Before the Royal Rumble event, the NXT stars looked to steal some of the spotlight with an array of big matches to kick off the year. Shinsuke Nakamura looks to successfully defend his NXT Championship against a steamrolling Bobby Roode.
Match 1: Tye Dillinger vs. Eric Young
For weeks, Tye Dillinger was being recruited by Eric Young to join his team in Sanity only for Dillinger to reject his offer as the two face off in the opening bout. Of course, the crowd is hot and really into Dillinger as Young makes his usual entrance with his guys cornering him. This was my first time seeing Young wrestle in a WWE ring and can't help but feel so happy for this guy who worked his way from years on end in TNA. Good match here that relied heavily on Alexander Wolfe and Killian Dain being constant distractions that inevitably led to Young hitting his neckbreaker finish to score the win. Good opening match here but am very curious to see who Triple H had more stock in despite the finish.
Winner: Eric Young
Rating: **3/4
Match 2: Andrade Cien Almas vs. Roderick Strong
Much like seeing Eric Young in a WWE ring, it is still strange to see the same in Roderick Strong. But damn, it has certainly been a long time coming. With that being said, an opponent like Andrade Cien Almas should not be overlooked. He plays the role of an arrogant heel with the good looks as good as anyone on the NXT roster. Fine match here with Almas able to display his creative offense while doing his best to not get his back broken by Strong. However, a Sick Kick from Strong was enough for him to score the win over Almas. Good match to follow the opener and good chemistry from the two here, would definitely love to see both guys on the main roster at some point.
Winner: Roderick Strong
Rating: **3/4
Match 3: NXT Tag Team Championships - #DIY (c) vs. The Authors of Pain
Accompanied by the legendary manager Paul Ellering, The Authors of Pain debuted with a bang and won their chance against Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano of #DIY. I had the opportunity to attend this event in person and it was actually my first time seeing The Authors of Pain. The crowd did not seem to be so interested in the two but I could not help but marvel at how quick they were for their size. This was a great match between the two teams with #DIY (wondering if I should continue to use the hashtag for them) only getting the advantage during the match when they double teamed someone. It was their way of displaying how much of a cohesive unit they were while also letting the audience know how dominant The Authors of Pain truly were. Finish came when The Authors of Pain hit their sweet Super Collider finisher while following it up with their Last Chapter to win the match and put an end to the short reign of #DIY as the NXT Tag Team Champions. There was definitely a huge collective sound of disappointment from the crowd but I think we all knew just how good The Authors of Pain were after this match.
Winners: The Authors of Pain
Rating: ***3/4
Match 4: NXT Women's Championship - Asuka (c) vs. Nikki Cross vs. Billie Kay vs. Peyton Royce
With Nikki Cross being the wild card in the contest, the undefeated NXT Women's Champion in Asuka has her hands full as she must go up against three other competitors for her gold. How cool is it to not have to groan whenever a female steps into the ring these days? These ladies brought it and the action was every bit as intense as from the previous matches. While it was pretty evident that Asuka was not going to lose here, the other competitors certainly put up a great fight and one of the highlights of the entire night came when Billy Kay and Peyton Royce drove Nikki Cross through a table off the announce table. However, back in the ring, they were not able to successfully double team the champion as a tornado of kicks from Asuka is able to put the ladies away as she retains the title. Great match leading into the main event and another great showing for Asuka.
Winner: Asuka
Rating: ***1/2
Match 5: NXT Championship - Shinsuke Nakamura (c) vs. Bobby Roode
Both men come out to some pretty epic entrances as they face off in one of the biggest main events in NXT history. The crowd was absolutely hot for this one. They were pretty loud throughout the entire show but they for sure were a little louder for this one. They certainly embraced the crowd for the first half of the match as they let the rowdy audience take control with dueling chants. However, it almost felt like they could not get out of the first gear and the match became more style than actual substance. Shinsuke Nakamura hit his patented Kinshasa finisher to Bobby Roode but seemingly hurt his leg in the process and was not able to make the cover. The doctors came out and checked on him before Nakamura got back in the ring only to be hit with a Glorious DDT, a submission and another Glorious DDT to eat the biggest loss of his career. Too much emphasis was placed on Nakamura's injury for the second half of the match and it almost took many out of the drama because of how long it was taking. However, Roode is a perfect face to represent NXT and it was glorious to see him as the top dog of the show.
Winner: Bobby Roode
Rating: ***1/4
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
Another review, another great NXT TakeOver show. Love how the WWE do these shows prior to their biggest PPV events. The crowd was hot and the action delivered despite the main event somewhat being a letdown. However, that is not to say that it should deter you from checking out this edition of TakeOver. Onto the Rumble...
Rating: 7/10
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