NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn II

[RIPPA]

 

[JonnyLaw]

52 minutes ago, Ace said:

They're running out of dudes for Joe to fight, though. The only top babyface besides Nakamura that he hasn't beaten is Itami.

 

I think Nakamura will win the feud/title, but this is just the first match.  Joe goes over strong, Nakamura wins a battle royal or some other match to get his #1 contender spot back, gets serious and drops the nose honking/troll joking stuff, and goes over Joe strong.  By that point, Roode or Aries or someone else will have been built up as the next ace in waiting.

[The Natural]

Is Samoa Joe vs. Shinsuke Nakamura the most anticipated match in NXT history? Only matches I can think of are Sasha Banks vs. Bayley at NXT Takeover: Brooklyn, NXT TakeOver: Respect and Sami Zayn vs. Shinsuke Nakamura at NXT TakeOver: Dallas.

[JCM]

If main roster call ups weren't a factor I'd have Bayley and Joe winning at Takeover. Asuka can go full psycho heel after a loss, and Nak needs to have at least one set back on his way to the title. However, I think they need both Bayley and Joe on the MR so I could see them losing.

Joe vs Nak - Joe wins clean to set up Nak getting more of an edge.

Bayley vs Asuka - Bayley comes up just short and has her NXT send off moment after a great match.

The Revival vs Ciampa & Gargano - Revival retain(possible via questionable tactics) to set up a rematch. I think the Revival need to hold the belts until they get called up.

Roode goes over (duh)

Aries over Jose. I think Aries will give Jose enough and make him look strong in defeat. Aries needs to be kept strong for an Itami feud.

Ember goes over (duh)

 

 

[NikoBaltimore]

1 hour ago, The Natural said:

Is Samoa Joe vs. Shinsuke Nakamura the most anticipated match in NXT history? Only matches I can think of are Sasha Banks vs. Bayley at NXT Takeover: Brooklyn, NXT TakeOver: Respect and Sami Zayn vs. Shinsuke Nakamura at NXT TakeOver: Dallas.

I'd say Bayley/Sasha by a wide margin.  There was so much anticipation the actual main event was a relative afterthought.  I'm excited for Joe/Nak, but it doesn't have the emotional investment that last year did.  The rest are cool-ass matches that you just know were/are going to be fun to watch.

[offspring515]

1 hour ago, The Natural said:

Is Samoa Joe vs. Shinsuke Nakamura the most anticipated match in NXT history? Only matches I can think of are Sasha Banks vs. Bayley at NXT Takeover: Brooklyn, NXT TakeOver: Respect and Sami Zayn vs. Shinsuke Nakamura at NXT TakeOver: Dallas.

Maybe Sami vs. KO? Match didn't deliver on that level because Sami was hurt but the storyline leading up to it was fantastic.

[The Natural]

4 minutes ago, NickMD said:

I'd say Bayley/Sasha by a wide margin.  There was so much anticipation the actual main event was a relative afterthought.  I'm excited for Joe/Nak, but it doesn't have the emotional investment that last year did.  The rest are cool-ass matches that you just know were/are going to be fun to watch.

Good reply. I looked forward to both Banks vs. Bayley TakeOver matches. The main event of Brooklyn, Balor vs. Owens for the NXT Championship in a Ladder match was slept on with Banks vs. Bayley.

3 minutes ago, offspring515 said:

Maybe Sami vs. KO? Match didn't deliver on that level because Sami was hurt but the storyline leading up to it was fantastic.

That's a good pick. I forgot about both of them last year. The only Zayn-Owens match I'd have above those two for sure is the Battleground 2016 match.

[NikoBaltimore]

I had to watch Balor/Owens on its own to appreciate and remember what they did.  But in the buildup I could only care so much because of the match before it.  Regarding Sami/KO, that is a close second.  It helps that NXT's audience knows exactly what they referring to in that story, and they built it up as well as they without mentioning Sami's alter ego.

[Cristobal]

Asuka/Bayley was pretty hotly anticipated once Bayley became the Last Horsewoman Standing and Asuka was the clear class of the rest of the division.

[DreamBroken]

Kinda wish Billie Kay wasn't just Ember's first opponent. Ember's great of course but I think Kay is one of the best talents there too and they were building her up solidly with squashes so I'd rather see her push continue. Hopefully it gets a decent amount of time anyways, they had a real good match against each other in Shimmer back in 2011.

[Go2Sleep]

Zayn/Neville was a highly anticipated match too. They had mostly been kept apart, looked better in the ring than everyone else in 2014 NXT, had lots of drama surrounding whether or not one of them would turn, plus Sami finally "winning the big one."

Also, I disagree with the idea that Nakamura needs to be more serious. He's already shown he can go in the ring to the point where people buy him as top guy/legit threat. His goofy stoner charisma and laid back charm is what sets him way apart from everyone on the roster, no reason to change that if the crowds are hot for it. It's weird to see people suggest that someone who is successful with an atypical WWE main event personality needs to be more like every other WWE main eventer.

[The Man Known as Dan]

I don't think they need to change Nakamura, they just need to establish him as mortal. He's gotta lose some time, and if he takes the belt now, he has no real challenger lined up. Let Joe win this one, then build to a rematch.

[Jamal]

2 hours ago, DreamBroken said:

Kinda wish Billie Kay wasn't just Ember's first opponent. Ember's great of course but I think Kay is one of the best talents there too and they were building her up solidly with squashes so I'd rather see her push continue. Hopefully it gets a decent amount of time anyways, they had a real good match against each other in Shimmer back in 2011.

I'm with you. Hopefully Billie goes wild, after losing, and attacks Ember, leading to a program. 

[RIPPA]

In "shocking" news - scalpers bought all the tickets to Takeover and you can find tickets for as cheap as $10 on the secondary market

Apprently in the new Observer - Dave says the are thinking of implementing a 4 ticket limit per purchase in the future.

[Eivion]

7 hours ago, El Dragon said:

I don't think they need to change Nakamura, they just need to establish him as mortal. He's gotta lose some time, and if he takes the belt now, he has no real challenger lined up. Let Joe win this one, then build to a rematch.

Roode & Aries wouldn't be viable challengers after Nakamura wins the belt and then beats Joe in a rematch a good month or two later? Itami couldn't be built up by then?

[Phantom Lord]

5 hours ago, RIPPA said:

In "shocking" news - scalpers bought all the tickets to Takeover and you can find tickets for as cheap as $10 on the secondary market

Apprently in the new Observer - Dave says the are thinking of implementing a 4 ticket limit per purchase in the future.

I'm looking on Stubhub and see a lot of cheap seats in the lower levels. I've never ordered off Stubhub before. Is it good if one gets the tickets from them?

[Go2Sleep]

I've never gotten anything cheap off Stubhub, but it's very reliable. You can usually either print the tickets right after you order or have them sent to your phone.

[The Man Known as Dan]

5 hours ago, Eivion said:

Roode & Aries wouldn't be viable challengers after Nakamura wins the belt and then beats Joe in a rematch a good month or two later? Itami couldn't be built up by then?

 

Aries already lost a fall to Nak, and no, I don't buy Itami or Roode as being at Joe or Naks level. Heck, I don't think Roode beats Andrade.

[RIPPA]

11 hours ago, RIPPA said:

In "shocking" news - scalpers bought all the tickets to Takeover and you can find tickets for as cheap as $10 on the secondary market

Apprently in the new Observer - Dave says the are thinking of implementing a 4 ticket limit per purchase in the future.

The exact quote

Quote

Because NXT tapings tickets at Full Sail University are so limited, they are now limiting each order to four tickets max and only two orders per household. I think the issue at the first cruiserweight classic where people thought it was going to be a super hot ticket, the secondary market bought out the building and then I guess couldn’t unload them since only 250 people came may have led to this.

 

[nofuture]

Asuka pretty much wrote an essay about this weekend match over 3 Instagram posts.  Spoilered for length. 

Spoiler

“NXT Women’s Champion”

I take on Bayley for a rematch for the NXT Women’s Championship at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn II tomorrow.

It was last year’s TakeOver: Brooklyn that I made my first appearance to
the WWE scenes. As you may remember, the camera caught me in the
audience next to “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair and Sgt. Slaughter. Soon
after that, a press conference was held in Tokyo to officially announce
my signing with WWE. At the press conference, I clearly said “Now that I
am on the roster, the women’s division of WWE should be more exciting
than ever." Almost a year since then. I will be coming back to Brooklyn
tomorrow. But this time, I will be stepping in the ring as the NXT
Women’s Champion.

For the WWE Universe all over the world hardly
waiting for the ASUKA-Bayley II, let me share my thoughts on my first
year with WWE as well as Bayley. Hope this will be a good seasoning to
further enjoy the rematch.

Bayley was the NXT Women’s Champion
when I started my career with WWE in Orlando, FL. Being a champion means
being a symbol of the division. Therefore, I took her as a symbol of
the women’s division and learned about it through her sayings and
doings. By doing so, I could easily imagine that she must have gone
through numerous hardships and struggles over the course of her career
to win the championship.

On the other hand, having long experience of working for many
wrestling promotions as freelancer, I knew what the best and fastest way
to get recognition in a new environment was: taking the shortest cut to
win the championship on the big stage. To make it happen at NXT as
well, I needed to beat Bayley no matter what it would take. Considering
her great history with NXT that made her the most favored Diva on the
roster, I decided to leave no place for sentiment in my quest for the
championship. You know what happened then, don’t you? Getting a title
shot after about 6 months, I defeated Bayley to win the Women’s
Championship at NXT TakeOver: Dallas this April. As I had worked
frantically day in day out until winning the title, the 6 months passed
by like a flash. Right after winning the Championship, I thought I might
finally be able to take a breather, but it didn’t happen. In my
opinion, the value of the champion belt depends on the quality of the
champion. I believe that people all over the world have been judging the
NXT Women’s Division by the reigning champion, me, since this past
April. In this regard, I take pride in fulfilling the pledge I made to
the WWE Universe at the press conference held in Tokyo last September by
bringing what you had never seen before into the NXT scenes, which I
hope you enjoy.
I am proud of myself for having won many titles and
then worked hard to gain prestige of those titles over more the course
of my career. But that was not for a major organization/promotion like
NXT. I have to admit that the pressure on my shoulders is enormous!
Since winning the championship about 4 months ago, I have been feeling
the responsibility for continuing delivering memorable, exciting moments
in the women’s division for the WWE Universe. To be honest, I used to
consider myself approaching perfection as female sports entertainer with
little room for further growth. Well, I was wrong! The 4-month reign as
the NXT Women’s Champion allowed me to grow more than ever. I am
determined to continue making all efforts to reach higher levels as a
champion of the No.1 sports entertainment company in the world.

There are 2 things I have special interest in about the
ASUKA-Bayley II. First: my winning streak. I am still undefeated. Now I
am also very curious about who stops me. Bayley? Someone else? Nobody
knows. One thing I can say for sure is she must be very very good to
beat me. At TakeOver: Brooklyn II, I will face Bayley one on one to see
if it is Bayley she can put an end to my streak. Hope the WWE Universe
also enjoy

Second: Bayley’s character. She is a high-integrity
person. I have never seen anyone as immaculate as Bayley. The problem is
the dark side of me wakes up when I face such an immaculate person. At
Dallas, I could manage to control the dark side. But I am not sure if I
can do it again. It makes even myself intimidated to imagine that I
might blacken the pure white this time.
Well, NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn
II takes place tomorrow. In addition to the ASUKA-Bayley II, Shinsuke
Nakamura makes his challenge to the NXT Championship and Ember Moon
makes her debut. Let’s enjoy witnessing the history of NXT turns its new
page.

 

[JonnyLaw]

Ok, I'm pretty pumped for that match now.

[NikoBaltimore]

23 minutes ago, nofuture said:

At
Dallas, I could manage to control the dark side. But I am not sure if I
can do it again. It makes even myself intimidated to imagine that I
might blacken the pure white this time.

This part makes me wonder if she's going to full face paint like she used to do in Japan.  Kind of like a super rare version of what Finn does.  If so that'd be pretty cool.

[nofuture]

Whoever beats Asuka becomes a made person, which is why I don't think Bayley should win.  She's already got on foot out the door to the main roster so she doesn't need the rub.  Asuka should totally go dark and evil and destroy Bayley.  Let her rule over the women's division until someone new can de-throne her.

[NikoBaltimore]

I'm still of the belief Ember Moon will be the one to defeat Asuka and it'll be grand.  If Asuka goes to the dark side then with proper build this should make for an exciting feud.  It makes sense for Bayley to lose, but it will still pain me to see that.

[Ramsey]

33 minutes ago, nofuture said:

Whoever beats Asuka becomes a made person, which is why I don't think Bayley should win.  She's already got on foot out the door to the main roster so she doesn't need the rub.  Asuka should totally go dark and evil and destroy Bayley.  Let her rule over the women's division until someone new can de-throne her.

Absolutely agree. Make Asuka the damn near supernatural monster that crushes everyone until the superhero comes along that can rise up to her level. It's great, yet simple, booking.