NXT Takeover: Dallas Review 04/01/16

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Ladies and gentlemen its the Wrestling Classic here, finally back to review my thoughts and opinions of the events of last weeks Wrestlemania weekend. These thoughts and opinions are coming from my experience of being there and apart of the weekend live in person, as well as my experience of watching the shows over again on television the way the fans around the world viewed them.
I want to start this review by sharing a story. When my buddy Paul and myself left for this dream Wrestlemania weekend trip to Dallas, we only had two roundtrip flight tickets, a reserved hotel room, two Wrestlemania tickets and the hope that we could make the rest of the weekend work somehow. At first on Friday afternoon, I lost all hope in attending NXT Takeover Dallas, because the prices online were ridiculous.  People were selling a single ticket to the show for upper bowl seats anywhere from 500-1000 each. It was as if the moment people found out the show was sold out, they were just going to skip it and make a bang for their buck. However, walking from the WWE Superstore in the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Centre (same place NXT was taking place), ready to explore downtown Dallas making the best of the situation, we passed a random line up at a box office ticket centre.
Now with the little bit of hope we had left we stood in that line for 2 hours. Within that two hours, there were many times we contemplated just leaving. During those two hours, our phones died and we had to charge it outside against a wall near the box office where there was an outlet while one of us held the spot in the line. During those two hours I met the shocked Undertaker streak guy, Frank the WWE Clown, Wrestling AfterBuzz TV hosts from the past and present and even saw Izzy, the super Bayley fan get interviewed by the WWE production team. The first hour was spent not even knowing why we were standing there or if they we were even going to sell tickets for the show and than the second hour was spent realizing it was the will call line for people who already bought tickets. After that second hour ended, the remaining tickets were put on sale for people who were just looking for last minute tickets aka my buddy Paul and myself. In the end we scored two tickets for 75$ each, which gave us floor seats right against the ramp. If that wasn’t a deal from the tickets for upperbowl for 500-1000$ each, I don’t know what you think a deal is. The moral of this story is, if you don’t try you’ll never know and that patience is virtue. There was a whole group of us who didn’t have tickets for the “sold out” NXT Takeover ahead of time, and we all scored floor seats for 100$ or less.

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I had a great view of the ring from my seats and we were so close to the ramp to witness the entrances of every superstar of the evening. First off they had Corey Graves and Tom Phillips come out as tonights announce team. I don’t know if its just because the smaller venue or its the ruckus NXT crowd, but both men got a loud pop.

The show began with a video package showcasing the history of wrestling in Dallas and then featuring the superstars who were competing tonight.

NXT Tag Team Championship
American Alpha def. The Revival (C)
in 15:13
American Alpha came out first to a massive pop. Gable and Jordan have gotten over strong with the NXT crowd over the past few months with not only their wrestling ability but their on screen character development. There were a lot of “Gable” chants throughout the match. I had been looking forward to this match for a while before it happened, mainly because I thought Alpha’s technical style along with the Revivals old school wrestling style would be a great mesh and a wrestling classic, no pun intended. There were some funny “which ones Dawson, which ones Dash” chants from the crowd playing off the fact that they haven’t really established separate personalities from each other. I took part in many of these chants, as it was hard not to get involved with this hot NXT crowd. Other notable chants would have been the “save the Gable!” chants while Gable was being double teamed and the “you fucked up” and “botchamania” chants after a messed up double power bomb spot.
This was your classic tag match, and what you would expect from a two solid teams. It did however follow the basic tag team match formula, but it worked well. It started off back and fourth between the two teams. Then it went to the heels taking control over one of the babyfaces, which had the Revival in control with a beat down Gable until he was able to make a hot tag. The face who received the hot tag, which would be Jason Jordan, came in like rapid fire taking out the Revival teammates. Soon after that it became a series of spots and near falls, until American Alpha hit the grand amplitude for the victory to become the new tag team champions.
Overall, I found this match very entertaining and great way to start off the show. It was a great way to get the live crowd going and amped for the rest of the show. As much as I personally love both teams, having American Alpha come out victorious was a smart booking decision to have the crowd get excited moving forward. I hope these two teams continue to feud, if the matches continue to hold up to this level in quality. I can see them having a great two out of three falls match in the future. I know American Alpha is the babyface team, but one can’t deny how talented and fun it is to watch the Revival as well. Although, it followed the basic formula, this was tag team wrestling done right and at its finest.
RATING – ****

A lot of small things happened after this match such as a commercial airing that NXT is returning to England in June. As well as showing Jim Ross sitting next to ESPN’s Michelle Beadle at ringside. This caused a huge “JR” chant. Another huge moment was them showing Kota Ibushi at ringside with Funaki, leaving speculation if he as well has signed with the WWE.

Austin Aries def. Baron Corbin
in 10:45
I have been an Aries fan for years now, so it was great to be there live for his NXT in ring debut. The one thing I stated before was that they didn’t build up Aries arrival with much hype, as they did for Nakamura or Balor. Therefore, this almost felt less important, but still a big moment to those who are big fans of his. On the other hand, Corbin personally never really stood out to me until recently with his new attitude where he gives no fucks and hates wrestlers that come from the independents that try take away what he believes is his spot on the NXT roster. That being Corbin’s current character, having Aries being the babyface to his heel was a great choice. The fans were strongly behind Aries, however there was a brief “Lets go Corbin! Lets go Aries” chant.
The match however was decent at best. The formula was having the big guy over power the smaller guy, until the smaller guy found a way to win. The finish kind of came out of nowhere and the crowd didn’t respond to it much. It made sense for Aries to win his debut match, figuring that they want him to be a major player on NXT. Now knowing that this match may have been Baron’s last match as a member of the NXT roster, it also makes sense that they wanted him to lose but not look weak. I just thought they could have maybe thought of a more creative finish than just having Aries reverse the end of days into a roll up. I don’t know, it was still good, but it wasn’t great.
RATING – **

The live crowd popped loud when they showed the match graphic for Zayn vs. Nakamura as the next match. It’s almost as if you knew you were about to witness something special. It was followed by a video package showing Zayn’s return to the ring and the announcement of Shinsuke Nakamura’s signing with NXT.

Shinsuke Nakamura def. Sami Zayn
in 18:55
Sami Zayn made his way to the ring to a loud pop, with the crowd strongly behind him singing a long with his theme song. The live crowd anticipated Nakamura’s entrance, as those that have watched him before or done their research have knowledge of his flamboyant and charismatic style when making a grand entrance. The crowd chanted “Nakamura” before his music even hit and then were in awe as his catchy entrance theme played and he strolled to the ring with such a larger than life character and grace. The reaction for Nakamura was massive.
The fans screamed out with “Yes” chants as the match began, as this match was filled with many chants as well since both guys were babyfaces. They started off the match working off the crowd reactions with a few chain wrestling spots, as it’s all you really can do if the crowd is going wild over the match. They slowly worked into a more technical match while still working off the crowd. Shinsuke really got to show off some his style and some of the things he does best, which was great to the fans who have never really got to see wrestle before. Zayn did what he does best, and was still abe to get the people behind him, even though the crowd was so hot for the newcomer. At times there were chants from the crowd showing love to both superstars such as “NAKAMURA! LETS GO ZAYN!” chants and even a “BOTH THESE GUYS” chants.
It’s so easy to feel sympathy for Zayn, that even when the King of Strong Style was hitting heavy knees to Zayn’s head you could hear the crowd gasp and sound worried. The fire from both competitors and the reaction from the crowd when the two talented stars went toe to toe was amazing. It had majority of the crowd on their feet. Nakamura’s nose started bleeding and it became a battle of who wanted the victory more. They went through a series of near falls and counters to signature moves, having fans either stay on their feet or on the edge of their seat. The crowd chanted “NXT” in happiness because of this bout. For some reason, in the moment and being there live, it still felt like Zayn could somehow pick up the victory, as Nakamura would still be over with how great he was in this match already. I know how good both guys are, but it almost felt like these two have been wrestling each other for years. It really shows the quality of match you can get when you just put two great professional wrestlers in the ring together. After a series signatures and counters, Nakamura got the win in the end with his Boma Ye Knee strike in his debut match.
This match was truly magic and if you haven’t watched this event, or just don’t watch NXT, I strongly suggest you go watch this specific match. It made sense for Shinsuke to pick up the victory, to begin his momentum as a draw for NXT. Nakamura posed and soaked up the crowd to a standing ovation. It may have also been Sami’s last hurrah on NXT, and what a way to go out. Nobody lost any credibility in this match but they both became bigger stars. The fans chanted “Thank You Sami, as the match ended. Nakamura with great sportsmanship shook Sami’s hand, that was followed with a hug and gave him the ring to soak up the NXT crowd one last time for his farewell to the brand he was the heart of for so many years. “Ole” chants serenaded the NXT arena in harmony in respect to the incredible Sami Zayn.
Overall, one of the most popular chants from the live crowd during this match was “Fight Forever!”, as we chanted that phrase with such conviction. It’s as if they told us to pay another 75$ to have these two wrestle longer, we would have in a heartbeat. It felt real and you could feel the passion come off both guys, as they treated this victory as a win that meant the world to them. This was as close to a perfect wrestling match as you can get. It was something magical, that if you’re a true fan of the greatest form of art and athleticism, that is professional wrestling, you’ll quickly feel the magic. I know this may only be my second review, but believe me when I say you will rarely get a 5 star rating from me, but this match deserved it. I don’t know if they’ll ever be able to re-create this magic, if they ever meet again, but I’m looking forward to see if they can.
RATING – *****

NXT Womens Championship Match
Asuka def. Bayley (C)
in 15:25
This was another babyface vs babyface match, however both totally different in character dynamic. Bayley even as champion, is the underdog champion that never says quit, or backs down from a challenge. Asuka is this mythical silent killer, that destroys her foes with a sly grin. I know that sounds evil, but its what has her over with the crowd. However, you can tell the Dallas crowd is more behind Bayley with variations of Bayley chants. The match was a back and forth high quality women’s match. The crowd was into it, but seemed a little drained from the last match. Asuka use a lot of her submission style to wear Bayley down, which was a great contrast to Bayley’s never give up and keep fighting until she has nothing left attitude. They played with that scenario a lot throughout the match, even allowing us to see Bayley show some fire and get angry with fighting back aggressively or finding ways out of submission holds. In end the Asuka picked up the win when Bayley fell unconscious in a submission hold, thus still not giving up but just passing out, with the lack of energy to keep going. Asuka wins the NXT Womens Championship becoming the fifth reigning champion.
Overall, I thought this was a great women’s match, with a tremendous story. However, being there live it was truly a tough spot for them to follow Nakamura/Zayn, which they did well and the ending kind of was anti climatic. I know after watching it on the WWE Network, Graves and Phillips help make the finish feel like more, but being their live it kind of felt like it just ended out of nowhere. It almost seemed as if the match was ended because Bayley actually injured her shoulder. In the end though it was a strong women’s match up, and I sense a rematch or maybe two before Bayley possibly heads to the main roster.
RATING – ***1/2

A video package for Balor vs Joe aired but what followed it was even more interesting. Before either competitor made their entrance, the camera fixated on Bobby Roode who happened to be in the crowd. If you read my first TWC report, you will note how I discussed both Roode and Young leaving TNA and how I always hoped to see Roode in the WWE. Now Roode has come out publicly and stated he hasn’t yet signed a contract with the WWE, but there had to have been some verbal deal made thus far, for the production team and decision makers to agree to show him on camera before the main event. The crowd popped heavily for Roode and many started chanting his name. I personally marked the fuck out.

NXT Heavyweight Title Match
Finn Balor (C) def. Samoa Joe
in 16:22
In a rematch from NXT Takeover London, with Joe in full heel character now, this match was quite anticipated because I think people wanted to see Joe take the belt from Balor. I know I am not the first to say that Balor as NXT Champion has been quite underwhelming. It’s not that Balor does not put on great matches and is spectacular athlete, he does, I think it’s just the booking of his character and development that lacks intrigue. The best thing about his character is when he works the “demon” character, which we have seen have any evolution of or serious threats agianst as of yet. It makes me wonder if he could just be written creatively different or if he is just more naturally charismatic as a heel, which we haven’t seen from him under the WWE banner yet.
Moving forward, Balor is still really over with the crowd and it was cool seeing Balor come out with a chainsaw for his entrance, playing off of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre genre. The match started right at the bell, to the crowds enjoyment and had Joe get cut open badly right off the bat. This added much excitement to match from a live audience member standpoint because during this PG blood free era of professional wrestling, when the ref would stop the match for the doctors to clean up Joe, it got the crowd hot.  There were chants of “PG Sucks”, “Fuck PG” and “Bullshit” overtime the ref would stop the match for Joe’s cut to get cleaned up. I personally understand the WWE current corporate direction to why these decisions were made for the company to not allow “real” blood and stuff. Therefore, to me who was enjoying the chants and chanting a long as fan in the live crowd, I still found it funny looking around seeing people passionatly screaming these chants directly towards where Stephanie McMahon and the McMahon family were sitting as if it was going to make some sort of impactful statement issuing change to these policies. The company made these decisions for the better, considering the well-being of the wrestlers and their future health conditions and also for the public image of the WWE brand as a family friendly company. Stephanie McMahon was most likely loving the reaction of the passionate crowd, but not taking any of it seriously. On the other hand, even though I understand the company not wanting wrestlers to blade anymore for health reasons, I still think if someone bleeds naturally, they should let the match go on. It doesn’t often happen but it adds to the drama of the match.
Anyways, these pauses to clean Joe up really helped Joe show intensity and passion during this match because during every pause in the match where he was getting cleaned up by medical attendants, Joe would be pissed, looking like savage man possessed, looking he wanted to kill them medical team just to get back to kicking Balor’s ass. There were some cool spots such as a dive to the outside and stuff that stirred up some “holy shit!” chants. Joe was on the offence majority of the match, even screaming that he was going to beat Balor’s ass. The stoppage to clean Joe up actually worked well with the story of the match because it gave time for Balor to recover some energy in between of beatings from Joe. When Balor came back with offence it was with vengeance and then the match got pretty even between the two leading to the finish. There were times I actually though Joe had it in the bag such as when he hit the muscle buster, but it was only a near fall.  The match ended in similar fashion to the Bret Hart/Steve Austin classic from Survivor Series 1996 with Balor kicking off the ropes while in a sleeper by Joe, to roll him over for the three count.
It was a fun match, similar to their match in London, but different because of all the things that happened which they hadn’t planned for such as Joe’s cut. I thought Joe was really going to get the win here, as the NXT Title picture needed a quick revival from Balor’s underwhelming reign, but I’m okay with Balor winning. I just hope they evolve his character more with his upcoming challenges, which could be anybody now and with the likes on Aries, Nakamura, Ibushi and even possibly Roode as new signings to NXT, there’s a lot of challenges to look forward too. I wonder if this loss means Joe may be heading to the main roster soon. I would sure hope so, he truly deserves it. If this match proved anything, it was that the Joe we all love is still there, and I’d love to see the savage animal on the main roster.
RATING – ****

FINAL THOUGHTS
Overall, I would give NXT Takeover Dallas a 8 or 9 out of a 10. I’d have to watch it over again, to really confirm a rating. Its hard when comparing it to being there live and to watching it on TV. As a fan who was in the live audience, it would definitely be a 10 out of 10. However, watching it back on TV, I would say maybe a 8 or 9 out of 10 with Zayn/Nakamura being a 5 star match. Thats only because being in the crowd and apart of the show made it so much more fun, than just being at home watching it with a lack of adrenaline. If you love tag team wrestling, go watch the tag match between American Alpha vs. The Revival. If you love a great story in a match, go watch Bayley vs. Asuka. If you love chaos and brutality, go watch Balor vs. Joe. Finally if you want to see wrestling at its finest, with all its beautiful art and showcase of athleticism, sit your ass down and watch Nakamura vs. Zayn. NXT usually never fails to deliver on their Takeover events, and Dallas is one of those ones events where they left you with a match you can come back and watch over and over again. Similar to Brooklyn with Sasha vs. Bayley. If you decided to skip NXT Takeover over Wrestlemania weekend, I highly suggest you watch it. Dig it?