NXT Takeover: San Antonio Review 01/28/2017

Hello Misfits! It’s the Wrestling Classic here with my NXT Takeover: San Antonio review. I haven’t watched NXT’s weekly television show for a while now so watching this Takeover was kind of unaware of the current storylines and what not. I knew all about the main event between Shinsuke Nakamura and Bobby Roode, but other than that I was really out of the loop. I didn’t really have expectations for any of the matches besides the main event which I expected for be the show stealer. Although, from what Ive read on social media and other reviews, I wasn’t alone not being super excited for this Takeover as the build up was supposedly lacklustre. Anyway, I watched the event a throughly enjoyed the entire show. If there was one expectation I had it was that I would enjoy the show overall because NXT Takeover events never disappointed. Lets move on with this quick review of NXT Takeover: San Antonio.

NXT Takeover: San Antonio comes to us from the Freeman Coliseum in San Antonio, Texas.

– Unfortunately Percy Watson is doing commentary with Graves and Phillips, I was hoping for Nigel after the pre-show. This was also announced as Corey Graves last night calling a NXT show as he announced on the pre-show that he was no longer going to be apart of the NXT announce team.

Eric Young def. Ty Dillinger
in 10:55 via pinfall
I haven’t seen much of Eric Young or this Sanity storyline on NXT but I have been a longtime fan of Eric Young since his early days in TNA. On the other hand, I have seen a lot of Ty Dillinger as well, the evolution of his character and really enjoy his work. Considering that this was one of the first times I was really experiencing this whole Sanity gimmick, I have to say I really enjoyed their entrance and look. Personally my first reaction was that they would be a great rivalry for the Wyatt Family in the future and good group to force the Wyatt’s to regroup if they separate again. From what I saw I believe Eric Young has been trying to recruit Dillinger to join them but Ty refused. A real cool tidbit that I wasn’t aware of before this match as well was that Young actually trained Dillinger which added another cool layer to this story. This was a fun and well-paced opening match, a good effort from both guys with a good energy. Their styles meshed well and the match told a great story. Dillinger was a great face here, working to overcome the odds and almost did, but the numbers finally got to him. Young’s work was strong and focused on the neck throughout, which led to the finish. Personally, I hate to see Dillinger still picking up losses and opening shows but I think a big payoff is coming. I think in the upcoming weeks of NXT we’re going to see Dillinger redeem himself by getting past Sanity and hopefully start chasing the NXT World Championship.
Rating – ***3/4

Roderick Strong def. Andrade Almas
in 11:40 by pinfall
This was actually pretty cool for me because technically this was the first time I watched Roderick Strong wrestle in a WWE ring. I know he competed in the Dusty Rhodes tournament but I must have missed the matches he was involved in because I don’t remember them at all. I enjoyed this match more than I thought I was going to because I haven’t been huge on Almas till now. They promoted and hyped his debut up a lot when he first appeared on the scene and ever since he’s been kid of an afterthought to me. Tonight Almas stood out and I was into his match. Maybe because he seemed more like a heel to me. He seemed more focused, confident and definitely working at different pace tonight. Roderick was Roderick and although I didn’t see anything different or new from the Roderick I already know it didnt make a difference because the Roderick that I know is fucking great. I thought that this was a great back and forth match, that did a lot for both guys in terms of really putting them over as great performers. Almas lost the match but came away looking great in defeat, in what felt like his best NXT performance to date. Also, I’m huge on the theory that a superstar can get themselves or keep themselves over even in defeat and Almas accomplished that while Roderick got his first big Takeover win. This was really great, and was a tremendous follow up to the strong opening match. It was also the match I’ll remember Almas for because it got me interested in him.
Rating – ****

NXT Tag Team Championship
The Authors Of Pain w/ Paul Ellering def. #DIY (Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa)(C)
in 14:30 by pinfall
When I heard about this match being on the card I automatically knew it wasn’t going to be DIY against The Revival but I also didn’t think it would be a disaster either. I mean I know Gargano and Ciampa can fucking go and are legit. I also dig the whole unstoppable monster gimmick that Akam and Rezar portray but are limited in what they can do in the ring compared to the Revival. I expected the match to tell an interesting story because of the contrasting stories. Not only was a I right with my initial thoughts but the match exceeded my expectations. I don’t know if the teams have worked together previously or on the road at live shows but they found a way to tell the perfect story of two smaller technical wrestlers against two massive unstoppable monsters. Tommaso Ciampa & Johnny Gargano are amazing professional wrestlers, working to the strengths of the Authors of Pain. The Authors of Pain may be limited, but they are good monster tag team, and in the right setting and with the right opponents, proved that they could deliver. I found myself believing that DIY could retain and I also found myself thinking the match was over for them when  it wasnt. Both teams found a way to have me really invested in the match and not upset with the outcome because it felt well deserved. I think its smart to have the Authors of Pain continue on their roll of dominance while DIY can either decide to chase the titles again, separate from each other or find their way to the main roster. Personally, I enjoy seeing them pursue the titles than actually being champions because its great seeing them overcome the odds.
Rating – ***3/4

– Seth Rollins invaded the show following the tag match to call out Triple H because he knew he was there. I loved every second of it but I also hate how we had to wait months for Seth Rollins to do something like this just because the company wanted to wait until it was actually Wrestlemania season. Regardless, I still loved it and love that this feud is finally taking off with no more stalling. It’s a feud I was looking forward to and also a rivalry that needs to happen so Rollins can move on with his career. This was definitely a highlight of this NXT Takeover and had me marking out.

Fatal Four Way
NXT Women’s Championship
Asuka (C) def. Nikki Cross, Peyton Royce & Billie Kay
in 09:55 by pinfall
Unfortunately, as much as I support women’s wrestling these days and that a big factor of that was the NXT’s women’s division of the past, I totally have no idea whats going on in the women’s division in NXT currently. I know Asuka is still the champion, I know that Peyton Royce and Billie Kay are best friends who like to be called “iconic” and had to do some research to figure out who Nikki Cross is and how she’s apart of Sanity. The video package prior to this match helped catch me up and filled out some of the questions I had such as how this match came together and how two women who are basically a team were booked in a match where they’re supposed to wrestle each other. Asuka has basically dominated and overcome every woman that has challenged her for title. This match was supposed to be special because Asuka would not be only one woman but she’s facing three women at once where one of them may or may not be crazy and the other two who would most likely work together to dethrone her. This wasn’t the greatest women’s match of all time but it was enjoyable. It had its high spots such as “Iconic” double suplexing Nikki Cross off one table onto another to take her out of the equation. Cross never made it back to the match which basically became a triple threat…but really more of a 2-on-1 handicap match. I also found myself rooting for Peyton Royce and Billie Kay to out smart Asuka with Royce becoming the champion and I was rightfully teased that it was a possibility with how dominate they were mid match but I was let down when Asuka picked up the victory. The ending felt rushed and anti climatic. There was one point where Peyton hit a black widow and looked like she had the win but Asuka kicked out but I would have loved that to be the finish. After a few kicks to the head to both girls, Asuka picked up the win. I’m not upset Asuka won but I wish it was in more of a clever finish rather than Asuka just dominating both girls in the final seconds as if it was easy.
Rating – ***

NXT Championship
Bobby Roode def. Shinsuke Nakamura (C)
in 27:15 by pinfall
It was time for the battle of the entrances and I was excited for it. I tweeted something about how awesome it was going to be when these two faced each other because their entrances alone would make the match memorable. The fans felt the same way as they were lit for both entrances. Bobby Roode came out in a brand new robe in full “Chi-Town Rumble Ric Flair” style and accompanied by a roster of lovely ladies dressed in evening gowns in his arms. It was truly Glorious. Shinsuke came out on a cart like mechnaism that allowed him to dance on it as it carried him to the ringside where continued dancing and doing his thing which is great as it is. When the match began Roode was not amused of the fans still singing along with Nak’s theme. I didnt know who to root for because I’m a big fan of both guys. I mean there was no way I’d be disappointed in the outcome of this match. The match took a little while to take off and get started, at least it felt that way to me but when it did take off it never slowed down. The match was great and told a great story from the point it picked up. I thought that they created some great near falls, told a very good story, the psychology was sound with Roode working the neck. Shinsuke looked to have hurt his knee after he hits the kinsasha to Roode on the apron and falls to the floor instantly clutching his knee. From that moment forward the story was that Shinsuke legit hurt his knee and this lead to him being unable to cover after hitting another kinsasha to Roode and Roode getting a couple of near falls. Roode brutally assaulted Nakamura’s knee which made you just loath him even more if your Nakamura mark. Shinsuke had one last burst of energy to try to pick up the win with triangle but failed to when his knee prevented him to hold the move. Roode than hit another DDT for the victory. This had a level of intensity & urgency that a lot of Nakamura’s NXT work has lacked. Excellent work from both guys, and this was a performance Roode needed. Roode beat the unbeatable, Nakamura was protected. Roode also came off as a complete asshole heel in the process. Thus far, Shinsuke has been unsuccessful in defending the championship at Takeover events but they had him lose this time in a more dramatic fashion that made it seem like he had no other choice. It was just excellent story-telling.
Rating – ****1/2

Final Thoughts
I really enjoyed this NXT Takeover event. I wasn’t aware of the build up to the event so I can’t consider the initial hype behind the event but just with my expectations based on previous Takeover’s this event equaled them. The wrestling was great, the matches all told stories, I wasn’t upset with any of the outcomes and the whole Seth Rollins/Triple H drama was just a cherry on top. It was just another great wrestling show from top to bottom that I would recommend to anyone who’s a wrestling fan. It also made me want to watch NXT this upcoming week to see what happens next with everything since I haven’t watched in a couple of months. I also believe with Wrestlemania just a couple of months away, the build up to NXT Takeover in Orlando before Wrestlemania is going to be GLORIOUS.
Final Rating – 8/10

What were your final thoughts on NXT Takeover: San Antonio? What final grade would you give the event? Where would you rate it on a scale of ten? Do you agree with my review? Leave your comments, opinions and thoughts below in the comments section.