NXT Takeover Portland: Honest Review
This past Sunday NXT took over yet again this time landing in Portland. With an incredibly stacked card fans were promised a must-see tag team encounter, a dream match between two of NXT finest (ever) and two personal women’s division matchups no one wanted to miss out on! On the road to Wrestlemania, this was a vital weekend and takeover event for the stars of the black and gold brand so let's take a look back at the action and discuss some of the highlight moments of the evening!
Keith Lee and Dominik Djokovic have deserved the Takeover spotlight to go one on one for quite some time now and their moment finally come when they went to blows one more time this past weekend with the North American championship on the line making things even more competitive. These two superstars have a deep respect and understanding of one another after their previous collisions and it’s those past encounters that left fans buzzing for the next chapter in their story this past Sunday and boy did they live up to expectations! As champion, their appeared to be a new level of confidence to Keith Lee which allowed him to showcase even more impressive depth to his move set and added to the intensity of this matchup, but the challenger must not be forgotten. In what was without a doubt his best singles match performance to date Djokovic yet again that he is a future megastar! Both men wowed the NXT universe yet again with their unbelievable athleticism with Dominik, in particular, putting up the biggest fight of his career and giving his greatest opponent so far, the most intense bout of his NXT journey.
This was an incredible way to kick start the evening and although we have seen these two superstars collide several times before nothing could take away just how special this bout was and the standard at which they performed at. This was arguably their greatest encounter to date and both men proved and showcased just what bigger superstars in this industry are capable of challenging the stereotypes again and raising the bar for the rest of evening!
And of course, after weeks of leaving us waiting the winner of the women’s Royal Rumble made an appearance at NXT Takeover to take out the champion and reveal she will indeed be facing Rhea Ripley at Wrestlemania in what is sure to be a must-see match up at the grandest stage of them all. Flair taking out Belair too was also an interesting move and I’m most certainly hoping to see Flair vs Bianca in the coming weeks also.
As the world's biggest Tommaso Ciampa fan and a huge Adam Cole mark I was very excited for the NXT Takeover Portland main event! This was again an intense, personal rivalry that most certainly divided the NXT Universe. Both men are incredibly talented and so the expectations were of course very high for this championship bout. There was a slower-paced start that looked to favor the challenger who continued to use his brutality, aggression, and rage to his advantage also. It took some time to see the momentum shift, but Cole’s awareness of his surroundings really allowed him to turn things around. Throughout this match, there were some brutal spots and Cole was able to spot a weak spot in the head and neck area of Ciampa. Now, there were so many close moments, spots performed we haven’t seen from either superstar and a level of competition and determination like no other. Again, the closing moments were frustrating but made for great storytelling and really left us all completely glued to our screens and the way in which Cole walked out the victor leaves everyone wondering what is next for both Cole and Ciampa.
Can we call this one of the best NXT Takeover events of all time? I think yes. From the very start all the way through to the closing moments this was an incredible show! Match after match was just fantastic and each bout brought something different to the evening. The card was extremely stacked and fans were genuinely excited for each and every match with all living up to and even exceeding expectations. It’s been a while since I have enjoyed a full live special this much and its nights like that this really remind fans why we love wrestling so much!
Clash of the Titans
Keith Lee and Dominik Djokovic have deserved the Takeover spotlight to go one on one for quite some time now and their moment finally come when they went to blows one more time this past weekend with the North American championship on the line making things even more competitive. These two superstars have a deep respect and understanding of one another after their previous collisions and it’s those past encounters that left fans buzzing for the next chapter in their story this past Sunday and boy did they live up to expectations! As champion, their appeared to be a new level of confidence to Keith Lee which allowed him to showcase even more impressive depth to his move set and added to the intensity of this matchup, but the challenger must not be forgotten. In what was without a doubt his best singles match performance to date Djokovic yet again that he is a future megastar! Both men wowed the NXT universe yet again with their unbelievable athleticism with Dominik, in particular, putting up the biggest fight of his career and giving his greatest opponent so far, the most intense bout of his NXT journey.
This was an incredible way to kick start the evening and although we have seen these two superstars collide several times before nothing could take away just how special this bout was and the standard at which they performed at. This was arguably their greatest encounter to date and both men proved and showcased just what bigger superstars in this industry are capable of challenging the stereotypes again and raising the bar for the rest of evening!
History is Made Again
Tegan Knox vs Dakota Kai has in my opinion been one of the best told women’s division angles/storylines in a while and I was very excited to see these two women collide in the first NXT women’s street fight match this past weekend. This an intense personal storyline that’s had a couple months build and a plot that has left fans invested. These are two strong strikers and excellent pro wrestlers but have gone underrated since signing with the WWE due to their unfortunate injuries and so this special moment at Takeover was a very big deal indeed and both women took full advantage of the opportunity and spotlight they were being given. This was a brutal, intense, exciting and damn right entertaining match up that was not only the highlights of their NXT careers so far but showcased just how amazing they are! The wrestling was fantastic throughout, the action was incredible and the use of the props around them was brilliant! Now, I wasn’t a major fan of the end result and I would have preferred to have seen a clean win but there is something rather ironic about Dakota ending the night with what seems to be a new allegiance and of course a new addition to the women's division in Raquel Gonzalez. This match was different from anything else on the card and I was hooked from the get-go. This is the performance we have been waiting for for both women.
NXT’s Finest
Last nights NXT Takeover event saw two of NXT finest collide in Finn Balor vs johnny Gargano. As two iconic figures in the history of the black and gold brand and two of the best wrestlers in the company today there can be no denying this was a dream match no wrestling fan wanted to miss out on. This was an excellent wrestling match that saw Balor dominate a great deal and the use of submission holds was evident throughout. This was one of the most unpredictable bouts of the evening and so it was genuinely tough to tell who would walk out the victor keeping everyone totally invested. There were so many smart moves with great timing and fantastic execution and the two passionate performers truly brought out the best in one another. The longer this match went on the more the intensity grew and fans genuinely didn’t want the action to stop. It was brilliant to see this side of Balor and was a clear example of how wrongly used he has been over the years! This victory was a big deal for Finn and yet another amazing showing from Gargano.
Black History in the Making
2020 has kick-started very strong indeed for the EST of NXT. From a memorable performance inside the Royal Rumble to standout moments on NXT TV to last night's fantastic showing at NXT Takeover Portland. In a matchup between two incredibly powerful and athletic superstars, the expectations were high, but Belair and Ripley went above and beyond and provided an amazing championship contest. The two women are so clearly evenly matched, and this was evident from the get-go and while this felt like a predicable bout to conclude Belair’s performance left many wondering if we were about to see a shock ending a new champion crowned, however, after a tough fight Ripley was able to retain her women’s title in what can be noted as the best performances of both women’s careers. The women had an excellent showing last night and I have to say that Bianca’s gear was pretty awesome too.
And of course, after weeks of leaving us waiting the winner of the women’s Royal Rumble made an appearance at NXT Takeover to take out the champion and reveal she will indeed be facing Rhea Ripley at Wrestlemania in what is sure to be a must-see match up at the grandest stage of them all. Flair taking out Belair too was also an interesting move and I’m most certainly hoping to see Flair vs Bianca in the coming weeks also.
Tag Team Action
Now, if you know me you know that I’m not a fan of singles stars being paired up and put together as a tag team but there is no denying how entertaining Dunne and Riddle are and how well they have worked together since forming their alliance; The real test for the two was booked this past weekend when they took on one of the best teams in the history of the black and gold brand. There of course is so much history between the four men involved in this match which made things even more interesting and together there was a brilliant tag team bout presented to fans. The first half of this match in particular truly did highlight why Fish and Kyle are one of the best tag teams on the scene today, their teamwork, frequent tags and smart tactics allowed them to dominate Dunne until Riddle made the tag and switched up the pace and momentum of the bout. There were some amazing tag teamwork on both sides of the ring and brilliant all-round wrestling that made this a great standout of the evening and a highlight of tag team wrestling of the year so far. Now, I have to admit that I was very very surprised at the end result of this match seeing new tag team champions crowned but these two had such an incredible showing that there can be no denying that the pair deserve it and make for a very entertaining and special tag team. I cannot wait to see what these two get up to!
The Main Event
As the world's biggest Tommaso Ciampa fan and a huge Adam Cole mark I was very excited for the NXT Takeover Portland main event! This was again an intense, personal rivalry that most certainly divided the NXT Universe. Both men are incredibly talented and so the expectations were of course very high for this championship bout. There was a slower-paced start that looked to favor the challenger who continued to use his brutality, aggression, and rage to his advantage also. It took some time to see the momentum shift, but Cole’s awareness of his surroundings really allowed him to turn things around. Throughout this match, there were some brutal spots and Cole was able to spot a weak spot in the head and neck area of Ciampa. Now, there were so many close moments, spots performed we haven’t seen from either superstar and a level of competition and determination like no other. Again, the closing moments were frustrating but made for great storytelling and really left us all completely glued to our screens and the way in which Cole walked out the victor leaves everyone wondering what is next for both Cole and Ciampa.
Can we call this one of the best NXT Takeover events of all time? I think yes. From the very start all the way through to the closing moments this was an incredible show! Match after match was just fantastic and each bout brought something different to the evening. The card was extremely stacked and fans were genuinely excited for each and every match with all living up to and even exceeding expectations. It’s been a while since I have enjoyed a full live special this much and its nights like that this really remind fans why we love wrestling so much!
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