Hilarious Botch On AMAZING TakeOver Show! | WrestleTalk News

That’s right, you wanted to see it. NXT TakeOver reviews are finally making their return to the WrestleTalk News for Vengeance Daaaaaay.

The show opened with Dakota Kai teaming with Raquel Gonzalez’s back to take on Ember Moon and Shotzi Blackheart, bringing that post-apocalyptic ravager crew vibe, in the final of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic: Lady Edition. 

This was a fantastic, back and forth opener – with the chaos spreading all around the ring and up the ramp, while keeping all the highspots working as part of the story of the match.

But the most incredible thing for me was how effectively they booked Gonzalez.

Just a year after her debut at last February’s TakeOver: Portland, NXT have taken her from generically tall heel enforcer to one of the most exciting prospects in the promotion. As the woman who can even make Braun Strowman feel like a baby – oh yes, you’re a big baby Braun – she viciously threw Shotzi into the barricade plexiglass, and Ember onto the entrance ramp. But, crucially, she’s not invincible. Ember actually got a visual pin on her after a Total Eclipse of your Brain, but Dakota made the save.

Kai and Gonzalez got a double pin on Blackheart to win though, in a great match that felt genuinely significant – cementing them as a top act, granting them shots at Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler’s tag team titles, although that could go terribly, and making history as the first Dusty Rhodes Classic female winners.

Next up was Walking Copyright Strike KUSHIDA taking on Johnny Gargano, to potentially become the first ever Japanese North American Champion.

The in-ring action was sublime. While I’ve never been engaged with KUSHIDA’s character and presence, his wrestling skill is undeniable. There are few things more satisfying in life than watching him transition a seemingly totally unconnected move into an arm bar from outta nowhere. And Johnny Gargano is Johnny Gargano, he’s Mr TakeOver. One of the best wrestlers in the world. And putting them together created magic – like KUSHIDA hitting a rolling double underhook bridging suplex with Johnny’s injured arm trapped beneath him in a pin. What?

This was a masterclass in quickfire back and forth mat wrestling, submissions, escapology, reversals and near falls. But Johnny won in the end with two slingshot DDTs, one on the ramp, and one in the ring. 

Which is the sour note to the incredible match. KUSHIDA lost clean, despite Gargano having the perfect setup to cheat with his faction. So what does KUSHIDA do from here? He’ll have been with WWE for two years in April, where it feels like he’s just lost every time it felt like he was about to take the next step. And now he’s lost again. His run so far feels very Hideo Itami.

In the finals of the Dusty Rhodes Classic: Gentlemen’s Edition, the Grizzled Young Veterans took on MSK – who Vic Joseph and Beth Phoenix immediately made me hate, talking about how happy Wes Lee and Nash Carter are to be there, and how they’re having fun. That’s main roster Lucha House Party chat. Stop it.

Thankfully, MSK got to show their more serious side, as Carter flipped in anger after the Vets’ constant cheating. Overall, this was a great clash of styles – MSK’s high flying innovation against the Vets’ heel ground and pound – which Lee saved Carter at the last minute to win. 

It was a very good match, but I love Zack Gibson so much, I’m actually a bit annoyed he didn’t win.

There was a video package for Cameron Grimes’ new stacking money to the moon gimmick. It’s amazing.

Io Shirai defending her title against Toni Storm and Retribution’s Retaliation was set to be a dramatic tale of Shirai possibly losing her belt without being pinned. Unfortunately, we never really got what they had planned, because Toni Storm can make tables collapse by looking at them.

To be fair, I would also probably collapse if Toni Storm looked at me.

While she was clearing the announcers’ desk to presumably put Martinez through – in that considerate way wrestlers always do – the table just collapsed. It almost made you think the desks are intentionally not that sturdy, but Wade Barrett perfectly covered for it by saying it’s because MSK hit the corner of the table in the previous match.

Unfortunately, it derailed the match, as Toni and Martinez had to improvise after what was likely a planned pivotal spot couldn’t be done. Shirai did her best, coming from a land where tables never break, by hitting a crossbody off the scaffolding. And then retaining shortly after. 

Triple H later confirmed on the post-show media call that 20 minutes had been allotted, but they only want 12 – presumably because of the botch. It’s a shame, as it was no-one’s fault, but it definitely made it the weakest match on the card.

Former IMPACT star Eli Drake was shown signing to NXT with the new name L A Knight. He’s a great promo, but one of those guys more suited to the main roster, like EC3 should have been. 

PWInsider has also revealed that former IMPACT Knockout Champion Taya Valkyrie has signed with NXT.

But the main event of Finn Balor vs Pete Dunne was absolutely incredible. My personal match of the night. With a killer angle to finish too.

They went just as long as KUSHIDA vs Gargano at 25 minutes, and, at first glance, you might prefer the North American title fight. They were faster, had more flips and spectacular moments. But Balor vs Dunne was an absolute war, an intricate chess battle of finger manipulation and holds for 15 minutes, building and building the tension, before erupting into a burst of strikes.

In one incredible spot, Balor passed out after Dunne caught his Coup De Grace in a triangle, but got his foot on the ropes as he lost consciousness. There’s an argument that on another day, where they were slightly more in the centre, Dunne could’ve won the NXT Championship. Victory was a matter of inches.

Which, coincidentally, it what I told your mum last night.

But in a brilliant end to a story built around Balor’s glass jaw, Finn ripped Dunne’s mouthguard out, and dropkicked him in the face, hit a coup de Grace then the 1916 for good measure to retain. I loved it. 4 ¾ stars easy. Who knows what it would’ve been with a crowd.

And damn did I miss them for what came next. The Undisputed Era chased off Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch beating down Balor, and Kyle O’Reilly helped Finn to his feet in a show of respect. But there were two minutes left of the show. I know I haven’t reviewed one for a while, but this ain’t my first TakeOver, NXT copyright logo.

They were about to go off-air doing the Undisputed Era pose, when Cole superkicked Balor, and then O’Reilly too, stomping off to leave Roderick Strong literally caught in the middle.

It was a great cliffhanger, as you’re not sure whether this was premeditated or an impulse. Who will Roddy side with? What about Bobby? He leaves you guys for two minutes. It’s the best end to a TakeOver in ages, and makes Wednesday’s TV must watch. As Cole vs O’Reilly could be NXT’s next promotion defining singles feud over the title.

What did you think of Vengeance Day? Let me know in the comments down below because I’ll be replying to people from outta nowhere. And vote in the poll on our community tab, where 71% have voted for OHMYGODWHY WHY DO YOU DO THIS TO US NXT COPYRIGHT LOGO, while 29% prefer Toni Storm breaks tables with her eyes. 

This was an amazing show with fantastic in-ring wrestling, and a terrific cliffhanger angle to end on. As it the way with TakeOvers, Vengeance Day is five out of five.

Vince McMahon Buries WWE Star

Back in a time when Paul Heyman was the lead creative director of Raw – remember those days, because it wasn’t even a year ago oh my god what is happening to the world? – the was reportedly trying to build the future of Monday nights around a group of new stars that included Apollo Crews, Aleister Black, Humberto Carillo and Cedric Alexander. At various points in the year, Vince McMahon was reportedly ‘high’ on all of them. But, thankfully, he came to his senses, took them off TV after three weeks and then made Edge win the Royal Rumble.

It was around this time last year that McMahon had reportedly completely given up on Cedric Alexander – after he flirted with the main event in the Summer of 2019 – with Dave Meltzer writing last February that Cedric’s “number isn’t being called”, and that Vince was letting any momentum Alexander had gained from Heyman’s push just fizzle out.

This has now been confirmed by Kurt Angle on his new podcast with Conrad Thompson, claiming that Cedric did have heat with Vince McMahon backstage because he didn’t follow an instruction that was given to him, saying, “he didn’t listen the one night, and they scolded him for a good half-year before they started using him again, and rightfully so, he should have listened.”

Angle even says that he thought Cedric’s career was over because of the burial, but notes that Vince gave him another chance – which was turning him heel and joining The Hurt Business, where he is currently one half of the tag team champions.

Many have described WWE’s backstage culture as like ‘walking on eggshells’. And now that ever present tension and anxiety has spread to the producers.

WWE Falling Apart Backstage

Just two weeks ago, the very reliable WrestleVotes tweeted that spirits behind the scenes in WWE were the most upbeat they’ve been in a long time. But even morale isn’t safe from the three week push, as they’ve now posted over the weekend that “the unhappiness and straight up anger backstage is at an all time high level.” 

So what changed?

Despite WWE posting record profits in their 2020 earnings report to investors last month – helped by big money deals from Fox and Peacock, and firing and furloughing a reported 40% of their workforce last April – staff and talent were told there wouldn’t be any raises, bonuses or promotions for anyone in the company. It was also reported the situation was made worse by Bruce Prichard not relaying the news to anyone backstage, instead assigning the task “to someone one month on the job who barely knows us.”

It’s now being reported by Ringside News that WWE’s “workflow fell apart” following the announcement, adding that the handling of the situation was “very poor” and backstage producers are “at odds with each other over it”.

Another reason why there’s so much anger over the decision is that WWE staff had reportedly taken pay cuts during the pandemic to help the company, and had been expecting bonuses and/or raises to make up for money lost.

What are your thoughts on the above story? Let us know in the comments on Twitter or Facebook.

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