Zen Arcade Reviews: NXT Takeover: The End

Probably the most low-key Takeover event in ages, NXT waltzes back into Full Sail with a tremendous build-up behind it. Finn Balor and Samoa Joe – after disappointing with their first two televised matches – were shackled with the first ever cage match in NXT history after some of the best TV build-up since Owens vs. Zayn. Austin Aries is set out to face Shinsuke Nakamura, who debuted in the best match in NXT history against Sami Zayn in Dallas. The Revival challenges American Alpha in a rematch of the best tag match in NXT history, and Asuka makes her first Women’s Title defense against Nia Jax. Add that on with LA SOMBRA’S NXT debut, and we have what is sure to be a noteworthy Takeover event.

We are LIVE from Full Sail University in Winter Park, FL.

Your hosts are Tom Philips and Corey Graves.

Andrade Almas vs. Tye Dillinger
We’re finally due for the hyped debut of the former La Sombra, who I must admit I am not too familiar with. Lucha and I aren’t exactly acquainted, sue me. But either way, I’ve heard wonderful things about the guy from his NXT house show matches, and Tye is a great guy to debut him against.

It’s not much in the earlygoings, until Almas catches Tye with a dropkick mid-dropdown. Almas rana’s the Perfect Ten to the outside and does some great posing as Dillinger dodges a potential dive. Almas seems to have momentum, but Tye catches him with a Tilt-A-Whirl backbreaker to put the brakes on it. Tye dodges a top rope moonsault, but can’t dodge an immediate standing moonsault to follow it! Almas headstands on the top turnbuckle to dodge a Dillinger attack, but TYE SUPERKICKS HIM! ALMAS KICKS OUT! That was a fantastic spot. Dillinger looks for the Tyebreaker, but Almas wiggles out and hits a Casadora Bulldog. Shotgun Knees to Dillinger in the corner give Cien the win at the 5 minute mark. **1/2 Barring a blowaway MOTYC, this is probably the best you could hope for out of this debut. Andrade got his big spots in, Dillinger got to show what he was made of, and both men had the crowd eating out of their hands because of it. Not much to complain about here.

NXT Tag Titles: American Alpha © vs. The Revival
These two teams had a sensational match in Dallas, a bout that really gets better every time you watch it (I lowballed it big time on initial viewing) and at this point, a darkhorse MOTYC if you really want to go that far. Both teams are utterly tremendous talents, and I don’t see a world where this match isn’t phenomenal as well.

Dawson and Gable start things off for us, and to say this crowd is geeked would be an understatement. Dash and Dawson try their hands at just beating the hell out of Gable in the earlygoing, but Gable’s speed is too much for the challengers in the earlygoing. Jordan tags in and dispatches of the Revival with a pair of beautiful dropkicks, maintaining the control his partner brought him. Dash tags in, but some underhanded tactics bring Gable in for help, and it’s a Pier Six Brawl! BEAUTIFUL sequence leads to DOUBLE ANKLE LOCKS FOR AMERICAN ALPHA! Full Sail went mental for that. Gable gets off a pair of cradles on Dawson, who stiffs him on a European Uppercut. Again though, the teamwork from American Alpha is too much to for the Revival to take as they take Stereo Dropkicks. As the action spills back into the ring, Dawson is finally able to get some ground with a Stun Gun on Gable. Gable creates some separation, but Dawson is just able to prevent a tag by giving Gable a nice Spinebuster for two. Dash tags in, and the Revival executes a double team gutbuster for another two count. Dash sets the Olympian on top and pauses to taunt Jason Jordan, which allows Gable to recover long enough to catch a running Wilder with a cross armbreaker in the ropes. Dash is still the fresher man though, as he tags in Dawson who prevents another tag by cheapshotting Jordan, followed by a double team legdrop for another nearfall. Gable uses his speed again though, and here comes Jason Jordan! Jordan goes banana on his hot tag as usual, cleaning house in spectacular fashion. A Corner Spear and a T-Bone Suplex score on Dash for a two count. Dash however drops Jordan face-first into the turnbuckle, and Dawson tags in for a sunset flip that gets two, as Dash disposes of Gable. Dawson stiffs Jordan with a barrage of NASTY uppercuts, but Gable tags in and Jordan hits a Dropkick into a German for two! Dash sweeps Jordan off the apron, but Gable puts Dawson in an Ankle Lock! Dawson kicks Gable out, which allows Dash to punch him into a roll-up that gets two! The Revival looks for a Powerbomb/Blockbuster, BUT GABLE CATCHES DAWSON IN A BELLY-TO-BELLY~! CORNER SPEAR FROM JORDAN! GRAND AMPLITUDE… NO, SHATTER MACHINE ON JORDAN! The Revival get their titles back at the 16 minute mark. **** Before we get down to it, no, this wasn’t as great as the Dallas match (which in hindsight is a ****1/4 match) and I’ll tell you why. Mainly because A) that Dallas crowd is probably the best crowd in NXT history and B) the storytelling and general atmosphere of that match was better. That said, this was yet another tremendous installment in this rivalry. Both teams are just phenomenally cohesive, and in different ways. American Alpha is cohesive in how they’re able to just run circles around their opponents in perfect stereo, and Revival in how they’re able to isolate an opponent at any given moment. They set an furious, torrid from the jump and did a wonderful job in progressively heightening it, so by the time the finishing sequence hit, the crowd and the match itself were at a fever pitch. I loved how again, American Alpha’s sheer speed and tenacity in the earlygoing had The Revival flustered, as even the underhanded attempts at gaining control seemed to backfire for Dash and Dawson. But at the end of the day, the story was that The Revival was the better team this time, so even if American Alpha had their numbers early, Dash and Dawson were able to out-last them. There were a lot of good callbacks to the Dallas match, particularly that Powerbomb/Blockbuster that Dash and Dawson messed up in Dallas, only to be countered spectacularly by Gable. But as I said, The Revival was the better unit and they told that story perfectly. I’m sure a lot of questions are sure to arise from American Alpha losing the belts on their first defense, but I’m willing to bet there’s a call-up in their future. Either way, they’re the best team under the WWE umbrella and they’re going to be superstars once they hit the main roster, so I can’t say I hate this result. Great stuff as expected.

A couple big bastards destroy American Alpha post-match, in pretty spectacular fashion. PAUL ELLERING of all people comes out and looks on. To be fair, the guy doesn’t look like he’s aged a day since like 1998. All three men leave without much explanation. That was a pretty awesome debut though, I’ve got to say. Apparently the guys are called the AUTHORS OF PAIN which is just excellent. Color me intrigued!

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Austin Aries
Ya know, I’m starting to think NXT wants me to support it…

Not much in the earlygoing, as both men feel each other out in varying forms. Aries gets frustrated as Nakamura plays around, which backfires for Nakamura as Aries dodges every attack he is and nearly puts in Last Chancery. Nakamura is pissed now, giving A Double a barrage of knees to the gut. Aries gets a little more aggressive, going after Nakamura’s knee and just generally hitting harder than he was earlier. Great psychology from the jump here by Aries. Nakamura gets the knees up on an Aries Tope Atomico, but Aries puts the brakes on a comeback pretty quickly with a diving elbow. Nakamura slides out of Aries’ grasp for a moment, hitting his Enzuigiri variant to gain some momentum. Nakamura overwhelms Aries with a barrage of kicks, and he hits the knee into the corner for a two count. Aries elbows out of a reverse suplex, and throws a nasty chop to boot. Aries throws knees from a front facelock, and eventually knees Swagsuke out of the ring for a LOPE! Nakamura kicks out, though. Nakamura locks in a flash triangle choke, but Aries is able to get to the ropes. Nakamura hits a pair of knees himself, and measures up for the Kinshasa, but Aries counters with a Shoulderbreaker, a Backdrop Driver, and LAST CHANCERY! Nakamura is able to get to the ropes before tapping. Nakamura launches Aries into the corner, but Aries comes off the top rope with a Frankensteiner and follows up with a beautiful corner dropkick! Aries looks for the 450, but Nakamura moves! Aries dodges the corner knee again, and earclaps Nakamura! Aries brings Nakamura out to the apron, where they trade forearms until Nakamura is able to hit an enzuigiri! Nakamura RUNS RIGHT INTO A DEATH VALLEY DRIVER ON THE APRON~! Aries looks for another Lope, but NAKAMURA DODGES HIM AND ARIES CRASHES INTO THE GUARDRAIL! PRELUDE! REVERSE EXPLODER! KINSHASA! Nakamura picks up the win at the 17 minute mark. **** Perhaps not as drop-dead incredible as the Zayn/Nakamura match, but that’s not really a fair expectation to have. I hope this isn’t seen as a disappointment just because it wasn’t a five star match. That said, this was pretty damn great on its own. I loved the storytelling with Aries out to prove something, having Nakamura’s number in pretty much the entirety of the opening segment of the match. Aries immediately targeting the famed knee of Nakamura to try and minimize the risk of the KINSHASA!~! was great, but in the end, Nakamura was just too good for it to work. Nakamura also having to get uber-serious in the earlygoings was a great touch, as he had to abandon all of his fun idiosyncrasies to make sure he could put the focused Aries away. Good character work from both men, and sure, while the match wasn’t the most dangerous or high-octane of all time, it was a wonderful display of storytelling. All’s I know is, I got what I wanted from this match, and I have nothing to really complain about.

NXT Women’s Title: Asuka © vs. Nia Jax
Of all the matches on this card, this one is lodged firmly at the bottom in terms of anticipation. I understand it’s developmental, so I can’t really blame anybody, but Nia Jax does absolutely nothing for me in any way. However, Asuka has enough physical charisma that she should be able to offset Nia’s lack of… well, any charisma, and hopefully come up with something that surprises me.

Nia’s size completely overwhelms the champion in the beginning, but Asuka is able to put in an Octopus Stretch. Nia however hits a Tilt-A-Whirl backbreaker for two. Asuka tries a guillotine, but Nia counters into a nice suplex for 2. Asuka uses her speed to grapple her way into a triangle, but Nia bucklebombs her and gives her the Umaga hip attack. Asuka is able to use her speed again to put in a kneebar, but Nia rather easily is able to get to the ropes. Asuka again tries to pile some momentum, but she runs into a Spinebuster. Nia looks for the Leg Drop (and boy, does this woman need a new finisher) but Asuka moves and hits a Shining Wizard. Asuka hits a Missile Dropkick, a pair of Backfists, and a Hip Attack for two. Nia hits a Powerbomb, but ASUKA COUNTERS A PINFALL INTO A CROSS ARMBREAKER! Nia powers out, but Asuka tries for the Asuka Lock. Asuka trounces Nia with a pair of kicks to the head, and a few more give Asuka the win at 9 minutes. **3/4 Not quite as good as what Bayley was able to drag out of Nia, but I’d be willing to say however that this was Nia’s best solo performance to date. She actually did a good job in keeping the pace going – for 9 minutes only albeit – but at the same time, the girl is in the developmental fed for a reason. If this match is anything to go by, she’s improving at a decent pace. But Asuka did hold this match together, and did a great job playing the overwhelmed babyface in a way she only can. She’s not an underdog babyface, moreso a woman who’s just so incredibly great at everything that you can’t help but love her. But nonetheless, she played a great underdog here and there’s not much negative here to speak of. It was worked within the right length for Nia’s experience levelm but in terms of big picture it was too short to be anything memorable. They worked it as well as you could hope for though.

Generic interview #587 interviews William Regal, and Bobby Roode casually walks behind Regal as he gives your generic babyface GM interview. William Regal excuses himself and follows Roode into a room…

The injured Neville is in the crowd for the main event…

Steel Cage Match for the NXT Title: Samoa Joe © vs. Finn Balor
It’s truly a testament to the great writing team NXT has behind it, as both matches between these two have been total disappointments, but the booking of their confrontations (as well as Joe winning the belt at a house show) has been of such a high quality that I’m STILL excited to see them wrestle. Hopefully we’re finally treated to the match this feud deserves, because they’ve got a LOT of hype behind them. 38

It’s almost like this match was booked solely so Finn could do his entrance from the top of the cage. They’re making this feel as big as humanly possible, I’ve gotta say. Joe tries to weasel his way out of the cage early, but Balor ain’t havin’ it. Finn smacks Joe with a flying forearm, and gets his first modicum of control in the match. Joe battles back and enzuigiris Finn’s head off followed by a face-wash in the corner. Joe attempts to escape, but Balor stops him and boots him down to try himself. Joe drags him back in though and kills him with a German Suplex for 2. Balor tries to climb out, but Joe enzuigiris him down, sending the challenger down in a nasty landing. Finn battles back though and is able to pin Joe in between the ropes in the cage. Joe dodges and tries for a Coquina Clutch, but Balor battles out and dropkicks him. Balor tries to use Joe as a step to escape the cage, but Joe drags him back in. Balor SOCCER KICKS Joe directly in the face, but that ends up crotching Balor, and both men are down. Balor runs right into nasty ST-Joe, but Balor escapes the Musclebuster for two. They trade forearms until Balor sends Joe down with a chop and a Pele Kick. Balor attemps to escape once more, but Joe meets him on the top rope and dukes it out with him. AVALANCHE SLINGBLADE FROM FINN~! Joe is able to kick out. That was an awesome spot. Finn hits a regular slingblade, but dodges the corner dropkick and hits a Senton! Musclebuster! Finn kicks out! Joe is not a happy Samoan. Joe hits a barrage of soccer kicks, but Finn escapes a Razor’s Edge into the cage and hits a Slingblade! Two corner dropkicks score, and Finn hits the Coup De Grace! JOE KICKS OUT! Finn looks for 1916, but Joe puts the Choke in! Finn rolls out and hits a standing double stomp though. Finn looks to the top of the cage, and it’s bad news bears for Joe. Balor goes up, but Joe catches him at the last second AND MURDERS FINN WITH A SUPER MUSCLEBUSTER! Joe retains his belt at the 16 minute mark. ***1/4 Probably the best match of this rivalry, but again something here just didn’t click to the fullest extent. I think at this point, these two probably just don’t have very good chemistry with each other, but they still put in a good effort. NXT tried to give us a big fight feel with a big stipulation, but neither guy seemed very up to the task of providing something memorable. I wasn’t going in expecting the Jay Briscoe cage match from ROH, but I got a TV main event with a cage around it in the end. I didn’t feel like these guys hated each other, nor did I think for a second that Finn Balor was winning. This didn’t have much heat – which I thought it would have plenty of – nor did it really feel like a big cage match. There wasn’t much in the way of violence aside from a stiff kick or two. So, for the third time in a row, Finn Balor and Samoa Joe fail to excite me in the ring after a great set of TV to build them up. That doesn’t mean I’m not excited for say, a potential Joe vs. Nakamura match up, or a Finn Balor main roster run. You can’t win ‘em all I suppose.

7.5

The final score: review Good

The 411

As most expected, NXT's latest addition to the Takeover series is a great, consistently entertaining wrestling card. As most expected, Nakamura vs. Aries and American Alpha vs. The Revival were the premier efforts and they didn't disappoint one bit. American Alpha continues to be the best tag team in WWE, and Nakamura continues to be perhaps the most charismatic person that has ever walked the Earth. However, this Takeover falters in its last two matches and thus doesn't bring it up to the standard of say, Dallas or Brooklyn. That being said, for 2 hours of entertainment, you cannot go wrong with Takeover: The End.