If you are a professional wrestling fan and haven’t signed up for WWE Network, do it. Thursday night’s NXT Takeover special proved that the future of wrestling is bright by putting on an incredible show that, by itself, makes the WWE Network worth the price.
When the network first launched, WWE tested the waters for live streaming with a special event titled NXT ArRival. The two-hour card was an incredible spectacle, showcasing the greatest WWE NXT, the company’s developmental branch, has to offer. Casual wrestling fans got their first taste of new performers, like Adrian Neville, Paige, and Sami Zayn (El Generico), and all of the wrestlers impressed.
During NXT ArRival, Zayn and Antonio Cesaro stole the show with a 20-minute epic. Paige and Emma fought another incredible bout over the NXT Women’s Championship. And Neville stunned new fans with his incredible high-flying repertoire. It seemed like the NXT wrestlers would never be able to top their first show, so when NXT Takeover was announced, fans were skeptical about whether or not NXT could keep up its momentum.
When NXT Takeover aired live Thursday night, the wrestlers outperformed even the highest of expectations. It was another dramatic, well-executed show from top to bottom that showed what WWE is capable of when the producers and writers stay focused and deliver a real wrestling show. There were no questionable segments, no little people in bull costumes, no infuriating commentary, and plenty of standout matches. After watching NXT Takeover, I can see that WWE has all of the talent, in-ring and behind the scenes, to create an incredible show every week.
NXT Takeover stuck with a simple formula. It promoted three big matches, gave time for all three to breathe, and let all six performers show off what they could do.
Zayn proved that he deserves to be listed next to Daniel Bryan and Dolph Ziggler as WWE’s greatest in-ring talents, and his opponent, Tyler Breeze, showed he belonged, too. Move after move, kick out after kick out, it was easy to buy into every big maneuver as the one to end the match. The near falls in this match were so close that it was hard to tell whether or not the referee made a mistake and actually counted to three.
Zayn and Breeze exchanged impressive offense that alternated between graceful and brutal. At least one sequence was so quick and perplexing that it may take scientists years to determine what actually happened. The commentators were on fire, putting over Breeze’s new attitude and Zayn’s difficult and ongoing journey to the NXT Championship. The match felt like a clash of two gladiators and kept the fans on the edge of their seats from beginning to end. The finish of the match, which saw Zayn take a seemingly inadvertent low blow, was creative, and put over Breeze’s finishing move without making Zayn look weak in defeat.
In a classic WWE move, the women were sent out after a show-stealing match. Unlike most WWE shows, however, the women put on an equally incredible show. Natalya Neidhart battled Charlotte Flair for the vacant NXT Women’s Championship in a match that had bigger names attached to it than most WrestleMania matches. Natalya was accompanied to the ring by her uncle, the legendary Bret Hart, and Charlotte had her father, the iconic Ric Flair, in her corner.
From the beginning, this match felt like something special. Flair and Hart rarely appear on WWE TV anymore, and never at the same time. Showing that greatness is a family trait, Charlotte and Natalya tore the house down, reversing moves that would have been a finish on any WWE Raw Divas’ match. Natalya tried putting Charlotte away with her uncle’s Sharpshooter, only to have it reversed into the Flair family’s classic figure-four leglock. The match felt powerful and personal, with the two ladies slapping each other ruthlessly while locked up in Nature Boy’s signature submission.
The crowd chanted, “This is awesome,” which is so rare to hear during women’s matches, so often dominated by untrained models instead of real wrestlers for the last decade. When Charlotte put Natalya in her own Sharpshooter, it looked like the match was over, but Nattie managed to escape before finally being put away clean by Charlotte’s own signature maneuver.
What happened next made the match feel like a part of history. Ric Flair, overcome with emotion, entered the ring to celebrate with his daughter, as Hart entered to console his niece. The two legendary wrestlers stood by their families as Charlotte and Natalya exchanged a very real, emotional hug. It was obvious that they understood what they had just accomplished. This women’s match went 17 minutes — four times what would be par for a Divas match on typical WWE programming, fulfilling what our resident feminist hoped to see out of the WWE Network. And it was incredible, putting it in contention, alongside Zayn-Breeze, for Match of the Year.
Then, to make the moment even more special, Bret Hart and Ric Flair, two pillars of professional wrestling, shook hands, and each hugged both of the girls as all four were seemingly overwhelmed by the incredible performance. The two legacy stars proved they belonged in a big way, and proved, like Paige and Emma did at NXT ArRival, what the ladies can bring to the ring.
Tyson Kidd had the unenviable task of following his wife in the main event against Neville for the NXT Championship. The two wrestlers did an outstanding job, delivering an innovative, violent, and dramatic title match. Kidd proved himself as the most underutilized talent on the WWE roster by hitting moves most wrestlers couldn’t even land in their dreams. Neville proved he belonged in WWE by going hold for hold with one of the greatest mat wrestlers of this generation. Neville retained the title after hitting the incomparable Red Arrow corkscrew shooting star press. It was a strong end to the show, but could not possibly top the two matches it followed.
NXT Takeover proved yet again what WWE can do when it is committed to putting on a good show and allows the wrestlers to do what they do best. The card was built around three big, well-paced matches. No one needed to kick out of a finisher to create extra drama, they just needed to be innovative between their signature spots. The commentary told stories while putting over the guys and girls in the ring as talented and hungry athletes. The heels came across as ruthless, the faces came across as valiant. No match ended with a screw job or interference, but no one looked weak in defeat. It was WWE at its best, and we can only hope that moving these athletes to the main roster will not kill what makes them unique. Unfortunately, WWE has a poor track record when it comes to introducing new talent.
If you haven’t already, I urge you to sign up for WWE Network and watch NXT ArRival and NXT Takeover. You will not be disappointed.