Sunday, June 7th, 2020
Full Sail University
Winter Park, Florida
Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2
Todd Pettengill rightfully kicks things off before we are subjected to watch some band named Code Orange perform. Apparently they played at a previous TakeOver, so obviously they didn't leave their mark on me. Their albums do appear to have pretty good reviews, but it's definitely not my style. Anyways, let's get on with the show.
Shotzi Blackheart, Tegan Nox & Mia Yim vs. Dakota Kai, Raquel Gonzalez & Candice LeRae
Man, the NXT entrance themes need some more personality. LeRae and Nox are probably my two favorite women wrestlers in NXT right now, so I am pretty excited for this. LeRae quickly tags out of facing Yim and in comes Gonzalez. We eventually get to Nox and Kai, who pick up the pace. We get lots of tags early on. Blackheart goes for a suicide dive, but Gonzalez catchers her and slams her. Yim then hits a dive, followed by a top rope somersault dive by Nox. Back in the ring, Blackheart is working on LeRae until Nox breaks up the submission attempt. Gonzalez then clotheslines her and LeRae gets a 2 count. The heels now have Blackheart in the corner. Kai misses with a boot in the corner and Blackheart is able to fight back with a step up enzuigiri. She finally makes a tag to Yim and she hits a dragon suplex on LeRae for 2. The action picks up again and Gonzalez hits a big powerbomb on Nox for another close call. Yim and LeRae battle all the way to the back and Kai accidentally kicks Gonzalez. Blackheart and Nox work together to knock Gonzalez out of the ring. Nox hits the Shiniest Wizard and gets the victory. I haven't been watching NXT TV, but I have to say I thought the heels would go over here. They maximized their minutes and this was a total sprint, which I am a fan of. Nice opener.
Match Rating: ***1/4 (out of 5)
We get a "promotional consideration paid for the by the following" for the WWE Ice Cream Bars.
Damian Priest vs. Finn Balor
Balor hits a dropkick in the corner before the bell. He chop blocks him and they head outside. Priest reverses and throws Balor into the steel steps. Priest then slams Balor onto the apron, as they head back into the ring. It's kind of remarkable that both of these guys are 38 years old. Priest hits a flatliner and a leaping reverse elbow. It seems as if they really haven't known what to o with Priest since he has been in NXT. Balor battles back and hits a vertical suplex. He hits a dropkick through the ropes. Back in the ring, Priest hits a Broken Arrow, but Balor knocks Priest down and hits a double foot stomp. Both men hit a series of vicious strikes until Balor knocks Priest down with a Pele kick. Balor counters a chokeslam into a victory roll for a 2 count. Back on the outside, Priest hits a variation of the Razor's Edge onto the apron of the ring, but Balor kicks out. To be honest, that should have been the ending. Priest hits two leaping elbows in the corner, but Balor hits a Slingblade on the third attempt. Priest hits a 360 kick and then Balor comes back with a dropkick. Balor goes up top, but Priest grabs him by the throat and hits a chokeslam from the second rope, but it's not enough. That probably could have been the finish as well. Priest is going for a Razor's Edge from the apron onto steel steps. Instead, Balor slips out of it and knocks Priest off and onto the steps. Ouch. Balor hits the Coup de Grace to the back and then hits another one for the victory. This was another spring, although they had a few more minutes than the women did. I'm not sure this match should have had the big kick outs, but the action was very good here.
Match Rating: ***3/4
NXT North American Championship Match
Johnny Gargano vs. Keith Lee
Man, all that highlight package did was just show how out of touch I am with the current product storylines. Gargano sets the thermostat in the In Your House set to 69, which is right next to a picture of Dok Hendrix. I think the second that they are allowed to have live crowds again, Keith Lee needs to win one of the top titles on Raw or SmackDown. Lee does what he does to start things off, which is just be awesome. Gargano uses his quickness to try and get some offense in on Gargano, but he catches the suicide dive and then a somersault off the apron. Gargano misses a kick to the steps and Lee drops Gargano onto the apron. Gargano tries to get into the house, but the door is locked. Gargano attacks Lee as they get back into the ring. Gargano wisely goes to work on Lee's hands. Lee starts to gain some momentum. Gargano misses with the spear through the ropes and Lee hits a variation of a backbreaker. Lee hits a big forearm and I can tell you there are few wrestlers that I've ever seen that are as good at selling as Gargano is. Back and forth they go. Gargano hits a superkick and then counters a slam into a nearfall. Lee hits a pop up slam and Gargano rolls out to the floor. Gargano then hits a leaping DDT through the ropes. Lee then hits a pounce through the plexiglass. Lee is carrying Gargano back in the ring and out comes LeRae to try and stop him. Unfortunately for her, Mia Yim is right behind her and they begin brawling again. This allows Gargano to dig in his trunks and grab the key he had and slip it in his fist to hit Lee with it. Gargano hits a kick and Lee kicks out. Gargano hits multiple kicks and Lee keeps kicking out. Lee hits a pop up sit down powerbomb. He then hits a powerbomb, picks him back up and hits the Big Bang Catastropher for the victory. This was good, but neither of their best work. These two are deserving of having the most time here tonight, but this probably would have worked better if they would have gone a few minutes less.
Match Rating: ***1/4
Backlot Brawl For The NXT Championship
Adam Cole vs. Velveteen Dream
Adam Cole comes riding in an Undisputed Era truck. Velveteen Dream comes in a yellow Lamborghini. The "Live" indicator in the upper right corner is no longer here for this match. If Velveteen Dream loses here, he will not get another opportunity as long as Cole is the champ. Dream drops the bat that he brought to the ring. So this isn't like the Hollywood Backlot Brawl, this one has a ring, but is surrounded by cars with their lights on. I hope that I like this match, but I truly am not a fan of these cinematic matches. The quick cuts are just too distracting. Cole says that he is leaving, so he grabs his belt and tries to escape in one of the cars. Dream starts hitting the car with the bat and just in case you weren't sure he was, we see like 3 different angles of it. They start brawling and a car rolls up and asks if someone called for an Uber. They start brawling around the building. Cole is able to hide in one of the doors. When Dream finds him, he uses a fire extinguisher on him. Cole continues beating on Dream. Dream is able to throw Cole into the ring post. Dream goes off the top rope, but Cole hits a super kick. Cole goes off the apron and Dream hits him with a super kick. Dream sets Cole up on the hood of a car and starts climbing a ladder. In comes a car that's honking and flashing lights and it's the Undisputed Era. This allows Cole to climb the ladder, but Dream then knocks him off and through the windshield of the car. Cole is bleeding from his arm. The Undisputed Era then attacks Dream and both men are down. Dexter Lumis is now out here and helps take out Bobby Fish and Kyle O'Reilly. He locks both of them in a trunk of a car and drives away. Cole is trying to climb back into the ring and goes to the second rope. Cole goes for Panama Sunrise, but Dream hits the Dream Valley Driver for a 2 count. He then hits a Purple Rainmaker, but Cole kicks out again. Cole hits a low blow and then hits the Panama Sunrise into a pile of chairs for the victory. This was better than the WrestleMania matches, but it would have been a lot better if they would have filmed it like a normal wrestling match. I can't believe that there would be a Hollywood director that would think this was shot well.
Match Rating: *1/2
Todd Pettengill is here trying to sell some merch now. Good times. They then cut to Shawn Michaels, Triple H and Road Dog trying to figure out a computer.
Karrion Kross vs. Tommaso Ciampa
I'm excited to see Kross here, as he is new to me. I know a lot of people have raved about the entrance, but the lip syncing is super cheesy to me. Kross starts off hot and hits a suplex. Ciampa tries to make a comeback and hits him with a kick to the face. Kross is right back up and throws Ciampa out of the ring. He then picks up Ciampa and throws him into the apron, which looked painful. Kross hits a suplex with a release. He hits a series of knees to the jaw in the corner and Kross is just destroying Ciampa. Kross hits a Northern Lights suplex into a big clothesline. Kross definitely has a Dr. Death/Brock Lensar vibe to his offense. Ciampa starts to fight back and knocks Kross off his feet. Ciampa hits a Willow's Bell for a 2 count. Ciampa goes for a Fairy Tale Ending, but Kross hits a F5 type move and then puts him in the Kross Jacket. The ref determines Ciampa is out and calls for the bell. Kross's offense is hard hitting and impressive. Kudos to Ciampa for putting him over big time here. I'm not a big fan of the character here, but I definitely enjoyed the ring work. Let's see what they can do with him.
Match Rating: **3/4
Triple Threat Match For The NXT Women's Championship
Rhea Ripley vs. Io Shirai vs. Charlotte Flair
Charlotte rolls out of the ring to start things off and encourages her opponents to start off. They do and she quickly goes at Ripley from behind. Charlotte catches a leaping Shirai and hits a fall away slam. Charlotte then begins dishing out the chops to both opponents, until they both team up and try to take her down. Charlotte throws Ripley into the plexiglass outside the ring. Shirai tries a dropkick, but Charlotte turns it into a Boston Crab. Shirai gets out and Ripley comes in with a clothesline on Charlotte. Shirai comes in and slows down her momentum and hits a 619 on Ripley. Shirai and Ripley both strike each other at the same time and all three women are down. Charlotte hits a double spear and tries to pin both unsuccessfully. Shirai gets Charlotte in the crossface until Ripley breaks the hold. Shirai hits a springboard dropkick. Shirai hits running knees to Ripley in the corner and then Charlotte hits her with Natural Selection for a 2 count. Charlotte puts Shirai in the Figure Eight, but Ripley pulls her off and they start brawling outside the ring. Shirai hits a plancha through the ropes and then Charlotte hits her from behind. Charlotte throws Shirai through the window of the set. Ripley and Charlotte are brawling until Shirai leaps off the door of the set with a crossbody. Shirai brings Charlotte in the ring and goes up top, but Ripley stops her. Ripley avoids a Charlotte spear and goes back to focusing on Shirai. Ripley goes for a superplex, but Shirai escapes and she goes for a top rope rana, but Ripley stops her and Charlotte kicks her in the gut. Charlotte now is looking to hit something, but Ripley hits a top rope slam for a 2 count. Ripley puts Shirai in the Prison Trap, but Charlotte starts attacking them both with a kendo stick. Charlotte puts Ripley in the the Figure Eight, but Shirai hits a moonsault on Ripley and gets the pin before Charlotte can get out of the submission. I like all three of these women, but they all seemed to have a few spots where they seemed a bit off. However, the action was still fast paced and another good match. The finish left me feeling a little flat and I truly feel bad for any of these performers not getting the big crowd pop when they get the victory. This was a good main event, but we all are just longing for the end of the quarantine era.
Match Rating: ***3/4
Well, they are already fighting an uphill battle whenever they do any of these shows. Of the three WWE shows, this was definitely the best of the bunch. I really enjoyed most of the matches, but I can do without ever seeing a cinematic match again. This show also gets bonus points for the fun nostalgia that it brought and for the efforts of everyone involved. Good show, but not the level of TakeOver that we have grown accustomed to.
Overall Rating: 70%
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