NXT TAKEOVER - NEW ORLEANS - 4/7/2018

[Ziggy]

I wonder if Vince still attends the Takeovers before the Big PPVs Specifically Mania bc I'd hate to watch this expecting to top this

[PetrolCB]

1 minute ago, Ziggy said:

I wonder if Vince still attends the Takeovers before the Big PPVs Specifically Mania bc I'd hate to watch this expecting to top this

Yeah. Like when Hendrix used to open for the Monkees. 

[HumanChessgame]

13 minutes ago, Iron Moose said:

This was my first time seeing EC3 and I was so, so underwhelmed. 

He came off as somebody Johnny Ace would have signed about 10 years back.  Granted I've never seen any of his TNA work so maybe I'm not in a position to make an informed judgement.  His music is worse than Alex Riley's though.

The ladder match was really entertaining and wasn't filled with too many "two guys get their shit in while everyone else lays outside" moments that all WWE multi man matches are having nowadays.  I'm kinda indifferent to Cole winning.  He's not bad, but like someone else mentioned I just don't care about UE yet.

Tag match was solid and I was expecting a new member or some sort of chicanery from UE, though I think the time for a Roddy heel turn was a long time back.

World title match was good but not great.  I've been a big backer of Black's for a few years now and I'm anxious to see more out of him.

Women's match was solid with a lot of good psychology from Moon trying to neutralize Bayzler's finisher resulting in her pulling a Martin Riggs in Lethal Weapon 2.

During the main event I kept thinking "ok, that's gotta be it..." then the match would go another 5 minutes and I'd think the same thing.  It never got old and they kept kicking into a higher gear.  Gargano is easily in the top 5 in the company right now.

Any word on dark matches and such?

[FireThunder]

Well we might as well just cancel Wrestlemania.  They can restart their feuds this upcoming week.

God DAMN, that was a great show.

[sydneybrown]

6 minutes ago, Cristobal said:

Man there's no fucking way tomorrow is gonna touch what I just saw.

"Wow, this major PPV was WAY better than the NXT show!"

-said by nobody ever.

 

This shit didn't start tonight.

[Nice Guy Eddie]

3 minutes ago, PetrolCB said:

Yeah. Like when Hendrix used to open for the Monkees. 

or Jerry opening for Bania

[Valcourt]

This surely motivated AJ and Nak. Up to them now to destroy it. 

Main had a real heel and a real face. And the crowd was with it. So awesome. Gargano can be the next American Dragon if they let him. 

Everything else was awesome. Only gripe is how long ember moon hangs in brutal submissions against a legit fighter. Shayna GETS pro wrestling. She’s amazing. 

[Guest Stefanie Without Stefanie]

I feel bad for Candice LeRae having to put up with whatever the heck that was during the pre-show.

[Matt D]

Main was everything those Michaels vs Undertaker matches tried to be but could never quite manage: the pure cinematic ideal that WWE always desperately hopes and strives for, but it was also overlaid with everything we love about wrestling: the hate, the set up and payoff, the grisly, visceral truth. It was the ultimate mix of style and substance. 

[sydneybrown]

2 minutes ago, Valcourt said:

This surely motivated AJ and Nak. Up to them now to destroy it. 

Oh give me a break.  It's up to their agent.

[Eivion]

The ladder match was fun though I wish Dream had won.

Ember/Shayna was good stuff. Loved Ember giving Shayna a taste of her own medicine. Wasn't super fond of how long Ember lasted in the Shayna's finisher, but I loved everything else from trying to take out the arm further to Shayna grabbing her own hair to keep it on.

Tag match was a fun mess. Its the first time O'Reilly has impressed me since he came in. Still. I didn't like the Roddy turn. It just didn't make sense that far in with everything Roddy had already done during the match.

Almas/Black was great though I wish Almas won. Vega's interference was wonderful. I really hope she and Almas come up to the main roster together.

Gargano/Ciampa was great. It had plenty of hate and drama. I loved all the chants from the crowd. And that finish was perfect after everything else the two had survived throwing at each other.

[Johnny Sorrow]

That main event was fucking perfect.

[Rehabilitated Rick]

I don't see Vince comparing the main shows to NXT at all. Yes the shows are killer but the investment hasn't nearly returned a profit yet and that's all he cares about.

Anyway, honestly an all time great show. Within the confines of a restricted PG environment the Main was just about as perfect as you can get.

 

[sydneybrown]

7 minutes ago, Eivion said:

Tag match was a fun mess. Its the first time O'Reilly has impressed me since he came in.

Oh get out of here with that.  His debut match against Black was great. I really felt I was watching two guys beat the shit out of each other.

[Eivion]

2 minutes ago, sydneybrown said:

Oh get out of here with that.  His debut match against Black was great. I really felt I was watching two guys beat the shit out of each other.

Good for you. I usually don't care much for Black, and their match back then did nothing for me.

[The Man Known as Dan]

I'm rapidly feeling like Black is the next hot NXT Babyface I end up liking less then anyone. Following Balor and Nakamura I suppose. I do like him better then those 2, but man, the match tonight, while really good, was completely good because of Almas's work to me, not Blacks.

[Johnny Sorrow]

That main event had a Magnum vs Tully kind of spot and it felt right. The storytelling of this whole deal is as great as the story of my favorite match. It's really hard to do serious emotional acting in wrestling and they did it spectacularly.

[Johnny Sorrow]

I'm down on Black purely because I can't cheer his character. He's a great wrestler, but I prefer Almas.

[Matt D]

Black's offense feels like the logical extension of what CM Punk was supposed to be in 07. 

Almas is the best wrestler in the world at taking a contrived sequence of spots and making it seem organic and natural, like it is what would actually happen.

[Black Angel]

Not even gonna lie. Loved Baszler popping her arm back into place.

[Josh Mann]

30 minutes ago, Rick said:

I don't see Vince comparing the main shows to NXT at all. Yes the shows are killer but the investment hasn't nearly returned a profit yet and that's all he cares about.

Anyway, honestly an all time great show. Within the confines of a restricted PG environment the Main was just about as perfect as you can get.

 

The profit in NXT isn't in NXT. It's Balor Club, YES!, King of Strong Style merch, etc., sold at the WWE fanbase level. 

 

[Zakk_Sabbath]

Count me as an Aleister Black fan, but i really was not ready for Almas' reign to end. Maybe part of that is me not keeping up with the weekly NXT TV as much as I should. I'm also hoping they don't split he and Vega up because I thought their act would be great on the main roster.

I cant say anything about the main that hasn't been paid already, just a fantastic match. It's awesome to me that Ciampa is getting actual heel heat in 2018. Not because he's percieved as Vince's chosen one, not because he's leaving to go to UFC, but because he's just being a bastard. Just perf.

[Kyuubi]

Mother fuck that was a good ass match. Meltzer better be shitting stars all over Gargano and Ciampa because holy shit. 

First and foremost, Gargano is top 5 in the company. No disputing that. This match had a Magnum-Tully feel from the get go since the The two were not being cute at all. Not one flip between any of them. It was literally a brawl. Bloodless carnage.  The heat that Ciampa got, you’d thought that he sniped Jesus after the resurrection or some shit. That is the testiment to Gargano’s acting and ability to relate to the crowd. I have never seen a crowd chant you deserve it when a dude gets powerbombed on concrete. Holy fuck this match. Then there were the little call back spots to DIY with Ciampa doing the patented knee and Gargano returning the favor later on. And then Ciampa using his tape to try to choke Gargano. But then Gargano stopped him and ended up getting the two tied together for this epic punch out. This was my favorite sequence because...I know it sounds like I am marking out but fuck you...it reminded me of Yu Yu Hakusho when the characters decided to tie up each others hands and punch the shit out of each other. And I always wanted that which is why I loved Eddie vs JBL in the Texas longhorn match or whatever the fuck. Anyways, this match was perfect. It was so perfect that the commentator literally screamed kick out after Ciampa did that top rope powerbomb Lungblower. 

 

And this is what Vince will never understand. This rivalry had few words. There weren’t any catchphrases or stupid storylines. It was minimalist and tangibly  understandable. These guys are not the best talkers nor are they the most good looking. It is literally two best friends who aren’t anymore. When Gargano refused to use the crutch on a beaten and battered Ciampa and sat down Indian style and placed his arm around Ciampa. It was beautiful and a amazing call back to their CWC match.  And it made me care about the redemption of Ciampa. I honestly wanted Ciampa to just stop at that moment. I wanted Ciampa to stop being this vindictive spiteful character. But he didn’t and decided to use his knee brace to strike Gargano but he missed and Gargano caught him in the Garagano escape and then decided to get some comeuppance and used the kneebrace in a deathlock STF hold. 

This match was fucking magnificent. 

[Peck]

I can't see Almas going up without Vega. Not only is she a great mouthpiece, she can work too. She'll get a decent push at the major-league level. 

[EVA]

I guess it's time for Almas to get the call up, but it definitely feels like they're cutting that reign off just when it's hitting it's stride.  And while I like Black, he is definitely not a Face of the Brand guy at this point.  Those promo segments are going to be brutal.

I feel like I need to go back and watch the tag title match to see if they worked it so Roddy never touched UE.  I really don't remember.