. The bell rings and Owens hits two running clotheslines in the corner, followed by the cannonball to send Parker outside. Owens breaks up Parker’s MY FIGHT MATTERS sign and hits a big running flip dive to the floor, capping off his first 35 seconds of WWE action.

Back in and Owens hammers away some more but Parker does manage a quick knockdown. The fans know that Owens is going to kill him and Parker makes it easier by missing a backsplash. A palm strike gives Parker two but Owens is back with another hard clothesline. The pumphandle brainbuster onto the knee plants Parker again and a pop up powerbomb finishes him off at 3:14.

Rating: B-. Yes it was a short match, but this was an EXCELLENT introduction to Owens, who instantly feels like a player around here. The bell rang and he was immediately on Parker, which is going to give people a reason to think about him in the future. Great choice for an opening match here, as the fans lit up for Owens and then he more than lived up to the hype.

Post match Owens is busted open to make the visual even better.

Corey Graves announces that he has been forced to hang up the boots due to some concussions but he’s joining the commentary team permanently.

Earlier this week, NXT Champion Adrian Neville (later known as Pac) says he doesn’t want to end Sami Zayn’s career but it isn’t his fault if that happens.

We recap the Lucha Dragons defending the Tag Team Titles against the Vaudevillains. Basically the Dragons are a talented high flying team and the Vaudevillains are…well they’re basically a vaudeville act come to life and it’s more odd than anything else.

Tag Team Titles: Lucha Dragons vs. Vaudevillains

The Dragons (Kalisto/Sin Cara) are defending (against Aiden English/Simon Gotch). Cara and Gotch start things off with Cara hitting a dropkick into a springboard moonsault. Kalisto comes in and gets dropped onto Gotch for a backsplash. English manages a blind tag and gets knocked outside, where he pulls Cara to the floor. The crowd declares that MANLY and they’re onto something there.

Back in and a double forearm lets Gotch grab a neck crank, followed by English’s boot to the floor. Kalisto gets pulled off the apron to draw him inside as the Vaudevillains get to show off even more. A belly to back suplex gives Gotch two and it’s back to English to kick Cara in the face. The chinlock goes back on for a bit, only for Cara to easily fight out. Kalisto comes back in to clean house, including a handspring kick to the face. Gotch gets backdropped onto Grimm and the stereo dives take English out. Back in and the Salida Del Sol to Gotch retains the titles at 6:39.

Rating: C. They kept this one relatively short as well, which is a bit surprising as the tag division would get a lot of focus in this period of NXT. The Dragons could have a longer match if needed, though the Vaudevillians were a bit less serious. What we got was fine, but it could have been far better if given a more serious chance.

Baron Corbin vs. Tye Dillinger

Corbin’s deal is that he wins matches in a hurry so the fans start counting. Corbin knocks him into the corner, hits a lawn dart and grabs End Of Days for the pin at 41 seconds.

Post match Corbin gets in a staredown with Bull Dempsey.

Earlier this week, Sami Zayn said his entire career has been with a safety net but now that’s all gone.

We recap Hideo Itami/Finn Balor vs. Ascension. Itami is still relatively new and Ascension, the most dominant tag team NXT has ever seen, doesn’t like him. Therefore they’ve jumped him a few times, so Itami brought in newcomer Finn Balor to help him out. Big match on.

Ascension vs. Hideo Itami/Finn Balor

Just because he hasn’t shown off enough yet, Balor debuts the Demon here, for quite the positive reception. The brawl is on before the bell, with Itami and Balor hitting stereo corner dropkicks. Fans: “MARKING OUT!” We settle down to Itami kicking Viktor in the face for two and it’s Balor coming in with a slingshot stomp. A boot out of the corner slows Balor down but he’s right back with a big dropkick.

Itami comes back in and is quickly cut off with a flapjack for two as things slow down. A double shoulder gets two more and Balor is knocked off the apron, meaning it’s time for more stomping. Balor manages to snap off a much needed dropkick and Itami comes in to slap Konnor in the head. Another flapjack drops Itami for two (that’s what he gets for slapping Konnor’s head) and it’s Viktor coming in for a neck crank.

Some big stomping gets two and it’s a big fist drop to set up another chinlock. Itami gets sent into the corner but kicks his way out, only for Konnor to pull Balor off the apron. Some shots to the face get Itami out of trouble though and the big tag brings Balor in to clean house. The big no hands flip dive drops both of them on the ramp, only to miss the Coup de Grace. Instead it’s 1916 to Viktor, with Konnor making the save. Viktor’s STO gets two with Itami making the save but the GTS is broken up. A Pele drops Viktor and Itami adds a running knee. Stereo Coup de Graces finish Viktor at 11:38.

Rating: B. This was about making Balor and Itami feel like a big deal, with Balor getting to do the whole Demon look. It was a perfectly well done formula with the new team coming together to beat the monsters. The fans were WAY into Balor here and he wound up doing well in WWE, though oddly enough, not so much for Itami.

Newly crowned WWE Superstar Of The Year, Roman Reigns, is here because he wants to see the main event tear the house down. Oh and he wants the World Title.

Ric Flair is here for Charlotte’s title defense.

We recap Charlotte vs. Sasha Banks for the former’s Women’s Title. They had been partners but then Banks went a bit too evil and started bragging about herself. Charlotte didn’t like it and banks wanting the title made it even worse. Now it’s time for the showdown for the title.

Women’s Title: Charlotte vs. Sasha Banks

Banks is challenging and they yell at each other a lot, with Banks running back against the ropes. Charlotte hammers her down and sends her into the buckle, followed by the stomping in the corner. Back up and Banks takes her into the corner and starts in on the knee. Banks mocks the strut and hits a Backstabber before bending Charlotte’s back over her knees.

Charlotte gets up and powers her into the corner, where Banks pulls her down by the hair. A Figure Four necklock has Charlotte in more trouble but she powers up into an electric chair for the double down. Charlotte’s neckbreaker gets two but Banks sends her to the floor for a big suicide dive.

They get back in and forearm it out until Charlotte hits a big spear. Charlotte charges into a boot in the corner though and Banks gets her own neckbreaker for her own two. Banks gets knocked down again but avoids a moonsault, only for Charlotte to hit a flip splash for two more. Banks takes her up top but gets shoved down, allowing Charlotte to hit a super Natural Selection and retain at 12:13.

Rating: B+. The women’s division was absolutely a featured part of the show at this point and this was a good example of how it was working. These two were working hard out there and they had a heck of a match, with Banks trying to pick Charlotte apart but not being able to handle the athleticism and power. The ending was a great crash as well and it worked rather well.

We recap Sami Zayn challenging Adrian Neville for the NXT Title. Zayn has gotten so close to the title over and over but has never gotten there. Neville beat him in their first title match as Zayn paused when Neville hurt his knee. Now Zayn has fought through just about all of his former rivals and has nothing left to do but win the title. He’s so sure he can win it that he’s put his career on the line.

NXT Title: Sami Zayn vs. Adrian Neville

Zayn is challenging and the place goes nuts for his entrance, which has all of the energy you would expect from him. They stare at each other to start and finally lock up to go to the mat. Zayn’s headscissors is broken up and Neville glares at him before going after the arm. They fight over arm control with Neville getting the better of things but Zayn is back with a heck of a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker.

Neville bails out to the floor and gets taken out with an Arabian moonsault to leave him down. Back in and Zayn gets in a kick to the face but an elbow to the jaw gives Neville two. The chinlock keeps Zayn in trouble and Neville drops him again for some near falls. A dropkick gives Neville two but Zayn fights back and knocks him outside. That means the running flip dive, followed by a high crossbody for two back inside.

Zayn spins him around into a heck of a Blue Thunder Bomb for two but the Helluva Kick is cut off with a boot to the face. Neville’s bridging German suplex gets two and a scary sitout powerbomb drops Zayn for the same. Back up and they strike it out with Neville getting the better of things until a running clothesline takes him down. The Helluva Kick misses though and Neville kicks him in the head again.

The Red Arrow misses though and it’s a Koji Clutch to have Neville in big trouble. Neville gets to the rope and the referee gets bumped, with Zayn checking on him. That earns Neville a superkick and poisonrana for two, with the fans being so crazy into the kickoff. Zayn is back up with a suplex of his own to send Neville outside, where the diving tornado DDT drops him on the floor.

Back in and the Helluva Kick connects, with Neville pulling the referee in the way for another crash. With the referee down and nothing else working, Zayn grabs the belt and the emotions are turned way up. He teases throwing it down and gets rolled up for two but suplexes Neville into the corner. The Helluva Kick gives Zayn the pin and the title at 23:17.

Rating: A-. I’ve always loved this match because it is an absolute roller coaster from start to finish. As obvious as it might seem that Zayn is going to win the title and have everything go well, the idea of Zayn FINALLY winning the big one just doesn’t feel real. The match itself being that great was just a bonus, because the drama was the main draw here. They absolutely delivered on every level and this was great stuff.

Post match Zayn can’t believe he’s really the champion but eventually has the big celebration as all of the emotion comes out. The locker room empties out and Zayn is lifted on their shoulders as Pat Patterson is out there with them. Neville and Zayn do the big show of respect with a hug and everyone leaves Zayn alone. He even dances a bit before hugging Kevin Owens. The two go to leave, the copyright logo comes up….and Owens slams him down onto the ramp. The apron powerbomb leaves Zayn laying and William Regal comes out to yell at Owens, who walks away. Zayn is left laying to end the show.

I remember watching this live and being amazed, as the copyright logo being up was almost like an “all clear” sign. Having something like this happen after such a long celebration was a great way to go and this was one of the best angles that NXT had done. The idea of someone who was brand new like Owens doing this to his best friend on the biggest night of Zayn’s career is so great and kickstarted an on again off again feud that lasted over ten years. Not bad for the last minute of the show.

 

Results
Kevin Owens b. CJ Parker – Pop up powerbomb
Lucha Dragons b. Vaudevillains – Salida Del Sol to Gotch
Baron Corbin b. Tye Dillinger – End Of Days
Hideo Itami/Finn Balor b. Ascension – Coup de Grace to Viktor
Charlotte b. Sasha Banks – Super Natural Selection
Sami Zayn b. Adrian Neville – Helluva Kick

 

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9.0

The final score: review Amazing

The 411

This show started off a bit slowly with the first three matches ranging from good to decent, but the second half kicked it into a much higher level. The main event is excellent and the Women’s Title and tag match are both rather good. NXT was on absolute fire at this point and that main event angle kicked it up another notch. I had a great time looking back at this and it was a nice flashback to the golden age of NXT, which is rather difficult to top.