Here we are, another Takeover. This is one that I'm not as hyped about as some previous Takeovers but I don't expect it to take long for that to change.
NXT Tag Titles - Street Profits vs Undisputed Era
Beth Phoenix calls Nigel McGuinness a fuddy-duddy, thus officially making her the female Michael Cole. NXT Tag Title matches have a habit of being the perfect way to kick off a show and this was no different. It started a bit slow but that didn't really last very long, as they stepped it up a few gears effortlessly. We all know that Montez Ford is outrageous but this is the best that I have ever seen Angelo Dawkins look too. Add in the fact that Undisputed Era are a near faultless team and you have a great match. ****
Candice LeRae vs Io Shirai
I have long been extolling the talents of Io Shirai to anyone that would listen, and even people that wouldn't. Hell, I wrote this article about her a few years ago when it appeared she had been signed by WWE, but even I will admit that she hasn't been setting the world on fire in her NXT run, at least by her own lofty standards. This match changed that. Shirai put in a wonderful heel performance from her entrance all the way up to her trapping LeRae's arm during the Koji Clutch so that she couldn't tap out. Candice finally got her chance to cut loose on a Takeover too. This was fantastic and was the best women's match in WWE this year. ****1/2
Matt Riddle comes out and calls out Killian Dain. Dain arrives and they have a brawl around ringside. Security tries to break them up but Riddle gets Dain in a sleeper. Dain tries to fight him off and finally succeeds by jumping off the stage with Riddle on his back.
NXT North American Title - Velveteen Dream vs Roderick Strong vs Pete Dunne
This was a belter of a triple threat match, which should be of no surprise to anyone when you consider the wrestlers involved. The match was very well structured and well-paced, which meant that they didn't fall into the trap of having a match that feels like a bunch of one-on-one matches while the other rests. The match absolutely flew by too, and nobody came out of it looking worse than they did before it started. ****1/4
NXT Women's Title - Shayna Baszler vs Mia Yim
I had my reservations about this as I thought that their styles wouldn't mesh well and, unfortunately, that is how it played out. This, for me at least, was the least entertaining Takeover match since Asuka vs Dana Brooke in 2015. It never hit any kind of rhythm and they lost the interest of the crowd. I know that both of these women are better than this because I've seen it but on this night they disappointed. **
NXT Title, 2/3 Falls - Adam Cole vs Johnny Gargano
The deal here was that they would each pick a stipulation and Regal would pick the third fall. Cole picked a straight wrestling match, Gargano picked a street fight and we learned on the preshow that Regal decided the third fall would take place inside a weapon filled cage topped with barbed wire. As you would expect, the first fall was the straight wrestling match and it was very good indeed. These two have great chemistry and it was on show again here. As Gargano got the upper hand, Cole tried to outsmart him by distracting the ref and kicking Gargano in the bollocks. Gargano kicked out and decided he'd had enough of that shit and beat the hell out of Cole with a chair to end the first fall in a DQ. They went about 20 minutes in that fall, so that shows that we are set for an epic. The second fall ran about half the length of the first and was more of a good old fashioned arena wide brawl. They put each other through the barricade and announce tables before Gargano hit the lawn dart into a chair before tapping Cole out with the Garga-No Escape. The final fall was pin or submission only, which is probably easier than crawling over barbed wire to escape anyway. This fall was an extension of the last one, albeit with the violence turned up. They used kendo sticks, a sledgehammer, ladders, tables, barbed wire, and Gargano hit a top rope Canadian Destroyer. The finish came when both men fell from the top of the cage, through some tables, with Cole landing on Gargano and pinning him. Overall the match was excellent. They worked the stipulations well and managed to keep the crowd on board for all of the 50+ minutes that they wrestled for. It may end up being a touch too long for some but as long as this is the end of the feud I am completely fine with it. It is another homerun on Takeover for Gargano. ****3/4
Overall Rating - A+
While this is definitely not the best Takeover ever, or even this year, it was still a great show that had all but one match knocking it out of the park. I am desperate for Shirai to get her hands on that Women's Title now because she is fucking magic.
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