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Oh my, what a show that was! NXT TakeOver: In Your House exceeded everyone's expectations and then some. Right from the beginning with the fast-paced women's tag team match to the end that saw the crowning of the new NXT Women's Champion, there was hardly anything to complain about the show.
This was surely one of the best TakeOver PPVs in NXT history, and as mentioned by Triple H earlier, fans are going to demand more of the same. So, in a nutshell, if you've missed it and you ask me whether to watch NXT TakeOver: In Your House, I'll give you a big Stone Cold Steve Austin style "Hell Yeah!" or even a Daniel Bryan "Yes" chant.
But in case you are too impatient to watch the entire show and want to know what went down, I present the Best and Worst of NXT TakeOver: In Your House. Be sure to comment down and let me know what you thought about tonight's show from the Black and Gold brand of WWE.
Of course, your thoughts could be completely different from mine and we are all allowed to have our opinions and enjoy the product the way we like!
#1 Best: Karrion Kross' impressive NXT TakeOver debut
Karrion Kross is one of those guys who you get impressed by in just a single look. The man has the physique, killer (no pun intended) looks, amazing in-ring skills, and add to it his beautiful girlfriend and on-screen valet Scarlett, and WWE looks to have its next big Superstar in him!
After signing with WWE earlier this year, Karrion Kross made his NXT TakeOver debut tonight as he took on the former NXT Champion, Tommaso Ciampa. The two built an amazing feud in the last few weeks on NXT with some intense promos and vignettes.
As expected by many, Karrion Kross dominated Ciampa tonight at NXT TakeOver: In Your House and picked up an impressive victory. Right from the start with a thrilling entrance to all of his intense strikes to the end where he made Tommaso Ciampa pass out to his submission, Kross impressed in a huge way!
I can see him in the NXT Championship picture very soon!
#1 Worst: Commentary during the NXT Championship Backlot Brawl match
The NXT Championship was on the line at NXT TakeOver: In Your House in a first-of-its-kind Backlot Brawl match as Adam Cole defended his title against the Velveteen Dream. In what was another cinematic style match in WWE - something which has become a norm in the past few months - the two NXT Superstars fought all around the place, trying to destroy each other in every possible manner.
While I loved the entire setting and venue of the match - a ring surrounded by cars in what gave a genuine backlot feel to it - what I didn't like was the commentary during the entire match. Nothing against the NXT commentators who did a great job in calling the action, but a match of this style would have been better without someone calling it, at least in my opinion.
We saw the Boneyard match between The Undertaker and AJ Styles at WrestleMania 36 have a genuine theatrical feel to it. While tonight's match wasn't as cinematic as that one as we had a proper ring and referee to make the three count, it would have been great to hear the two trash-talking throughout the match with an intense brawl taking place without the commentary. But, it was an entertaining match nonetheless!
#2 Best: Io Shirai becomes the new NXT Women's Champion
The biggest talking point coming out of "NXT TakeOver: In Your House" is the crowning of the new NXT Women's Champion, Io Shirai. NXT is known to create new Superstars every now and then, and tonight was another example of the same as Shirai has now reached the top of what is considered to be the best women's division in all of pro wrestling.
The NXT Women's Championship was on the line in a triple threat match at TakeOver tonight and while many expected Charlotte Flair to retain her title, putting it on Io Shirai instead was a great decision. After years of giving it her best and proving her worth, Io Shirai finally had her moment. This could also be a way for WWE to pay tribute to Hana Kimura, who is a great friend of Io Shirai and unfortunately passed away last month.
The NXT Women's division is continuously on the rise and if the opening 6-women Tag Team match is any indication, Io Shirai has a lot of credible opponents on the Black and Gold brand of WWE. However, there are a lot of questions to be answered as well, with the biggest one being - what's next for Charlotte Flair? Will she leave NXT now?
#2 Worst: Damian Priest loses his big NXT match
NXT TakeOver: In Your House was filled with amazing matches and it would be criminal to say that even a single one of the six scheduled matches disappointed. But one match that I believe could have had a different outcome is the one between Finn Balor and Damian Priest.
The Prince of NXT was the victim of a backstage attack by Damian Priest, who later also went on to cost him his match against Cameron Grames. With that, a match was scheduled between the two at NXT TakeOver tonight and this was surely the biggest match for Priest in his NXT career.
After a great back-and-forth match that saw both the competitors take each other to the limit, it was Finn Balor who came out victorious after hitting the Coup de Grace. With this loss, the question is what is next for the Archer of Infamy on NXT? He had a great opportunity to make everyone notice him by picking up a victory over Balor tonight, but with the loss, will he go to the sidelines again?
Even a sneak roll-up victory would have done the trick for Damian Priest but a loss puts him in a tough spot.
#3 Best: NXT brings back the old-school In Your House set
"NXT TakeOver: In Your House" started with a bang as Code Orange welcomed everyone to the show in an awesome manner. But it was the reveal of NXT bringing back the original old-school set of In Your House that had everyone talking. It gave the entire PPV a grand feeling, with the nostalgia of the original set combined with the passion and talent of the new generation of NXT Superstars.
Triple H, Shawn Michaels, and Road Dogg revealed last month that NXT will be bringing back the famous In Your House PPV as a TakeOver event, and since then the talk was around whether WWE will bring back the set, and they did! I personally loved the set, with the giant screen on top of the ring and the entrance.
A shout-out to my colleague Alan John, who accurately predicted at the very beginning of the show that someone will jump off one of the house structures, and Io Shirai did just that during the main event. Shane McMahon would've surely been beaming with pride while watching it!
#4 Best/Worst: Adam Cole retains the NXT Championship
As mentioned earlier, NXT Champion Adam Cole retained his title against the Velveteen Dream tonight in a Backlot Brawl match. The match had the stipulation that if Cole manages to retain, then Dream won't get another title opportunity as long as the title stays with Adam Cole (Bay Bay). So what does it mean for the Velveteen Dream's future in NXT?
If the rumors are to be believed, Velveteen Dream could be on his way to the main roster very soon. And while he has great potential to make it big on either RAW or SmackDown, it will be a little disappointing to see him not win the NXT Championship during his tenure with the Black and Gold brand.
But at the same time, Adam Cole retaining might confirm the rumors of him staying with the company for the near future. The NXT Champion recently completed 365 days with the title, the longest in NXT history, and added yet another accolade under his belt tonight by winning the first Backlot Brawl match in NXT.
Who would step-up to him next? I guess we'll have to wait till this Wednesday to find that out!
