Yet again NXT pulls off an amazing PPV! This PPV had thrills, twists and turns that left me, and my hubby rapturously drained by the end of it.
The Undisputed Era vs Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch for the NXT Tag Team Championship
Now, this is how a tag team match should be in the WWE. This was ridiculously stiff with great moves throughout. I also really like that submission moves were sprinkled in throughout the match for spice. I already liked and respected Lorcan and Burch, so when they slowly won over the crowd during this match, my respect for them only grew. One thing is clear about the Undisputed Era–they are ridiculously over, especially in Chicago it seems. From the very beginning, the crowd was fully behind Strong and O’Reilly in the match, and my respect for Strong’s heel prowess grew in this match. Both tag teams did amazingly well, and that little homage to DIY/Revival towards the end of the match was well served to tantalize the crowd with a possible title change. I love this match so much. When Triple H and his team finally take over the main two shows fully, I can foresee amazing tag matches like this. They already have the tag teams for it.
Ricochet vs Velveteen Dream
This match was a clinic on how to build a good match. They started off the match slow feeling each other out, and slowly built to a hard-hitting, high-flying end. If not for Ciampa/Gargano, I think most would say this match was the match of the night. By the end of this match, I wanted there to be a count-out so there was no winner because both of these wrestlers deserve to win. I loved Dream wrestling gear and mannerisms called back to Hogan and Savage, and honestly, I think he wore Dream-ma…I mean Hulkamania better. Also, he wore pants very similar to one of Ricochet’s previous incarnations, Prince Puma to (in my mind) symbolize that he can do even that better than his opponent. Velveteen Dream is an amazing talent all around, and he’s come such a long way. Ricochet–good grief this guy is good. Even when he’s not doing the “flippy shit” as some people say, he is amazing at selling and doing mat-based moves in the ring. Honestly, his high-flying moves are like frosting on an already mouth-watering delicious cake. I think this was the match of the night, but I know some may disagree. I’ll say this. If my husband, who has been a longtime fan of pro wrestling, and who prefers the days of yore, can say “This was a very good match,” I am sold.
Nikki Cross vs Shayna Bazzler for the NXT Women’s Championship
I love Nikki Cross. She is amazing in the ring, and her character is just the right amount of crazy to confound her opponents. This is what happened to Shayna Bazzler, and honestly a little bit it exposed some of the flaws that she still needs to work on before moving up to main. She’s not versatile enough to be able to work off of any wrestling style and persona. Bazzler played the confusion when it comes to Cross well, but she could have thrown in a few things here or there to accentuate the fact that she was at a loss with Cross. Cross was in full on crazy mode, and she had the audience in the palm of her hand. That’s the sign of a good gimmick and a good wrestler. Sure, Shayna has the bullying heel down pat, and she a good heel persona, but she still needs to learn how to go with the flow in the ring. Also, Bazzler still needs to work on selling more in the ring. I understand that her persona is all about realism, but that doesn’t mean you don’t embellish the selling in a pro wrestling ring. I think if she works on that, and her mic work, Bazzler has the potential to be one of the all-time great heels in the business. Even better, I think she has the potential to be one of the best monsters in the ring today, once she gets to main. As for Cross, if this is her swan song in NXT, she went out with a bang, and I can’t wait to see her soon on Smackdown, as Sanity isn’t Sanity without ALL its members.
Lars Sullivan vs Aleister Black
I am so glad Black won. I mean no harm, but Sullivan isn’t quite ready for prime time, so to speak. He’s good at being a monster, but he’s not quite ready yet. I don’t know to explain it, but I think if he had won the belt last night, for me granted, he would have been in the same vein as Bazzler as a champ. As a long-time fan of pro wrestling, I honestly don’t think they are quite ready enough to carry their respective belts. It’s not my decision, but there it is. I can understand why they pulled the trigger in Bazzler’s case. She is somewhat along in her process, and as a heel there is no one better in the NXT Women’s roster right now, so she was the best choice. ON the other hand, when it comes to Sullivan, he has a long way to go. He’s not bad. I just feel (as a longtime fan true) that he’s not ready–not even for NXT’s (WWE’s developmental promotion) belt. This match was much better than I thought it was going to be. Even though Aleister Black is one of my favorite wrestler in the WWE right now period, I wasn’t looking forward to this match, because in a way Sullivan getting a shot at the title felt very reminiscent of top best super jobber, Jinder Mahal getting a shot at and eventually winning the WWE Championship, with little or no build. It’s my opinion, but there it is.
Tommaso Ciampa vs Johnny Gargano in a Chicago Street Fight
This match was ridiculous. In fact, this was a fight. This was a decimation of two of my favorite wrestlers. I loved DIY, and no matter what they try to do with Ciampa, I still love and respect him. Having said all that, he is so over as a heel. I love that he comes out to no music, just his name on the titantron. This decimation was amazing. I love that they even brought time reminder s what happened at last year’s Takeover: Chicago…with a twist. I really liked how the decimation ended, because it sets this feud up for a brutal and entertaining ending, and I can’t wait to see it. I really hope their last match is either a ‘last man standing’ match or an ‘I quit’ match.
Having said all that, I had a couple problems with this match, and street match fights in general. One, why did this match stay in the arena? if you call a match a street fight, it needs to eventually go into the street for a bit. I have had this problem with all the recent street fights that have taken place in the WWE. If you have control of the location, there is a way that the WWE/NXT creative team and the production crew can set up an area for the two wrestlers to go to outside the venue to go at it. WWE and NXT creative teams may want to look at that. Especially, since during this match, Ciampa pulled part of the ring apart to use the wood beneath the padding.
Finally, if a street fight is a no DQ fight, why did the supposed security and official come out to try and stop Gargano? That has and always will bug me about no DQ matches. Creative can find another way to stop a fight than to have officials and security come in and cause one opponent or the other to win the match. Also, when that does happen, isn’t that just cheating for one opponent or the other? I just don’t understand it, or the reasoning is lost on me.
This PPV was amazing, and its up there with Takeover: New Orleans and Dominion for some of the best PPVs of the year so far. After Dominion and now Takeover: Chicago, the main roster of the WWE should be on their toes. I don’t know what is going to happen tonight during the Money in the Bank PPV, but they really need to step up their game. This PPV has the potential to be a really good one if given a chance.
What do y’all think? Did you watch Takeover: Chicago? If so, what did you think of the matches in this pay per view? Let me know in comments.
