WWE NXT Takeover: Wargames

Kassius Ohno vs Lars Sullivan

Really perfectly worked opener here. The trick with a match like this is letting Ohno get in a lot of offence without making Sullivan look weak, and they basically achieved this by letting Ohno drop a load of big bombs and letting Sullivan be barely affected by them. Sullivan dominated early, hitting some big driving knees to a downed Ohno, and when Ohno does a kip up after a bit of offence, he’s met right away with a huge clothesline. Ohno looked smart on the attack, going for repeated big blows, with big kicks to the face and a series of elbows to the head. The ones to the back of Sullivan’s head looked especially great and seemed to stagger the monster. Ohno repeatedly kicks Lars in the head…and Sullivan kicks out at 1.  Ohno gets to look great for hitting such a barrage (and the execution was important here; Ohno’s shots looked brutal) and Sullivan looks like a beast for surviving. The Freak Accident gets the win for Sullivan.

Aleister Black vs Velveteen Dream

A lot to like here, and one or two bits I didn’t. Loved Dream showing off some Rick Rude style airbrushed tights at the start. The opening matwork was cool, felt like Dream was trying to compete on an even keel with Black to earn respect, but Black was all over the arm like superglue. There was a nice feeling of mind games and one-upsmanship, with both taunting and faking dives. The middle of the match had a few bits I didn’t love – Dream’s striking was of variable quality, with his superkick to Black’s chest being a bit poor. I also hated how twice Dream no-sold kicks to the face from Black, at one point recovering from a kick to immediately hit a DVD, which feels less forgivable when one of the competitors is working a “really good striker” gimmick. The positives are just how well Dream carried himself, came across as a star on a level with Black, who has a real unshakable aura. The spike DDT Dream hit on Black looked absolutely killer. Black picks up the win with Black Mass

Kairi Sane vs Nikki Cross vs Peyton Royce vs Ember Moon

Match itself was perfectly fine, but man did they ever pick the wrong winner here. They tried to avoid the main pitfalls of multi-man matches, the way people spend forever on the outside of the ring in a way they wouldn’t in a singles match. Indeed, there was very little in the way of 1-on-1 action. Some of the early spots were really fun too – loved Sane diving from the apron with a forearm on Royce, Moon hitting a low tope through Sane and Royce, followed by Moon splatting Cross with a powerbomb on the floor. Back inside we get a string of nearfalls before Moon wins the title with the Eclipse on Cross and Royce. Having Moon win the title after chasing Asuka for months and losing cleanly (highlighted on commentary pre-match by Nigel) really highlights that the NXT women’s champion only won because Asuka left the brand, making both her and the title look second rate already. Also, whilst she got a decent reaction in her home state of Texas, she’s easily the least over and has the least character of the four women involved. Match was absolutely fine, but it’s a totally underwhelming result.

Drew McIntyre vs Andrade Almas

Absolutely loved this, and it’s the second NXT Takeover in a row that Almas has been half of the match of the night. Loved the use of Zelina Vega in this one, where she’s not just portrayed as a valet or as eye candy, but instead is able to provide brains and to physically interject herself into the match. There’s a lovely early spot where she tries to take McIntyre over with a rana from the apron, but Drew uses his power to block it and puts her back on the apron like a gentleman, only for Almas to try a tope straight away. Drew is able to block it, but it shows the danger Vega can present. McIntyre hurts his shoulder on a ringpost, which gives Almas something to focus on. Loved Drew having to hit one armed hurling suplexes on Almas to protect the arm, as well as using Almas’ momentum to hit two huge overhead belly-to-belly suplexes. Loved Drew again using the power advantage to block a reverse rana, turning it into a facebuster, and the Almas moonsault from the ringpost to the floor looked gorgeous. There’s some really close nearfalls towards the end, with Drew getting two from the FutureShock, Almas looking nailed on to win after hitting a hammerlock DDT following Vega headscissoring Drew into the mat, and a Claymore seeing Vega putting Almas’ foot on the rope for the save. The draping DDT that wins it for Almas spikes Drew to the mat, and is a fitting end for a great bout.

Sanity (Eric Young, Killian Dain & Alexander Wolfe) vs the Undisputed Era (Adam Cole, Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish) vs the Authors of Pain & Roderick Strong

Right, first things first. This isn’t a WarGames match. It’s got some things is common with WarGames, like the double-ring, the staggered team entrances, but it’s not the same thing. I’ve got an overweight one-eyed pug, and she’s got a lot in common with a greyhound (is a dog, has four legs, can physically move), but if I took her down the local dog track for a race, they’d laugh me out of the grounds. By having three teams, and by removing the fact that team members are added individually, you lose that natural rise-and-fall where it feels like a hot tag every time a member of the face team gets in. You lose the tactics and the excitement of discovering which team member will get introduced next. You lose the natural structure that WarGames provides. So whilst this has a lot in common, this isn’t WarGames.

What this ends up being is a perfectly fun Cage of Death match. The opening stages are pretty slow, especially when the Undisputed Era are controlling Young and Strong in the cage, but things pick up a bit when the Authors of Pain are added, and explode when Sanity come in, adding a load of plunder. Really, it’s the Sanity team who shine in this match. EY has a thankless task, being the guy who gets beaten up pretty solidly for the first 8 minutes of the bout, but he’s a solid bumper, has a charismatic presence and, when he does get to go on offence, he’s also  got really nice offence that he fits in at the appropriate time. Loved him saving Wolfe from a O’Reilly cross armbreaker with a picture perfect top rope elbow. Wolfe doesn’t get to shine quite like the tag title win in August, but his top rope German suplex on an AoP member through a table that cuts his head open is nuts. Dain gets an incredible showcase, hitting a Michinoku Driver on Cole onto Fish, hitting a huge top rope cross body and hitting an insane coast-to-coast dropkick onto O’Reilly. Authors of Pain aren’t so impressive, though they get a few nice moments. Hitting Death Valley Driver’s into opposite corners that already have Undisputed Era members in a tree of woe was a nice touch. The Undisputed Era get the least shine, though that may be by design. I’m undecided if Cole wasn’t impressive because he’s supposed to be a coward (loved his snake-like crawl along the top of the cage, attempting to forfeit for his team by escaping – ultimately ending when Roddy suplexes him from the top of the cage onto everyone else) or because he’s not very good (he was easily the least of the opening three-way with Roddy and EY). So, whilst not in any way a WarGames match, it’s a totally enjoyable nonsense spotfest. By the time Cole gets the win, hitting a chair into Young’s face with a running kick, over 35 minutes have passed enjoyably enough.