NXT Takeover Unstoppable Review and Reactions
The first match of the night was set to crown a number one contender for the NXT championship and after Hideo Itami suffered a shoulder injury the match became a one on one against Tyler Breeze and Finn Balor. Now, I was actually predicting that Hideo was going to walk out of this triple threat the winner. It made the most scene and seemed the most likely outcome, however with him out of the match it was a huge swerve ball I had no idea which way it was going to go. I do think it made the match more interesting and even though I'm the biggest Finn Balor fan I was rooting for Tyler Breeze just because I felt like he deserved the chance at one on one match up for the NXT Championship. However, I couldn't help but feel as though Balor was walking away the victor, one hundred per cent. Before any fists could even be thrown we got two awesome entrances. Breeze brought something a little special, with a cat walk theme entrance and a slightly different attire which I loved, but when it comes to entrances there really is only one king, Finn Balor. Now, it's not often that I'm left speechless but from the moment everyone knew Balor was coming out the crowd went insane and I was hooked! This was probably the best entrance I have ever seen. I honestly have no idea what else to say about it. The body art/pain was amazing and it felt so good seeing Balor's character develop even more.The whole thing of course got a crazy reaction from the crowd.The match was very fast paced from the start. The had this chemistry in the ring that I had no idea they even had and it allowed the match to have this feel to it that you don't always get. What did really surprise me was just how much time Tyler Breeze was in control. There's no doubt that Breeze is hands down one of the best in ring performers and characters that the WWE have right now, but I was not expecting him to dominate the match as much as he did. The live crowds reaction and chants really gave this match a whole new feel and the energy was just indescribable. Out of every match on the card last night this had the most character. They told a story and you honestly knew you couldn't take your eyes off the screen because you just knew you would miss something amazing. They both pulled out some outstanding moves and they seriously brought the best out in each other. It was a strong back and fourth match that I can't fault at all. There were some really close calls throughout but in the end it was Balor who walked away the winner and the new number one contender. However, despite loosing the match, after that performance Breeze has nothing to be ashamed of what so ever. This match was such a great way to kick start the show and got everyone excited for the rest of the action set to take place.
Up next, divas action, and for the first time at an NXT live show, we were given not one but two divas matches. The first was a tag team match which saw former NXT Women's champion team up with fan favourite Bayley to take on the team of Emma and newly debuted Dana Brooks. For a couple of weeks now we have seen Dana call out Charlotte and show some serious jealousy towards the genetically superior diva. I have actually liked the tensions between these two. I think it makes sense and it's a nice easy way to put Dana in the spotlight, push her as a heel and at the same time ease her into the roster while pushing Charlotte out a little as she heads up to the main roster. Then there's the on going feud between Emma and Bayley which once again, I have been really enjoying. Just like with Charlotte and Dana the feud makes sense. So far it has been really well done and the story development has been strong. Now, last night I was rooting for Charlotte and Bayley, simply because they are my favourites of the four, however, when it comes down to who actually needed the win it was hands down Emma and Dana. Emma needs momentum after not having so much success on the main roster and during the early stages of her feud with Emma. The same goes for Dana. She hasn't been on the scene long and so far she isn't getting a great response from the fans, so I felt as though she really needed to prove herself and pick up a strong win. Pinning Charlotte would of allowed her to make a huge mark in NXT. If I'm being honest, I wasn't expecting a lot from this match. I predicted it to be short and simple but this is NXT divas we're talking about, so we can always expect good quality. The early stages of the match saw Bayley and Charlotte in control and working really well together which was expected after the history they have. However, as the match progressed we really saw Emma and Dana take control and we saw this for quite sometime. I was surprised to see how just well the two heels worked together. They mad frequent tags and showcased
a lot of character. The match itself flowed really well and it went on a lot longer than I expected it too. If I had to choose the weakest diva of the four last night it had to be Dana. We did see more of her and she didn't have a disappointing performance at all but the fact she is the least experienced really did show at times but she did have an all round good performance she brought a lot of character and storytelling to the match. The stand out of the match for me had to be Charlotte, there's no question about it. She may not have been in the ring as much as Bayley when she was competing she was in full control and left everyone on their feet, not to mention it was the former NXT Women's champion who closed in on the victory for her and Bayley. This was a really well put together match up. It was easy to get into thanks to the strong wrestling ability, story telling, chemistry and character. I think it's still sad that the Payback divas match was a tag team match up and it was not of the standard that we got from last nights divas tag team match.
We then had a match I was very very interested in watching as Baron Corbin took on veteran of the WWE, Rhyno. The build up to this match wasn't long at all. I think they only had a week or two, but they have shared the ring on numerous occasions during NXT live shows which I'm sure you are all aware of. I haven't personally seen many of their previous matches but from what I have seen, competing against Rhyno has allowed Baron to showcase so much more in the ring and one thing I did realise was that there's a serious speed that Corbin has on he's side which we haven't seen much of so I was really hopeing that we were going to get a little taster of that last night. I mentioned in my prediction post that I felt NXT Takeover Unstoppable was a very very important night for Baron. He has talked the talk and he has taken out the smaller names of the company but it was time for him to showcase more. For him to present to us the real Baron Corbin. I have been waiting to see more of he's move set televised for a long time now and if he could show more and get a win over Rhyno then this was setting up to be a great night for the rising star. The match itself was actually better than I thought it was going to be and lasted longer than I expected. I was surprised to see just how split down the middle it was and just how much time Corbin spent in control of it. You guys all know I was backing Baron from the start, so the fact he had such a good performance made me a very very happy little fan. If I'm being completely honest, I do think this was the weakest match of the night but it was still of a high standard and I think that's so amazing about NXT. I can honestly say that there was not a single match I didn't enjoy. However, to be fair, Corbin VS Rhyno didn't have a lot of build up time and so you have to be impressed by the chemistry they had and just how well they worked together. I felt as though Rhyno did a great job making Corbin look good and the match had that "Passing the torch" on feel to it. They both had some great moments throughout but in the end it was Baron who walked away with a clean victory over the veteran. It was great being able to see more of Barons move set and what he is capable of. I'm not sure if continuing their feud is a good idea but it sure will be interesting seeing where they go next with both superstars.
We then saw Buddy Murpthy and Wesley Blake defend their NXT Tag Team championships against one of the post popular tag teams in NXT history, Enzo Amore and Colin Cassadey. I will be completely honest, my expectations for the actual wrestling in this match wasn't that high. You all know that I'm a major major fan of Enzo and Big Cas, I've always been very vocal about that, however, their not the strongest in the ring and it really does show. In my prediction post I mentioned that I was worried they would get overshadowed by Murphy and Blake purely because they are such strong competitors. I also predicted that Blake and Murpthy would be dominating the match and because of the simple fact they are the stronger wrestlers, I was really worried that Enzo and Cas wouldn't be able to shine as much and their wrestling skills would be highlighted for all the wrong reasons. However, of there is anything that they did have on their side it was their charisma and and the fact that they were the fan favourites. Everyone in the arena was totally behind them and they were for sure going to be the ones to bring all the character and entertainment. So even though I was a little worried I tried to stay positive and I was really looking forward to this match up. With two strong entrances and Carmella at ringside the foundation was set for what was going to be a great match and it was. I was actually really surprised with just how good this match was! Enzo for me just stole this entire match. He showed so much all round improvement in the ring and together him and Cas brought the entertainment to this match as predicted. The wrestling in this match was so much better than I expected and I enjoyed this match probably the most out of everything on the night. There was so much energy from start to finish and it didn't fall flat for a single second. The addition of Alexa Bliss coming out and costing Enzo and Cas the match was such a good idea. That's just yet another thing I love about NXT. The involvement the divas have is so strong and the role that Alexa played last night was so important and the timing was just perfect. I think what we see between Murpthy, Blake and Alexa over the next couple of months or so will be very interesting.
Up next, we return to divas action as Sasha Banks was set to defend her NXT Women's championship against Becky Lynch. Now, these two divas have a huge history together, after working as a tag team for several months and then facing each other in a fatal four way for the NXT women's championship there was a lot to expect from this. Not to mention that from the very start of NXT takeover shows, the standard of the female matches have been so so high! Every single match has been of a high quality and they have always managed to get better and better meaning Banks and Lynch were under a lot of pressure but I did not doubt for a single second that these girls could steal the show and I knew they would be putting on an outstanding match up. I was very very interested in seeing what Lynch was going to bring to the table. She's very well travelled and has a lot of experience but we haven't seen as much of her as we have Banks and we all know how strong Sasha is as a character and as a wrestler. One thing that was guaranteed was one heck of a divas match, so I defiantly sat back and let myself enjoyed this one. As I predicted these girls did not disappoint at all. What they gave us was a pure, honest, old school, outstanding professional wrestling match up. The chemistry between them was insane! They probably had the most chemistry of the night and it maintained throughout the entire match. They told such a great story from start to finish and the wrestling ability was so so strong. They set the bar so high and the match lived up to the expectations. Both Becky and Sasha pulled out some amazing stuff that I had no idea they were even capable. It was a really well put together match that flowed well and didn't have a doll moment. I can honestly say this was yet again a phenomenal divas match up and one of the best female pro wrestling matches I have ever seen that has ever been produced in WWE and NXT history. Lynch's performance was simply outstanding and she may have lost the match but the reaction got after was so well deserved. A standing ovation and being cheered out of the ring was more than deserved. She really proved herself in this match and can hands down be called one of the greatest divas in the WWE today. The NXT Divas division continues to blow minds.
Finally, it was main event time and the turn of one of the most personal matches in NXT history. A match that the entire world was looking forward to as Kevin Owens took on he's former best friend and fan favourite Sami Zayn, defending he's NXT Championship .There's no doubt about it, this was an all star match up. Everyone was expecting a heck of a lot from this match including myself. The two are so well travelled, have so much experience and know each other so well both in an outside of the ring that the chemistry between them was so strong we were for sure set to have an outstanding main event and one that could possibly make NXT history. The standard was very high and everyone has seriously high expectations of this match but there was not a chance in hell that these two were going to disappoint. They had a strong build up and after both of them had a confrontation with top WWE superstar and current United States champion, John Cena, the two were both beaming with
Its not often in the WWE today that it feels as though championships mean a lot but down in NXT it's a whole other story. Every single championship match felt important and every match on the card was strong, not a single one stood out for a negative reason. Yet another amazing NXT live show.
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