wrestling / Video Reviews
Leighty’s Retro Review: NXT Takeover Rival
Image Credit: WWE
Loading...-Written: 01.29.26
-Source: Peacock
-Run Time: 2:00:17
-Announce Team: Rich Brennan, Corey Graves, Jason Albert
-Full Sail University, Orlando, FL
-Feb. 11, 2015
Hideo Itami vs. Tyler Breeze
-Breeze attacked Itami backstage a week ago in what was a WWE.com exclusive. The reason for this match is Breeze is made that Itami lost to Balor in a #1 contender match and Breeze felt he would have won. Ignoring the face Itami beat Breeze in the first round match. The selfie stick make it’s debut as part of Breeze’s entrance and a “fan” rushes him to get a hug. Itami rushes but misses a kick and another. Breeze lands one and fires off punches in the corner. Running forearm from Breeze, but he tries again and Itami hits a corner clothesline. He catches Breeze with a knee to the gut and hits a running kick to the chest. Breeze bails to the floor as the crowd starts a “Hideo” chant. Back in the ring, Itami lands more kicks and Breeze tries all he can to create space. More kicks from Itami! Breeze gets a trip and runs the leg off the apron. He continues to go after the knee and then hits a running knee to the back. Breeze wraps Itami’s knee around the post and follows with the ring post figure-four. Back in the ring he gets a Half Crab to continue the work on the knee. Itami crawls to get to the bottom rope and force a break. Breeze stomps away at the chest and the ref forces him back as Itami is in the ropes. Itami pops the crowd as he nearly gets the GTS, but Breeze escapes and hits The Super Model Kick for two. We get a dueling chant from the crowd. Breeze fires off punches, but Itami eats them as he gets fired up. He goes crazy with fists and a back hand. Spin kick and the he fires off kicks to the chest as he continues to sell the knee. More kicks followed by the hesitation dropkick in the corner. Running kick gets the win at 8:14 as still no GTS. Making the fans wait for that one.
Winner: Hideo Itami via pin at 8:14
-This was solid, but I was expecting a bit more. Breeze controlled the majority of the match before Itami hit the comeback and got the win. Match needed a GTS to pop the crowd and make Itami look like more of a star. **1/2
No Disqualification: Bull Dempsey vs. Baron Corbin
-Corbin’s spotlight entrance is here, but his BANGER theme song has yet to debut. Corbin charges the ring and lands a right hand that sends Bull to the floor. Corbin beats on him out there and then back into the ring. The crowd lets Bull know that Baron’s going to kill him. Corbin beats Bull back to the floor and up the ramp. Bull has to get desperate and gets a suplex on the grated ramp. The crowd wants a table, so Bull starts to look under the ring and changes his mind. That ticked off the crowd! Back in the ring, Bull charges and gets caught with a spinebuster for two. Baron throws himself at Bull and they are supposed to both go over to the floor, but Bull gets stuck on the ropes and has to kind of throw himself the rest of the way over. The crowd lets him know he screwed up there. Bull sends Baron back into the ring and comes off the top with a head-butt for two. Back to the floor and Dempsey sends Baron into the ring steps. Dempsey grabs a chair which pops the crowd, but he gets caught with End of Days for the pin at 4:08.
Winner: Baron Corbin via pin at 4:08
-That’s a super weak No DQ match! Give the crowd a little bit with some safe weapons. It was short at least and Corbin gets another win. *1/2
-William Regal is backstage talking with Sami Zayn and a referee. That seems kind of sus and anti-KO.
-Becky Lynch, and Bayley are shown getting ready backstage.
NXT Tag Titles: Blake (c) and Murphy (c) vs. The Lucha Dragons
-Every time I hear dub-step I can’t help but think of Cable in Deadpool 2. Blake and Murphy got the upset win over the Dragons for the Tag Titles two weeks ago on NXT TV. Murphy and Sin Cara start this one, but Blake is quickly tagged in. Cara drops both and hits the springboard moonsault press on Blake. He throws chops and they kind of screw up a head scissors which draws the ire of the crowd. Chop from Cara followed by a running forearm in the corner. They hit the head scissors this time and it gets a cheer from the crowd. Kalisto in and he slips trying a dive to the floor, but collects himself and hits the move. Cara with a Victory Roll off the top for a two count on Blake. Murphy and Kalisto in and Kalisto goes to work on the arm. Back to Cara and we get some double team moves from The Dragons. Blake and Murphy regain control as they toss Cara into the air and Blake brings him down with a neckbreaker for two. Murphy in with a sling shot senton for two. He goes to a reverse chinlock, but Cara hits a jaw breaker and makes the tag to Kalisto. Corkscrew cross-body followed by the Listo Kick. Head Scissors spikes Murphy on his head! Murphy counters Salina Del Sol. He tries a suplex into a powerbomb but Kalisto counters into a head scissors. They trade pin falls and we get a double pin, so the partners rush in to break up the count. Tags on both sides as they are getting this one back on track. They trade a bunch of counters into pins, but the crowd isn’t really buying any of these roll-ups. Murphy in and Cara catches him with a one arm powerbomb for two. Murphy knocks Kalisto off the apron with an elbow. Suplex by Murphy and Blake off the top (after a tag) with a frog splash for the pin at 7:33.
Winners and Still NXT Tag Team Champions: Blake and Murphy via pin at 7:33
-Just a tag match with little crowd heat. There were some cool moments and lots of pin reversals, but it felt kind of BLAH to me. **1/2
-We get a signal interruption during the celebration. It reads that The Takeover is nearly complete and to tune in next week.
-Recap of the #1 Contender Tournament and the Finals between Balor and Neville is up next.
-Here is a rundown of the Tournament: Balor over Axel, Itami over Breeze, Neville over Kidd, Corbin over Dempsey, Balor over Itami and Neville over Corbin. Weird they had two of the first round matches have a rematch on this show and the same two people won. Can’t criticize them for 50/50 booking in that case.
#1 Contender’s Match: Adrian Neville vs. Finn Balor
-The crowd LOVES Balor’s entrance and again, the man just looks like the biggest star in the company. Balor charges but Neville side steps and gets a headlock that he takes to the mat. Balor up and shoves off, but Neville knocks him down with a shoulder tackle and back to the headlock. Balor rolls over for a one count. Balor escapes and gets his own shoulder tackle but Neville kips up. Sunset flip but Balor rolls through and hits a basement dropkick. Neville rolls to the floor, but rushes back into the ring as Balor is ready to fly. Baloir with a dropkick and they tease Balor diving again, but Neville knocks him down and hits a springboard dropkick for two. Reverse chinlock from Balor and he transitions to a side headlock. Neville stomps away in the corner and uses his boot to choke. Elbow to the head and back to the reverse chinlock. Balor punches his way out and avoids a charge in the corner. He lands a chop and goes to spring, but Neville dropkicks him down to the apron. Delayed vertical suplex gets two. More elbows and back to the reverse chinlock. Very slow start to this one and even commentary is putting it over as a cautious start. Balor gets caught with a boot in the corner, but hits an enziguiri that sends Neville off the top and to the floor. Third times the charm as Balor flies over the top with a tope and that gets the crowd chanting for “NXT.” Neville slides into the ring and back out as he is trying to create space. We got a cool visual of Balor crawling around the corner as he stalks Neville. He hits a shotgun dropkick that sends Balor into the front row. Back in the ring, Balor comes off the top with a double stomp to the back of the head for two. Neville back with a spin kick and another. He misses a dropkick and Balor hits a Pele Kick. Neville fires up and hits a super-kick to leave both men down. Cool! Neville up first but Balor lands an elbow. Neville ducks another and snaps off a German Suplex. Another one into a bridge for a two count. “This is wrestling,” chant from the crowd. Corkscrew Splash from the middle rope gets two. That was sick! The crowd is rocking now after the slow start. Running uppercut in the corner from Neville. He catches Balor rushing out with a forearm, but Balor responds with a Sling Blade. Clothesline sends Neville flipping inside out. Elevated Scorpion Death Drops gets two! Balor heads up, but Neville grabs the leg. Enziguiri from Neville followed by a slam. Neville up top, but Balor rushes, so Neville lands on his feet and hits a head kick. Back up again, but Balor gets the knees up to block The Red Arrow and catches Neville in a pin for two in a GREAT near fall. Shotgun Drop Kick sends Neville into the corner. Balor up and Coup de Grace finishes at 13:30.
Winner: Finn Balor via pin at 13:30
-Started slow as they were in feeling out mode and the announcers put over the stakes and how they didn’t want to make a mistake. The final seven minutes were great as they hit the next gear and got the crowd rocking. Good stuff! ***3/4
-They shake hands after the match and the crowd starts a “thank you Neville,” chant. Good stuff!
-Video package on The Four Horsewomen! They battle it out next!
NXT Women’s Championship: Charlotte (c) vs. Becky Lynch vs. Bayley vs. Sasha Banks
-This should be fun as we are a decade (man, we are getting old) past this show and seeing all four of these women an this point, knowing what they have become, will be fascinating. First pin or submission wins. They all start slugging it out to start. Charlotte with a double clothesline to Becky and Sasha. Bayley with a roll-up for two. The crowd lets us know that “Bayley’s gonna hug you.” Charlotte gets run back first into the LED board apron, which knocks the feed out. Sasha and Becky have an alliance out of business and go to work on Bayley. They swing her back first into the corner and each goes for a pin, so the ref can’t count. Becky turns first and hits Sasha with a pump handle suplex. She drops a leg on Bayely and another. Another leg drop from Becky gets two. Becky with a dragon screw leg whip and hooks a submission, but Sasha breaks that up. She runs Becky into the corner and fires off forearms. She goes for a double knee, but Becky avoids and comes off the top with a dropkick for two. Charlotte breaks up that pin and hits a neck breaker. She hits another on Sasha for two as Becky makes the save. Charlotte runs her into the corner and hits another neck breaker for two. Sasha and Charlotte trade strikes. Charlotte goes for a spear, but Sasha avoids and Becky takes the spear. Bayley back in and she gets dropped as Charlotte is the only one standing. She charges at Sasha, but ends up going shoulder first into the post. Sasha stacks Charlotte and Becky up in the corner and hits the double knees. She goes for cover after cover and SCREAMS each time it’s only a two count. Bayley in and she dumps Sasha with a suplex. Running elbows in the corner to Charlotte and she tightens the ponytail. She sets Sasha up top and brings her down with a rana to a big pop. Bayley-to-Belly Suplex gets two as Becky pulls Bayley off the cover. Bayley hits a dropkick through the corner on Becky. Sasha come flying out of nowhere with a dive onto Bayley and Becky. NXT chant from the crowd followed by them letting us know “this is wrestling.” Charlotte with a sling shot cross-body to take out the other three on the floor. Becky and Charlotte end up back in the ring and Becky snaps off a suplex for two. Becky with a series of uppercuts and she puts Charlotte up top. Bayley to the apron and lands a head kick. She hits a German Suplex on Becky and then brings Charlotte down with a Bayley-to-Belly and the count is broken up by Sasha. She goes to steal the pin, but Charlotte is out at two. Crowd bought that one! Banks Statement! Sasha releases to kick Becky and Bayley away and she goes back to the Banks Statement. Charlotte crawls but can’t get to the rope. Charlotte won’t tap so Sasha rolls her over with a crucifix for the pin at 11:58.
Winner and New NXT Women’s Champion: Sasha Banks via pin at 11:58
-Good stuff here and we have a long way to go to get there, but I would like to see these four run it back again one day. All action here and the crowd was invested and each woman had a following in the crowd. The win came off a little anti-climactic, but I can understand Charlotte not tapping and Sasha adjusted to get the pin. ****
-Charlotte offers a handshake after the match (the crowd chants No) and instead we get a hug but they also push each other and Sasha celebrates with the Championship in Charlotte’s face. I appreciate that more than just a handshake!
-Video package on Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens. I always loved that NXT didn’t waste anytime getting to them trying to destroy each other.
NXT Championship: Sami Zayn (c) vs. Kevin Owens
-The crowd is ready for this one and they don’t go crazy with punches to start. They let things breath and let the crowd get their chants in. KO offers a smile at the Sami chant and then bails to the floor, which draws some boos. KO gets to the apron, but drops down and continues to play mind games with Sami. KO gets into the ring this time, but drops down and rolls to the floor with a smile on his face. Sami is done with this and dive over the ref, and top rope to land on KO. Sweet. Now we get into the ring and the punches and kicks start flying. Sami beats KO down in the corner and continues to unload with right hands. KO drops down to snap Sami’s chin off the top buckle. HEAVY RUNNING CLOTHESLINE IN THE CORNER! Half the crowd wants KO to Fight and the other are cheering on Sami. KO with another running clothesline and then STOMP. Strong whip to the corner and Sami bounces out into a corkscrew flip. LOUD chop from KO that would make GUNTHER (I guess WALTER then) proud. Slam from KO gets a one count. KO hooks a reverse chinlock and makes sure to burn his knee in the back. He releases to drive a series of knees into the back and then hooks the hold again. Sami starts fight back, but KO cuts him off and drapes him across the top rope with a release suplex. Sami got some sweet height bouncing back off the ropes. It’s like what my son does when he drops his wrestling figures off the ropes. KO takes things to the ground again with headlock. Sami fights back, but again, KO cuts him off and hits a belly-to-back suplex for two. KO sends Sami to the floor and lights his chest up with a series of chops and he makes sure to play to the crowd. Sami is struggling here as he just starts throwing punches at air. Clothesline from KO before sending Sami back into the ring for a two count. KO lays the bad mouth and pie faces Sami and then blasts him with a right hand. Gutbuster followed by a senton gets two. Sami starts slapping himself in the face to get going, but KO goes back to the chinlock. Jawbreaker from Sami, but KO shakes it off and kicks him in the back. Graves notes this is domination similar to Brock/Cena at SummerSlam. Sami fires up and hits a clothesline and another one sends KO to the floor. Back to the floor and Sami sends KO into the steps and now he pounds away with right hands. KO sends Sami into the ring to get some breathing room, but Sami slides out the other side and runs around the corner to catch KO with another clothesline. Blue Thunder Bomb back in the ring gets two! KO catches Sami with a super kick and hits the cannonball in the corner for two. Ushigoroshi gets two! The announcers aren’t sure what to call the move, but we know today. Zayn counters the pop-up powerbomb with a dropkick and hits a half-and-half suplex for two. KO rolls to the apron and is able to snap Sami throat first on the top rope to create space. He heads up top, but Sami was playing possum and meets him up there. KO with a head-butt to block a superplex. Swanton, but Sami gets the knees up to block. Exploder Suplex in the corner! Helluva Kick, but KO rolls to the floor to avoid. Smart! Sami follows to the floor and nearly gets power bombed on the apron, but avoids. He slings off the ropes and hits a moonsault press. He his smashes against the steel grate though. Sami tires to fire up, but keeps checking the back of his head. He is a little wobbly as he gets in the ring. He nearly falls over trying the Helluva Kick and gets caught with the pop-up powerbomb for two. Wow! The ref checks on Sami, but he wants to continue. The crowd (well, some of them) wants blood as they chant for KO. Owens starts firing off bombs as he knows Sami is in bad shape. More right hands in the corner and an uppercut nearly sends Sami through the ropes. Sami is fantastic here selling the beating since hitting his head off the grate. The ref keeps pushing KO back as Sami is under the ropes. A trainer goes to check on Sami and the crowd chants for a “Z Pack.” KO with a powerbomb and another one. KO barely kicks out at two as KO was lax on the cover. The trainers are back in to check on Sami and KO pulls him away. Powerbomb! Powerbomb! The ref stops another one and calls for the bell at 22:44. The crowd chants “bullshit,” but immediately cheer when KO is presented with the NXT Championship Belt.
Winner and New NXT Champion: Kevin Owens via ref stoppage at 22:44
-That ending was fantastic as Sami hit his head and never recovered. He fought the good fight, but KO smelled blood and just was relentless with violence and aggression until the ref had no choice. They would have better matches in the future in WWE, but this was about establishing KO as a heartless monster. Sami winning the Title was the story, but no need to keep it on him any longer as it was KO’s time. ****1/4
-Thanks for reading!
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