Back by popular demand, its time for another Browning Review. Tonight, we review NXT Takeover: London, which was live from London, England.
There were 5 matches scheduled on the show. We start off with Triple H welcoming us to the show. He says that NXT is our brand. Well, Hunter, thank you for making me a fan of WWE again. Let’s waste no time and talk about the action.
Asuka vs. Emma
Those who are only are familiar with Emma’s main roster work are in for a surprise as she and Asuka put on a clinic. When Emma couldn’t beat Asuka clean, Emma and Dana Brooke used about every cheap trick in the book including trying to get Asuka DQ’d a la Eddie Guerrero.
There was plenty of back & forth action, but Asuka proved just how OVER she is within the NXT Universe. The live audience reacted to every move she made in a positive way. Emma was able to accentuate the devastating offensive onslaught of Asuka with strategic selling.
The plan failed and Asuka pulled off the victory. Asuka is proven that she is indeed the real deal and should be the next Women’s Champion.
Emma proved that she is a good heel and the main roster misused her greatly. This match earns an A+.
NXT Tag Team Championship Match
Dash & Dawson (c) vs. Enzo Amore & Big Cass
I have compared Enzo to Road Dogg several times earlier this year, but I was wrong. Enzo Amore has improved so much that he could be on pace to exceed the talent of Road Dogg. His prematch promo has similarities, but Enzo is able to bring a level of crowd participation we haven’t seen in years. He was instantly over with the London crowd & their singing helped make his work seem special.
This title match had solid back and forth action. Dash & Dawson pulled out their old school heel tricks by cutting off the ring & switching without tagging each other. Some highlights included the hot tag to Big Cass, who was able to dominate Dash & Dawson.
At one point, Enzo & Cass hit their finish & everyone was ready for a title change to take place, but Dawson was able to pull Enzo out of the ring at the last minute, thwarting the pinfall attempt. Dawson went into the bag of tricks once again & used Carmella as a shield against the oncoming Big Cass.
Enzo was attempting a huge move off of the top rope, but Dash and Dawson hit The Shatter Machine off the top rope! The way Enzo and Cass were being built up, you would think there was no way they would have lost. Great effort all around by both teams. B+
Baron Corbin vs. Apollo Crews
Baron Corbin & Apollo Crews are arguably the two top singles wrestlers behind Samoa Joe & Finn Bálor on the NXT roster, so this match was basically an unofficial #1 Contender’s Match for the NXT Championship. This was a hard-hitting match with a complete contrast of styles. A couple of sloppy spots took place, but it didn’t take away from the excitement.
Crews suffered his first clean loss on NXT as Corbin was able to hit The End of Days on an unsuspecting Crews to take the victory. Corbin is becoming a more versatile heel & has earned his stripes in NXT, so the victory makes sense. Crews is still relatively new to the NXT roster, but his time will obviously come. The guy is a freak of nature with unlimited upside.
NXT Women’s Championship Match
Bayley (c) vs. Nia Jax
This championship match told a simple story of Bayley overcoming the odds. This time, against a monster in Nia Jax, Bayley had to persevere an unfathomable beatdown by the Samoan monster. Nia beat the holy hell out of Bayley the entire match & Bayley sold the offense like she was dead.
A few times in the match, I thought Nia would win via ref stoppage. No matter how hard Nia tried, Bayley would not die. Bayley would prove how resourceful she is by using a Guillotine Choke to tap her out after multiple attempts. Nia hit repeated spinebusters on Bayley, breaking each submission attempt. The psychology of Nia being slowly worn down by said submissions is a simple story that was told extremely well.
This was Nia’s best match yet. Nia has serious potential to be the next Awesome Kong if she stays healthy and keeps up the hard work. Jax looked strong, even in defeat.
I wonder who is next in line to face Bayley? This match gets an A!
NXT Championship Match
Finn Bálor (c) vs. Samoa Joe
First, I just have to say that Finn Balor’s entrance looks amazing when he transitions to The Demon. His “Jack The Ripper” entrance was special & completely different from his other Demon entrances in the past. I just wish there was more of a difference between his demonic and normal side. This was a very physical match between these two. Joe was able to execute most of his signature moves, but was unable to score with The Muscle Buster on numerous attempts.
Both men really pushed their physical limits as you could see how spent they were.
The finish would be Finn countering the Muscle Buster to beat Joe with the Coup De Grace. Bálor wins but I don’t think this feud is over. Good way to close this show. This earns an A grade.
In conclusion, NXT Takeover: London from top to bottom was a solid show with great wrestling. Unlike the Boston Crowd for TLC last Sunday, the London crowd was lively and as a guy watching the show on The Network as it happened, makes me wish I was live. I can’t wait for the next Takeover.
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