NXT TakeOver Orlando Review
The show starts with a promo by Triple H about this being Wrestlemania Weekend but that tonight is NXT. He says that tonight they will show the world they are NXT and that tonight they are home.
1) Sanity of Eric Young, Killian Dain, Alexander Wolfe and Nikki Cross vs. Tye Dillinger, Roderick Strong, Nikki Cross and Kassius Ohno
We are shown footage of No Way Jose being attacked by Sanity and are told he won’t be able to participate and that Dillinger, Strong and Cross can pick another partner. Very glad to see Ohno get the shot. Everyone brawls to start until we are left with Cross banging Riot’s head on the mat. Cross charges her in the corner but gets her head rammed into the turnbuckle. Wolfe tags in and showboats only to get elbowed by Ohno who then hits him with a senton. Ohno works Wolfe’s arm and bends his fingers. Young distracts Ohno allowing Wolfe to punch him down. Young tags in and Sanity works over Ohno in the corner. Wolfe tags in and slams the back of his head into the mat. Strong tags in and goes wild with strikes on Wolfe. Strong hits an Olympic slam on Wolfe and a backbreaker on Young. Strong hits a knee-lift on Young in the corner and hits a humping knee on Dain on the apron. Dain tags in and stomps down Strong and hits him with an uppercut. Dain starts dropping elbows on Strong who fights back with an enzuiguri. Young tags in and runs Strong’s head into the corner and then lifts him in a guillotine choke. Wolfe and Dain double-team Strong in the corner. Wolfe takes Strong to the mat in a cobra clutch and Young does a top rope elbow-drop. Strong fights back with forearms on Young but gets driver into the corner. Strong avoids a leg lariat by Young in the corner and tags in Dillinger who unloads on all of Sanity. Dillinger gives Wolfe a DDT. Cross charges Dillinger but gets cut off by Riot. Dillinger goes to the top rope and hits Wolfe with a crossbody followed by a tope suicida on Young. Dain attacks Dillinger on the floor but takes a dropkick from Strong. Wolfe knocks down Strong. Ohno charges and flips outside and knocks down Wolfe but Dain knocks him down. Riot and Cross brawl in the ring. Dillinger rolls Young inside and punches him in the corner. Dillinger backdrops Young and superkicks Dain. Wolfe stops the pin attempt and then takes a knee from Ohno. Young tries to stop Ohno who elbows Wolfe only to take a neckbreaker from Young. Strong hits Young with a sick-kick and then faces off with Dain. Cross jumps on Strong’s back and riot jumps on Dain’s. Cross knocks Strong down and then brawls to the outside with Riot. Young clotheslines Strong on the floor and Riot dropkicks Cross from the apron. Dillinger gets Dain on his shoulders in the ring but takes a boot to the face from Wolfe. Dain then gives the Ulster Plantation (electric chair driver) for the pinfall.
Edge and Beth Phoenix are shown in the crowd.
2) Andrade Cien Almas vs Aleister Black
They trade wristlocks to start and then trade headlock takeovers. Almas misses a dropkick and Black tries to stomp him but Almas taunts him. Black backdrops Almas to the outside. Black goes for a dive but instead kicks off and backflips into a meditation pose. Almas comes back inside and takes some kicks from Black. Almas drives him back into the corner and starts kicking him. Almas runs in and slaps Black in the face. Almas goes for a suplex but Black lifts him to the apron. Almas does an armbar in the ropes. Almas goes to the top and hits a missile dropkick. Almas kicks Black in the head but Black fights back with kicks and strikes and a knee to the midsection. Black kicks Almas to the floor and then does a second rope moonsault to the floor. Black charges him in the ring but Almas avoids him. Black rolls him up but Almas escapes and starts throwing elbows. Black knees him in the midsection and Almas does the armbar in the ropes again. Almas goes up top for a missile dropkick but Black catches him in a pin. Almas grabs an ulma plata and a Fujiwara armbar at the same time. Almas hits Black with forearms in the corner but then misses a charge. Black gets a small package. Almas gets a roll-up and hits a back elbow. They trade kicks and fall to the mat. Almas goes for an armbar but Black escapes and hits a knee-strike. Almas hits a flying kick for a pin attempt. Almas charges and hits double knees in the corner. Almas goes for the hammerlock DDT and Black blocks it. Almas hits a straightjacket German suplex. Almas charges and Black hits a jumping knee-strike. Black starts kicking him in the face and then hits the Black Mass spinning back-kick for a pinfall. This was a great debut and an awesome performance by both guys.
3) NXT Tag Team Titles: The Authors of Pain (champions) vs DIY of Johnny Gargano and Tomasso Ciampa vs The Revival of Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder
The new NXT Tag Title Belts are revealed before the match. The Revival and DIY turn toward the AOP and start brawling with them. Gargano and Ciampa send Akam into the guardrail and then set up a table at ringside. Akam rams them into the guardrail but they respond by running him into the ringsteps. Both AOP members are down on the floor and the Revival and DIY face off in the ring. DIY hit a double dropkick followed by a Gargano in the corner. Gargano does another dropkick on Wilder and works his arm. Akam tags in and hits DIY with a double clothesline. Rezer catches Ciampa off the ropes but takes a boot. The Revival refuse a tag. Rezer and Ciampa square off but the Revival trip Ciampa and then do a double-team legdrop on Rezer. Rezer comes back on Dawson and DIY refuse the gag. Gargano makes a blind tag and hits Dawson with a slingshot spear. Gargano hits an enzuiguri on Dawson. Ciampa hits Rezer with a running knee-strike from the apron and Gargano hits Akam with a plancha. Gargano slingshots in with a DDT on Dawson. Gargano does a pescado on both AOP members who catch him and throw him into Ciampa as Ciampa is doing a tope sucida. They throw Gargano into Dawson on the floor. Rezer and Akam do a double-team sideslam/stomp on Gargano and continue to work him over. Akam holds Gargano up in a torture rack for an extended period until Gargano maneuvers into a sunset flip attempt. Gargano hits a step-up enzuiguri but is prevented from making a tag. Gargano shoves Akam into Dawson and tags in Ciampa who unloads with clotheslines. Ciampa hits a big boot to Rezer and gives Akam two German suplexes. Ciampa hits Akam with a running knee. Ciampa attempts a sunset flip bomb over the ropes on Rezer through a table at ringside. He gets the assist from Gargano and The Revival and Rezer goes through the table. Aka fends off DIY and The Revival in the ring and hits a double clothesline on DIY. Akam picks up Ciampa for a powerbomb and Wilder tags in. Dawson puts Akam in a reverse figure four and Gargano applies the Gargano Escape. Rezer makes the save. Rezer ends up in the ring with Dawson and Gargano who do the superkick/knee-strike combo of DIY. Dawson and Wilder then hit Rezer with the Shatter Machine. The Revival and DIY are left in the ring and agree to go after AOP but end up exchanging strikes. Wilder and Gargano hit double tope suicida’s on AOP. Ciampa goes to the top and Dawson follows and superplexes him onto everyone else at ringside. Dawson takes Ciampa inside but Rezer tags in and takes out Dawson. Akam tags in and AOP hit the last chapter on Ciampa and pin him for the elimination. AOP then hit the sideslam/stomp on Wilder. They go for another one but get cut off by Dawson. The revival hits a powerbomb/reverse bulldog. Wilder hits Rezer with a German and does another German in combination with an elbow from Dawson. Dawson then ties up Rezer who takes control and punches Wilder while coming off the ropes. AOP go for the last chapter but end up clotheslining Wilder. Akam has Dawson in a sleeper but Dawson kicks back into a roll-up. AOP hit double powerbombs on Dawson and Wilder. Dawson gets Rezer in a small package. Akam hits a death valley driver on Dawson in the corner. All four men are inside and AOP pick up Dawson and Wilder for powerbombs, smash them into each other and hit the double powerbomb again for the pinfall. This was one of the best matches of the weekend and it really feels like AOP has arrived.
4) NXT Women’s Championship: Asuka (champion) vs Ember Moon
The new NXT Women’s Title Belt is unveiled after the introductions. They lock up twice and roll and trade headscissors and armdrags. They both throw dropkicks at the same time. Moon grabs a standing headscissors to flip Asuka over. They charge into each other and start shoving. Asuka hits a hip attack and Moon fires back with a dropkick. Moon hits some kicks Asuka rolls outside and Moon follows with Asuka going back inside and doing a hip attack. They return inside and Asuka kicks her around the ring. Moon catches a kick and faceplants her. Asuka hits a jumping hip attack. Moon hits back elbows and Asuka goes for an Asuka Lock. Moons knocks her to the floor with a forearm. Moon then does a plancha from the second rope. Moon goes to the top rope but has to jump over Asuka who then hits a shining wizard. Asuka blocks some kicks and gets the Asuka Lock and has Moon’s back. Moon gets to her feet and falls back on Asuka. Asuka misses a hip attack and Moon superkicks her. Moon does a legsweep and a dropkick and continues with more kicks and a fall-away slam. Moon does a clothesline in the corner but Asuka comes back with a German suplex. They trade slaps and Moon hits an exploder suplex. Moon goes to the top and Asuka tries for a superplex but gets knocked off. Moon sets up for the eclipse but Asuka shoves the referee into her. Asuka then hits a big head-kick and get the pin to keep her title.
Drew McIntyre is shown at ringside.
5) NXT Title: Bobby Roode (champion) vs Shinsuke Nakamura
There is a great entrance and reaction for Nakamura but I lose my mind over the live piano rendition of Roode’s music. Perhaps that is just the piano player in me. And we also get an unveiling of the new NXT Title Belt. Nakamura gets Roode in a hammerlock but Roode counters into a headlock and holds it until they break in the ropes. Roode showboats and Nakamura kicks him in the chest. Nakamura kicks him in the face and they tie up. Nakamura hits a knee to the gut and a knee-drop. Roode catches Nakamura’s boot but takes an enzuiguri. Nakamura stomps him in the corner. They fight on the outside and Roode takes a shoulder to the gut as Nakamura comes to the apron. Nakamura attempts to suplex Roode outside but takes a dropkick. Roode hits a running elbow to knock Nakamura to the floor. Roode works Nakamura over in the ring and stomps him in the corner. Roode hits Nakamura with chops and a clothesline in the corner and then gives him a neckbreaker. Roode works Nakamura’s neck and moves to the arm. Roode knocks him down with a clothesline and an elbow and then continues to work the neck. Nakamura fights back and hits a spin-kick. They trade punches and Nakamura starts hitting head-kicks. Nakamura splashes him in the corner and then lays him on the ropes and knees him in the midsection. Nakamura gives Roode a sliding dropkick to knock him outside. Nakamura gives Roode a knee-lift on the apron and drops a knee on his head. Nakamura goes for a back suplex inside but Roode fights him off with elbows and then hits a big clothesline. Roode chops Nakamura in the corner and then charges and takes a boot to the face. Nakamura hits another big boot and sets up for the Kinshasa but misses and Roode chops out his knee. Roode starts working the knee and smashes it on the ringpost. Roode continues with the knee work and does and maneuvers into a figure four. Nakamura eventually reverses the hold and Roode gets the ropes. Roode stomps on the knee and keeps beating on it. He goes for another figure four but Nakamura grabs him in a cross armbreaker and transitions into a triangle. Roode slams him but Nakamura falls back into a cross armbreaker on Roode who struggles for the ropes. Roode gets the rope break but Nakamura keeps on him with kicks to the head. Nakamura misses a charge in the corner and hits his knee on the turnbuckle. Roode goes back to the knee but Nakamura fights him off with kicks and starts kicking Roode in the arm. Roode gives Nakamura a lung-blower. They struggle to their feet and trade strikes. Roode goes for the Glorious DDT but Nakamura blocks it and gives him a facebuster and a running knee-strike. Nakamura sets up for the Kinshasa but Roode rolls out of the ring. Nakamura brings him back inside but Roode kicks the rope into his crotch. Roode hits the Glorious DDT for a near-fall. Roode goes to ringside and grabs the ringbell and brings it inside. The referee takes it from him and Nakamura hits a head-kick and a float-over back suplex. Roode hits a spinebuster. Roode grabs Nakamura for the DDT but Nakamura rams him into the corner. Nakamura charges again and Roode clips his knee. Roode then goes to the top rope and hits a huge Glorious DDT to get the pinfall win.
This was a really great show. It isn’t the best Takeover they’ve had but that bar has gotten awfully high. The tag title match was one of the best matches of the whole weekend to this point and this show is definitely worth seeing.
