Kyle Talks SD Live!: 2/7/17

*I am going to try writing more, so stick with me folks!*

WWE SmackDown Live! | Seattle, Washington | 2/7/2017

       Daniel Bryan kicks off the show to get the crowd fired up. He talks about the last time he was home in Washington he announced his retirement. Bryan goes on to say that the past year has been tough for him but he is grateful. He also announces that he is going to be a father. The Miz comes out and interrupts him. Miz says he doesn't even know why Bryan is here anymore. He says that Bryan should just go home. Baron Corbin comes out and gets into it with Miz in a verbal exchange which leads to Dean Ambrose coming out. Ambrose makes two very horrible jokes about Miz and Corbin. AJ Styles makes his way down to the ring. He says that everyone has lost their minds and at Elimination Chamber he will regain the WWE Championship. Bryan ends up making a Fatal Four Way match that will take place after the commercial break. 

       I enjoyed this segment a lot. It lasted about 15 minutes and built to a good match being made by Daniel Bryan. The crowd was absolutely electric for this. I figured this was because of Bryan being back in home territory but it the crowd was like this for the majority of the night. 

AJ Styles vs. Baron Corbin vs. The Miz vs. Dean Ambrose

       This match was very well paced. I thought all men fired on all cylinders. AJ Styles looked tremendous and sold like a million bucks. Ambrose was taking shots at everyone which is always good when done correctly. Baron Corbin gets the pin on Styles after he gets distracted by Maryse. The Miz did a great job of generating heat. 2016 was a fantastic year for him. The angle on Talking Smack with Bryan really kick-started the rise of Miz's prominence on SmackDown Live. Bringing back the brand split has been such a great benefit for a talent like him. I thought Corbin was very good here. Again, the brand split has worked in Corbin's favor too. It seemed before the split he was another guy. They have done a great job of protecting him and making him look like a major threat heading into Elimination Chamber. I had no gripes with anything in this match, good stuff from all four men.

       Tom Phillips interviewed Nikki Bella and Natalya on a double screen feature. The reason for this was so that the two wouldn't fight before Elimination Chamber. Nikki says that Natalya is no longer a friend. Nattie says that they were never friends and that Nikki is only where she is because of John Cena. Nothing new here. Natalya did really good in this and really took shots at Nikki. The bad acting and promo delivery of Nikki really showed here, I didn't like her stuff. Overall, this was a decent segment. I think the match at Elimination Chamber will be good and the build really has me interested to see this one.

Apollo Crews vs. Dolph Ziggler

       Here we are again with a match that no one cares about. This match is a dud and ends very quickly. Crews rolls up Ziggler to get the win. They really haven't done Crews any favors since his arrival on the main roster. He has no character and the fans have no reason to care about anything he does. Ziggler is now a heel and gets cheered which is not supposed to be the reaction he gets. Dolph goes into a rage after this match and destroys Crews with a steel chair. Kalisto comes down to the ring only to suffer the same fate. The crowd chanted "one more time" as Ziggler was delivering chair shots which was hilarious. It goes to show you just how horribly booked Kalisto and Crews are. SmackDown does a lot of things right but the handling of those involved in this segment are things done wrong.

       Bryan confronts Ziggler backstage and books him in a two on one match at Elimination Chamber against Kalisto and Crews. I am hoping Crews does a turn and beats down Kalisto. They need to do something with Crews and this is all I can think of at the moment.

Dual Contract Signing

       Renee is in the ring and introduces Alexa Bliss, Mickie James, Naomi, and Becky Lynch. Mickie James says that Renee is dismissed and Renee leaves the ring. Mickie tells Becky that she is tired of ungrateful people like Becky trying to ruin everything James built before the current crop of women arrived. She says Becky is trying to erase all of her great accomplishments. Lynch says that she is insane and that's not what she is trying to do at all. Alexa defends Mickie and says that she is now the leader of the division. Bliss apologizes about forgetting that Naomi was even there and says that she will beat her at Elimination Chamber. Naomi tells Alexa that she has beaten her two times and will make it three. Naomi follows by saying that after she will go on to defend the championship in her hometown at WrestleMania. The segment ends in a brawl after all four sign the contract with Naomi and Becky standing tall. This didn't need to be a duel contract signing, it was just weird. Mickie's tone was very different when cutting her promo and I didn't like it. Alexa was just awesome. Lynch was good. Naomi needs work but I can tell she's trying.

The Ascension, The Usos, and The Vaudevillains vs. American Alpha, Rhyno & Slater, and Breezango

       This match had way too many bodies in it. It was a nothing match and served only to make certain teams look strong heading into Elimination Chamber. The Ascension get their first win in forever and I couldn't care less. SmackDown has been good for many but it hasn't benefited anyone in this tag team division. They just need to make these teams look stronger and more interesting.

John Cena vs. Randy Orton w/ Bray Wyatt

       I really didn't want to see this match but it turned out to be fine. They gave us this match now so I assume this will not be the title match at Mania. The referee gets knocked out near the end. Bray and Orton gang up on Cena which leads to Luke Harper coming out. Wyatt tells Harper to back down and go away. Harper finally connects with an insane Discuss Clothesline to Wyatt. The crowd went nuts and so did I! The payoff was very good. Orton comes back in and Harper shoves him into Cena. He connects with the Attitude Adjustment and gets the victory on Randy Orton after the referee gets back up. Great finish to a decent match. This was a very good way to end the show heading into Elimination Chamber on just a two week build. Harper really has come into his own and is starting to get over with the fans. Harper is a solid hand who really can deliver in matches. Earlier in the show, Harper delivered a great promo.

       I am really looking forward to the Elimination Chamber. The build has been very good and the Chamber Match has the potential to be the best one to date. Everyone is looking very strong and can easily be looked at as a potential champion. SmackDown was good this week. It wasn't the best episode but it seemed to go by quickly and nothing seemed to overstay it's welcome. The standout talent in this show was Luke Harper and he really has a chance to win fans over with a good match against Randy Orton at Elimination Chamber. 

I would give this show a 7/10.

Sorry if I didn't go too in-depth. I just wanted to give a quick rundown with my thoughts on the side. I hope you all enjoyed. Feel free to send questions, feedback, and more to me.

Email: xuppercuts@gmail.com

Twitter: www.twitter.com/ThroughMyKyes

Kyle Talks NJPW: WK11 + Emotions

     

I haven't wrote a piece in a while as I was growing tired and weary of simple reviews. It wasn't just this that was causing me to be motivated. It was the lack of motivation I have been struggling to find and was running low on my creative juices. Everyone does reviews, so why should I? I decided not to write something until it was original and more different from the pack. Now, you might ask yourself why am I typing this? Well, I have finally thought of something to write about. My inspiration for this wasn't just a fantastic event put on by New Japan Pro Wrestling, but the wonderful fans I see posting each and every day on social media. I felt that it was my turn to get my thoughts and emotions out in a way that was easy for me to look back on. So, here goes nothing...

This was the first Wrestle Kingdom that I have watched live. Every other one I would just seek out a day or so after it had happened. Not this time, I was determined to catch Wrestle Kingdom 11 live! I wanted to feel the energy and excitement with the great people on social media. I wanted to watch one of my favorite promotions put on a grand event and exceed expectations from all. I did indeed stay up and didn't catch any sleep prior to the show. I watched SmackDown Live, 205 Live, and Talking Smack just hours before. I took in a lot of wrestling in just one day to say the least.

It was 2AM est. on January 4th and the pre-show was beginning. The stage, crowd, and overall feel of the presentation just felt right. I got that feeling that assured me I wasn't just in for a good show, but a great show. The event started with the NJPW Rumble. I find myself popping already two minutes in when I heard that awesome tune that is Michael Elgin's theme song. He got a very good reaction from the crowd. I couldn't have been more glad to see Big Mike return and on a big stage. Obviously I would have preferred to have seen him used in a bigger way, but you have to deal with the cards that are dealt to you. This match was full of fun spots and returns from the old dads. Who would have thought ROH's Cheeseburger would be so over with the wonderful Japanese crowd? Not me. The guy has that look and gives off that vibe to where you can't help but cheer the guy. The Rumble came down to him and Elgin. Big Mike went over after running the table, good stuff. This was the right move as this win could be used to elevate Elgin. I enjoyed the performances from most men involved, easy watch.

I looked at the clock and saw that it was 2:45 AM. I was feeling the energy and constantly checking twitter for any news. I mainly saw the people going nuts over Scott Norton who returned in the NJPW Rumble, which was great. The excitement and anticipation for this event was at an all-time high, I didn't really know what to expect from these performers. 

The show is beginning finally! I don't want to make this whole piece a review on the show as you can check other sites to get their in-depth analysis on it. I will go through the most notable parts from my view. The undercard was fine, but not great. It was just there for me.

It's about 6AM and I find myself struggling to keep my eyes open. Getting at least an hour of sleep would have been more ideal before watching this show. This wasn't because of a bad show up to this point, but more because I was exhausted after being up almost 24 hours. A decent Heavyweight Tag Team Championship Match had come to a close. Tomohiro Ishii and Toru Yano stood tall over GBH and the Guerrillas of Destiny. I found myself asking "Why am I even staying up for this show?" as nothing great has happened yet. I would soon find out why I stood up and wouldn't be disappointed.

The second half of Wrestle Kingdom 11 was unlike anything I had every witnessed in professional wrestling. I cant think of a better two hours of professional wrestling that what followed the decent first half. We were finally getting to the meat of things. 

Hiromu Takahashi vs. KUSHIDA for the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship. This match was a bit sloppy at times. Takahashi was going insane right out of the box. The sloppiness from Hiromu played to his crazy character and made me enjoy the match even more. KUSHIDA was selling his butt off in this one. I screamed "OH MY GOD, KUSHIDA IS DEAD!" as he took a powerbomb to the outside from Hiromu. I thought KUSHIDA nearly banged his head against the guardrail and thank goodness he didn't. This match had me feeling so worried for both men's safety and gave me the adrenaline rush I desired so much. I was feeling awake again and this match made me feel fired up for what was yet to come. Just writing about this match makes me feel that rush once more! Hiromu Takahashi ended up finishing KUSHIDA off and became the new IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion. This could easily be argued as the best Jr. Heavyweight Championship Match at the Dome. I ended up rating this match ****1/2, tremendous stuff. 

Following that match, we got the culmination between to childhood friends. It was time for Hirooki Goto vs. Katsuyori Shibata for the NEVER Openweight Championship. Alright, can someone tell me if this was a damn shoot? It sure felt like it. The thuds from the headbutts in this match had me cringing and wanting more. I feel guilty saying this as I was just previously worried about Takahashi and KUSHIDA's health in the match prior. Now, Goto is known to many as being just a loser who can never get the job done. I see him as more than that. He comes off as a geek, but I think it is almost impossible to not see the fire he displays in the ring. The facials and just flow of his work is much appreciated by me. I look for that stuff that will set one apart from the other. Goto just has something that draws me in and makes me connect with a performer. Shibata was Shibata as always. He had no regard for his health in this. I don't think he ever does. There was a spot where both men were just throwing headbutts back and forth, it was insane! "HOLY SHIT!" is what I was yelling from the basement as I heard Goto and Shibata's heads make a clunking noise when they collided. My little brother shouted "Shut up!" from upstairs as he was trying to get some rest. I never did apologize for waking him up. At the end of this war, it was Hirooki Goto who finally got the job done and won the NEVER Openweight Championship. Again, I gave this match a ****1/2.

That war was then followed by the match I was most looking forward to. It was time for Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Tetsuya Naito for the IWGP Intercontinental Championship. The video package to setup the match was fantastic. Naito is my favorite wrestler in NJPW and Tanahashi is a close second. If you are into storytelling, this is the match for you. Callbacks from other matches and cringe inducing spots filled this match. The crowd was going insane as they were for majority of the event. Near-falls were executed to absolute perfection and had me jumping off my seat every single time someone kicked out right before the referee could count to three. I loved this match so much and it was right up my wheelhouse. Naito defeated Tanahashi in the end with the Destino. The post-match was good too as Naito kind of showed respect to the fallen Tanahashi. I rated this match *****.

The main event was finally here. Kenny Omega vs. Kazuchika Okada for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. I really didn't care about this match heading in as I didn't have a horse in the race. Omega is great when he isn't doing his comedy act and Okada' act is just tiring. This match started slow and the first half lacked something. It felt like these two just weren't on the same page. Omega did several breathtaking spots, but I still couldn't get into this. The first half just had a lot of stuff it didn't need. The last 20 minutes of this match were just incredible. Omega and Okada got on the same page. They pulled out everything. Okada connected with a Rainmaker to Omega and he kicked out! Okada's immediate reaction was just priceless. He couldn't believe that Omega wasn't finished with that move. He ends up retaining the championship after another Rainmaker. This might be the best finishing sprint of a match I have ever seen. I wouldn't say this was my favorite match ever though or on the card. The pacing was just off to me. They would turn it up and down constantly about 15 minutes in. This was a good way to close the show though, I dug it. I ended up giving this match a ****1/4, sorry Meltzer. 

Now, go back and look at all of the ratings I gave to these matches. Notice anything? I will tell you if you struggle to get it. The connections I felt with the performers made me feel either so much more invested in the match or not. The false finishes had me gasping and had me cheering for who I wanted to win. The stories being told and the journey these wrestlers took me on during this show ultimately decided how much I enjoyed the matches. We have heard recently that Dave Meltzer of WON gave Okada vs. Omega a six star rating. Do you think that rating is too high? I have seen people getting mad at Dave for this. They shouldn't and I'll tell you why. We all have went through different things in life and express our emotions in multiple ways. We connect with different people. All of these qualities determine our personality and character. No one is the same. We may think similar sometimes, but we are not the same. I gave Tanahashi vs. Naito a five star rating while I have seen others not care too much for it. I get it completely. I just feel a connection to the story of Tanahashi and Naito. Tanahashi wanted to prove that he still could be the top guy and ultimately came up short. I have tried to prove people wrong and have failed. The story told in the ring just played with my emotions on another level. We see ordinary people portray these characters on television that remind us of ourselves or someone we know in our personal lives. The emotions that we feel from watching wrestlers go on a journey won't be the same. That is what makes professional wrestling so unique and different. 

I hope you can take something positive out of this as I just felt the need to express my thoughts. Remember, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Not everyone will find that same beauty in a match as you and that's okay!

Thank you so much for reading this, I am grateful you took the time out of your day. If you would like to give feedback, I will be sure to read it. If you want to ask a question, I will try my best to answer it. If you ever want to just talk, shoot me a message.

Contact information

Twitter: www.twitter.com/ThroughMyKyes

Email: xuppercuts@gmail.com

Kyle Reviews NXT TakeOver: Toronto

Photography courtesy of  WWE.com

WWE NXT TakeOver: Toronto | 11.19.2016 

Another NXT TakeOver is in the books and it delivered more than I had expected. Going into the show, social media buzz for NXT was at an all-time low. Most of the chatter I saw was more about how NXT was getting low numbers at house shows and how lackluster the shows on the WWE Network have been. I honestly didn't know what to expect other than a solid TakeOver, but we got a great one instead. It was great all-around and was very easy to watch. That's what most people look for when watching wrestling. Also, kudos to the folks in NXT as well as the crowd for being on fire throughout majority of the show. They added so much to the matches with "Ten" chants and singing along to Shinsuke Nakamura's beautiful theme song. 

Tye Dillinger vs. Bobby Roode

As expected, this match opened the show. There was a local choir singing Roode's "Glorious" theme, which was neat. Toronto was singing along with the choir. The song is just so good, it's hard for the crowd to boo Roode especially when this is all taking place in his homeland. Tye Dillinger came out next and he didn't have anything too fancy for his entrance. The "Ten" chants were heard throughout this entire show, might be the next "what?" chant. Bobby Roode and Dillinger got dueling chants for the entirety of the match. Roode tried his absolute hardest to get the crowd to turn on him, it just didn't work. Dillinger did the classic ten punches in the corner and for each punch the crowd chanted "ten". It was a very clever spot, I dug it. Roode worked on Dillinger for a lot of this match. Tye got a nice comeback in, nothing that stuck out to me. Bobby did a pretty good Spinebuster, not Arn Anderson-levels though. On a side note, Dillinger is 35 years old and Roode is 39. I just figure I would point that out. These guys aren't getting any younger. RAW and SmackDown can certainly benefit from having either of these men. We got several false finishes, they were very believable. The crowd at one point gave these two a standing ovation. Dillinger went for a Sharpshooter in tribute to Canadian Hero, Bret Hart. Easy way to pop the crowd, good spot. Roode eventually got out of the submission hold. Toronto briefly chanted "Fight Forever", which is just scary imagining Roode wrestling forever.. no offense. Bobby Roode ends up connecting with an Impaler DDT and gets the pin to defeat Tye Dillinger. 

Winner: Bobby Roode via pinfall 

Match Rating: 3.25/5

Dusty Classic Tag Team Finals: Authors of Pain vs. TM61

Absolutely no hype for this match. I assume these two teams weren't supposed to be in the finals, but got in due to the injuries suffered by other wrestlers in the tournament. I didn't really like this tournament and expected so much more, but it is what it is. Authors of Pain come out first, crowd boos a little bit. TM61 comes out and gets no pop from this previously fired up crowd. This was probably the low-point of hype from Toronto's crowd aside from maybe the ending of Joe/Nakamura, which I'll get to later on. Paul Ellering gets put into a cage that ends up being ascended above the ring. The cage gimmick made me feel like I was in the late 80s and early 90s. The match was fine, nothing too exciting really. Authors of Pain constantly kept looking up at Ellering for instructions on what to do next, which I thought was a nice touch because the team isn't used to having Ellering gone from ringside. Shane Thorne of TM61 did a Diving Senton Bomb off of the pillar that was holding up the crane for the cage. The crowd went nuts and died again soon after. Fans clearly aren't invested in these two teams. There was a point where Akam and Rezar of A.O.P are just getting tossed around, which expose their monster characters. Authors of Pain end up winning this match. The Rhodes Family(except Cody Rhodes and Brandi) come down to present the trophy with William Regal and Triple H. A pretty lame match, but I will say that TM61 gave Authors of Pain their best match to date. It just wasn't a good one. These two teams certainly have the potential. TM61 are great workers, but lack character. Authors of Pain lack a bit of both.

Winners: Authors of Pain w/ Paul Ellering via pinfall

Match Rating: 2.25/5

#DIY vs. The Revival (c) - 2/3 Falls for NXT Tag Team Championship 

Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa have made quite the impact since arriving in NXT, fantastic workers. The Revival are easily the best tag team in professional wrestling today. Both teams already had an excellent match against each other at TakeOver: Brooklyn II, so I went into this knowing this would be another incredible bout. Dash and Dawson both wore black and pink in tribute to Bret Hart, nice touch. Gargano and Dawson started this match. Dawson gets outclassed by Gargano at first. Dawson regroups with Dash. Revival tag in several times and get the heat on Ciampa. Gargano gets the hot tag, excellent stuff. Gargano is so damn great with his facial expressions. He reminds me of Bryan Danielson a bit. He is easy to sympathize with and really adds so much drama to matches. Storytelling is sort of a lost art in wrestling, so it's great when you get to see it. Ciampa gets taken out and Revival gets the first fall on Gargano after connecting with the Shatter Machine. That move looks so basic, but it looks so painful every time Revival does it. Dash and Dawson tag several times while getting the heat on Gargano. Johnny eventually gets the tag to Ciampa, but the referee is distracted and doesn't see it. The crowd is absolutely livid, such a great spot. Toronto was buying into all the near-falls and submissions. Ciampa finally gets the hot tag from Gargano, it was decent. Gargano's hot tag was better. Ciampa connects with three German Suplexes and a knee, stiff stuff. Tommaso's knees always look stiff, love his style. DIY end up doing a Double Superkick to pick up the second fall on Dawson for the second fall. We get some great false finishes, best of the night. Ciampa, at this point, is just on fire. You can really see that he is giving it his all. Toronto chants "NXT" while the four men catch their breath. Revival does a cool tag spot where an Uppercut leads into a Bridging German Suplex. One of the titles get involve. Gargano goes for a kick, but Dawson holds up the title and Gargano accidentally kicks the title. His ankle gets injured from this. Dash puts the ankle lock onto Gargano's injured ankle. Johnny sells this so perfectly. This is where he really shines. His facial expressions really had many convinced that he was going to submit. He ends up getting to the bottom rope to break the submission hold. DIY connects with their own version of the Shatter Machine, which popped the whole entire crowd. Both members of DIY end up getting both members of The Revival in submissions. Revival tried to hold on and keep other from submitting, but failed as both men tap. Excellent visual and finish to this match. This is easily my favorite tag team match in the last ten years. These four men put on a clinic and put on the best match ever to happen in NXT. Tremendous storytelling, great spots, and fantastic energy throughout. If you for some reason have not seen this match yet, go watch it after you finish reading my review!

Winners and NEW NXT Tag Team Champions: DIY via submission

Match Rating: 5/5

Mickie James vs. Asuka (c) - NXT Women's Championship

Asuka needed an opponent to face at this event. With no other woman on the roster ready to face her, Mickie James got the call and made her return to WWE. Physically, she looked great. In the ring, she looked great. Mickie was showered with "Welcome back" and "You still got it" chants. I'm not really sure why the crowd chanted "You still got it", Mickie only stopped wrestling for a short period of time due to pregnancy. Also, Mickie James is only two years older than Asuka. The match itself was good. Asuka was finally put up against someone that looked similar in stature and strength. The two worked a technical style, great stuff. Asuka at one point retreated to the outside, which is different from the norm. The commentary made sure to point that out. Corey Graves and Tom Phillips did a great job all night. Mickie held the ropes on Asuka, but she decided to go under the ropes. Later in the match, Asuka held the ropes for Mickie and the same thing happened. Asuka did a brutal looking German Suplex outside the ring to Mickie, looked sick. Mickie made it back in before the ten count. Asuka ended up putting Mickie James in the Asuka Lock to get the victory. I enjoyed the match a lot. After, Mickie tried to shake Asuka's hand. She held the title up instead and the crowd booed. She has gotten cocky now and seems to be leaning toward a heel turn. Great character development for her, loved it. 

Winner and STILL NXT Women's Champion: Asuka via submission

Match Rating: 3.5/5

Samoa Joe vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (c) - NXT Championship

Joe comes out with a look of determination on his face. Nakamura comes out with violinists following him to the ring. I'm pretty sure that they weren't really playing the violin, it looked poorly done. The entrance still looked cool, always gives me goosebumps. This match was certainly better than the previous one at TakeOver: Brooklyn II. They started off exchanging blows and brawling into the crowd. They get back into the ring. Joe works on Nakamura's knee for a long portion of the match, but Nakamura clearly doesn't even sell it. It took me out of the match for a while. Shinsuke even used that same knee multiple times after to deliver some blows to Joe, just bad stuff. Joe gets hit with a Kinshasa, but no pin as he rolls outside. The referee and Nakamura follow Joe on the outside. Joe distracts the referee and low blows Nakamura. He does a Uranage onto the steel steps, throws Nakamura in the ring, and connects with a Muscle Buster. Nakamura gets pinned and the crowd just goes absolutely silent. It was such a strange moment. I didn't like the booking for this match, but it was fine for what it was. It was better than their last match, but nothing special.

Winner and NEW NXT Champion: Samoa Joe via pinfall

Match Rating: 3.5/5

Kyle's Final Thoughts

Good show overall and thought the booking was good for the most part. The Revival and DIY put on an all-time classic wrestling match that could be considered a Match of the Year contender. Asuka seems to be turning heel, not sure what she does next. I expect The Revival to be moving up to either RAW or SmackDown. With The Authors of Pain winning the Dusty Classic, it would make sense for them to be put in a program with DIY. That has potential, but we'll see. Obviously expect Joe and Nakamura to have another match for the NXT Championship, which I really have no desire for. It really sucks saying that too because I think both men are great workers. Definitely check this show out!

Thank you for reading my review, I hope you enjoyed. I highly appreciate all feedback and tips. I am trying my best to deliver the best possible content and analysis. 

Below are the various ways you can keep in touch with me. Be sure to follow me on twitter if you want updates on my blog and instant thoughts on wrestling shows. 

Email: xuppercuts@gmail.com

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Kyle Previews NXT TakeOver: Toronto

NXT is in a weird position right now. For over two years, NXT was such a super hot brand and now.. it's really not. The brand has seen many people come and go, which is always sad to me. The social media buzz about this upcoming TakeOver is probably at an all-time low and that is very concerning because the buzz is usually really constant heading into a TakeOver event. If I had to guess, it would be due to the lack of star-power on the brand. Anyway, I don't want to waste your time by just rambling about why this TakeOver is not as anticipated as previous TakeOver events. So, let's take a look at this pretty solid card!

Tye Dillinger vs. Bobby Roode

I have to assume that these two Canadians will get a very excellent reaction from the crowd as they are back in home territory. Bobby Roode walked out on his partner, Tye Dillinger, during the Dusty Classic Tag Team Tournament when the two went up against SAnitY. Roode said that he only teamed up with Dillinger because he felt bad for him and that he knows Tye isn't a "Perfect Ten". This rivalry has been built up very well. This is the kind of match you kick-off an event like this with. The crowd will be as Papa Hales would say, fired up! You really can't ask for much more out of these two men. Dillinger is hell-bent on getting revenge and will try to prove to Bobby Roode why he is the "Perfect Ten". Bobby Roode looks to continue on the path of success and gain another "glorious" win in Toronto. I expect a solid match and a hot crowd!

TM61 vs. The Authors of Pain (Dusty Classic Tag Team Finals)

I expected so much more from the Dusty Classic this year. Several injuries occurred during this tournament, so the folks over in NXT had to reshuffle the deck a bit and change the booking. TM61 has looked pretty impressive this tournament. They didn't really do much for me before this, but now they really are doing well. Nick Miller and Shane Thorne just need to figure out their identities. Authors of Pain have been booked to look like complete monsters, as they should be. The GM of NXT, William Regal, stated that Paul Ellering(manager of Authors of Pain) will be suspended above the ring in a cage during this match so that we a clear winner. I feel like I am watching some wrestling from the 90s now. I'm not too high on this match, but I think it should be decent. This match will be really telling of how good(or not good) The Authors of Pain are.

#DIY vs. The Revival (c) - 2/3 Falls for NXT Tag Team Championship

Following a match of the year contender from these two teams back at TakeOver: Brooklyn II, #DIY and The Revival will clash again for the NXT Tag Team Championship. Gargano and Ciampa were scheduled to take on The Revival in the Dusty Classic but The Revival was forced to forfeit due to Dawson's knee injury. Later in the tournament, #DIY lost to The Authors of Pain after Dash and Dawson interfered. William Regal made an announcement that The Revival will not be able to get away from #DIY this time. He stated that The Revival will defend their NXT Tag Team Championship in Toronto against Gargano and Ciampa. Last time their match was a regular tag team match, but this time it is a 2-out-of-3 Falls Match. At TakeOver: Brooklyn II, #DIY vs. The Revival was my match of the night. I expect no different heading into this event!

Mickie James vs. Asuka (c) - NXT Women's Championship

The Women's Division in NXT has lost a lot of shine since the departures of Bayley, Alexa Bliss, Carmella, and Nia Jax. It has left Asuka will no opponent that has been built up to really be a worthy contender. I expect that after this match, Ember Moon will be next in line to take on Asuka. Yes, this means that I expect Asuka to roll through Mickie James and continue her dominance in NXT. Many people seem to forget that Asuka has yet to lose a match since arriving on the scene. She has defeated Bayley twice, Emma, Dana Brooke, Liv Morgan, and more. As of right now, NXT has no stars in line on the roster that is really ready to even hang with her except for Ember Moon. The problem is, Ember Moon has just arrived on the scene in NXT and needs time to develop as a character. So, NXT has brought in the ring veteran, Mickie James, to take on Asuka. This is a great move on WWE or Triple H's part to bring her in for this match. Having Asuka in a program with an already established wrestler allows the other women to develop more while Asuka gets to be put over by a great talent in Mickie James. This is going to be an interesting match and there is no reason to believe that this match will not be good. These women will deliver and this match will take the fans by storm.

Samoa Joe vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (c) - NXT Championship

At TakeOver: Brooklyn II, Shinsuke Nakamura was able to slay the beast that is Samoa Joe and capture the NXT Championship. The match really wasn't that great, it was just good. The build for this second match has been solid. Joe injured Nakamura and ran rough shot on the roster for a period of time during the build for this event. Joe was demanding a rematch for the title, which was eventually made official by William Regal. Nakamura returned and had some brawls with Joe. The two had a really good contract signing, which I usually hate. I have to give them credit for the stuff leading up to this show. The main problem for me is that it's almost a lock that Nakamura is going to retain. For months now, Samoa Joe has been running in circles. There is nothing left for him to do in NXT. We've seen a similar theme with Bayley, Finn Balor, and Sami Zayn. People stay down in NXT for way too long. The connectivity with the crowds never really transfer over well on the main rosters either, so it's not even a "strike while the iron is hot" kind of deal. It's just that the stories get tiring after a while and that's what we have with this. Samoa Joe has been involved in the NXT Championship picture for about a year now with no breaks. Anyway, this match will be better than their last. These two have had time to go over what worked and what didn't last time. This appears to be Samoa Joe's swan song in NXT, but we will see.

Kyle's Final Thoughts

Overall, this show will probably be good. I don't expect it to be the best TakeOver event to date, but it will be good. If I had to pick to steal the show, it's the NXT Tag Team Championship Match. The only match that I feel won't deliver is the Dusty Classic Finals and that's sad to say. Asuka won't completely run thru Mickie James, which is fine. Tye Dillinger and Bobby Roode will get the crowd hot to start the show and that's never a bad thing. Nakamura and Joe will have a better match than their previous. We are seeing a rebuilding of NXT right now and that's okay. I just hope that this event will be good enough for people to remember clearly.

That's all for this post, I hope you all enjoyed. I would love to hear your feedback and would appreciate your support dearly. If you have any suggestions or questions, feel free to contact me on twitter or email me. Below you see the multiple ways you can get in touch with me. Thanks for reading and see you next time!

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