Leighty’s Retro Review: NXT TakeOver R-Evolution

-Written: 01.14.26
-Source: Peacock
-Run Time: 1:59:00

-Announce Team: Rich Brennan, Corey Graves, and Alex Riley
-Full Sail University, Orlando, FL
-Dec. 11, 2014

Kevin Owens vs. CJ Parker

-What’s great is there is no reaction to the opening of KO’s theme, but when the letters pop up on the screen, the place explodes. This is KO’s NXT debut and you can see the emotion on his face. I am pumped for him and I am watching over 11 years later. Owens just rushes him at the bell with a series of clotheslines in the corner and then a cannonball and the place goes crazy. KO destroys Parker’s sign and then hits a flip dive over the top. The crowd starts a “this is awesome” chant, and yes, KO is pretty awesome. Parker gets in a shot and starts laying in the boots as I guess it can’t be a total squash. KO avoids a splash but runs into a palm strike for two. Parker with double knees in the corner, but KO shakes it off and takes him down with a lariat. KO got busted open somewhere (I assume the Palm Strike) and it makes him look like an animal out there which is a great visual. He finishes with a pop-up powerboat at 3:14.

Winner: Kevin Owens via pin at 3:14
-Great debut for KO as he was full of emotion and just unleashed a beating on Parker. The accidentally blood only added to the match. I think he is going to do okay. **

-Lucha Dragons hype video! Our NXT Tag Champions!

NXT Tag Team Championship: The Lucha Dragons (c) vs. The Vaudevillians

-Gotch starts with Sin Cara and Cara springs off the middle ropes with a tackle and then a moonyault press for one. English in and Cara takes both over with a combo head scissors, headlock. Kalisto in and we get an assisted Senton for two. Cara back in with a dropkick and a Michinoku Driver, which is called a powerbomb by Brennan. Probably why I don’t remember him. English grabs Cara by the legs and pulls him to the floor as the crowd lets us know “that was manly.” Now they chant “put your dukes up,” as they seem more concerned with entertaining themselves than the match. Gotch with a crucifix for one. Double chops from the Vaudes gets two. English runs into an elbow, but he is well enough to send Cara to the floor to cut off a tag, He trips Kalisto as well which gets the ref distracted and they work Cara over in their corner. Gotch stops another tag attempt and gets a belly-to-back suplex for two. English drops a knee for a one count and goes to a reverse chinlock. Cara fights out of the corner and dives to make the tag to Kailsto. Springboard crossbody to English and then a corkscrew dive. Handspring kick lands. Cara in to take out English. Kalisto rolls into a kick on Gotch. Both Vaudes ends up on the floor. Double dive over the top lands on English as he pushed Gotch out of the way to save him. The crowd chants “chivalry.” Okay, that was funny. Gotch back in the ring with Kalisto, but tries a move that gets countered into the SDS for the pin at 6:39.

Winners and Still NXT Tag Team Champions: The Lucha Dragons via pin at 6:39
-Just a solid tag match. The crowd was having fun with their chants, but there was never a point the Titles seemed to be in jeopardy. **

Tye Dillinger vs. Baron Corbin

-We are told KO will sit down with Renee Young on NXT TV this week. Oh man, that was probably great as KO and Renee had wonderful chemistry together. Oh, and as for Dillinger it’s STAN! A decade later and he is now working for Shawn Michaels. The crowd starts counting at the bell because they know how this is going to go. Dillinger caught with Snake Eyes and a running boot. The crowd’s count is a bit fast. End of Days finishes at 40 seconds. Oh, and Bull Dempsey is watching from the crowd.

Winner: Baron Corbin via pin at 40 seconds
-Yep! SPEARS, I mean SQUASH

-Corbin stares down Bull Dempsey and it lasts so long they head to break. I wonder who backed down first.

-Sami Zayn pretaped interview as his goal is to be NXT Champion before he gets to RAW or SmackDown.

-Video package on Hideo Itami’s debut and issues with The Ascension. He lets The Ascension know he has a friend: FINN BALOR! Oh, yeah, we are getting to the good stuff.

The Ascension vs. Hideo Itami and Finn Balor

-Balor steals the show by unleashing The Demon entrance and the crowd immediately starts a “holy shit” chant and bow to him. The Ascension looks terrified and I don’t blame them. Hideo was screwed as his partner just totally overshadowed him in the first 30 seconds as a team. All four brawl before the bell rings, but the crowd is still chanting about how awesome the entrance for Balor was. Stereo Dropkicks in the corner sends The Ascension packing to the floor. The crowd chants “marking out,” and thankfully, that one never caught on. We finally start proper with Viktor and Itami. Itami drops him and Finn slings in with a stomp. Chop and then a running chop in the corner, Viktor gets a boot up in the corner and tag is made to Konnor but he runs into a dropkick. Itami back in and he fires off chops and kicks but gets caught with a flapjack for two. Viktor back in and he gets a two count before going to a neck crank. The crowd is more enamored with Balor on the apron. Konnor back in with a shoulder tackle for two. Itami escapes a slam and hits a spinning kick, but Viktor cuts off the tag by knocking Balor off the apron. Viktor stomps Itami down and the crowd is not happy. Konnor in for more stomping in the corner and that gets two. Man, I know they have a match to sell here, but Itami taking the beating is just making Balor look even better in the pairing. The crowd chants for Finn as Itami gets grounded with a reverse chinlock. Splash in the corner for two and back to Viktor. A few in the crowd chant for KENTA, but get booed down and a “Hideo” chant breaks out. Itami finally gets away from the chinlock and dives for the tag, but gets cut off. Viktor with a series of shoulders in the corner, but misses a charge, Konnor in and Itami side steps him and he falls to the floor. Tag to Balor, but Konnor pulls Balor off the apron so no dice. Cool! Konnor sets too early on a backdrop and gets kicked in the chest. The Hot Tag is made to Balor and now it’s go time! He leaps off Viktor and lands a shot on Konnor. Sling Blade to Viktor. He runs into an elbow, but knocks Viktor off the top with an enziguiri. Balor dives over the top and wipes out both members of The Ascension. “NXT” chant from the crowd. He heads up after landing a kick on Konnor. Viktor rolls out of the way but Balor catches him with an inverted DDT. Itami takes Konnor to the floor. Viktor with a STO for two as Itami makes the save. GTS pops the crowd, but Konnor saves and the crowd is PISSED! Fall of Man, but Itami pulls Konnor out of the ring. Itami and Balor head up and we get double double stomps with Balor pinning Viktor at 11:33.

Winners: Finn Bálor and Hideo Itami via pin at 11:33
-The heat segment on Itami was kind of boring, but the ending sequence was super hot. Balor looked like a massive star and totally stole the show from Itami. **3/4

-Renee Young is backstage with Roman Reigns, who was voted WWE Superstar of The Year. I want a recount. He said he is here to watch the Main Event and knows those guys will be the future in WWE. Wild to think where things would go with him and Sami Zayn.

-Video package on Charlotte vs. Sasha. Watching the Women’s Division blossom here and set up the Main Roster for the next decade is going to be fun.

NXT Women’s Championship: Charlotte (c) vs. Sasha Banks

-The crowd is split as they chant for each woman. Sasha throws her shirt at Charlotte which angers Charlotte a bit, so drops her and lands some punches. Sasha throws a chop, but that backfires as Charlotte laces her with a pair of chops and then a kick. Sasha rolls to the floor, but Charlotte sends her back in. Sasha catches her coming back in though and then sends Charlotte into the steps. Back in the ring she sets Charlotte in the corner and hits double knees to the stomach. Another “Sasha” chant from the crowd. Sasha with the Flair Strut, but Charlotte uses that to recover and gets a roll-up for two. Sasha with a Back Stabber and holds it into a submission attempt. Charlotte runs Sasha back first into the corner, but can’t get away as Sasha yanks her down by the hair. Cool! Sasha hooks the figure four headlock and hits The Devil’s Kiss, which would have Booker T losing his mind, but here it barely gets a reaction. She goes for it again, but Charlotte powers up and hits an Electric Chair to leave both women down. Little Naitch (that seems unfair) starts the 10 count, but both women are up at eight. Charlotte blocks some strikes and hits a clothesline followed by a chop. Suplex, but Banks lands on her feet, so Charlotte counters with a neckbreaker for two. Nice! Charlotte charges, but sends up going through the ropes. Sasha with a beautiful suicide dive and that draws an NXT chant. Sasha rolls her back in and gets a two count. They start trading chops and forearms, but Charlotte hits a spear to break Sasha in half. Charlotte charges but gets caught with a boot to the face and then a trip sends her face first into the middle buckle. Another Back Stabber, but Charlotte grabs the ropes to block. Figure-four is countered into a small package for two. Neckbreaker from Sasha gets two and another and another. Sasha screams and pounds the mast as the crowd tells us “this is awesome.” Charlotte gets an overhead suplex. “This is wrestling,” from the crowd next. Moonsault, but Sasha moves so Charlotte lands on her feet and hits a somersault splash. The was sick! Buckle Bomb is escaped and Sasha sends Charlotte face first again into the middle buckle. Charlotte blocks a superplex and drops Sasha face first on the mat. Top Rope Natural Selection finishes at 12:10.

Winner and Still NXT Women’s Champion: Charlotte via pin at 12:10
-This was wonderful as Sasha put herself on the map with this one and took off from here. Charlotte continues her rise and it’s no wonder both women CRUSHED it when they got to the Main Roster. ***3/4

-Video package on Sami Zayn always losing the big one to set up the rematch with Neville.

NXT Championship: Adrian Neville (c) vs. Sami Zayn

-Poor Neville gets booed out of the building. The crowd knows what they want and it’s Sami tonight. Loud “Lets Go Sami” chant to start and in between it sounds like “Neville Sucks.” Poor Neville! These fickle fans likely turned him into a bastard. Ole chant as they are smart enough to just let the crowd get this out of there system before getting into things. Lockup and Neville gets a take down and hooks a front face lock. Sami transitions out, but Neville grabs an arm. Sami counters and the trade head locks and head scissors with neither gaining the advantage. Another lockup and Sami gets arm control. Neville counters with a hammerlock and hooks a chinlock for good measure. Sami reverses, but Neville reverses that and takes Sami to the mat. The crowd continues to cheer on Sami, so he gets to his feet and tries an arm-drag, but Neville flips out and lands on his feet. Another lockup and Neville goes back to the arm. Neville floats over in the corner and flips to the opposite corner. He charges, but Sami catches him with a tilt-a-whirl back breaker. Neville to the floor, but Sami follows and lands a kick. He bounces off the top rope and hits a moonsault press. Nice! Neville takes the nine count before getting back in and runs into a leg lariat. Zayn sends him into the top buckle and gets a crucifix pin for two. Heavy forearm from Neville followed by a running forearm for two. Nasty basement dropkick to the back of the head gets two. That looked great! Neville hooks a reverse chinlock and that gets the crowd cheering on Sami again. Sami escapes, but Neville hits a running Euro Uppercut for two. Neville with a series of knee drops and that gets two. Back to the reverse chinlock. Neville gets backed into a corner, but heads up and hits a missile dropkick for two. For the second time, Neville seems annoyed by the ref. Sami lands a chop, so Neville just repeatedly kicks him in the face. Sami fires up with a clothesline and another. He lands a dropkick and Neville rolls to the floor. Sami goes to dive, but Neville rushes in and gets a head scissors. Now Neville goes for a dive, but Sami rushes in and backdrops Neville to the floor and then goes back and hits the drive over the top rope. Nice! Sami off the top with a cross-body for two! Neville with a handspring, but ends up on Sami’s shoulders and Sami turns that into a Blue Thunder Bomb for two. “This is awesome,” chant from the crowd. Nevill avoids a charge and runs Sami into the ropes and catches him with a snap German Suplex for two. Piledriver is blocked and Sami lands a chop. He tries to come off the ropes, but Neville blocks and gets a sit-out powerbomb into a pin for two. Neville with forearms and Sami gets in his face and tells him to bring it. They slug it out before Neville lands a kick. He charges and Sami hits a clothesline. Helluva Kick misses and Neville heads up as the crowd chants “no.” Red Arrow is countered as Sami gets the knees up. Koji Clutch and the crowd is dying for a tap, but Neville gets his foot to the bottom ropes to many boos. Neville gets a Victory Roll, but the kick-out bumps the ref as he cracked heads with Neville. Sami goes to check on the ref which has the crowd freaking out. Super Kick and Poison-Rana gets two! Oh man! Neville is shocked! “This is wrestling,” chant! They start trading heavy blows. Neville misses a head kick and Sami hits a German and another and then a Half and Half Suplex. Helluva Kick, but Neville is out to the floor. Sami heads out the other side and hits the diving DDT through the corner and that gets the appropriate chant from the crowd. Back in the ring The Helluva Kick hits but the ref gets bumped as Neville pulled him in the way. The crowd: “this ref sucks.” The desperate champion grabs the Championship Belt, but Sami kicks him in the face. He grabs the belt as the crowd chants “no.” We know what Bobby Heenan would be yelling for Sami to do. Sami can’t pull the trigger though and Neville gets a roll-up for two. Great near fall! Sami with an Exploder Suplex and this time hits The Helluva Kick for the pin at 23:16.

Winner and New NXT Champion: Sami Zayn via pin at 23:16
-Fantastic match with some great story telling and I loved how the crowd wanted no parts of Sami using a short cut to win. Sometimes we need our heroes to stay heroes. This was the right time and the change needed to happen to pay off Sami’s chase. ****1/2

-The NXT roster comes out, with Kevin Owens up front, to congratulate Sami. KO gives him a manly hug to a great pop as the announce team notes they are best friends. Freeze this and try to see who in the ring made it and who was a footnote in NXT. Pat Patterson is there as well. They parade Sami around the ring on their shoulders as everyone is so happy.

-Neville is back in the ring as the crowd wants them to “hug it out.” Sami offers a handshake and Neville kicks it away as he wants a MANLY HUG! Maybe his heart grew three sizes that day. “NXT” chant from the crowd and Sami is up on shoulders again as confetti falls from the ceiling.

-After a replay of the match ending, the ring clear and Sami stares at his Championship will sitting on the apron. Kevin Owens is back out to give him a hug and deep down the crowd has to know what’s coming. Sure enough after raising his hand and putting his arm around him, KO slams Sami down by the back of his head and DESTROYS HIM WITH A POWER BOMB ON THE APRON. I mean, why wait getting to these two tearing each other apart. The crowd is horrified and Regal comes down with a pissed off look, but Owens just blows by him. We close with Regal screaming for help as he is checking on Zayn. Yep, we eating good with NXT now!

-Thanks for reading!

8.0

The final score: review Very Good

The 411

The last two matches delivered and we had the debuts of KO and Itami. One worked out well, so that's all that mattered in the end. This was the big win Sami needed and then KO happened to kick off the next feud. Just perfect story telling! Another wonderful show as this was around the time I really started to get into NXT.