Review and Results: NXT Takeover: Philadelphia (27.1.2018)

Last night, NXT presented NXT Takeover: Philadelphia. Once again, they put on a show that the following WWE PPV (in this case, Royal Rumble) will struggle to better. Why do that to themselves? Why not have NXT Takeover and the WWE PPV on separate weekends? Logistically, it makes sense to have them on the same weekend. But the WWE PPV always struggles to better its “developmental” brand’s offering. NXT Takeover gave us one Match of the Year contender in its main event and only two (relatively) forgettable matches.

Review: WWE Network’s 100 Best Matches To See Before You Die: #85 Sasha Banks (c) vs. Bayley (NXT Women’s Championship Match, NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn)

(Here’s the link for the match on the WWE Network: http://network.wwe.com/video/v400412483/?contentId=&contextType=wwe-show&contextId=wwe_nxt

According to the WWE Network’s 100 Best Matches…List, this is the best women’s wrestling match on the WWE Network. There are only two women’s matches on the list, by the way. In an ideal world, there’d be far more women’s matches on the list. But wrestling has been dominated by men for a long time, and it’s only in the past couple of years (in the Western wrestling world) that women have risen in wrestling stature. Sure, you can point to Trish Stratus, Lita, etc, but they existed in an era where a women’s assets meant her breasts. Now, women regularly main event Raw and Smackdown (if not PPVs). And, in my humble opinion, Sasha Banks vs Bayley is the peak of modern women’s wrestling. Yes, they may have moved onto the big leagues, but nothing gets better than this match.

Review: WWE Network’s 100 Best Matches To See Before You Die: #90 Adrian Neville (c) vs. Sami Zayn vs. Tyson Kidd vs. Tyler Breeze (NXT Championship Fatal 4-Way Match: NXT TakeOver: Fatal 4-Way, Sept. 11, 2014))

(Here’s the link for the match on the WWE Network: http://network.wwe.com/video/v36306835/?contentId=&contextType=wwe-show&contextId=wwe_nxt )

Is this the greatest Fatal 4-Way match in WWE history? Well, since there are no WWE Fatal 4-Way matches in the WWE Network’s 100 Best Matches…List, this is the best match by default! True, I can’t think of many Fatal 4-Way matches from the WWE that are memorable (oh, apart from the Fatal 4-Way match at this year’s Summerslam. But that’s after the time of this 100 Best Matches..List). However, I would try to find space for the Fatal 4-Way match for the NXT Woman’s Championship from NXT Takeover: Rival. Check it out! However, the Fatal 4-Way match from NXT Takeover: Fatal 4-Way deserves to be in the WWE Network’s 100 Best Matches…List (but if you’ve watch #100 you’ll know the end of the match!). It’s a culmination of several storylines and the progression of one storyline in particular that manages to highlight all four wrestlers involved.

Review: WWE Network’s 100 Best Matches To See Before You Die: #100 Adrian Neville (c) vs. Sami Zayn (NXT Championship vs Career Match: NXT TakeOver: R Evolution)

(Here’s the link for the match on the WWE Network: http://network.wwe.com/video/v37044989/?contentId=&contextType=wwe-show&contextId=wwe_nxt )

In the old WWE Network’s 100 Best Matches To Watch Before You Die List, #100 was taken by HHH vs Chris Jericho in a Last Man Standing match. In the new List, it’s taken by Adrian Neville and Sami Zayn (HHH vs Y2J has been taken off the list!). Now, if I asked you to name the best underdog story of 2014, you’d probably say Daniel Bryan’s road to WrestleMania. However, that was not planned by WWE. We, the people, forced their hand. Just think, the original plan for WrestleMania 30 was to have Batista and Randy Orton main event…While Bryan’s underdog story was satisfying, Sami Zayn’s underdog story built for over half a year until it culminated in this match. And what a match it is…

My Top 10 WWE Matches of 2016 (Including NXT and the CWC)

I’ve done my Top 10 Film of 2016, so it would be remiss of me not to do my Top 10 WWE Matches of 2016 (and by that I include all of WWE programming, from WWE to NXT to CWC)! Let me preface this by saying I rarely watch Raw or Smackdown, so I may have missed some stunning TV matches (I don’t have/want to pay for Sky, and don’t have enough time for three hours of Raw and two hours of Smackdown!). So my experience is limited to PPV/Special matches and other things available on the WWE Network (yes, I know that Raw and Smackdown are available on the WWE Network, but like I said before, I don’t have enough time for them!).

Results and Review: WWE NXT Takeover: Brooklyn 2 (20.08.2016)

I know I haven’t reviewed WWE NXT for a while…but that’s because I’ve been lazy! But I just had to review NXT Takeover: Brooklyn II…so here is my belated review!

Results and Review: WWE NXT Episode 341 (22.6.2016)

Tye Dillinger vs Oney Morgan (I think…) 

The surprise of the night? I expected this to be a squash match, but not in the way it panned out! Morgan dominated Dillinger. ‘The Perfect 10’ got a few moves and shots in, but this was Morgan’s match all along. Morgan looked good out there. But why would Dillinger be sacrificed to a newcomer? Is he doomed to put newcomers over in the opening contest? Or will we have a storyline redemption for Dillinger?

WINNER: Oney Morgan 

VERDICT: 5/10. An average bout that was a notch above the usual squash match. But it gave us a surprise ending! 

Results and Review: WWE NXT Episode 340 (15.6.2016)

Now that we have witnessed the end of the beginning of NXT, have we now entered the middle? That question was never answered….

Review and Results: NXT Takeover: The End (8.6.2106)

It wasn’t the end of NXT, just the end of the beginning…whatever that meant (and also the end of the epic Joe/Balor feud!)!

Recap: WWE NXT Episode 332 to 337 PLUS ‘NXT Takeover: The End’ Predictions!

I haven’t posted anything about NXT since Episode 331! That was a month and a half ago! Part of the reason is work: the boss was off for two weeks, so I was in charge. Another part is Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword! I can’t stop playing it…but I am nearing the end! But, to be honest, NXT hasn’t inspired me to write anything. The NXT Championship may have changed hands (at a house show!), but there hasn’t been a lot to shout about concerning the show….So here are my thoughts about NXT, Episodes 332 to 337…