NXT Takeover: Brooklyn

NXT Takeover: Brooklyn Review

Here I am with my first review since Money in the Bank earlier this year. It's been a while and I have missed it, so what better way to start than with the latest special offering from NXT?

This Takeover special was way more anticipated than any other edition which is saying a hell of a lot. Does it hold up almost two months later? Let's have a look and see.

Triple H talking to the camera with no mic and all the lights coming on with the crowd going nuts was just the perfect way to start this. The revolution has truly begun.

Tyler Breeze vs Jushin Liger

Breeze's entrance was just awesome. How is this guy not on the main roster yet? Actually scratch that last comment, keep him on NXT so Vince doesn't ruin him. It's also really weird yet cool seeing Liger in a WWE ring. This was a hard one to predict before the event and I would have thought Breeze would have came out on top. I don't mind Liger winning since Breeze still looked good even just being in the ring with him. I did like the story they were telling of Breeze trying too hard to show off against the legend, but Liger's veteran skills put him away. Damn good match that fired the crowd up and gave us a rare match at the same time. Good stuff. ***1/4

The Vaudevillains vs Blake & Murphy

The NXT Tag Titles are on the line. I love the way that NXT got us to the point where we were just dying for anyone to take the Tag Titles from B&M. Those guys were going nowhere until they got Alexa Bliss involved who made them slightly more tolerable. The inclusion of Blue Pants is excellent. Great tag match here that just got better as it went on with some great nearfalls and false finishes towards the end. The stuff with the two girls was well done too. A great effort. ***1/2

Apollo Crews vs Tye Dillinger

I do love Dillinger's new Perfect 10 gimmick. No wonder why it got over so fast. Apollo is just an amazing specimen though. He has the size of a heavyweight and can move around better than most cruiserweights. That gorilla press and standing moonsault combination is just deadly. Impressive debut as Apollo got to totally show off his stuff and that's all you can really ask for. **

Samoa Joe vs Baron Corbin

I wasn't looking forward to this one initially, as Corbin had yet to really impress me in a match. This ended up being the biggest surprise of the night and it's easily Corbin's best match yet. Either Corbin's gotten way better or Joe is just a miracle worker. Nice, hard hitting match as Joe gave Corbin a lesson in how to work a longer match with surprisingly good results. All action, no dull moments. Great finish too with Joe countering a pin attempt to lock in the clutch. ***1/4

Sasha Banks vs Bayley

The NXT Women's Title is on the line. I can't remember the last time I was this excited for a Title match. The build up to this was spot on and the video package was just perfection. Bayley is a great character who has been built up as underdog in the same vein as Sami Zayn. She couldn't have had a better opponent than Sasha Banks who was just a mega bitch. The match was amazing and easily the best of the NXT women's matches so far which is saying so much. Sasha was a fantastic heel and managed to turn the crowd against her when she focused on Bayley's injured hand. The drama was built brilliantly and it even looked like Bayley would lose at some points. I said Cena/Owens at MITB was my MOTY. Well this has easily beaten that and is my new MOTY. The best women's match I've ever seen and it'll be hard to beat. THIS is the women's revolution. Take note WWE. *****

Afterwards, the Four Horsewomen of NXT come together for maybe the final time. A total tearjerking moment and it made the match just that bit more special. Just awesome.

Finn Balor vs Kevin Owens: Ladder Match

The NXT Championship is on the line. I felt kind of sorry for these guys having to go on after that emotional rollercoaster, but it's Balor and Owens so of course they still put on an awesome match. I've grown kind of tired of ladder matches, but this one proved that they can still be hard-hitting spectacles. There weren't really any high-flying, OMG moments until the end with the Coup de Grace from the top of the ladder, but this match didn't need those at all and it was all the better for it. Some of those ladder moments did look stiff as hell though. Great main event to a fantastic show. ****

9.5/10: This show had just about everything you could want from a wrestling show. Nothing was bad or dragged, and everything was entertaining in it's own way. Easily the best of the Takeover shows so far and I doubt it'll be topped any time soon. Definitely recommended.

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