Takeover: Brooklyn II thoughts from being at the event:
I was seated a few rows behind and the second to the left of where Flair, Foley, etc. were seated for matches and near the time keeper area. Izzy was in that section until they moved her to where she was in the Bayley match.
Not sure if the dark matches aired yet, as I not seen NXT this week.
Dark Match 1, Tye Dillinger vs. Wesley Blake:
Despite the arena still filling in during this match, Tye Dillinger was over and everyone chanted "10" loudly enough to make it seem like the arena was full. Not sure how it came off on TV yet, but it was a good match. Dillinger has been in development for a long time, and I really think if he can somehow push the gimmick to the next level, he can be a top guy and NXT Champion. I really don't think people would question it if he won. Every wrestler from the main roster who were making returns or otherwise have praised Dillinger's ring work and how he is an extremely good hand.
It's easy to see why they put him in big debut matches for wrestlers coming into NXT. I do think it's put him in a strange position due to the fact that he's such a good hand, they can't move him either higher on the card or to the main roster.
Dark Match 2, TM61 vs. AoP:
The match was what it was. I've enjoyed TM61 in Noah, but they're still trying to find a groove in NXT. Right now, they've been pretty much enhancement talent, which is okay until they can put it together. AoP need a new finish because for their size, it doesn't work for me.
A Double vs. NWJ:
So before NWJ cut that awesome promo, my friend sent me a few of his heel promos on the indy circuit, which show that he can talk and has potential beyond the fun gimmick. That promo portrayed that well, so there is a lot of room for his character to grow and that is important in evolving a gimmick. I was still not convinced of his wrestling, but in this match against Aries, NWJ held his own and he has an awesome right hand.
NWJ received a big pop and really stepped up in terms of performance in the ring by toning down the dancing and fun during the match, IMO. Aries' pop was huge, dude was over like Rover. His dive got a thumbs up from Flair, which was cool. Both Aries and NWJ really set the tone for the night with the pace and us in the crowd really being hot during the two counts and throughout. It didn't come across on TV, but when Aries locked in the Last Chancery to close the match, we were all yelling "Tap! Tap! Tap!" Really great opener and probably was better than expected which benefited the match.
I was hoping with the post match beat down that we would get more Aries/NWJ, but with Itami coming out, I don't mind this program at all even if it's setting up a push for Itami. Before his brief program with NWJ, Aries was pretty much just an experienced body to fill the NXT roster, which is a huge waste of his talent. This to all people on the roster really, when they have a program to work, fans with care about them more. When Itami's music hit, it blew the roof off the arena and I really enjoy suit wearing while kicking ass Itami. It's such a good look.
Ember Moon vs. Billie Kay:
Billie Kay's been constantly evolving her character and has been progressing really well. I don't really enjoy debuts where the person, in this case Ember Moon, is on the receiving end for the entire match, with only flashes of offense and a quick finish. Athena was probably one of the best indy workers before signing with NXT and it was awesome seeing the crowd react to her finish. She's going to do great and I can't wait to see what they do with her.
Andrade Almas vs. Bobby Roooooooooooooo:
The entrance for Roode was, in fact, glorious! I'm not sure why they keep putting Almas in a position where he's going to be against someone so over. It happened with him facing Dillinger, as Dillinger is extremely over, it was not a surprise the crowd didn't receive Almas well. The difference, though, between that match and Almas' match with Roode was he was able to draw the crowd with his ring work. Great debut for Roode and a good enough match for both guys. Not sure why Roode doesn't use the Pay Off/Perfect Plex as a finisher or the Roode Bomb over this pumphandle slam.
As for Almas, I still firmly believe the rumors of the CWC being the vehicle to get him over, but I'm not really sure what happened with him not even being a part of it. Facing Dillinger killed Almas' debut even if it was a big Takeover, they should have put him against anyone else. I'm still not sure what the gimmick is with the suspenders, but he should go to wearing the suit he used to in Mexico. The only way to really salvage Almas is to turn him heel. He was a great in Mexico as a heel. Bit of a rant unrelated to NXT, but he should have never lost his mask in Mexico. It never made sense for it to happen and his mask is very unique. It could have made him stand out in NXT more. At this point, they should have Almas rock the suit with the mask as an entrance, and then remove it before the match.
I mean, look at this:
NXT Tag Championship Match, The Revival vs. DIY:
I feel like the Revival don't get enough credit for their work on the mic and especially in the ring with how they are able to use heel tactics very well in their matches. They vary their tactics just enough where it doesn't seem like you're seeing the same big match from them every time.
That's not to say that the teams they faced haven't done their part, they absolutely have, but if you take those teams out of the equation, the Revival are guys that know how to tell a story in the ring and get the fans invested in their matches. Gargano and Ciampa were already over from their excellent tag matches in the past, to their phenomenal match in the CWC. Gargano is over and can work, but Ciampa is pretty underrated, IMO, in terms of ring work.
This match had the crowd even with the slow start, and all those excellent false finishes were amazing. I really thought this would be Gargano and Ciampa's night due to the CWC, but then they lost. Even though the finish was great (although Gargano was a bit too close to the ropes for it to seem like he didn't have a choice but to tap), the wrong guys won. After the match, they really focused on Ciampa and an upset Gargano. The feeling in the arena was anxiety for when Ciampa would turn on Gargano for losing a big match. It didn't happen though, so I expect they might get another shot at the next Takeover.
NXT Women's Championship Match, Bayley vs. Asuka:
I enjoyed this match a lot, and everyone felt this was Bayley's send off match. She got a huge pop, as did Asuka, but I like how this matched played out. The setup for this rematch was a bit shakey, but there was ton of emotion and I loved the no sell to the finish. They told a really good story in the ring with Bayley bringing out her fighting spirit to try and stop Asuka, but it was all for naught. Speaking of finishes, that rolling Asuka Lock from that standing cross arm breaker style was cool as hell. I actually thought this match was better than the first one, but I think I'm in the minority here.
NXT Championship Match, Nakamura vs Samoa Joe:
Seeing Nakamura's entrance with the violinist was pretty damn amazing. The people were all humming his theme and then Joe came out to people chanting his name. I loved the clash between entrances.
This match was exactly what it needed to be, IMO. It was hard hitting and slow, which I know a lot of people didn't enjoy about the match, but not everything needs to ramp up to 100 all the time. I don't think Joe should have lost though. I wanted to see more of Joe in killer mode being a monster hell champ.
I know Joe tweeted something about his jaw afterwards, but I felt as if it wasn't a legit injury due to what happened after the show. When Joe headed to the back, both on-hand medical guys at ringside put their gloves on and escorted him to the back quickly. As the showed ended, the two came back, very relaxed and joking around while packing up their bags from ringside. So to me, their sense of urgency was lacking and therefore, I don't think it was a legit injury. Then again it could have been a minor dislocation that was put in place without incident. From ringside perspective though, it just seemed like a sell.
Overall, it was a great show and the tag match was the match of the night, even if I think the wrong team won. Even as everyone exited the arena, fans were still humming Nakamura's theme all the way to the train station.
Side Note:
This worked shoot between Miz and DBry is pointless if Bryan isn't going to return. It benefits no one to do an angle where the guy can't get a receipt. Even if DBry gets someone to face Miz for him, Miz can just play it up that someone needs to fight Bryan's battles for him.
Miz has been doing great work since the the Mizdow angle began, even if he still isn't the best wrestler in the ring, he should get another run as a World Champion. He was never ready for that first WWE Championship run, but he's definitely ready for it now. To be honest, Miz doesn't need the IC title anymore and hasn't needed it for a while now.
Same goes for Jericho, he's doing great work as a heel despite slowing down in the ring, and he should get another run.
And the same goes for Slater. I've been a fan of his since making 3MB working. He's making it work, IMO. I'm not saying
Congrats to KO winning the championship. That was such a great moment, and I didn't expect him to win. He definitely deserves it after all of the work he has been putting in not only WWE, but his entire career.
Better yet, Adam Rose.
