NXT Takeover Toronto: Honest Review

Last night we saw SummerSlam weekend kickstart with NXT Takeover Toronto and what a start it was! Raising the bar incredibly high the superstars of the black and gold brand presented yet another epic takeover event. With career-changing matches, two women’s bouts, and phenomenal main event this was an event you did not want to miss out on! 

They Aint Just a Fluke

The night kick-started with tag team action as fans around the world witnessed the Street Profits defend their NXT Tag team championships against the Undisputed era.  If I’m being totally honest, I did strongly believe that we would see a title change here. Adamant that NXT Takeover Toronto would see the Undisputed Era all leave with championship Gold I most certainly expected to see Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish make history and become three-time NXT Tag team champions, however, in a shock end result it was, in fact, The Street Profits who walked away with the titles still around their waist. The match itself was strong and genuinely solid opener. An unpredictable encounter fans were left hooked from the get-go and while the Undisputed Era proved to be one of the best tag teams in the world today the Street Profits made a huge statement of their own highlighting the fact their win was not a fluke and their reign is far from over.

An Important and impressive showing from Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins and great discussion has now opened regarding the future of the Undisputed Era.

A Dream Match

As I mentioned over on twitter last night, the one on one contest between Candice LeRae and Io Shirai was the match I was most excited for on this particular NXT Takeover card. As two of the best wrestlers on the roster today and standouts amongst the women’s division this was a dream encounter no one wanted to miss out on and these two sure as hell did not disappoint. This was by far the best contest both women have been apart of during their time with the WWE so far. This new side to Io Shirai showcased way more personality and charisma than we have ever seen from her and the chemistry between the two women was simply outstanding! The pair showed the world they really are two of the best in-ring performers today with the action so strong from the moment things kick-started. While the end result was predictable in the sense most would have assumed Io was walking out the victor, however, the back and forth action left everyone on the edge of their seats as Shirai and Candice raised the bar incredibly high! 

Killian Dane Sends a Message

In recent weeks fans have witnessed an ongoing rivalry between Matt Riddle and Killian Dane. Upon returning to the black and gold brand Dane has been looking to make an impact and he has done so at the hands of Matt Riddle. Now, the rivalry, of course, makes plenty of sense and I am most certainly looking forward to future collisions between the pair. During last nights show, yet another showcase went down between the pair that made for an awesome added moment of the night. Dane continued to send a message to Riddle and the NXT universe finally having the showing he really does deserve and hopefully, we get to see more of them one on one in the coming weeks!

Triple Threat Action

NXT Takeover Toronto also saw The Velveteen Dream defend the North American Championship in a triple threat contest against Pete Dunne and Roderick Strong and again, this was a match I was personally really looking forward to! Despite their in-ring differences in terms of styles, these are three of the best of the best today and their collision made for one must-see match of the night and a for sure standout! Fans went into this match expecting the best and that is exactly what we got! The match was full of nonstop intense action that left everyone on the edge of their seats. We saw some truly unique and creative spots and with things so unpredictable here and the end result easily going any way it was hard to know just who would walk out champ and it was another contributing factor to what made this such an entertaining matchup of the night. After what was an excellent showing from all three superstars it was Dream who retained the title in what can be considered a surprise victory.

What was so great about this match was just how much every single one of these stars had a place. They all had an excellent showing in this contest. Dream was champ showing a desperate side of himself in terms of wanting to keep the title, Roderick Strong continued to prove just how damn good he is and Pete Dunne ensured he is most certainly not done with the North American Championship.

So Close Yet So Far Away

While this match didn’t get the best reaction from the live crowd I have to admit that I did honestly enjoy the NXT Women’s Championship match between Shayna Baszler and Mia Yim. The chemistry between these two women was evident from the get-go and while I do believe the WWE missed out on vital elements of their story during the build-up to this encounter what we actually saw here was very interesting. Yim stood as a completely different kind of opponent for Baszler. The former Mae Young Classic competitor brought an edge and fight that Baszler hasn’t faced yet and as a result, the champ took one of the biggest beatings she has had since arriving in the WWE. Yim’s experience and in-ring intelligence worked to her advantage throughout and we got was a real personal collision between two very tough women. Because of the action we saw here I did at times expect to see the title change hands here, however, of course, with no surprises, Baszler successfully retained her NXT Women’s championship but with another win behind, her just who will be able to dethrone the dominant titleholder that is, Shayna Baszler. 

An Entirely New Level

When it comes to last nights main event where do we even begin? Three stipulations, two superstars, the prize? The NXT Championship. Fans have already seen Gargano and Cole tear it up in one on one action in the past. Throughout the year the pair have been stealing the show and the spotlight never failing to compete in an instant classic, however, their most recent collision has resulted in pro wrestling reaching a true all-time high.

The first round of this match was a classic championship wrestling bout and I was surprised, however, not disappointed in just how long this lasted. The contest truly did highlight the simple fact that Gargano and Cole is two of the best of their generation. The intensity was strong from the get-go here with the back and forth action making it a hard one to call. Johnny’s decision to get himself disqualified was an interesting booking decision that no one really saw coming but really did show a degree of strategy and game playing.  After targeting the knee/leg of Cole then following it up with the attack using the chair it gave Gargano a strong advantage leading into the second round being a street fight. This part was kept fairly short but again we got some epic spots and appeared as though no man was willing to back down. We saw the fight, aggression and heart of Gargano throughout as well as his plan pay off as picked up the second fall.

And that led us onto the final round and with the steel cage lowered with an array of violent toys awaiting them this was sure to be an epic conclusion to what was already being highlighted as a serious potential for match of the year. What we saw in this final round was two desperate men with so much heart, passion and talent. They both pushed themselves and each other to new heights and while there were disappointing moments the pair were not responsible for this made for a match you couldn’t keep your eyes off no matter how barbaric it turned out to be. The action overall and the closing moments were very smart indeed and we eventually saw Cole retain after an outstanding spot. To conclude, this main event truly was unlike any other. Gargano and Cole have raised the bar and changed the game in what without a doubt a five-star match up. 

And that was NXT Takeover Toronto. In all honesty, I do believe this was one of the best takeover events we have seen in a while. The quality of matches was on a whole other level and the likes of the Street Profits, Io Shirai, Candice LeRae and Mia Yim worked genuine career changing matches. Gargano and Cole tore the house down in epic collision lasting nearly an hour and while this is likely to be the end of the road for Johnny and his NXT career there is no denying he really is one of the greatest stars to stand as part of the black and gold brand.  

Recent Blog Posts:

BOLD SUMMERSLAM 2019 PREDICTIONS

FOUR WOMEN WHO FELL VICTIM TO THE WWE DIVAS ERA

SUPERSTARS WHO NEED A GOOD SHOWING AT SUMMERSLAM 2019

WHY YOU SHOULD BE EXCITED ABOUT TENILLE DASHWOOD SIGNING WITH IMPACT