NXT TAKEOVER XXV HONEST REVIEW

This past weekend the stars of the Black and Gold brand celebrated and took part in the twenty-fifth NXT Takeover event and after AEW’s Double or Nothing PPV raised the bar and had wrestling fans taking all eyes were on Saturday’s event. With a stacked card full of must-see bouts this was a must-see Takeover show jam-packed with entertaining content but in today’s blog post we are going to be looking at the honest highs and lows of this milestone event for NXT.

A Clash of Styles

The opening contest of the night saw two of NXT’s most popular stars today Matt Riddle and Roderick Strong go face to face in what was an epic encounter! While evidently different in nearly every way the two came together to put on a fantastic matchup that truly raised the bar for the rest of the night. Admittedly there was a lack of chemistry between the two men, but this was by far one of Strong’s best performances and the win for Riddle was both needed and creates a conversation regarding him and the NXT championship. Roderick needed this solo performance massively and with intense action and hard-hitting strikes here this was a bout not to miss!

The Best Ladder Match You Have Seen?

The NXT Tag Team championship ladder match was always destined to be an excellent contest and a for sure must see but I don’t believe anyone could have predicted just how strong this match was. From the get-go, the action was intense and fast-paced and there truly was never a dull moment. Completely unpredictable, it was impossible to guess who would walk out as the new NXT tag team champions and every team had a brilliant showing. The Forgotten Sons were true standouts in this match especially with Ryker’s involvement but in the end, it was the hugely well received and deserving win for the Street Profits. The match was by far one of the best Ladder matches I have seen in a while! We saw some truly unique spots that I haven’t seen executed in matchups like this and there was an excellent showing of real tag teamwork from each team!

The Dream Match

If you know me, you know that I have wanted to see the Velveteen Dream and Tyler Breeze collide one on one for quite some time now and so when the dream bout finally took place this past Saturday, I have left a very happy girl! The match had so much character and charisma as expected but what surprised me was how in terms of character it was Velveteen delivering the most. There have clearly been some changes for Breeze since his return to NXT and that did hinder elements of this match. With that being said, however, this was still a fantastic collision of an NXT veteran and one of the hottest stars in the company today. This was such an important match for Tyler, this was his comeback bout, the night where he had so much to prove and gain and long-term fans really did feel just how vital this match was for Breeze. However, the cocky attitude and consistency of the Velveteen Dream saw him achieve another title defence. After this match, there really is no denying just how talented and underutilised Breeze really has been and is.

It’s Not Over Yet

While I wasn’t personally left all too impressed with the NXT Women’s Championship bout between Shayna Baszler and IO Shari nor Was I very happy with the result I was left very entertained and excited by what followed the match. With Baszler picking up yet another victory fans witnessed Io snap and introduce a new side to her personality. Attacking the champ with a kendo stick and a chair the message was sent loud and clear, things are far from over between these two women and it appears a no disqualification match may just be on the cards for the next Takeover event but can the Queen of Spades hold onto her championship in other singles bout against Io? This was a brilliant way to get the NXT universe talking about the women’s division and with Candice LeRae getting involved also the future has been set in terms of up and coming rivalries and contenders for the championship.

This is WRESTLING

And finally, we had the main event. Adam Cole vs Johnny Gargano for the NXT Championship and after their previous collision in a two out of three falls match expectations were high and boy did, they not disappoint. From the get-go it was clear this was a personal and intense bout and throughout we saw hard-hitting spots, brutal strikes and action that showed the future of the WWE and wrestling were stronger than ever. Both Gargano and Cole proved once and for all, they are two of the best in the world today and with the pair both so even it was extremely difficult to predict who would walk out the victor. We witnessed Johnny and Cole raise the bar and give it all they had leaving fans wondering exactly what it would take for things to come to an end and for a winner to be crowned. Come the closing moments of this match, however, we saw the injured leg of Gargano cost him and Cole was able to finally put away the champ for the three-count allowing him to finally become our new NXT Champion. A win that didn’t come as a surprise but undoubtedly much much deserved!

While I hate to compare the two shows I know fans across the globe are doing so and asking the question; which was better? NXT Takeover twenty-five or AEW Double or Nothing? However, with both shows bringing something different to the table it's near impossible to compare but what Is so clear is both showcased fantastic wrestling proved that the standards are higher than ever, the competition is better than ever and wrestling is better than ever.

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