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Many people were disappointed when the RAW that followed AEW Double or Nothing failed to live up to the expectations of the wrestling world. Well, even if the main roster does not care to dial it up, NXT TakeOvers hardly ever disappoint.
This wasn't the best TakeOver that I've watched but I had a hard time identifying 'worsts' from the show. Would I recommend it to you if you haven't watched it yet?
Yes, I would totally recommend it to you because NXT TakeOvers alone are worth the $9.99 we pay to Vince McMahon every month. What a great roster of talent NXT has and how creatively and beautifully Triple H uses them, helping them gain a foothold before they reach the main roster.
So it's mainly 'bests' this week with just a handful of 'worsts'...
#1 Best: The ladder match
The amount of punishment that everyone involved in this match took is simply unbelievable. This is especially true for Kyle O'Reilly from the Undisputed ERA who will be extremely sore after he wakes up tomorrow.
Everything about this match was great, from the chaos and carnage involved to Jaxson Ryker's interference, to the Street Profits eventually going over, winning the match and celebrating with the NXT Universe. This was a fantastic showcase of just how good tag team wrestling can be if Vince McMahon gives the men in his roster a chance to shine.
In my opinion, the right team won the match, because the Street Profits have gone without the gold for far too long. It would have been all too easy to put the titles around the waist of the Undisputed ERA again, but NXT needed to create new stars at this juncture.
Congratulations to the Street Profits.
#1 Worst: Beth Phoenix on commentary
Beth Phoenix is a legend and a very worthy WWE Hall of Famer. She has inspired countless women in the locker room to step up their game and follow in her footsteps having had the career that she has had.
I just think that in the high octane environment that is NXT, her commentary is just not apace with all of the action. It did not help that she messed up the fact that the team in the match comprised of Lorcan and Burch, and not Oney and Lorcan (Oney Lorcan is one of the performers).
That said, I really think that she would do a commendable job when it comes to calling the main roster shows. Mauro Ranallo and Nigel McGuinness are both a treasure trove of information on moves and holds, which Beth Phoenix is not.
Maybe she'll improve with time as Percy Watson did.
#2 Best: Adam Cole finally becomes the NXT Champion
It was such an interesting swerve from start to finish. The Undisputed ERA lost both of their matches earlier in the night and everyone was convinced that Adam Cole would lose his match too. Only he would end up winning what was yet another solid match against Johnny Gargano.
The crowd seemed to be against Gargano right from the word go. My colleague Anirban Banerjee remarked that this was because Gargano was donning Captain Marvel colors and she is not a very popular character in the Marvel Universe. Whatever the case may have been, Gargano was just as unpopular during the match.
That said, the match that the two men put on grew in pace and intensity until it was a pretty heated affair. The sequence at the end was a thing of beauty and I am amazed that Mauro Ranallo did not lose his voice, calling all of the spots.
#2 Worst: Io Shirai's post-match turn
Is it possible to turn heel if you attack a heel? The match between Shayna Baszler and Io Shirai was pretty incredible, but the post-match attack from Shirai was baffling. Why would a babyface suddenly launch a kendo stick attack on a heel that won the match clean?
My colleague Rohit Nath said that this was just a device to keep the feud going for a while. If that is the case, was this the setup for a double turn? I seriously cannot imagine the crowd in favor of Shayna Baszler whatever happens.
Io Shirai is a very likable person and character on screen and this kendo stick attack just diminished the likeability that she otherwise has with fans. I would have personally have had her go over Shayna Baszler in the match, as good as it was, because it seems like a one-woman division, right now.
#3 Best: Matt Riddle vs. Roderick Strong
The night would kick off with the only non-title contest of the evening. Roderick Strong faced off against Matt Riddle in a contest that was sure to be a barn burner from start to finish.
And what a match it was as we saw Riddle tear it up with the Messiah of the Backbreaker, in a match that almost seemed like it was playing at twice the speed. Both men had obviously worked out their spots in the back and unlike a lot of independent wrestling fights, this just seemed gritty and hard-hitting from start to finish.
Matt Riddle, quite rightfully, picked up the win and one assumes that this would make him the Number 1 contender for Adam Cole's title. The two men are the top babyface and heel in the division, respectively.
I'm sold for that dream clash if that's the plan.
#3 Worst: The match order
So now, having said all that I have said thus far, let me just say that I was disappointed with the Velveteen Dream vs. Tyler Breeze match. And it wasn't a disappointing match at all, I was just upset with where it was placed.
The two men are great workers but they could not deliver after the fast-paced ladder match just took our breath away with its sheer intensity. Which is a shame because the match was a great reminder of just how good Tyler Breeze can be when he is given a chance to shine.
Had this match actually started the proceedings, it would have certainly been better received than it eventually was. Because of the match order and its place in the card, this was perhaps the most disappointing contest of the entire night.
But then, one must remember, it was a night of gems.
#4 Best/worst: Nigel McGuinness' shot at AEW
I was a fan of pro wrestling during the Monday Night Wars. I used to watch, on a weekly basis, as each company took a shot at the other. From Goldberg to Gillberg, from Jim Ross to Oklahoma, the gloves were off.
Cody Rhodes destroyed a Triple H like throne with a sledgehammer during his match at AEW Double or Nothing, and this got the whole world talking. Sami Zayn even name-dropped AEW during the Electric Chair talk show segment on RAW this past week. And Nigel McGuinness took a shot at AEW at TakeOver too.
He referred to WWE NXT as the 'true alternative brand in wrestling'. While this was a cheap tactic in a lot of ways, it is also a nice way to stay classy and above board but still take shots at the competition.
Because Alexa Bliss was once in NXT, here's a GIF of hers.
What makes Sting special? His first AEW opponent opens up RIGHT HERE.
