Leighty’s Retro Review: NXT TakeOver London

-Written: 3.13.26
-Source: Peacock
-Run Time: 2:07:13

-Announce Team: Rich Brennan, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton
-Dec. 16, 2015
-The SSE Arena, London, England
-Attendance: 10,079

-HHH welcomes the crowd and gets them fired up before the show. Not that the crowd really needed someone to get them going, but this is HHH’s baby and he is allowed to soak it in.

Asuka vs. Emma (w/ Dana Brooke)

-Crowd: “Asuka’s gonna kill you,” Asuka goes for a spin kick early and Emma has to back away and hides between the ropes. I like that Emma was full of confidence when making her entrance, but when the bell rang, it changed really quick. Emma gets arm control, but Asuka counters rather easily. Dropkick is missed as Emma grabs the top rope. Emma gets a hammerlock as the crowd boos. Again, Asuka counters rather easily. Hammerlock from Asuka and she rolls with Emma each time she tries to escape. Asuka takes Emma down with an arm-bar and the crowd wants a tap. I think this is a case where the crowd would be fine with Asuka just SMASHING Emma and winning in less than two minutes. Emma gets to the ropes and rolls to the floor, but Asuka comes off the apron with a Hip Attack. Dana yells at Asuka and then backs away as Asuka stares at her. That brief distraction let Emma hit a basement dropkick and she starts laying in forearms to the back. Shotgun dropkick gets a two count. Submission move from Emma as she pulls on the arms of Asuka. The crowd tries to rally Asuka, but Emma maintains the hold, which draws boos. Asuka tries to counter and nearly gets pinned with a roll-up. Kick to the back from Emma gets a two count. Asuka screams so Emma punches her in the back of the head. The crowd is now singing Asuka’s name. Half Nelson from Emma. Asuka uses her backside to break and starts firing off elbows. Backslide gets two for Asuka. They stay connected and Emma ends up hitting a clothesline for two. Asuka gets sent to the corner, but climbs to the second rope and comes off with a missile dropkick to leave both women down. The ref starts his count and the crowd stays a number ahead of him for some reason. Emma up first, but runs into a dropkick. Asuka lands a heavy kick to the back and lays into Emma with forearms. Rear View from Asuka! YES Kicks! Emma catches one but misses a right hand. Asuka misses a spinning back fist and Emma gets a roll-up for two. Asuka connects with another spinning back fist and then hits one more. Running hip attack gets two! Emma creates distance and avoids a charge in the corner. Emma gets a wacky submission in the ropes and then dumps Asuka into the corner with a butterfly suplex. Running splash gets a two count. Another two count! Emma stands on Asuka’s head and looks for a submission, but Asuka counters into an ankle lock. Emma fights so Asuka hits a German Suplex and then a Shining Wizard. Asuka Lock, but Emma fights enough to keep the hands from being locked. Emma grabs the ref by the shirt and positions him in the corner where he gets run into. Smart! Dana throws a belt into the ring, but Asuka steals it and the ref is ready to disqualify her. Emma gets a roll-up for two off that, but Asuka rolls through into the Asuka Lock and the crowd is losing it as they want a tap. Dana distracts the ref as Emma taps. We continue though and Emma goes to use the belt, but Asuka kicks her head off with a spin kick and that gets the pin at 14:48.

Winner: Asuka via pin at 14:48
-Hard work here from both and Emma hung in their with Asuka. It probably could have been more dominating from Asuka as she was the future of the division, but this was a match where she had to work for the win. ***1/2

-Johnny Saint is in the front row.

-Earlier today, Finn Balor arrived and Big Cass and Enzo arrived with him.

-Earlier today, Samoa Joe arrived!

-Video package hyping our Tag Title Match!

NXT Tag Team Championship: The Revival (c) vs. Enzo Amore and Colin Cassidy (w/ Carmella)

-London REALLY loves Enzo and Cass! They they hit their spiel and the crowd loves them even more. WE GO HARD! YEAH! That them is still a BANGER! Enzo and Dawson start us off as they jockey around the ring for position. Nothing doing so they regroup as the crowd starts singing for Enzo. Wilder in and he lands an uppercut and another. Whip to the ropes, but Enzo ducks a clothesline and gets a leg trip. Enzo plants Wilder face first in the mat for a one count. Tag to Cass and he throws body blows and clubbing blows to the back. Back to Enzo and he goes to the body with punches. Wilder bails to the floor and then tries a clothesline, but hits post. Enzo gets arm control and transitions to a hammerlock. She buries a knee to the back and then runs Wilder shoulder first into the top buckle. More singing from the crowd! Dawns back in and we get more clubbering in the corner. We are five minutes in without much happening, but I think they are waiting for the crowd to settle into the match. Cass with a Gorilla Press of Wilder onto Dawson. Revival bail to the floor and we get the awesome visual of Cass LAUNCHING Enzo over the top onto both members. That looked fantastic! Enzo continues to run wild, but gets caught by a blind tag. He gets tossed to the floor and nearly catches his head on the bottom rope. Sadly, he would do that legit once on the main roster. Enzo beats the 10 count but the crowd still chants “ten.” Dawson goes to work on the arm of Enzo. Sweet Hammerlock Northern Lights Suplex for two. Wilder back in and he comes off the middle rope with a shot to the bad arm. That gets two! Mechanical work by the Revival as they target the arm of Enzo. Dawson traps him in the ropes and throws punches and kicks. He pulls the ref away, so Wilder gets in a shot from the apron. Dawson with a slingshot suplex for two. Enzo gets close, so Dawson yells for Dash and he distracts the ref. Beautiful! Enzo gets a chance, but Wilder knocks Cass off the apron to stop the tag. Dawson back in, but illegally, so the ref won’t count the pin off a Gourdbuster. Wilder back in and Enzo counters a move and hits a DDT. Hot Tag to Cass and he runs wild. Body blows to Dawson in the corner, followed by a splash. Blackhole Slam gets two as Wilder makes the save. Cass throws him to the floor but that lets Dawon hit a chop block on the bad knee (that The Revival injured). The crowd sings and hums Beatle’s song as Cass screams in pain from a submission hold. Enzo rushes in, but Dawson cuts him off with a clothesline. Cass uses every bit of his height to get to the bottom rope to force a break. Dawson up top, but Enzo pushes him off. Cass with a roll-up for two. He hits a desperation Big Boot and throws Enzo off the top to splash on Wheeler. That only gets two as Dawson pulls Enzo out of the ring. He hides behind Carmella and then uses that to post Cass. Enzo is left alone and gets thrown off the top and into a Shatter Machine for the pin at 14:59.

Winners and Still NXT Tag Team Champions: The Revival via pin at 14:59
-Solid match, but it was dominated by The Revival. They were just on a different level than Cass and Enzo and I can understand why no title change. The crowd really wanted it though. ***1/4

-Nia Jaxx video package.

-We take a look back at the issues between Baron Corbin and Apollo Crews.

Apollo Crews vs. Baron Corbin

-Lockup and they jockey for position. Corbin shoves Crews in the corner and tells him “this is my house and you can go back home.” That gets Crews going and Corbin bails to the floor to regroup after a shoulder tackle. Back in and we lockup again. Crews with shoulders in the corner, but Corbin shoves away. Crews follows to another corner and delivers more shoulders. Corbin misses a clothesline, but catches Crews with a knee. Shoulder tackle by Corbin. Crews floats over on a slam attempt and ends up hitting a dropkick. Kip up, but he charges and gets dumped to the floor, where he crashes into the steps on the way down. That looked impressive! Corbin: “you should have stayed in ROH.” Nearly a decade later and Crews is on SmackDown here and there, but mainly Main Event and Corbin is on the independents. Corbin brings Crews back into the ring, just to throw him to the floor on the other side. Crews tries to sling shot back in, but Corbin decks him with a right hand. Running splash in the corner followed by another and another. Big boot from Corbin as the crowd is entertaining themselves by singing. They then chant obscenities at Corbin and he has a smile on his face. He works over Crews in the corner as this one continues to move slowly along. Crews off the middle ropes but gets caught. Crews gets a small package for two to counter. Whip reversed and Crews goes crashing into the corner. Corbin soaks in the boos again, so the crowd sings some more as Corbin holds a back breaker submission. Crews knees his way out, but Corbin cuts him off with a knee. Powerbomb, but Crews slips out and Corbin falls on his ass. Oops! Double leg by Crews as he goes to a ground and pound strategy. Corbin bails and looks to leave, but Crews follows out. He hits a moonsault off the apron to pop the crowd. Back in the ring Crews gets a series of clotheslines, but tries one too many, and gets planted with a Deep Six for two. Crews escapes End of Days and hits an enziguiri. Standing moonsault gets two! Corbin holds onto the ropes to block a whip. Crews goes to lift Corbin out of the corner, but he holds the ropes again and ends up sliding off and hitting End of Days for the pin at 11:40.

Winner: Baron Corbin via pin at 11:40
-Not a fan of this one as it was rather boring and then Corbin just gets the pin out of nowhere. I was half expecting Crews to kick out of End of Days, but I know that didn’t happen on the Main Roster until Drew, so I assume it was protected in NXT as well. **

-Sami Zayn video package! He returns next week on NXT TV. I hope they have a big time opponent for him at the next Network Special.

-Earlier today, Nia Jaxx had words for Bayley, but Asuka is staring her down. Nia confronts Asuka, who just smiles at her before walking away.

NXT Women’s Championship: Bayley (c) vs. Nia Jaxx

-The crowd really loves Bayely and want to know if she will be their girl. She can’t help but smile at the reception she is getting. Bayley tries a sunset flip, but yeah, no. Jaxx misses a splash in the corner and Bayley starts throwing elbows and forearms as she tries to get Nia off her feet. She charges, but Nia catches her and throws her across the ring. London: “Bayley’s gonna hug you,” Funny! Nia with a shielder breaker and then hooks a Million Dollar Dream. She throws Bayley around like a rag doll for good measure. Bayley fights her way out and gets a modified Dragon Sleeper, but Nia runs her into the corner to break. Bayley with a basement dropklck to the knee and that seems like a smart plan. That drops Nia to one knee. Kick to the face from Bayley and she comes off the middle rope with a back elbow. Another one as Nia won’t drop. She tries a third one, but Nia swats her out of the air. Nia gets caught in a triangle, but Nia lifts her off the mat and sets her on the top rope. They battle up there and Bayley is able to knock Nia to the canvas. SENTON atom the top gets two as Nia kiss out with some STANK on it. Bayley runs into a Samoan Drop, but it only gets two. Another Samoan Drop! A pop-up one counts as a third Samoan Drop. Nia drops a leg and goes for the pin with a single foot, but Bayley kicks out. Nia just starts throwing Bayley around the ring in impressive fashion. The crowd is begging for a Bayley comeback, but Nia is just CRUSHING her with leg drop after left drop. Bayley is out at two to a big pop. Nia with a running splash in the corner and then she mocks Bayley as the boos pour down from the fans. Cool! Nia sets for a Samoan Drop from the middle ropes, but Bayley counters into a guillotine choke. The crowd really wants Nia to tap. She hangs on through and slips out of the hold before slamming Bayley down. Small Package attempt from Bayley, but Nia lifts her off the mat and fights to hit a slam. Bayley fights back to her feet and goes right back to the guillotine choke. Nia pulls at Bayley’s hair, but starts fading again. The crowd is desperate for a tap! Bayley keeps cranking on the hold and Nia finally taps at 13:23.

Winner and Still NXT Women’s Champion: Bayley via submission at 13:23
-Good match with they playing the heel monster vs. underdog babyface formula to a tee. Bayley needed a match like this to show she could beat back a challenger that was different than Sasha and the other women in the division. For many this still may be the best match in Nia’s career. ***1/2

-Video package covering Joe turning on Balor. Joe wants Finn’s NXT Title. Simple and effective! 

NXT Championship: Finn Balor (c) vs. Samoa Joe

-Demon Finn is Jack The Ripper this time. Sweet! “This is awesome,” chant before the bell. Feeling out process to start and Joe has a confidence about himself. He backs Balor to the ropes and shoves him on his ass just to show he can. Deafening dueling chant from the crowd. Balor with a body kick to back Joe up and follows with a dropkick. Joe bails to the floor, so Balor comes through the ropes with a dropkick and then runs the apron to deliver a kick to the chest. Balor rolls Joe into the ring, but he rolls out the other side as he is still trying to regroup. Balor follows and lights up Joe’s chest with a chop and then a running dropkick that sends Joe into the steps. Balor goes for a Double Stomp from the apron onto the steps, but Joe moves and then plants Balor with the uranage. “Joe’s gonna kill you,” chant from the crowd. Both men back in the ring. Joe slows the pace as he fires off strikes. Balor gets a brief flurry, but Joe cuts him off. Splash in the corner followed by the Pele kick. They trade forearms in the middle of the ring and Balor wins the exchange, but makes the mistake of charing and ends up eating an elbow. Joe hooks a reverse chinlock which lets the crowd get behind Balor. Joe releases and slugs Balor down for a two count. HEAVY CHOP to the back followed by a kick to the chest and a knee drop for two. To the corner and Joe boxes Balor with jabs and then claps for him to mock the crowd. Running boot to the face and Finn’s sell with the glassy eyes is great. Back to trading forearms as Balor won’t back down, but again, Joe catches him and hits an atomic drop. He misses the back splash and Finn has life, but his souls gets SNATCHED from his body as he tries to spring off the ropes and Joe catches him with a chop. That sends him to the floor and Joe hits the suicide dive. Back in the ring that gets two. Powerbomb from Joe gets two, but he makes sure to hold the legs and rolls over into a Boston Crab and it’s DEEP! Joe transitions to the STF, but Balor rolls back for a one count. Joe counters back and pulls on the free arm for good measure. Balor gets his boot on the ropes to force a break. Balor ducks a clothesline and spins around to stick Joe with a DDT. Balor up first and he catches Joe with a boot to the face. Flying forearm from Finn followed by a running chop in the corner. To the opposite corner for more of the same. Joe catches Balor with an elbow on a third try. He heads up, but Balor sends him to the floor with an enziguiri. Balor dives over the top with a flip dive and that gets an “NXT” chant. Back in Balor comes off the top with a double stomp to the back for two. Dragon Sleeper from Finn, but Joe fights out. Balor fires off strikes and hits an enziguiri. Slingblade! Joe avoids a shotgun dropkick in the corner and hits the Senton. Muscle Buster, but Balor slides out and gets a roll-up for two. Pele kick grazes Joes and both men are down as the crowd collects their breath. Both men up before ten and start trading bombs again. Joe with this battle as he hits a rolling elbow. Balor goes for for a Pele kick, but Joe backs away and gets the Kokina Clutch. The announcers note, Finn has passed out twice to this move. Balor gets to the ropes quickly to break and ends up on the apron. Joe hooks it again and brings Balor over the top and back into the ring. Balor sits down and rolls through to escape. Double Stomp leaves both men down and the crowd wants us to know this is awesome. I agree! Slingblade! Shotgun Dropkick! Another, but Joe fires up and screams in his face. Balor just keeps coming though and knocks Joe down. He heads up, but Joe meets him and teases a Muscle Buster. Finna escapes, but Joe with a Pele kick. Top Rope Muscle Buster, is blocked and Balor knocks Joe to the mat. Coup de Grace finishes for the pin at 18:25.

Winner and Still NXT Champion: Finn Bálor via pin at 18:25
-This was a battle and the crowd was on fire for all of it. Both men just kept coming and Balor gets the win by being in the perfect position to quickly hit his finisher. The closing stretch went crazy and I liked that Balor was full go wanting revenge and Joe remained his cocky, bully self during the match. This was great! ****1/4

-Thanks for reading! So long Peacock!

8.5

The final score: review Very Good

The 411

The hits keep on coming with this brand as they deliver another great show. The Main Event was fantastic as Joe and Balor were great against each other. We had some really good matches underneath and the London crowd was fantastic.