NXT Takeover 30 Honest Review
Last night wrestling fans celebrated the 30th NXT Takeover event and what a night it was! New champions were crowned, epic spots were performed, dream matches booked and the foundation had been set for an exciting few months ahead for the black and gold brand. In today’s blog post we are going to be reliving all the action from last night discussing the best and worse moments and what I really thought of each match and the booking decisions made.
New Tag Team Number One Contenders
Over on the kick-off show, the action began nice and strong
with a tag team encounter involving Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch, Breezango
and Legado Del Fantasma to determine the new number one contenders to the NXT Tag
team championships. I’ll admit that I didn’t have a great deal of interest in
this encounter, but it made for a great addition to the kick-off show making
sure to get fans excited for the main show to follow. The action was kept simple
but entertaining and it was evident throughout that each team was bringing
something completely different to the table and I really enjoyed seeing the blend
of different in-ring styles! We had some awesome moments from everyone involved
and this was a solid tag team that eventually saw Breezango pick up the victory.
Now, the closing moments most certainly left me conflicted. On the one hand,
it's brilliant to see Breeze and Fandango given a big win and an opportunity at
the tag team titles, however, Legado Del Fantasma taking the loss here is
something I’m not a fan of and unless we see them seek revenge when the title
match comes around then it will be very important to see them regain some
momentum!
Timothy Thatcher Proves a Point
In recent months there has been no denying that Timothy
Thatcher has become one of my favourite WWE superstars and last night he proved
exactly why in a strong opening collision against Finn Balor. Now, this was one
of the most predictable matches of the evening but none the less sure to be
considered a dream match which again highlighted just how good Thatcher is and
the potential he possesses. We saw again his in-ring intelligence on clear display
as he worked on the limbs of Balor especially the legs which were, of course, a
smart and effective plan. This was a much slower paced bout than most of what
we saw on the card, but it catered to Thatcher well who took control of a great
deal of this matches. The pair worked very well together and while it was predictably
Balor who walked away with the win Thatcher proved he is one to watch once
again and it must be said that there are so many dream matches for this unique
NXT star.
A New North American Champion is Crowned
The match was I was most excited about last night had to be the North American championship ladder match. With several of the best on the roster colliding in a high staked match, this was a must-see that promised a new champion crowned and walking out of Takeover. Again, there was a real mixture of talents here both as in-ring competitors as well as characters which made things even more entertaining! Of course, we saw some epic spots that highlighted the strengths of everyone involved and gave us that classic ladder match buzz! One of the standouts in this bout was surprisingly Bronson Reed who really has come into his own in recent weeks. He was a surprise addition to the match in the first place and he made sure to make an impact on the biggest stage of his career so far.
He was the powerhouse of the bunch and a splash from the
top rope with Candice Le Rae on his back made for an explosive move that looked
amazing! Talking of Candice, her role in this match while short was effective
and gave it another exciting element! Another favourite of mine in this match was
of course, Cameron Grimes who also, in recent weeks has become a big-time
favourite of mine! His character work was the best of everyone in this
encounter and as I mentioned over on twitter, he was one of the men I was
actually rooting for and while he didn’t win this time around he is for sure an
exciting name to keep your eyes on! And then, of course, we have our winner,
Damien Priest who throughout was strong and had several standout moments!
Another unique star, he has really gone to new heights since his previous takeover
collision with Finn Balor and so the big win last night was very much fitting!
He’s an exciting star with a bright future and this title reign is sure to do
wonders for him!
Pat McAfee Has the Time of his Life!
Surprisingly one of my favourite matches of the evening was
the collision between Adam Cole and Pat McAfee. I loved the build to this match
but in all honesty, did not have this down as a bout that would impress and stand out and the main reasoning behind that was because I didn’t know what to
expect from Pat in the ring. The story, however, continued throughout this match
and the cocky attitude of Pat vs the awesome facial expressions from Cole added
to this encounter. When it comes to the wrestling here, again, I was surprised
by just how good it was! Pat came across like a natural especially in terms
of character work, but he also held his own exceptionally well against a former
NXT Champion in Adam Cole. There were many times throughout where I thought McAfee
was about to close in on the win and while he didn’t his athleticism made for
some shocking and exciting moments and most importantly, it was evident from
the get-go just how much fun he was having.
Could Kai Win the big one?
I must admit that I wasn’t all too impressed with Dakota Kai vs Io Shirai. Of course, the match had some amazing moments, but it was a slow start and I do believe that a better and far stronger match awaits them! Saying that Kai looked strong throughout and while I love Io I could not stop thinking about just how much I want to see Kai as champion one day. The styles possessed by both women complimented each other well and while there did not feel as though there was a strong story being told here the action was decent and highlighted the star power and potential kai really has. We saw a great deal of involvement from Raquel which again I really liked and gave the match a little more entertainment and excitement when it was needed. Of course, we didn’t see a title change hands here but the moments that followed after this match have left things very interesting indeed! Kai is evidently far from finished and we will most certainly be seeing her in the championship scene still moving forward, however, Rhea Ripley coming to the aid of Io made for an interesting moment that again puts her in the championship conversation.
A New Era in NXT
The main event of NXT Takeover 30 was most certainly an
exciting one! Since his debut, Karrion Kross has been nothing short of dominant
and had his sights firmly set on the NXT Championship but throughout I could
not help but wonder if the WWE would really give Lee a short reign. The action
between the two powerhouses highlighted not only the strength of Kross but
also his rather unique move set. Lee, of course, worked as a tough opponent for
Karrion who has walked through most of his challengers since his NXT arrival.
There were several explosive spots and moments where I thought the match was
coming to an end but what we got here was lengthy main event that truly could
have gone either way. Now the decision to have Kross win clean was something I
personally really liked but again, my heart was disappointed to see Lee’s reign
come to an end already. This was a solid main event collision and Kross being crowned
as the new champion has left an exciting feel to the NXT roster and the
impression that a new era has begun on the black and gold brand.
I will admit that this was not my favourite Takeover event
ever! It was far from a bad show but there were a couple of matches I hoped
would be better and at times longer. However, with that being said the crowning
of new champions has left an exciting energy in the air and I was truly
entertained throughout the majority of the evening! Of course, I would love to
know what you guys thought so feel free to leave a comment below or tweet me
over at @TezangiVictoria.
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