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The latest entrant into the acclaimed NXT TakeOver series came to us from the great city of Toronto and as expected, it was a fantastic night of wrestling. A new Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Tournament Winner was crowned, a women’s wrestling legend returned to WWE to face Asuka, and title switches occurred in both the Tag Team Championship was well as the NXT Championship Match. In addition to all of that, The Revival vs. #DIY was easily one of the best contests of 2016.
As much praise can be given out to this show, it would be hasty to call it perfect. Maybe it’s nitpicking to point out the stranger moments and even the flat-out mistakes on something this good, but that’s the very point of this article. When wrestlers accidentally hurl foreign objects into crowds, when pretend musicians act extra derpy during the NXT Champion’s entrance, and when people bring signs that have slightly risque slogans on them, they can expect to find themselves in articles just like this one.
So go ahead and check out 5 botches, slip ups, and outrageous moments from an otherwise can’t-miss event.
5. He couldn’t hold on to the chain
Butterfingers!
The Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Tournament can once again be heralded as a successful competition with The Authors of Pain being given a huge endorsement with their win in Toronto. They proved themselves against a tough TM61 team, a duo that was willing to put it all on the line.
Even though Akam and Razar held their own against the tough Aussies in this finals match, one thing they couldn’t hold on to was a chain. Suspended high above the ring in a shark cage, their manager Paul Ellering dropped the foreign object when the ref’s attention was distracted. Razar tried to use it against Shane Thorne, who blocked the strike.
When his arm stopped moving, the chain continued flying out of Razar’s hand into the crowd. Hopefully, a fan nabbed the item and held on to it. At the very least, they could post that thing on eBay.
4. You’re what for Revival?
“HARD FOR REVIVAL”
Yes, the very first line of Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder’s entrance music says “We go hard...”, but that doesn’t excuse the obvious innuendo that is proclaimed in this fan’s sign. He probably had a good chuckle while making this one.
This definitely is not a PG sign, but it’s just vague enough for the younger viewers that they probably won’t get what’s implied. Let’s all at least be thankful that we could only see this fan from the torso up.
3. Don’t stop counting
Refs are heels.
The main event NXT Championship match between Shinsuke Nakamura and Samoa Joe was a hard fought match with an unexpected ending. The fans had plenty to cheer for and against, but very briefly and unexpected participant became the biggest heel in the ring.
There was a point later in the match when both competitors were down on the mat and referee Danilo Anfibio began a ten count. Toronto went nuts for this count, getting more and more excited as the number gradually crept up higher. He got past 5 but then noticed that Samoa Joe had just made it to his feet. The count was stopped just before 6, much to the chagrin of Toronto.
2. Accidental blood
Walk it off!
The current PG era of WWE programming means that there’s a strict no blood policy in effect. So, when not one but two wrestlers found themselves getting colour on the same show, that’s noticeable.The first wrestler to get bloody was the now former Tag Team Champion, Dash Wilder. His bloody forehead was noticeable by the time the 2nd Fall was already in the books. The second wrestler to paint his face red was now current and 2-time NXT Champion, Samoa Joe. The blow that caused his cut wasn’t obvious, either.
Neither case of blood seemed to cause any alarm, which is also a bit odd. WWE will usually send medical professionals to give extensive checks to the participants, but that didn’t happen here. There weren’t even any white gloves worn by the referees in each match. Perhaps the policy is getting eased up?
1. A tale of two musical entrances
Sorry, no Grammy’s will be awarded tonight.
Both Bobby Roode and Shinsuke Nakamura got fun tweaks for their mega-over entrances in Toronto. One was well-received while the other got mixed reactions. In Roode’s case, the addition of the choir was everything it needed to be. The “Glorious” feel that needs to be conveyed was perfectly executed and it was an outrageously fun way to kick off the show. However, Nakamura’s theme wasn’t quite the home run.
When a lone violinist first showed up at the last Brooklyn edition of TakeOver, it was one of the best entrances in years. This Toronto edition tried to recapture the same feel but fell short for a few reasons. First of all, the multitude of violinists were not plugged in. Some of the musicians seemed to know what they were doing and attempted to ape the motions to appear natural, but several were way off. Evidence of this was that many were performing staccato when the song was nowhere near that part. The second way that these violinists made Nakamura’s entrance feel like a step back from Brooklyn was when they were performing around him while he was doing his YeaOh in the ring. It just looked strange, like they were performing some black magic over him. Shinsuke is a little odd at times, but he doesn’t need exorcised.
So there you have it. The music, the accidental blood, and even the chain hurled into the crowd proved that there were some head-scratching moments during NXT TakeOver: Toronto. It will still be remembered as a superb night of wrestling, but let’s not let WWE off the hook for some of these goofier moments.
