Zen Arcade Reviews: NXT Takeover: New Orleans

We are LIVE from the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, LA.

Your hosts are Mauro Ranallo, Nigel McGuinness, and Percy Watson.

Ladder Match for the NXT North American Title: Adam Cole vs. Velveteen Dream vs. Killian Dain vs. Lars Sullivan vs. Ricochet vs. EC3
About as crazy an opener as you can get for a show, especially given the high profile Takeover debuts of EC3 and Ricochet within it. The cool thing about NXT too is that these big ladder matches aren’t overdone, so this match actually feels like an event for a highly prestigious title, that six men are stepping into an uber dangerous environment to obtain. Add that on with the fantastically diverse set of characters here and I can’t think of a better way to make this title mean something right off the bat.

Boy, that belt is pretty. EC3 slides outside immediately, and Adam Cole uses that distraction to jump Ricochet. The ensuing fracas leaves Dain and Sullivan alone together, but EC3’s big mouth gets ahead of him and the two hosses chase him outside… and Ricochet blindsides them with a DOUBLE JUMP SHOOTING STAR TO THE OUTSIDE~! Ricochet grabs a ladder and goes for the belt, but Velveteen Dream cuts him off. Ricochet has the early advantage, but Dream hangs him up mid-springboard and goes after the belt himself. Adam Cole cuts Dream off now, and he even manages to enzuigiri Killian Dain off of the apron. Ushigoroshi scores on Dream, but EC3 cuts him off now. Here comes Lars Sullivan, who hits Cole with a pop-up Powerslam. Killian Dain saves the day for EC3 and comes out on top of Lars with a TOPE SUICIDA! Dain runs wild, but a bicycle kick from Adam Cole saves Ricochet and Velveteen Dream from certain doom. It turns into a Pier Six Brawl in the ring as Lars Sullivan grabs a ladder and THROWS IT ONTO EVERYONE~! Sullivan emphatically cleans house on everyone, Gorilla Pressing Dream onto a ladder. Ricochet meets Lars on the ladder and tries a Sunset Powerbomb, but everyone has to help him get the big man down! Killian Dain stops Adam Cole from getting the belt, and he backdrops Ricochet onto a cornered ladder. EC3 Bulldogs Killian off the ladder, and Adam Cole helps him try and beat down Lars. They bridge a ladder on the announce table and apron to dispatch of Killian Dain as well. We get an EC3 BAYBAY~! which annoys Cole, who gives young Ethan an Ushigoroshi on the ladder and gives SUPERKICKS TO EVERYONE ELSE! Cole ascends the ladder, but Lars Sullivan shoves the ladder down to stop his momentum. Velveteen starts running wild now, hitting a pair of Purple Rainmakers and one more to the back of Ricochet’s neck. Lars interrupts him and just shoves the ladder into Dream, but Dream chucks the ladder in his face to prevent an Avalanche. Dream sets up the ladder now and HITS THE PURPLE RAINMAKER OFF THE TOP OF IT~! He tries for the belt now, but EC3 stops him and POWERBOMBS HIM ON A LADDER! EC3 heads for the belt, but Adam Cole ain’t about that. EC3 intercepts Cole and gives him a beautiful TKO off of the ladder! EC3 tries heading up the ladder, but Killian Dain Bicycle Kicks him to put a stop to it. Dain sets a ladder on EC3 for a big running senton, and he goes up top for what I can only presume is a Moonsault, but Cole cuts him off and backpacks him, but Dain VADER BOMBS EC3 ANYWAY~! Ricochet interrupts a hoss fight between Dain and Sullivan, but Lars catches him running and biels him over towards Killian Dain… so DAIN THROWS HIM BACK~! That sends Ricochet out of the ring, and it’s HOSS FIGHT CENTRAL™. Dain goes for a High Cross, but Lars CATCHES HIM and gives him a World’s Strongest Slam. Lars heads up, but Ricochet yanks him down and high kicks him in the head! Ricochet goes up top, but Lars tries pushing the ladder over, so Ricochet MOONSAULTS ONTO EVERYONE OUTSIDE~! Ricochet tries following up, but instead he gives EC3 A SHOOTING STAR PRESS ON THE LADDER~! Ricochet heads for the belt, but Velveteen Dream cuts him off and bridges a ladder between the center one and the second turnbuckle. Dream tries putting Ricochet through it, but Ricochet pops up and is able to avoid… only for Velveteen to HIT A ROLLING DEATH VALLEY DRIVER ON THE BRIDGED LADDER~! Lars picks up the scraps of the Velveteen Dream and sets him on the bridged ladder outside, and he gives EC3 A FREAK ACCIDENT THROUGH DREAM AND THE LADDER~! Killian Dain now bridges up a ladder and sets Ricochet on it, but Adam Cole stops him… so KILLIAN MICHINOKU DRIVERS COLE THROUGH RICOCHET AND THE LADDER~! Lars stands up out of all the ruckus, but Killian Dain meets him there and slugs it out. EC3 worms hs way in and whacks both big men with a ladder, and Adam Cole meets EC3 on his ladder. Velveteen struggles up and smacks the big men with a ladder of his own, and Ricochet finally joins the other five men as they all fight for the belt. Dream nearly gets it, but Ricochet gives him a Neckbreaker off the ladder! It’s Killian Dain and Lars Sullivan alone again, and Lars gives him the FREAK ACCIDENT off of the ladder! Lars heads up the ladder, but RICOCHET SPRINGBOARDS ONTO HIM AND WIPES HIM OUT~! Adam Cole knocks him off the ladder and GRABS THE BELT! Adam Cole is the North American Champion in 30 minutes. ****1/2 There’s a lot of hyperbole I’m going to spew about this match, so just bear with me and let it roll. First off, this is quite clearly one of the best ladder matches in WWE history. I can only name a few off the top of my head that can even touch this for excitement, let alone psychology – which I will get to in a minute. It’s probably the best ladder match WWE’s had under its banner since the Jericho/Michaels match TEN YEARS AGO and I don’t particularly see a claimant to that throne coming any time soon. Did the match perhaps go a bit long? Is it going to be difficult to follow? Absolutely. But I’d hardly say a match of this caliber is something to complain about in any context. While this match absolutely had the incredible spots to show for itself, what I think really put this one over the top was its storytelling around said spots. There were a lot of really interesting little subplots around the main story, which revolved around all six men going after the title. That sounds obvious I’m sure given the stipulation, but this match really highlighted the struggle to get the title belt more than 90% of multi-man ladder matches do. Almost every crazy spot stemmed from a failed attempt to grab the title belt, rather than just doing crazy stuff for the sake of it. All six wrestlers understood who they were in the ring with and wanted to end things immediately, but that just wasn’t a realistic idea to have considering who was in there. Lars Sullivan was walking landmine and it took combinations of high impact moves to even get him off of his feet. Killian Dain had the advantage of being able to fly around and do stuff that realistically, only Ricochet should have been able to do in the match. The aforementioned Ricochet was by far the quickest of the six men and used the environment to his advantage in a way no one else could. Velveteen Dream took the defacto role as a Never Say Die babyface, going to great lengths to get himself the title when no one else could. And to cap it off, you had the dastardly deeds of Adam Cole and EC3 who backdoored their way into advantageous positions at every turn, and even aligned themselves together when they found it convenient. Every person in this match had a defined role and played it to near-perfection. And on top of that, we had the perversely fun game of oneupsmanship between the two behemoths in Killian Dain and Lars Sullivan. Highlights include them throwing Ricochet back and forth to show which man was more powerful, and of course the wacky ladder-breaking sequence that completely tore the house down. Rarely is a ladder match treated with such care and done with such care to characters and psychology on top of the customary spots. Whoever agented this match should be given a job for life, and all six men should be bonused to the high heavens. This was unreal.

NXT Women’s Title: Ember Moon © vs. Shayna Baszler
This is a simple – but wholly effective – feud that’s done wonders in getting Shayna Baszler over. She’s credible, intense, and has a swagger that makes her a very interesting challenger to Ember Moon, who’s one of the least interesting champions in NXT history outside of the ring. However, Ember is quite good inside of it and with the good build, I’m expecting a solid affair here if not a title change.

Ember tries a charging dropkick, so Shayna just punches her in the face and smirks instead. Shayna tries to follow up, but Ember catches her and dropkicks her into the steps. She catches Shayna back in the ring with a diving Lungblower, and she locks on a Crossface. Shayna escapes to the floor so Ember tries punting her from the apron, only for Shayna to sweep her legs and faceplant her on the ring apron. Ember tries using her speed to get around Shayna’s technique, but Ember soon finds herself the victim of a Ripcord Knee and a nearfall. Shayna locks on the Choke out of nowhere, and Ember slams herself down to the mat to stop things. Shayna goes after Ember’s arm, but Ember escapes and legsweeps Shayna and STOMPS SHAYNA’S ARM! Shayna goes to the ringpost to pop her arm back in place, but that allows Ember to recover and give her THE ECLIPSE ON THE FLOOR! They both struggle to the ring, where Shayna LOCKS IN THE CHOKE! Ember smacks her arm to escape, but GETS TRIANGLED! EMBER HITS THE RAMPAGE SLAM! Shayna kicks out. Ember looks for the Eclipse, but SHAYNA COUNTERS INTO THE CHOKE~! SHE GRAZES THE ROPES… BUT SHAYNA DRAGS HER OUT! SHE’S STILL FIGHTING! Ember finally passes out, and we have a new champion. ***1/2 This one took a bit to get going, but once they finally hammered home their point, this match had tons going for it. First off, Shayna Baszler’s selling was phenomenal. Absolutely phenomenal. And why wouldn’t it be? She’s one of the pioneers of women’s MMA and knows what it’s like to have her arm destroyed. She channeled that into one of the most credible bits of selling you’re liable to see in 2018, and it made her look like a massive badass to walk through that punishment and still choke the champion out. It also obviously played into the entire psychology of this feud, as Shayna has made her name off of taking people’s arms home with her, including Ember’s. The champion tried to turn those tables on her, but Shayna was just too tough. She wasn’t about to let Ember catch a fast one on her again, and she made the proper adjustments to make sure it would not happen. That’s how a champion fights and Shayna played that role magnificently. Add in the solidly executed cat-and-mouse story of Ember trying to stick and move around Shayna’s stationary brutality, and you’ve got quite the tremendous little match, capped off by great booking and the right winner.

Adam Cole is in the trainer’s room and isn’t exactly happy to defend the tag titles with Kyle O’Reilly.

NXT Tag Titles: The Undisputed Era © vs. Roderick Strong & Pete Dunne vs. Authors of Pain
Probably one of the weaker builds you’re liable to see out of an NXT Takeover match, but that’s not because of it actively being bad. That’s the drawback to NXT’s simple approach sometimes, as a lot of these programs can come off thrown-together. Given the talent in the ring it’s hard to complain too much, but this match is a victim of NXT’s TV booking I think and as such, it comes off as the least interesting match of the card. That does say a lot about NXT though given I’m still very excited to see this.

The AOP Pearl Harbor the champions, and it’s a Pier Sixer from the get-go. Akam and Razar take Cole outside and POWERBOMB HIM through the Announce Table! O’Reilly blindisdes Razar with a flying knee from the apron, and he is left to fight for himself with Pete Dunne and Roderick Strong inside the ring. Roddy runs through everyone like only Roddy can, and he gets a two count on Kyle with a half nelson Backbreaker. Kyle works a Guillotine on Roddy, and transitions into a Triangle, and he catches Rezar with an Ankle Lock at the same time! Akam grabs Pete Dunne and POWERBOMBS HIM ON THE PILE! The brawl threatens to turn into a wrestling match as the AOP isolate Roderick Strong in the ring. Roddy uses help from a scrappy Kyle O’Reilly to try and get the tag to Dunne, and here comes the Bruiserweight to clean house! He gives Rezar a Tornado DDT for a two count. Kyle and Dunne exchange shots in the ring until Akam runs them both over with a lariat. Roderick Strong saves Kyle after The Last Chapter, but the AOP dispatch of him and Pete Dunne snaps Rezar’s fingers! Roddy hits Rezar with an Olympic Slam and gives Kyle a Backbreaker on the apron, allowing Dunne to double stomp Kyle there too! Dunne and Strong hit Rezar with a Gutbuster/DDT double team, but Akam saves his partner. Kyle and Dunne are in the ring, and Pete Dunne hits the Bitter End… BUT RODERICK STRONG STOMPS PETE DUNNE! END OF HEARTACHE! RODERICK STRONG JOINS THE UNDISPUTED ERA! Cole and O’Reilly retain their titles. *** This was a fun enough sprint with solid execution and all that, but it was all about the angle at the end and rightfully so. People have been calling Roddy joining this stable for months and months now, and I think a lot of us had kinda figured the idea was nothing but fantasy booking at this point. But I should have known we’d see the Horsemen heel turn given this was for the Dusty trophy, and it was executed perfectly to a huge roar from the crowd. This show has basically been about getting The Undisputed Era to the next level with this angle and Adam Cole winning the ladder match, and it’s worked wonders. Thumbs up even if the match itself wasn’t a barnburner!

Roderick Strong takes Adam Cole’s armband and puts it on himself, officially joining The Undisputed Era. Bobby Fish joins them on the stage on crutches.

NXT Title: Andrade Almas © vs. Aleister Black
Aleister Black challenging for the NXT Title has pretty much been a given since he debuted at last year’s Wrestlemania weekend Takeover – against “Cien” nonetheless – and his run up to this point has been a total success. He had one of the best feuds of 2017 against Velveteen Dream, and he’s ultimately lived up to the tons of potential I thought he had when he was still just Tommy End. It helps that Andrade’s stock has risen in spades after his classic with Johnny Gargano in Philadelphia, so all signs point to another fantastic match.

Aleister Black comes out of the gates swinging, and he hits a GOLDEN TRIANGLE MOONSAULT in the opening minute! Black locks in an Octopus Hold and gets a sunset flip for an early two, and Almas heads to the floor again to try and take a break. Zelina Vega comes to his aide, as she dives off the ring apron and Rana’s Black into the ring steps. Almas uses that to take control of Black, working him over methodically in the ring. Almas looks for the reverse Tornado DDT, but settles for a Triangle over the top rope. Almas tries a double Axehandle, but Aleister knees him out of the air. Black starts building a head of steam, hitting a beautiful Quebrada for a two count. Black goes up top, but Almas cuts him off. Almas misses the Double Knees, but is able to recover and drop Black with a snap German. Almas heads up top now and hits the FAKE OUT MOONSAULT for a two count. Almas throws some Misawa-esque elbows, and he dodges some Black strikes with a beautiful back elbow. Black kicks out at ONE, and he crumbles Almas with a switch knee for a two count. Stereo high kicks send both men to the mat. Almas sets up for the Double Knees, but Black catches him and tries a Quebrada, only for Almas to send him to the floor and hit a BEAUTIFUL TORNILLO~! Black kicks out. Zelina Vega grabs the title belt and hands it to Almas, distracting the ref long enough to come in and SPIKE Black with a Hurricanrana behind his back! Black kicks out at two. Hammerlock DDT misses, and Black HITS BLACK MASS! ZELINA PUTS ANDRADE’S FEET ON THE ROPE! Black tries to go after Almas, but Zelina grabs his leg again and allows Almas to crotch him on the ropes! DEL RIO DOUBLE STOMP ON THE APRON! DOUBLE KNEES! BLACK KICKS OUT! Black blocks the Hammerlock DDT and tries Black Mass, but ALMAS DROPKICKS HIM IN THE BACK OF THE HEAD! Almas sets up for the DOUBLE KNEES AGAINST THE POST! That’s how he beat Gargano in Philly, mind you. Black counters out of the ensuing draping Hammerlock DDT and HITS A TOPE CON HILO! RIGHT INTO A HAMMERLOCK DDT IN THE RING FROM ALMAS~! BLACK KICKS OUT~! ZELINA VEGA MISSES A DIVE ONTO BLACK! ALMAS CATCHES HER! BLACK MASSSSSSS!!! Aleister Black is the new NXT champion. ****1/4 I’m probably being slightly generous with the snowflake rating, but I have such a hard-on for long term storytelling that I feel as though it’s justified. I especially loved the story of Aleister Black winning the belt at the same event, at the same time, and against the same opponent as Wrestlemania weekend 2017 in Orlando. I don’t think it was on purpose, but it ended up making for a fantastic cloud over the match. And furthermore, I thought the participation of Zelina Vega was perfect. She’s been such an incredible addition to the career of Andrade Cien Almas up to this point. She was there to turn his life around and make him into the best NXT had to offer. He beat Drew McIntyre in one of the more surprising results of 2017 and beat Johnny Gargano clean in a stone cold classic a few months later in Philadelphia. He was on top of the world, and Zelina Vega’s presence was a large reason for that. But she went to the well one too many times, and ended up costing her man the match in the end. She and Andrade got too cocky and this time, they weren’t able to out-think their opponent. But it’s not like they didn’t have their moments. Hell, because of Vega, Andrade was the first man to escape the Black Mass without being pinned. But as it goes, it wasn’t meant to be and Aleister Black was the man who was able to persevere and overcome the odds to unseat the rolling Andrade Cien Almas. So not only did Zelina Vega’s introduction make Andrade a star, but that build ended up making Aleister Black look like the best wrestler in NXT. It climaxed into a fabulous finishing sequence with Zelina Vega being directly involved, and that’s an attention to detail I feel needs rewarding. That – and the fantastic athletic endeavor this match ended up being – is the kind of long-term planning and booking that makes NXT one of the most satisfying and rewarding experiences in wrestling.

Unsanctioned Match: Johnny Gargano vs. Tommaso Ciampa
I mean, what can I really say here that most of you aren’t aware of already? The most popular tag team in NXT history explodes into one of the most emotional storylines in WWE history really. Tommaso Ciampa tears his ACL before turning on Gargano, and left for 8 months as Johnny struggled to get over the betrayal. And it looked like he would. He got to the top of the mountain and had one of the best matches in NXT history against Andrade Almas for the NXT Title… only to lose and be blindsided by Tommaso afterwards. And when Johnny got desperate and put up his career for one more shot at the belt, Tommaso Ciampa reared his ugly head again. And now Johnny finally gets his chance to get revenge; if he wins, he’s back in NXT and can finally put Tommaso down. But if he loses? He’s gone and Tommaso accomplishes his goal of ending Johnny Wrestling. Isn’t wrestling great?

Tommaso comes out to no music, instead soaking in the utter HATRED the crowd has for him in spectacular fashion. This feud is money. Referee Drake Younger is in all black and already wearing gloves, so you know it’s real. They stare each other down and it’s Frye/Takayama from the go! Gargano hits the Slingshot Spear and stomps a mudhole into Ciampa’s head! Tope Suicida scores for a rolling Johnny Wrestling, but eventually Tommaso ends up in the crowd with him and starts taking over. They get back to ringside where Tommaso pulls up the mats, exposing the concrete on the floor. Ciampa tries suplexing Gargano on the concrete, but Johnny escapes and tosses Tommaso over the announce table with reckless abandon. Johnny tries a Powerbomb on the announce table, but Tommaso whacks him with a monitor and SUPLEXES HIM TO THE FLOOR~! Tommaso puts him through the announce table cover too just for kicks. He takes him back into the ring for a back suplex, and eventually a Texas Cloverleaf. Johnny scrambles to the apron as there’s no rope breaks, so Tommaso breaks and STOMPS GARGANO’S HEAD TO DEATH. Tommaso takes CRUTCHES FROM A FAN and gives Johnny the wave as he writhes in the ring. Johnny dodges the crutch and parries the shots, and he gives Tommaso the rolling kick on the mat! Johnny looks for the Slingshot DDT on the apron and threatens the Air Raid Crash on the concrete, but Johnny slithers out and SUNSET POWERBOMBS HIM ON THE CEMENT~! Both men scramble in the ring and go for the crutch, and JOHNNY GOES TO TOWN~! Ciampa sends Gargano to the floor, but Johnny WHACKS HIM IN THE HEAD WITH THE CRUTCH~! SLINGSHOT DDT! Ciampa kicks out. Gargano looks for the Lawn Dart on the exposed second turnbuckle, but Ciampa gets him to the apron and floors him with an elbow. Slingshot Spear… RIGHT INTO A KNEE! ARGENTINE BOMB! Johnny kicks out. Tommaso looks for the running DIY knee… TO THE BACK OF THE HEAD! GARGANO KICKS OUT! He sets up for Project Ciampa, but Johnny grabs him by the beard and SLAPS HIM TO DEATH! LARIAT FROM CIAMPA! PROJECT CIAMPA… COUNTERED INTO A REVERSE RANA! GARGA-NO ESCAPE!!!! THERE ARE NO ROPE BREAKS! CIAMPA GOUGES JOHNNY’S EYE! Tommaso takes his wrist tape and tries to strangle Johnny with it, but Johnny fights back and they slug it out. LOW BLOW FROM CIAMPA~! HEEL. CRUTCH SHOT! PROJECT CIAMPA!!! GARGANO KICKS OUT!!!!! SUPERKICK FROM JOHNNY! LARIAT! LAWN DART INTO THE EXPOSED BUCKLE~! SUPERKICK~! DIY SUPERKICK!!!! ONE, TWO… NO!!! CIAMPA KICKS OUT!!! Johnny heads to the top rope, but Ciampa meets him there and crumples him with a knee. He looks for the Air Raid Crash off of the top rope, but Gargano elbows out… ONLY FOR CIAMPA TO HIT A SUPER PROJECT CIAMPA~! GARGANO KICKS OUT!!!!!! Ciampa undoes his knee brace and kneepads for a big knee, but JOHNNY HITS CIAMPA IN THE KNEE WITH THE BRACE! HE DESTROYS THE CRUTCH! BUT HE CAN’T HIT TOMMASO~! JOHNNY SITS DOWN BESIDE CIAMPA! HE DODGES A SHOT WITH THE BRACE!!! STF WITH THE KNEE BRACE! TOMMASO TAPS!!!! Johnny Gargano is vindicated in 37 minutes. ***** I’m having trouble figuring out what to say about this, to be quite honest. I guess I could tell you it’s one of the best matches I’ve ever seen and all that jazz, but I’m pretty sure you’re gonna hear it from everyone and their dog in the coming days. It’s not like my opinion is going to sway you because if you watched this match and didn’t come out of it completely blown away, I don’t know why you’re even watching pro wrestling. This is as close to perfection as this “business” gets in my book. It’s the perfect blend of modern wrestling athleticism, crowd reaction, and deep psychology. There’s something for everyone, really. And not only is there something for everybody, every part of it was done expertly. Both men played their roles like their very mortal existence depended on it. Ciampa was the most loathesome, horrific, miserable excuse of a human being. The only thing he hated more than the fans was the man he was fighting. Nothing in the world could have made him happy on this night, other than stripping Johnny Gargano of everything he ever worked for. So he took that vitriol and for every single second of this match, directed it towards Johnny Gargano in the most vicious, methodical and intense way possible. He worked this match like a man with nothing else to live for except destroying the life of his former partner. It was a masterful performance that I think will go on to be the magnum opus of his career. And what else can you say about Johnny Gargano? He might very well be the best babyface in pro wrestling. I thought it would be diffcult to even follow his performance in Philly with something comparable, but Johnny completely blew it away. Not only was his selling on point, he was the perfect foil for his dastardly ex-friend. He took every horrible move, crutch shot, and supposed finisher from Tommaso and came back stronger. His entire livelihood was on the line here, against the bane of his existence and the biggest thorn in his side. He wasn’t about to let anyone down, much less himself. And the finishing sequence, with Johnny faking out the embrace before tapping Ciampa out? It’s poetry. I’m in awe of these two men and their respective performances and I’d go on for a few more pages, but I’m already 4500 words deep in this review and need to watch a UFC show. Needless to say, this was everything you’d hope it would be and more. It’s pro wrestling as art, and if you call yourself a wrestling fan, this is a match you need to seek out by any means necessary.

10.0

The final score: review Virtually Perfect

The 411

I feel like I'm prone to hyperbole when it comes to these reviews, and especially with Takeover events. It's natural given the startling consistency with which the shows happen, I think. But New Orleans might be the best NXT Takeover in history when you really think about it. Not only is the main event one of the most satisfying matches in WWE history, but everything that came before it was not only exciting but did a fabulous job of setting up future possibilities in the NXT canon. New champions, new factions, and some of the most memorable moments in NXT history. Not to mention, this show is bookended by two high-end Match of the Year Contenders that any self-respecting wrestling fan should see yesterday. It's a bit longer than most Takeover events, but it earned every extra minute. Track this down because wrestling is rarely ever this good.