NXT Takeover: New York - 4/5/2019

[Dolfan in NYC 13,255]

Alright, the tapings are done, and here's the card:

2 OUT OF 3 FALLS FOR THE VACANT NXT CHAMPIONSHIP: Johnny Gargano vs. Adam Cole (bay bay)

FOR THE NXT UK CHAMPIONSHIP: Pete Dunne (c) vs. WALTER

FOR THE NXT TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP: War Raiders (c) vs. Ricochet/Aleister Black

FATAL 4 WAY FOR THE NXT WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP: Shayna Baszler(c) vs. Io Shirai vs. Bianca Belair vs. Kairi Sane

FOR THE NXT NORTH AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIP: Velveteen Dream (c) vs. Matt Riddle

Reminder, this is FRIDAY evening, not Saturday. 

[Craig H 10,790]

Friday is going to come and go, I bet it will be a night where I have nothing to do, and I'll still complete forget that Takeover is on Friday.

[The Natural 25,173]

Shame Tommaso Ciampa is injured. I figured this would be the true ending to Ciampa vs. Gargano. I thought it would be inside Hell in a Cell as well. Most interested in  Johnny Gargano vs. Adam Cole as two out of three falls is one of my favourite match stipulations, Pete Dunne vs. WALTER the match I want to see the most and Velveteen Dream vs. Matt Riddle.

[Rehabilitated Rick 1,812]

Both this and the G1 Supercard look spectacularly underwhelming.

Joey Janela might have the best looking card come Mania week.

[RIPPA 29,792]

Women's match is official

 

[Edwin 4,114]

1 hour ago, Rick said:

Both this and the G1 Supercard look spectacularly underwhelming.

Agreed. This maybe the most uninteresting TakeOver card for me they've put on.

[HumanChessgame 2,260]

The UK title match is the only must-see bout on there for me. It's a shame as Takeovers are always something I depend on as a palate cleanser for the main roster PPVs, and Mania is looking underwhelming as fuck this year.

[West Newbury Bad Boy 10,516]

Main roster is going to need some heel contenders with Ronda likely taking a break soon. Can't depend on Charlotte and Nia (I know, I know) for everything. Who even knows what's going on with Alexa and Lacey. Time to call up Baszler (and probably her goons in a limited role as well, but that's another discussion). 

Let's go... I dunno. Belair? I guess? 

Edited March 14, 2019 by West Newbury Bad Boy

[Marty Sugar 2,077]

That's a lot of matches for a Takeover, isn't it?

[RIPPA 29,792]

Just now, Marty Sugar said:

That's a lot of matches for a Takeover, isn't it?

5 is the standard

[Casey 5,431]

I'm here for that fatal four way. If given enough time, it could steal the show. Everything besides the tag team and main event matches I'm really into. But those two matches just don't do anything for me. The guys in the main event especially are a big turn off for me.

NXT is in desperate need of a shakeup. Hopefully there's a slew of call-ups after WrestleMania and it frees up some space for some of the newer talent to shine. Undisputed Era in NXT, in particular, is beyond stale in my opinion.

Edited March 14, 2019 by Casey

[RIPPA 29,792]

Only thing that makes me nervous about call-ups is that they already have 8 (if you officially count Gargano) new ones that they are working in.

And side tangent - Meltzer made a comment in the new WON about how Kairi Sane is "on the list" (basically the ones most likely to get called up next)

Keep in mind that Andrade and AOP were on the "list" for like a year before being called up and Dream was at one point on it and still isn't called up - so take it for what it is worth

[thee Reverend Axl Future 1,123]

I dunno about you jaded folks but this card is making me plotz. I let myself mark out every now and then, and this year's HoF (which I usually anticipate gleefully) is bland as a TGarea v. JLRivera exhibition bout for me. 

- RAF

[ComingToAmerica 1,058]

I can't decide how I feel about this card. Gargano's probably lost on the main roster (He'd do better on Smackdown, but Ali is there doing just fine thank you), but he has been called up so him winning the NXT Title (which was presumably the plan) feels odd now. But if he loses another NXT Title match......well, that's not good either.

Riddle/Dream will be interesting, two babyfaces - hard to see either losing clean at this point; some kind of fuck finish looks likely.

Seems like time for Baszler to drop the title once and for all, but I don't expect her to eat the pin.

Similar story for Dunne and the UK Title, but it really feels like they have to have WALTER win.

War Raiders vs Black/Ricochet is an obvious retain, but I'm sure it will be fun.

 

[Craig H 10,790]

I'm always puzzled when people are non plused about Takeover cards. They're always awesome and they've never failed to deliver. 

Like this card? I'm fucking stoked for it. I get not liking a wrestler or two, but the storylines have all been solid as per usual. 

[MORELOCK 2,726]

I hadn't really heard too much complaining about Takeover cards until the past couple of shows, and I think it all boils down to fatigue. We know Ricochet/Black are done after this. Ciampa's out for a year if not forever. But fucking Gargano is still main eventing this card? And still might be in the NXT title picture? And still might be the focal point of the show for another six months? I think a lot of the reason NXT has been enjoyable for so long is because they've been able to keep things fresh, and as long as Gargano is all over the shows, that's just no longer the case.

[Brian Fowler 13,549]

I mean, as long as Gargano keeps delivering great matches, I'm okay with it.

[MORELOCK 2,726]

Which is all well and good for fans of Gargano's style, I guess. It's just that when Gargano has worked 12 out of the last 13 Takeovers and half of those were epic main event matches, and there still seem to be more on the horizon, it's hard for someone like myself who isn't as much of a fan of his to get excited about Takeovers the way I used to.

[Eivion 2,795]

I'm generally fine with the card. The NXT Title match is the only match I don't really care about since I'm not big on Gargano or Cole. Like Gargano is a guy I just don't really get excited about unless he is in a match or feud with someone I like while I don't really care for Cole at all outside of being a voice in Undisputed Era. Wrestling wise he is easily my least favorite in the group. Other than that I'm mostly looking forward to the card. I wish the 4-way was a 1 on 1 with Io/Shayna, but I like all the women involved so I have few complaints. I just don't want Shayna to lose it here unless we gt at least one more big singles between her and the winner. I'm not big on Riddle, but he and Dream should be an interesting mix of styles and characters. I just really hate that Dream is almost certainly already losing his title unless a fuck finish in enacted. War Raiders vs. Black/Ricochet is a bit annoyance for predictability, but it should be good. I just wish WALTER/Dunne was happening at a UK Takeover. I think it was actually kind of shitty of them to take NXT's UK's biggest match and throw on a US NXT card.

[Brian Fowler 13,549]

Am I the only one that finds it really hard to care about Ricochet and Black as a team? I like both guys a lot, but as a tag team I just don't care. It feels too random and thrown together.

[HumanChessgame 2,260]

1 hour ago, Brian Fowler said:

Am I the only one that finds it really hard to care about Ricochet and Black as a team? I like both guys a lot, but as a tag team I just don't care. It feels too random and thrown together.

It isn't just that their team is two random guys thrown together who have plenty of better singles stuff they could be doing, it's that there are plenty of already established tag teams out there that could be using that rub instead.

[Eivion 2,795]

14 hours ago, Brian Fowler said:

Am I the only one that finds it really hard to care about Ricochet and Black as a team? I like both guys a lot, but as a tag team I just don't care. It feels too random and thrown together.

Not even remotely. I like them fine, but I was really hoping they were losing the finals.

[Brian Fowler 13,549]

I don't think I'd mind as much here is they weren't also suddenly a team on the main roster.

[ChesterCopperpot 3,804]

And it's official

[L_W_P 1,895]

All I know is that Walter v Dunne should be the main event and that NXT are good enough to let that happen.

2 OUT OF 3 FALLS FOR THE VACANT NXT CHAMPIONSHIP: Johnny Gargano vs. Adam Cole (bay bay)  - I think Cole needs to take this down and run riot over NXT. Give UE all the gold then get them out of there after the next WarGames. Gargano can move to 205 live, take the belt off Buddy (as he moves to SDL to fight Joe please) and wait for Ciampa to heal (heel?) up.

FOR THE NXT UK CHAMPIONSHIP: Pete Dunne (c) vs. WALTER - Feels like WALTER has to win this to really establish him but I can certainly see Dunne getting away with some dirty tactics to retain. 

FOR THE NXT TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP: War Raiders (c) vs. Ricochet/Aleister Black - War Raiders retain in a 4 star match. This is like Zayn v Nakamura; it's for the NXT crowd to say thank you & goodbye.

FATAL 4 WAY FOR THE NXT WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP: Shayna Baszler(c) vs. Io Shirai vs. Bianca Belair vs. Kairi Sane - Calling Bel Air taking the title and pinning Baszler to do it. Shayna gets the post Mania call up to tag with Ronda v Becky/Charlotte at the next PPV.

FOR THE NXT NORTH AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIP: Velveteen Dream (c) vs. Matt Riddle - Give it to Riddle and let the Dream move up to challenge Cole. Either that or let Keith Lee lose on the entire roster...