NXT TakeOver: A̶r̶Rival Official Thread February 11th, 2015

**Mr. Nerfect** · 02-13-2015, 09:37 PM

* I honestly preferred Itami and Breeze's tournament match, but I did like this opener. I kind of think they should have just not done Dempsey vs. Corbin yet and had Breeze and Itami go longer and tell a more epic story of guys looking to get back into contention. Promote Dempsey vs. Corbin as a "TV" main the following week or something. Sell it with more promos.

* Itami teasing the GTS is pretty great. When he does hit it, it's going to get a massive pop, and might mark his move up to the NXT Title picture. I like him in his "upper mid-card" role in NXT at the moment. He needs some time to adjust and really find the groove, which he is getting closer to every week.

* Breeze is an MVP down in NXT. I've seen a lot of people in the internet complain that he's been swept under the rug since the arrival of Owens, Balor & Itami; but the dude has seriously been in overdrive making whoever he works with look great. Plus, his character is basically bulletproof when it comes to losing and still being an annoying threat. He never gets walked over. He's like the Kane of NXT, in a non-aesthetic sort of way. I'd actually keen for a Breeze face turn though.

* I like Dempsey, and there's something about his character that I am growing to enjoy. I wasn't sold on him at first, but I like the humanity of his monster. He's just these rough guy from Brooklyn who grew up fighting and wants to make money off it -- and when he loses he really doesn't like it. I figure he's at some sort of crossroads though. He needs to either turn face and beat up someone that the NXT Galaxy really doesn't like (CJ Parker or the current incarnation of Tyler Breeze would be my picks), or he needs to evolve his heel character. I'd suggest a really vicious attack on Baron Corbin, writing him off television for a few weeks. It plays off Corbin essentially giving Dempsey mercy at Rival. But they just put Zayn out, so maybe they should just have Dempsey stew for a while and then join Solomon Crowe as part of a group called "The Murder" or something like that?

* There were a few slips during the Tag Team Title match, but overall I thought that was fun, and Blake & Murphy remind me of Cesaro & Kidd in how they are trying to be as inventive a team as possible. They're certainly not main roster ready, but I think they'll come out of NXT a damn fine tag team. I liked the running suplex/Frog Splash combo to finish off the Dragons. Sin Cara and Kalisto are a main roster ready team, time to move them up. A few more serious teams need to be established in NXT though. Maybe The Ascension can rise to the challenge of Blake & Murphy for the next Takeover, in the meantime?

* Murphy & Blake's white attire worked better than their black stuff, in my opinion, but their theme music still sucks.

* Balor and Neville tore it down. Good on them. Neville is doing a great job as the guy putting over the next wave of NXT talent before moving onto the main roster. I'd like to see him face Itami at the next Takeover.

* The Fatal 4-Way was actually my favorite match on the show. Man, these girls tore it down. Becky Lynch's character is still kind of...undefined. If Charlotte moves up the main roster, she might get something more clear. But I kind of want to see more chapters in the Charlotte vs. Banks story too. Not sure about Becky wearing grey and red though.

* The main event told a brilliant story. I actually really liked the ending. Zayn took a beating, but it was actually his overzealousness that knocked him loopy and allowed Owens to go into kill mode. He took like six powerbombs, and it struck an emotional chord with the audience. It was overkiil, which is heelish, but it sold Zayn as resilient. I like that the match was stopped too, because it adds a personal sting to it, and despite the one-sidedness of an outcome like that, it actually does leave a "non-finish" bitter taste to it. Zayn was never pinned and he never submitted, and the dude might have just kept kicking out if it weren't for the referee making the call. Zayn will take some time off and then come back for some Owens blood.

02-13-2015, 09:37 PM	#11
Mr. Nerfect Posts: 61,540	* I honestly preferred Itami and Breeze's tournament match, but I did like this opener. I kind of think they should have just not done Dempsey vs. Corbin yet and had Breeze and Itami go longer and tell a more epic story of guys looking to get back into contention. Promote Dempsey vs. Corbin as a "TV" main the following week or something. Sell it with more promos. * Itami teasing the GTS is pretty great. When he does hit it, it's going to get a massive pop, and might mark his move up to the NXT Title picture. I like him in his "upper mid-card" role in NXT at the moment. He needs some time to adjust and really find the groove, which he is getting closer to every week. * Breeze is an MVP down in NXT. I've seen a lot of people in the internet complain that he's been swept under the rug since the arrival of Owens, Balor & Itami; but the dude has seriously been in overdrive making whoever he works with look great. Plus, his character is basically bulletproof when it comes to losing and still being an annoying threat. He never gets walked over. He's like the Kane of NXT, in a non-aesthetic sort of way. I'd actually keen for a Breeze face turn though. * I like Dempsey, and there's something about his character that I am growing to enjoy. I wasn't sold on him at first, but I like the humanity of his monster. He's just these rough guy from Brooklyn who grew up fighting and wants to make money off it -- and when he loses he really doesn't like it. I figure he's at some sort of crossroads though. He needs to either turn face and beat up someone that the NXT Galaxy really doesn't like (CJ Parker or the current incarnation of Tyler Breeze would be my picks), or he needs to evolve his heel character. I'd suggest a really vicious attack on Baron Corbin, writing him off television for a few weeks. It plays off Corbin essentially giving Dempsey mercy at Rival. But they just put Zayn out, so maybe they should just have Dempsey stew for a while and then join Solomon Crowe as part of a group called "The Murder" or something like that? * There were a few slips during the Tag Team Title match, but overall I thought that was fun, and Blake & Murphy remind me of Cesaro & Kidd in how they are trying to be as inventive a team as possible. They're certainly not main roster ready, but I think they'll come out of NXT a damn fine tag team. I liked the running suplex/Frog Splash combo to finish off the Dragons. Sin Cara and Kalisto are a main roster ready team, time to move them up. A few more serious teams need to be established in NXT though. Maybe The Ascension can rise to the challenge of Blake & Murphy for the next Takeover, in the meantime? * Murphy & Blake's white attire worked better than their black stuff, in my opinion, but their theme music still sucks. * Balor and Neville tore it down. Good on them. Neville is doing a great job as the guy putting over the next wave of NXT talent before moving onto the main roster. I'd like to see him face Itami at the next Takeover. * The Fatal 4-Way was actually my favorite match on the show. Man, these girls tore it down. Becky Lynch's character is still kind of...undefined. If Charlotte moves up the main roster, she might get something more clear. But I kind of want to see more chapters in the Charlotte vs. Banks story too. Not sure about Becky wearing grey and red though. * The main event told a brilliant story. I actually really liked the ending. Zayn took a beating, but it was actually his overzealousness that knocked him loopy and allowed Owens to go into kill mode. He took like six powerbombs, and it struck an emotional chord with the audience. It was overkiil, which is heelish, but it sold Zayn as resilient. I like that the match was stopped too, because it adds a personal sting to it, and despite the one-sidedness of an outcome like that, it actually does leave a "non-finish" bitter taste to it. Zayn was never pinned and he never submitted, and the dude might have just kept kicking out if it weren't for the referee making the call. Zayn will take some time off and then come back for some Owens blood.