TV Show Review 021 WWE NXT Takeover Dallas PPV Recap & Review 040116

WWE NXT Takeover in Dallas, Texas 040116 [1993->] 4.5/5

> Running Thread: NXT Tag Team Championship

1. American Alpha vs the Revival /NXT Tag Team Champions\  

+ Jason Jordan and Chad Gable versus Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder With the challengers got the full support of the crowd especially Chad Gable, Scott Dawson tried to belittling him in the opening minutes but their support has been proven justified as the American Alpha continue controlling the exchange despite the champion's best efforts of cheating and misdirection that was highlighted with the simultaneous German Suplexes. They couldn't keep it going though because of a sneaky tag in behind Gable's back which turned the table as the champions took turn to beat him up and grounded him with a number of submission attempts and double tag moves. Even Double DDTs by Chad couldn't turn the tide as Dash took a shortcut under the ring to keep Jason from tagging in. As they tried to keep him down, a tag made out of a mistake caused by the challenger's agility let the freshest wrestler, Jordan, to come in and save the day with a string of powerful and skillful moves that pumped the audiences even more. As more tricks being pulled out of the champion's sleeves to keep their advantage with the towel at the feet and sneaking in an uppercut, the cooperation and teamwork by the underdogs kept themselves still in the contention as the exchange moved back to the first pairing with a number of quick counters and roll-ups were exchanged between them. With the match reaching its climax, Scott was thrown to the challenger's corner and their own sneaky tag in wasn't seen by him as he was oblivious to the incoming Jason's spear and the following American Alpha's double team finishing move, to the delight of the spectators.

(American Alpha won by pin fall [Grand Amplitude], Rating = 4.5/5, Duration = 15m 13s, +1 to American Alpha's & the Revival's form, +1 to American Alpha's reputation)

2. Baron Corbin vs Austin Aries {Debutante}

+ With the sneak attack during his onscreen debut still fresh in mind, the smaller newcomer didn't hesitate to return the favor against the bigger and stronger Baron Corbin as he came at him straight after the bell ring without fear of his superiority and use his agility and selective attacks but try as he might, the NXT senior smartly lured him closer to the rope and threw him off of it, giving him the upper hand to ground the agile wrestler with his power based attacks and submissions. Despite audience's disapproval, Baron kept leading the exchange but as Austin began his retaliation with their support behind him with own hard-hitting jabs and acrobatic skills and it was all well until he was countered into a Deep Six on the floor outside the ring and he barely beat the ten counts. Even with that shock, Aries kept asking for more and aggravated Baron even more but as he lined up for his finisher End of Days, a quick counter by Aries into a roll-up pin that caught the Lone Wolf by surprise thus ended the match with the debutante's win.

(Austin Aries won by p/f [Roll-up], R = 4/5, D = 10m 44s, +1 to Austin's form and reputation)

3. Sami Zayn vs Shinsuke Nakamura {Debutante}

+ As much as the crowd is looking forward to the in-ring return of Sami Zayn after a long absence because of injury, the crowd couldn't be more at fever pitch with the arrival of the Strong Style and his perfect entrance and its accompanying music, unbelievably escalating even more as he was brought to light and even played with the crowd just like a seasoned veteran oozing with charisma. It could be argued it was more to play with the mind of Zayn than to please the viewers as he challenged him to come at him but instead gave a good preview of his skills and the NXT veteran return the favor with his own wrestling skills, giving the Dallas natives more reasons to cheer and had harder time to rally behind whom. Shinsuke began to pull out his effective leg moves out of his repertoire and Sami replied by becoming more aggressive as they kept the match going with increasingly harder hitting and riskier moves that cancel each other out as the spectators were all in throughout the fight, highlighted in the prolonged exchange of punches that forced out the Strong Style off of Nakamura and the trademark resilience of Zayn, with the armbar and triangle from the former were countered with the latter's own 'Strong Style' and Koji Clutch and it was again a stalemate with a standing enzuigiri kick that warranted the chant "Fight Forever!" With the match seemingly at its final moments, both wrestlers were able to land their own big moves, with an inverted exploder suplex followed by a blue thunder bomb that the fans could only replied with uproarious applause and chant for "NXT" deservedly. An attempt for Sami's signature DDT was countered with a kick to the head, allowing Shinsuke to recover and pulling out a string of nasty elbows to the back of the head which followed by an elevated knee strike to the same spot, leaving him vulnerable enough for the Strong Style's match ending Kinshasa.

(Shinsuke Nakamura won by p/f [Kinshasa], R = 5/5, D = 20m 08s, +1 to Sami and Shinsuke's form, +1 for an entertaining and one of a kind match & +1 for the sportsmanship shown by both performers)

> Running Thread: NXT Womens Championship Title Match

4.  Asuka vs Bailey /Divas Champion\ 

+ Tension was high as these two competitors cautiously began to exchange nervy grappling skills and moves as the crowd was fully behind the beloved champion but provided praises for the challenger as well when she warranted it, with Bailey fully controlling the flow of the match despite the strong resistance by Asuka. After an effective springboard elbow drop, she followed it with a hurracanrana off the top rope and then a tight guillotine choke to ground the elusive Japanese. With a counter of an ankle lock being brushed off by Bailey, she showed his expertise again with a hurracanrana off the ring onto the floor below but with Asuka able to gain back her composure, the higher agility and effective leg kicks she have edged out the champion's attempt to keep her down, punctuated with a standing kick and a running knee to the head. A quick resulting fightback forced a stalemate in the flow of the match and as the standing exchange was going, both great minds were thinking alike but before the superior standing skills of the challenger prevail, the champion quickly countered with an ankle lock on the right leg and then followed it with concentrated attacks on the left. Despite that, the Japanese managed to execute one of her submissions, armbar, and the Californian just barely got the upper hand again. Trying to outmaneuver the submission specialist, she executed one of her own but to no avail and the tide was turned when she tried her finishing move but was countered with her devastating kick which followed by an armbar and as Asuka tried to transition into her ultimate submission, the crowd tried to get behind her as Bailey tried to grab the rope to break the hold. Even when the Asuka Lock was locked in tightly, the constant shout of her name made the champion miraculously got on her feet again but only for a second as the Lock was sealed tight for the second time and chocked the air out of her, leaving her unconscious and unable to respond to the referee's call.

(Asuka won by submission [Asuka Lock], R = 4.5/5, D = 15m 23s, +1 to the champion's & the challenger's form & +1 for an entertainingly stressful match)


> Running Thread: NXT  Championship

5. Samoa Joe vs Finn Balor /NXT Champion\

+ The tension and the emotions were so high that it could be cut with a razor as the long awaited encounter between two of the best competitors in the roster and their rivalry culminated in this ultimate fight for the coveted title. In the excitement and eagerness to start the match, the accidental clash of heads between them causing a small but bleeding cut on the eyebrows of Samoa Joe, adding further wrinkles in the proceeding fight. Not only it didn't faze the challenger one bit, it just added to his steps and advancement against the champion despite the constant checkup by the official and the doctor for precautionary purposes. To their credits, both wrestlers kept going at it and canceling each other out to the delight of the pumped crowd but the Samoan couldn't keep his domination on the Irish because of a couple of referee's stoppage but even so, the time he got to recover just wasn't enough to keep him at bay. As Joe finally got his momentum going, Balor had to dig deep down to pull out a dropkick and creating a stalemate long enough for him to recover and turned the tide to his side as he landed effective and devastating kicks and blows on the resilient competitor. The two wrestlers knew each other's moves well enough to have counters for each of them and this was proven when they countered each other thrice almost in succession. When Samoa got the upper hand again, he followed up on a Powerbomb with a Boston Crab and then a Crossface but Finn managed to hang on and quickly rolled out of it and Double Stomped himself back into the fight. The champion tried to land his finisher but the agile challenger stood up quickly and landed a standing Enzuigiri which followed with a Muscle Buster but Balor somehow kicked out of pin to Joe's amazement. A back and forth exchange of punches that was punctuated with a kick to the head and the following countdown by the referee was ended with a surprising resurgence of energy by the Demon who finally landed his Coup de Grâce but when he tried to finish him off, the Samoan pulled out a last gasp attempt of Coquina Clutch which straight away subdued him but he forced himself to use the leftover energy and use the corner to turn the hold into a quick pin that surprised Joe and everybody in the arena.

(Finn Balor won by p/f [rollup], R = 4.5/5, D = 16m 23s, +1 to both forms)

"A perfect showcase of how far the brand has come so far with some of the best upcoming and seasoned wrestlers to come into the spotlight and highlight every aspect of this sports entertainment."

(WWE Channel, Rating - TV-PG, Founded 02211980, Episodes >>, Founders Vince & Linda McMahon, Duration - 2 hrs 15+ mnts, Genre - Action, Drama, Entertainment, Violence, Wrestling, WWE Universe)