WWE NXT Takeover: Brooklyn

by **Dolphin Ziggler** Fri Aug 21, 2015 2:17 am

The start of WWE's huge weekend is the biggest NXT event to date in front of a sold out Brooklyn crowd.

1 Finn Bálor (c) vs. Kevin Owens Ladder match for the NXT Championship
2 Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Tyler Breeze Singles match
3 Blake and Murphy (c) vs. The Vaudevillains (Aiden English and Simon Gotch) Tag team match for the NXT Tag Team Championship
4 Sasha Banks (c) vs. Bayley Singles match for the NXT Women's Championship
5 Baron Corbin vs. Samoa Joe Singles match
6 Apollo Crews vs. Tye Dillinger Singles match
7 Enzo Amore, Colin Cassady, Zack Ryder and Mojo Rawley vs. Jason Jordan, Chad Gable, Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder Eight-man tag team match
8 Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte vs. Dana Brooke vs. Emma Fatal four-way match
9 Bull Dempsey vs. Elias Samson Singles match
10 Carmella vs. Eva Marie

Another very good card, although with more filler than SummerSlam. There is definite intrigue around Apollo Crew, and some around Bull Dempsey, but otherwise you're looking at the title match, Jushin Thunder Liger and then the womens title match to steal the show. I really hope Joe goes over Corbin and it should be a real test of Corbin's credentials having worked nothing but squash matches for a while.

I would think that Blake and Murphy should retain for now but the Vaudevillains are an entertaining pair. Alexa Bliss' emergence is another reason why the champs should retain, she's grown as a valet and suddenly looks a real talent.

At the very least we should also get to see how NXT is restoring the double-team moves into their tag teams, and the 8 man tag match will showcase that. Wilder, Dawson, Gable and Jordan are somewhat easy to forget, but they have made real effort to use in-ring talent to push past the character void.

Discuss my friends, and remember that from Saturday night onwards there will be spoilers.

by Dr Gregory House MD Fri Aug 21, 2015 2:27 am

Can't wait for my girl to finally get her moment in the sun #huglife

Also looking forward to seeing Uhaa and Lyger debut in a WWE ring, Crews is going to blow some minds when he gets his Poopie in

The main event has real promise I think we're getting a coup de graces off the top of the ladder which should be quality

Overall I can't wait #Bayley for champ #Huglife #Dancingbaloonmen

by Fernando Sun Aug 23, 2015 8:26 am

NXT Takeover Results:

by Fernando Sun Aug 23, 2015 8:29 am

NXT will embark on a seven city tour of the United Kingdom from Thursday, December 10th through Wednesday, December 16, 2015.

NXT’s tour of the United Kingdom will include the following locations:

· December 10: Metro Radio Arena in Newcastle

· December 11: The SSE Hydro in Glasgow

· December 12: Sheffield Arena in Sheffield

· December 13: Empress Ballroom in Blackpool

· December 14: Capital FM Arena in Nottingham

· December 15: Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff

· December 16: The SSE Wembley Arena in London

by Guest Sun Aug 23, 2015 11:32 am

The Bayley/Banks match is by far the best womens match I've ever seen.

Everything about it was perfect, even the curtain call afterwards. Bravo ladies clap

by Gregers Sun Aug 23, 2015 11:56 am

FreekShow wrote:The Bayley/Banks match is by far the best womens match I've ever seen.

Everything about it was perfect, even the curtain call afterwards. Bravo ladies

Totally agree. What a match, for me that's match of the year so far regardless of men or women

by Samo Sun Aug 23, 2015 5:25 pm

Excellent, excellent show.

Breeze vs Liger was an awesome exhibition for Liger, pretty sure he'll be heading into the Hall of Fame sometime soon. Tyler Breeze was awesome as always.

Good tag match. Im amazed that Blue Pants got as huge a pop as she did. Told a good story throughout and im glad to see the titles off of Blake and Murphy, its about time someone else had a shot - and I cant think of a more deserving team than the Vaudevillains.

Uhaa Nation - sorry, Apollo Crews - is the real deal. An awesome talent and an excellent signing for NXT. He's much watch.

Samoa Joe vs Corbin was everything it should have been, which was a fight between two strong dudes. I think Corbin did a brilliant job and credit to Joe for helping him. He's starting to show he's got a lot more in his locker than his squash matches would suggest, and he's a better character in Heel mode.

Bayley/Banks was incredible. Better than Banks/Lynch. A serious Match of the Year candidate. Watch this match.

Owens/Balor was as good a ladder match as you'll see. Started in 5th gear and stayed there throughout. I liked that the ladder didnt come into play right away, and that they saved the really brutal spots to the end - without it getting to ridiculous levels like Ambrose/Rollins.

by **Dolphin Ziggler** Sun Aug 23, 2015 6:49 pm

I'd agree with the four bits in the middle, but have to say Liger seemed more about Liger being in a ring than anything else. Thought it was a sloppy match.

And whilst the main event was good, I was a little disappointed due to the high standards I had set out for the both of them, and because the match of the year had been on before them so raised expectation levels.

Gonna go against the grain so far and say as cute as the 4 Horsewoman bit was, kayfabe dies right there. Becky and Charlotte just love Sasha so much ahead of their match tomorrow where they are clear rivals. Let alone the fact she's been the heel in that division they all hate, but Sasha remains one on the main roster. One of the weaknesses of NXT was laid out in that moment; self-indulgence of the fans which reflected into the ring. Felt like "we're NXT so we do what we want." I don't care if everybody knows wrestling is fake, stories are not real based on characters, if Sasha Banks isn't friends with Charlotte and Becky now then its stupid.

by Samo Sun Aug 23, 2015 7:29 pm

Dolphin Ziggler wrote:
Gonna go against the grain so far and say as cute as the 4 Horsewoman bit was, kayfabe dies right there. Becky and Charlotte just love Sasha so much ahead of their match tomorrow where they are clear rivals. Let alone the fact she's been the heel in that division they all hate, but Sasha remains one on the main roster. One of the weaknesses of NXT was laid out in that moment; self-indulgence of the fans which reflected into the ring. Felt like "we're NXT so we do what we want." I don't care if everybody knows wrestling is fake, stories are not real based on characters, if Sasha Banks isn't friends with Charlotte and Becky now then its stupid.

I thought it felt alot like The Kliq when they were split up. Its a safe assumption Charlotte wont be back on NXT, Banks will maybe have her rematch and Lynch will get another month or two, so its almost like a feel good moment before all 4 of them end up on the main roster permanently.

NXT has always been seen as a separate entity with separate characters. It was only a couple of years ago that Big E was the face NXT champion while being a heel with Dolph Ziggler on the main show. The lines are being blurred more recently but they have still be drawn. I didnt mind it at all, and I thought it was an excellent ending to an excellent match. A true celebration of the Womans wrestling renaissance.

by RanjitPatel Sun Aug 23, 2015 7:49 pm

I watched most of takeover before going to work and must echo the sentiments on the women's match. I'd seen Banks on TV before but hadn't seen her wrestle (or Bayley) but I could see what the fuss is about in the first few minutes. Banks had the crowd eating out of the palm of her hand. The match was brilliant too and was sold well through the commentary.

I enjoyed the Joe v Corbin match. It was about time we found out if Corbin can work a match and he can. They gelled well together I thought.

Missed the main event but caught Balor winning. I haven't seen yet what's so special about him. Just seems like a minus 5 Daniel Bryan.

by **Dolphin Ziggler** Sun Aug 23, 2015 9:54 pm

Samo wrote:
Dolphin Ziggler wrote:
Gonna go against the grain so far and say as cute as the 4 Horsewoman bit was, kayfabe dies right there. Becky and Charlotte just love Sasha so much ahead of their match tomorrow where they are clear rivals. Let alone the fact she's been the heel in that division they all hate, but Sasha remains one on the main roster. One of the weaknesses of NXT was laid out in that moment; self-indulgence of the fans which reflected into the ring. Felt like "we're NXT so we do what we want." I don't care if everybody knows wrestling is fake, stories are not real based on characters, if Sasha Banks isn't friends with Charlotte and Becky now then its stupid.

I thought it felt alot like The Kliq when they were split up. Its a safe assumption Charlotte wont be back on NXT, Banks will maybe have her rematch and Lynch will get another month or two, so its almost like a feel good moment before all 4 of them end up on the main roster permanently.

NXT has always been seen as a separate entity with separate characters. It was only a couple of years ago that Big E was the face NXT champion while being a heel with Dolph Ziggler on the main show. The lines are being blurred more recently but they have still be drawn. I didnt mind it at all, and I thought it was an excellent ending to an excellent match. A true celebration of the Womans wrestling renaissance.

But it isnt at all separate nowadays. The fact is that Cesaro was there giving a hand to Balor for a reason, Team BAD were in the front row for a reason. This is a completely different NXT to the one that saw Big E as a power.

It was indulgence, and I will admit that I expected you to defend it Samo because you do indulge NXT in its whims. The fact of the matter is they were advertising a show for the next night where Sasha was to face Becky and Charlotte. I get that it was a feel good moment, and it was probably personally enjoyable for them, but it was one of many problems wrestling has today. The suspension of disbelief is important in entertainment, and WWE in particular doesn't care. Some wrestlers do and probably wouldn't go against it by choice, but I see those 4 women as little HHH prodigies and HHH wants his desires indulged at all times. Owens wouldn't be involved in such a thing in such an obvious way, and it was galling to me to see him spoken down to as part of that security team bit for Taker and Lesnar. I would never expect him to hug it out with Zayn in a months time because they were both making their full-time move up to Raw.

I don't want my wrestling to remind me its scripted.

by Prometheus Fri Sep 04, 2015 4:16 pm

Finally got round to watching this. A good show overall.

by Prometheus Tue Sep 08, 2015 10:29 am

Here's my breakdown.

Jushin Liger / Tyler Breeze
Having seen Liger numerous times in New Japan this year, I miss the excitement around him being in a WWE ring. This was okay. If Breeze doesn't get a call up to WWE soon, then he'd probably find a home in New Japan with those kicks. 3*

Blake & Murphy / Vaudevillains
I'm not sure how a tag team called the Vaudevillains, who look like they tie damsels to railway lines in their spare time can be faces, but I'll put that aside. This was the best showing of English and Gotch. But I hated two aspects of this match. Firstly the WWE trope that heels have to slow the match with headlocks and chinlocks, we must have seen about half a dozen of those from Blake & Murphy and it feels so early 90s. Then I can't get Blue Pants, but I guess the crowd did. 2.5*

Tye Dillinger / Apollo Crews
Uhaa Nation looked awesome on his debut. Full of charisma and they got the spots in to show what he does. There's obviously much more to come, but this is a great set up for him. 2.5*

Baron Corbin / Samoa Joe
Someone told me to watch this to see more of Corbin. I have to admit that he did two good things here. Firstly, he didn't gas, so it's good to see that he has some conditioning. And secondly, he sold well, which some of these former footballers sometimes don't want to do. Beyond that his offence is basic, but he put a submission on Joe and he was perfectly competent. Joe is pretty much working on cruise control in this match, but he was effective to good. 3.5*

Banks / Bayley
I see people saying this is a MOTY contender, and if you think that, that's great. I doubt this is going to make my WWE top 10. There were good elements about this like the story of working the hand and the evolution of Bayley. But technically I thought this was a step below the Banks / Lynch match, and we had some odd initial pacing and a few botches (the double knee) and I'm just not that into Bayley. However, they had the crowd fully into this and pulled off a great reverse rana finish. 4*

Owens / Balor
I'm just not that into ladder matches. But this was one of the better ones, with the ladders used well as part of the story and a couple of great spots with them. I think my biggest problem here is Balor's connection with me. It's not there. I've seen a lot of his work as Prince Devitt and he oozes charisma and is someone you want to get behind, even as a heel. I don't know if its the Demon thing, or what, but I was behind Owens for the win. Owens was brilliant, every touch he does, sitting down where Balor did his entrance for example, is spot on his character. 3.5*

In summary. I've seen people who rated this above Summer Slam. I think that is mostly a reaction to the screwy finishes in WWE, and I can see why that grates, but I think (at least for now) the time is gone when NXT is better than WWE just because of all the talent (Neville, Zayn, Owens, the women) who have moved on. But, that's right and how it should be as for me NXT should still primarily be a developmental program.

by Dr Gregory House MD Tue Sep 08, 2015 11:51 am

Prometheus wrote:Here's my breakdown.

Banks / Bayley
I see people saying this is a MOTY contender, and if you think that, that's great. I doubt this is going to make my WWE top 10. There were good elements about this like the story of working the hand and the evolution of Bayley. But technically I thought this was a step below the Banks / Lynch match, and we had some odd initial pacing and a few botches (the double knee) and I'm just not that into Bayley. However, they had the crowd fully into this and pulled off a great reverse rana finish. 4*

.

I'm not normally one to tell people they're wrong but Frak off Prometheus!

by Prometheus Tue Sep 08, 2015 11:57 am

Dr Gregory House MD wrote:
Prometheus wrote:Here's my breakdown.

Banks / Bayley
I see people saying this is a MOTY contender, and if you think that, that's great. I doubt this is going to make my WWE top 10. There were good elements about this like the story of working the hand and the evolution of Bayley. But technically I thought this was a step below the Banks / Lynch match, and we had some odd initial pacing and a few botches (the double knee) and I'm just not that into Bayley. However, they had the crowd fully into this and pulled off a great reverse rana finish. 4*

.

I'm not normally one to tell people they're wrong but Frak off Prometheus!

You think this is a MOTY contender? In WWE I'd rate almost all the US title defences above this, for a start. And I definitely enjoyed the Banks / Lynch match more than this. But hey, I gave it 4*. It was good. I just don't think it was great. And I find it really hard to pull for a character who's been 2/3 children's TV presenter in the past. Plus, there's a real weakness in the two main events on this show. We know that Banks and Owens are not winning, they are in WWE now, this is their farewell match. And I mostly put that behind me, but it's there sitting at the back of your mind, like it or not.

by Samo Tue Sep 08, 2015 12:54 pm

From a purely technical, wrestling stand point - I would agree with you about Banks/Lynch being a better match. However, the story and build up to this match blows that one out the water. Bayley having to beat all the other women to prove herself worthy of a title shot, the injury being exploited in a brutal (at times) fashion, the little moments where they ALMOST made me believe Banks would retain again.

Sure, there were one or two blown spots, but it was nothing that broke my immersion in the story and ruined it for me. Its certainly in my top 3 WWE/NXT matches of the year and one of the best womans matches I've ever seen.

The reason I rate this higher than the US title challenges is that for the most part, while they've been very decent and produced some great matches they're entirely interchangable. They all followed the same basic formula and theres no one who took part who is in a better position for it other than Kevin Owens and arguably Cesaro.

I believe it was Dr House who said it (or Mr H, sorry if Im misremember): I'd take a 3 star match with a 5 star story of a 5 star match with a 3 star story. I think this analogy perfectly encapsulates the Bayley/Banks match vs the Cena Open Challenges.

by Prometheus Tue Sep 08, 2015 1:06 pm

Tastes are going to differ. And I'm certainly not going to say this was a bad match. But yeah, I'd take the Zayn / Cena, Neville / Cena, Cesaro / Cena and Owens / Cena matches over this.

Were they entirely interchangable? Well, my gut response is no (especially Owens), but I get where you are coming from. However, I could (and arguably here have) watched them over and over, which I really don't think I could say about the Bayley match.

The crowd obviously thought it was awesome. I've seen a lot of MOTY contender mentions. And that's great. But for me its just not that level. Still I thought it was MOTN.

Edit: As a side note, who else was in those US title matches. Because saying that Owens and Cesaro are the only ones in a better position doesn't miss much when Zayn was injured and we can argue by virtue of being in the main roster Neville is. I guess that falls back to Rusev, who I'd definitely agree has been knocked right down by the losses to Cena and the subsequent writing, but that's it, isn't it?

by Dr Gregory House MD Tue Sep 08, 2015 3:19 pm

Prometheus wrote:
Dr Gregory House MD wrote:
Prometheus wrote:Here's my breakdown.

Banks / Bayley
I see people saying this is a MOTY contender, and if you think that, that's great. I doubt this is going to make my WWE top 10. There were good elements about this like the story of working the hand and the evolution of Bayley. But technically I thought this was a step below the Banks / Lynch match, and we had some odd initial pacing and a few botches (the double knee) and I'm just not that into Bayley. However, they had the crowd fully into this and pulled off a great reverse rana finish. 4*

.

I'm not normally one to tell people they're wrong but Frak off Prometheus!

You think this is a MOTY contender? In WWE I'd rate almost all the US title defences above this, for a start. And I definitely enjoyed the Banks / Lynch match more than this. But hey, I gave it 4*. It was good. I just don't think it was great. And I find it really hard to pull for a character who's been 2/3 children's TV presenter in the past. Plus, there's a real weakness in the two main events on this show. We know that Banks and Owens are not winning, they are in WWE now, this is their farewell match. And I mostly put that behind me, but it's there sitting at the back of your mind, like it or not.

I was being a tad facetious with my last comment, and I think a lot of the points you made are valid but generally I think I did enjoy the match more than you.

Is it my MOTY? No but I think most puro fans have a clear answer to that question but I seriously would have it near the top if not at the top of my WWE MOTY and I would also say this may be the most 'emotionally satisfying' match of the year.

I am a self confessed Bayley mark, a hugger if you will, and I was big into her story, everything around this match was fantastic, the pre match hype package was among the best WWE have ever done, I marked hard for the entrances particularly Bayley's, and I'm not ashamed to admit I teared up a little after the bell.

In the ring I thought the match was excellent as well, was it as technically proficient as the Lynch match? Perhaps not (though I'd argue the most glaring botch in either match came in that one with the failed catch of the tope) but the action was exciting and told a great story around Bayley's hand.

When all is said and done I really feel this match, with the possible exception of Honma/Ishii, was the most emotionally satisfying match of the year and a strong contender for my top 10 matches of the year, because sometimes a match doesn't need to be the best to be the best of that makes sense.

by **Dolphin Ziggler** Tue Sep 08, 2015 3:34 pm

To me that's the best story NXT has told. It didn't feel self serving, a little bit arrogant or something only the NXT crowd would "get." As much as I loved Owens dismantling Zayn, a feel good story will always win when it comes to best stories if it's levelling out with a heel dominant one.

by Prometheus Tue Sep 08, 2015 3:38 pm

If I took a top 10 right now, it'd probably have 8 New Japan matches in. So, I think come the end of the year I'm probably going to have to have a New Japan and everything else list, or a New Japan, WWE / NXT and everything else list. And anyone who doesn't have one of the WK9 main events in the top spot just doesn't watch enough wrestling IMO.

Anyhow, moving on. I too will forgive botches, and I too will be swayed by the personality of the match (e.g. build up, the stakes at play, the crowd intensity). But, when you are not 100% into it, I think you are going to make a bigger deal that there was a botch, or the hand wasn't sold so well. Or whatever those who feel as I do that this match was good, but not great are saying.

And that is personal preference. If I come back to that WWE top 10, I would imagine that this match would be somewhere around 6-8 on my list right now. I think that there will be better matches still to come, so I don't think it will be there at the end of the year. But if it is in anyone else's top 10, or really high, that's their preference, I guess I'm just not a hugger.

Moving on from whether this was good or great. I'm really scared now that unless we get phase 2 of the divas revolution in WWE we have problems. The contrast between what is offered up by WWE and what NXT has provided is just quite scary. I think WWE now has to be brave, or it will botch this. And by brave, WWE has to cut some of its divas from wrestling. And with Total Divas, I don't see that. And I just can't see how you can have a good women's / divas division when they are carrying so many who are so limited in the ring. And as a fan, I'm going to be really disappointed if I'm wishing Becky, Charlotte & Sasha were back in NXT in 6 months time.

by Dr Gregory House MD Tue Sep 08, 2015 4:10 pm

Prometheus wrote:If I took a top 10 right now, it'd probably have 8 New Japan matches in. So, I think come the end of the year I'm probably going to have to have a New Japan and everything else list, or a New Japan, WWE / NXT and everything else list. And anyone who doesn't have one of the WK9 main events in the top spot just doesn't watch enough wrestling IMO.

Anyhow, moving on. I too will forgive botches, and I too will be swayed by the personality of the match (e.g. build up, the stakes at play, the crowd intensity). But, when you are not 100% into it, I think you are going to make a bigger deal that there was a botch, or the hand wasn't sold so well. Or whatever those who feel as I do that this match was good, but not great are saying.

And that is personal preference. If I come back to that WWE top 10, I would imagine that this match would be somewhere around 6-8 on my list right now. I think that there will be better matches still to come, so I don't think it will be there at the end of the year. But if it is in anyone else's top 10, or really high, that's their preference, I guess I'm just not a hugger.

Moving on from whether this was good or great. I'm really scared now that unless we get phase 2 of the divas revolution in WWE we have problems. The contrast between what is offered up by WWE and what NXT has provided is just quite scary. I think WWE now has to be brave, or it will botch this. And by brave, WWE has to cut some of its divas from wrestling. And with Total Divas, I don't see that. And I just can't see how you can have a good women's / divas division when they are carrying so many who are so limited in the ring. And as a fan, I'm going to be really disappointed if I'm wishing Becky, Charlotte & Sasha were back in NXT in 6 months time.

Nothing winds me up more than you puro loving smarks #imahugger #huglife #bayley>misawa

by Samo Tue Sep 08, 2015 5:30 pm

Prometheus wrote:
Moving on from whether this was good or great. I'm really scared now that unless we get phase 2 of the divas revolution in WWE we have problems. The contrast between what is offered up by WWE and what NXT has provided is just quite scary. I think WWE now has to be brave, or it will botch this. And by brave, WWE has to cut some of its divas from wrestling. And with Total Divas, I don't see that. And I just can't see how you can have a good women's / divas division when they are carrying so many who are so limited in the ring. And as a fan, I'm going to be really disappointed if I'm wishing Becky, Charlotte & Sasha were back in NXT in 6 months time.

They need to ditch this whole team thing as soon as possible in my opinion. Im kinda hoping Paige will turn against Charlotte to split up that team. They two can feud for a bit, Banks can feud with the Bellas and Naomi can go after Becky Lynch.

If Charlotte wins the belt, hopefully they drop the Diva schtick.

by Sponsored content

WWE NXT Takeover: Brooklyn

WWE NXT Takeover: Brooklyn

Re: WWE NXT Takeover: Brooklyn

Re: WWE NXT Takeover: Brooklyn

Re: WWE NXT Takeover: Brooklyn

Re: WWE NXT Takeover: Brooklyn

Re: WWE NXT Takeover: Brooklyn

Re: WWE NXT Takeover: Brooklyn

Re: WWE NXT Takeover: Brooklyn

Re: WWE NXT Takeover: Brooklyn

Re: WWE NXT Takeover: Brooklyn

Re: WWE NXT Takeover: Brooklyn

Re: WWE NXT Takeover: Brooklyn

Re: WWE NXT Takeover: Brooklyn

Re: WWE NXT Takeover: Brooklyn

Re: WWE NXT Takeover: Brooklyn

Re: WWE NXT Takeover: Brooklyn

Re: WWE NXT Takeover: Brooklyn

Re: WWE NXT Takeover: Brooklyn

Re: WWE NXT Takeover: Brooklyn

Re: WWE NXT Takeover: Brooklyn

Re: WWE NXT Takeover: Brooklyn

Re: WWE NXT Takeover: Brooklyn

Re: WWE NXT Takeover: Brooklyn