Csonka’s NXT Takeover: Respect Review 10.07.15

NXT Takeover: Respect 10.07.15

OFFICIAL RESULTS
– Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Semifinals: Finn Balor and Samoa Joe defeated Dash and Dawson @ 8:58 via pin [***]
– Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Semifinals: Baron Corbin & Rhyno vs. Chad Gable & Jason Jordan @ 10:30 via pin [***½]
– Asuka defeated Dana Brooke @ 5:30 via submission [**½]
– Apollo Crews defeated Tyler Breeze @ 9:44 via pin [**½]
– Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Finals Finn Balor and Samoa Joe defeated Baron Corbin & Rhyno @ 11:10 via pin [**¾ ]
– NXT Women’s Title 30-Minute Iron Man Match: Champion Bayley defeated Sasha Banks (3-2) @ 30:00 [****¼]

Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Semifinals: Dash & Dawson vs. Finn Balor and Samoa Joe: I am really interested to see which direction they take with Joe and Balor, and when they pull that trigger. As of now, I am in the camp that Balor turns, possibly launching the Balor Club with Chad Gable & Jason Jordan. It has my interest, that’s for sure. Plus I think the Dusty Tag Tournament has been a cool idea, especially for NXT. This is a big chance for Dash & Dawson to impress here against seasoned workers. Balor got taken out early, Joe ran wild for a little bit, but Dash & Dawson took control as Balor returned to his corner. Really short heat on Joe as Balor got the hot tag at like the 2-minute mark, ran wild and hit a big dive onto Dash & Dawson. Balor looked for the double stomp, but he ate a chop block, allowing Dash & Dawson to get the heat on him. They did some really nice basic tag work here, isolating Balor in their corner and working the injured knee of Balor. Working the count, basic isolation, taking the ref, and staying focused is what a lot of tag wrestling is missing; just working the basics and getting some heat with it. Dash & Dawson used the old Demolition Decapitation for a near fall. Joe finally got the hot tag at around 8-minutes in and ran wild with his signature stuff. Joe was setting for the muscle buster and Balor asked for the tag and got it. He hit the double stomp, he got the pin but hurt his knee. That will be the story going into the finals. That was a damn fine opening match, featuring some really nice work from Dash and Dawson as well as telling the story of the knee injury (and Balor demanding the tag) going into the finals. That was a really enjoyable match and a good way to kick off the show.

Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Semifinals: Baron Corbin & Rhyno vs. Chad Gable & Jason Jordan: I am still a fan of using veterans like Rhyno in the developmental brand, you need that presence because developmental guys (with less experience) can’t just work developmental guys. That is what OVW thrived at when WWE stars were sent there for rehab stints following injury. Corbin & Rhyno tried to use the power game early, but Gable and Jordan used their speed and technique to counter that. The crowd was chanting Gable’s name to the tune of Angle’s old WWE theme. Gable and Jordan got the early heat and worked the left arm of Rhyno, Corbin got the tag and just brutalized Gable. Corbin has a certain rawness to his work, which I like, but he needs to fully embrace it and just act like he gives no fucks to really get it to work. Rhyno tagged in and missed a top rope splash, and Jordan got the hot tag. He ran wild, hitting dropkick and tossing Rhyno to the floor. STRAPS DOWN! Corbin fights back and hit a black hole slam for a near fall. Crowd really into this now. It broke down, and Gable hit the chaos theory for a near fall. Rhyno took out Jordan with the gore, leaving Gable and Corbin, and Corbin hit a sweet end of days for the win. This was another good match, with a great homestretch and an even better crowd. Sometimes when you do tournament matches the early matches tend to be safe and bland, but these two matches have been a great start to the show and a great way to make the tournament feel important. The only real gripe is that two non-regular teams made the finals, but I will accept that since the matches have been good tonight, and this was better than the opener. Gable and Jordan are very good, and guys you can build a tag division around.

Asuka vs. Dana Brooke w/Emma: I was very hyped for the signing of Asuka. I saw her live, as Kana, when she did some work with CHIKARA, and she really pretty awesome. The one thing I really like about Asuka, and you could see that early here, is the speed at which she executes basic stuff. Brooke made the mistake of slapping Asuka early, and ate a bunch of slaps and kicks; Asuka then totally mocked her posing routine. Emma would get involved, distracting Asuka, leading to Brooke getting the heat. Asuka showed off her submission game as she worked her comeback, took out Emma and then scored with the Asuka Lock (cross face chicken wing) to pick up the win. This was an overall very good debut for Asuka, who largely dominated and is on another level as compared to the rest of the women from a pure work standpoint. Brooke provided a good heel foil for her, and also had one of her better performances in my opinion. She may have lost, but I feel that she is progressing, the heel role fits her perfectly and I felt that this was her best work to date. This is exactly what it needed to be.

* The trainers are attending to Finn Balor in the back.

* We get a Nia Jax video package, she debuts next week.

Tyler Breeze vs. Apollo Crews: Breeze has been the guy that people keep looking for to get the push or main roster debut, but seems stuck in his position. But he’s done well on the specials, and rarely disappoints. Crews as a great look and great athletic ability and is a guy that has a ton of potential. Yes he’s really good, I have watched a ton of his stuff, but isn’t the complete package just yet (has to work on talking). Breeze got the heat, tossing Crews into the apron, and then worked with some good aggression. He focused on the back and worked a sharpshooter spot. Crews would make the ropes, but Breeze kept attacking the back. Crews bumps so well, and his selling and bumping added to the aggressive offense that Breeze was working. I wasn’t a fan of Crews doing the press slam late after all of the back work, but Breeze countering the standing moonsault into a cradle for a near fall was well done. Crews then hit a big powerbomb for the win, which again, he had his back exclusively worked on and then did that and the press slam. To me that negates the work and makes it feel as if it was only there to kill time. You can’t dedicate so much of the match to that, and then toss it all away at the end. It’s one of the reasons that fans do not get into limb/body part work. It felt like that this match was a test for Crews to see how he sells and if he can get sympathy as a big time/main roster face. He did that well, but the finishing stretch was poorly conceived. Much like Brooke, Breeze again looked good in a loss. He works so hard, especially on these specials, and he again delivered a good performance here.

* Itami and Funaki are now sitting ringside.

Here's a glimpse of the Dusty Rhodes #TagTeamClassic Cup! #NXTTakeover #ThankYouDream

A photo posted by WWE (@wwe) on Oct 7, 2015 at 4:45pm PDT

* Eden is doing the ring announcing for this match.

Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Finals: Finn Balor and Samoa Joe vs. Baron Corbin & Rhyno: The story going in is that of Finn Balor’s knee injury. Balor started the match, was able to avoid the attacks to his knee and then got the tag to Joe, who worked over Corbin for a bit. Corbin and Rhyno then got the heat on Joe. We got some solid heel stuff from Corbin and Rhyno, just grinding Joe down and maintaining their control. Joe eventually made the hot tag to Balor, he ran wild for a bit but did favor the injured knee. Rhyno would clip the leg as Balor went to the apron, and then Corbin worked the knee by slamming it off the post. Balor survived, and Joe got the second hot tag and took out Corbin, but Rhyno hit the gore for a near fall; Balor made the save. He took out Corbin, Joe countered the gore and hit the muscle buster. Balor then hit the double stomp and that was all. This was a solid, but slightly disappointing close to the tournament; it wasn’t as good as the first two matches on the show, as I felt it lacked the energy the semifinals had. They told the story of Finn’s injury and of course with all of the speculation of a turn, that is what people waited for, but didn’t get. I assume that happens at tomorrow’s tapings.

* Post match the Rhodes family presented the trophy to the winners. Cody cut a promo about Dusty dying the same date as John Wayne. Cody says that they can always remember and respect the Dream. Cody gave a short, but emotional speech and then Dusty’s theme music played. Finn and Joe raised the trophy as the crowd chanted “thank you Dusty”.

*Lita, Charlotte, Becky and the creator of all things Stephanie McMahon are ringside.

NXT Women’s Title 30-Minute Iron Man Match: Champion Bayley vs. Sasha Banks: I wrote about these ladies recently, and stated that while they had a completely awesome match at Brooklyn, they have their work cut out for them tonight because this stipulation can hurt more than help even the most seasoned performers. The crowd was red hot when the bell rang, and due to that they soaked it in and killed almost a minute, which I don’t mind. Play the crowd, milk the reaction that is there; they didn’t even have to do anything to get it was the best part. They started slowly, and then both started going for roll ups, cradles and the like, selling that they both wanted to be the first to get the initial fall. Bayley was working Japanese arm drags, and Banks landed badly on one of them (head and shoulder landing). They did some nice work countering each other’s signature stuff to play off of their previous matches. Sasha then played into the respect deal and offered a handshake, Bayley accepted and then Sasha hugged her and slammed her down by the hair. That was fun. They teased a ref bump, and Banks blocked the ref in the corner and used an eye poke, which led to the first fall at about 8-minutes in. That was a great heel tactic, leading to the first fall. Bayley was able to fight back and scored a pin off of the Bayley to belly at around 11-minutes in. Bayley went for the sliding kick under the ropes, but Sasha caught her and slammed her to the steps a few times, right in front of little Izzy and Bayley’s family. Nice touch. Sasha would take Bayley up the entranceway and slam her into the LED board, and that led to a countout at 14-minutes. 2-1 Sasha. Sasha made little Izzy cry during this by stealing her headband to mock Bayley.

.@itsBayleyWWE just got counted out much to the dismay of her #1 fan Izzy! @SashaBanksWWE leads 2-1… #NXTTakeOver pic.twitter.com/Q4OwNJfbUm

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) October 8, 2015

The crowd got behind Bayley as Sasha continued her attack, and I felt that Sasha did a really good job of making the Full Sail crowd hate her. Bayley was able to tie it up 2-2 at the 17-minute mark (Bulldog roll up), and then tried to fire up and takeover the match. Bayley hit something resembling a flatliner for a near fall, and then went into her running corner attacks. Sasha posted herself as she had Bayley in the tree of woe, and fell to the floor. Bayley then attacked he hand of Sasha by slamming it to the steps in a throwback to the Brooklyn match. Bayley moved the steps and then jumped off with a clothesline. Unfortunately for Bayley, Sasha would kick her into the steps to turn the tide. Sasha went for a suicide dive, but Bayley caught her and hit the Bayley to belly on the floor. This led to a near fall. Bayley hit a run up Bayley to belly off of the second rope, but it was only a near fall as Sasha had her foot on the ropes. With under three minutes left they battled on the ropes, Bayley went for the reverse RANA but Banks survived by rolling through and hit a Banks to belly and then the Banks statement. Bayley fought to escape, rolled out but Sasha kept the hold. Sasha couldn’t lock her hands, due to the attack by Bayley, and Bayley then ripped at the hand to escape and slammed it to the mat. Sasha again tried the Banks statement, and locked in a ring of Saturn variation and pulled on the fingers and kicked at the head of Banks, who tapped in the final seconds. I thought that the finish was a great throwback to the Brooklyn match. I think that the stipulation took a little way from the match overall, as I would have preferred a single fall or just a regular, long match. I do feel that the tap needed to come a few seconds earlier, because it felt as if the crowd wasn’t sure of the finish when it happened, but that is a small issue. With that being said, I felt that both did an excellent job here. They created a great heel vs. face dynamic, the story was great, the work was great and you can’t buy the emotion that they got with little Izzy. The roster was in the entranceway post match to clap for the ladies, and Triple H and Regal had flowers for them. Banks broke down as the crowd chanted “thank you Sasha”. Triple H then hit the ring to congratulate Bayley, raise her hand and give her flowers. It made for a great moment and a spectacular way to end the show. Again, this is exactly the kind of thing we need on the main roster to make people believe in the women. They made this feel big time and important, and while not as great as the Brooklyn as far as the match goes, they created another great moment overall, which is equally as important.

* End scene.

* Thanks for reading.