COVID-19 has brought so many industries to a screeching halt, but somehow, some way, pro wrestling managed to keep going (despite it being a terrible idea). I haven't been really in the mood to watch anything at all since lockdown started (be it TV or movies), so I sadly fell out of watching what few wrestling PPVs they were (I only watched bits of WrestleMania, Money in the Bank, and AEW's Double or Nothing). But they announced a Takeover, and I never miss those, so I watched it as soon as I had the time. I have my usual blow-by-blow of each match on the card below. Spoilers, obviously. Actually, before I talk about the matches. I'd like to address the overall In Your House theme of the show. I was too young to have watched the In Your House PPVs when they actually happened, but from what little I gathered, this is a pretty faithful recreation of the classic style. The way the arena was set up looked exactly like it did in the original, there were all sorts of '90s references (including DX fumbling over a computer), and they even got the original host to present the show. There were also hilarious little commercials featuring an overenthusiastic William Regal voiceover, and a few NXT stars doing funny shit. I'm sure it's nostalgic for a lot of older viewers, but even if I don't have those memories, I still enjoyed the overall vibe of the event. Mia Yim, Tegan Nox, & Shotzi Blackheart vs. Candice LeRae, Dakota Kai, & Raquel Gonzalez This six-woman tag match sees multiple feuds intersect: Tegan Nox and Dakota Kai's months-long war, and Mia Yim and Candice LeRae's rivalry after the latter's recent heel turn. The match starts off pretty back-and-forth, then eventually spills to the outside, where most of the women perform some high-risk dives. Afterwards, the heels manage to take control, cornering Blackheart until the latter escapes and tags in Mia Yim. Eventually, the tensions between Yim and LeRae boiled over, causing them to brawl into the backstage area and effectively removing themselves from the match. The remaining four carry on until an inadvertent kick from Kai takes out Gonzalez, allowing the faces to pick up a big win. It's a pretty standard multi-person match, but it's a decent opener nonetheless. Finn Bálor vs. Damian Priest No thanks to COVID-19, Bálor's supposed feud with WWE UK Champion WALTER was put on hold, and so his focus has shifted to Damian Priest, who had been blindsiding Bálor with sneak attacks over the past few weeks. Priest's goal is to make sure his name is forever remembered, and he intends to achieve that at the expense of one of the greatest NXT Superstars of all time. Bálor fires the first shot in the match by ambushing Priest in the middle of his own entrance, and immediately takes control in vicious fashion. Priest was able to shift momentum, however, thanks to the use of some steel steps. Both wrestlers were able to dictate the pace of the match for decent chunks of time, with Priest flaunting his power and striking abilities, whereas Bálor dazzled with speed and aggression. After plenty of exciting back-and-forth (which included an avalanche chokeslam by Priest), Bálor secures the win after Priest takes a nasty spill onto the very steel steps he used earlier on. This was a pretty solid match, and a great showcase for Damian Priest (who, from what I can tell, doesn't seem to be capturing a lot of fans' interest). I wonder where each wrestler goes from here in terms of story? Keith Lee (c) vs. Johnny Gargano (NXT North American Championship match) After surviving his final encounter against Tommaso Ciampa, Johnny Gargano completed his transformation into a full heel along with his wife Candice LeRae. They set their sights on Mia Yim (who had received an NXT Women's title shot at the time), and this drew the ire of Keith Lee (Yim's significant other in real life). This then led to weeks of brilliant dinner promos and vicious attacks, and it all comes to a head here. Gargano plays the heel masterfully here, employing all sorts of sneaky shenanigans to gain the upper hand, while Lee simply does what he does best: be an incredibly terrifying blend of freakish power, deceptive agility, and blistering speed. The injuries Lee sustained in previous episodes factored a lot into the match, as his offense was slightly stifled and Gargano spent most of the match targeting his injured hand and eye. In so doing, the match was able to flip the script a little bit, allowing Gargano to have momentum on his side for a lot of the match while Lee (who is ostensibly the bigger man) has to fight from underneath, as opposed to the other way around. The action spills to the outside on a number of occasions, with a weird spot where Gargano tries to escape through the door of the In Your House set, and Lee catapulting Gargano into the Plexiglass barrier separating the "crowd" from the action. Mia Yim and Candice LeRae soon run in and continue their brawl from earlier, and the resulting distraction allows Gargano to poke Lee's eye out with a key (which he did previously). Unfortunately, it was to no avail, as Lee survived attack after attack from Gargano. After enduring an onslaught of kicks, Lee retains his title in convincing fashion, hitting his high-impact moves to seal the deal. I thought this match was solid, but I can't help but feel like it was missing something that would have made an otherwise good match great. I still enjoyed it, but not as much as I thought I would when the match was first announced. Adam Cole (c) vs. Velveteen Dream (Backlot Brawl for the NXT Championship) Adam Cole is currently on the run of his career, as he's now been NXT Champion for over a year and is officially the longest-reigning champ. However, Velveteen Dream (returning after spending months out of action due to injury) has come to challenge for the title and avenge himself after everything the Undisputed Era has done to him. Their feud now has them face off in a Backlot Brawl, but there's a big caveat: if Dream loses, he cannot challenge for the NXT title as long as Cole still remains champion. Cole arrives in the parking lot in a sweet-looking UE-themed monster truck, while Dream drives in in a sexy Lamborghini wearing a Negan (from The Walking Dead) cosplay. After a brief scuffle in the ring, Cole decides he wants to leave, and tries to leave in a different car (?). This prompts Dream to absolutely wallop the shit out of said car, which sends Cole running. The fight continues outside, but then a mysterious car drives up. I thought it was the rest of the Undisputed Era coming in to help Cole, but nope, it's apparently an unsuspecting Uber driver. Cole and Dream briefly fight inside said Uber driver's car and the understandably confused driver hightails it out of there. It made no goddamn sense, but it made me laugh, so there's that. The two wrestlers continue fighting, and now the brawl takes them to a poorly-lit, shitty street. Cole hides in one of the buildings and manages to ambush Dream with a fire extinguisher blast to the face. Later on, the Undisputed Era finally show up to help Cole, but the champ (who was atop a ladder trying to stop Dream from dropping an elbow on him) takes a nasty spill off the ladder into a car windshield. Fish and Strong assist Cole by beating up Dream and filling the ring with steel chairs, but the enigmatic Dexter Lumis (who has had a weird fixation on the UE since he debuted) shows up and basically kidnaps Fish and Strong by locking them in the trunk of a car and driving away. Eventually, the action returns to the ring, and just when it looks like Dream is about to finally win the big one, Cole hits him with a low blow, then a Panama Sunrise onto the pile of steel chairs. Cole gets the pin and his historic NXT title reign continues. I'm a little conflicted on this ending, because I really wanted Dream to win (his return and initial challenge for the title was fucking hype), but at the same time, this didn't feel like the match for him to win. I'd like to see where the story leads after this. As for the match itself, I thought it was fine, but I don't think it's anywhere near the level of the other cinematic-style matches we've been seeing since the empty-arena era of 2020 began. Tommaso Ciampa vs. Karrion Kross The former Killer Kross (flanked by Scarlett Bordeaux) immediately made waves when he first showed up on NXT, assaulting Ciampa (who had just lost to Gargano in their final encounter) in brutal fashion. This match was no different, as Karrion Kross's power and aggression quickly granted him control over the former NXT Champion. Ciampa was able to fight back hard, but it was in vain, as Kross was able to slap on his sleeper hold submission to make Ciampa pass out, ending the match in quick and decisive fashion. This was a pretty short match, and it's a massive win for Kross as he takes out one of NXT's all-time greats. I enjoyed him in Lucha Underground, and I look forward to seeing more of him here. As for Ciampa, one can only wonder where he goes from here. Charlotte (c) vs. Rhea Ripley vs. Io Shirai (Triple Threat Match for the NXT Women's Championship) Many people (including myself) question the decision of having the established star Charlotte going over rising star Rhea Ripley when they battled for the NXT Women's title at WrestleMania. In addition, the constant presence of Charlotte on every WWE show further soured fans on the idea, but to their credit, they are leaning into this distaste by having Charlotte go full heel, disqualifying herself in her title match against Io Shirai (among other things). This match was easily my favorite of the night, as it was a great showcase of each wrestler's strengths: Charlotte's athletic prowess and brilliant heel work, Ripley's freakish power and explosive energy, and Shirai's aerial grace and pure skill. There were a number of exciting spots, blink-and-you'll-miss-it sequences, and even an insane dive by Shirai from high above the In Your House set. After several thrilling near-falls (including an avalanche Riptide by Ripley to Charlotte), Charlotte says "fuck it" and pulls out a kendo stick, clobbering the other two wrestlers. It seems like she's going to win as she locks in the Figure Eight on Ripley, but Shirai hits the moonsault and pins Ripley instead, and becomes the new NXT Women's Champion. I really loved this match, and it's not just because I got the result I wanted. That said, I could not be happier that Io fucking Shirai, one of the greatest goddamn wrestlers of our generation (regardless of gender) is NXT fucking Champion. Hell yeah. Though not quite on the level of some of the better Takeovers (a nigh impossible feat to achieve at this point given how many amazing Takeovers there have been), In Your House was still an enjoyable show, despite a few weak points here and there. The matches were mostly decent, and it was eventful enough that I'm intrigued to watch the next episode of NXT. No complaints here.
Honestly, I'd probably still think this show was great if all the other matches were dumpster fires but Io still won. Hahaha. - end -
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June 2024
Derryck
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