Views From The Turnbuckle: NXT Takeover Dallas Review, Star Ratings, Analysis And More
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the views of WrestlingInc or its staff.
With another well-received Takeover show in the books, I figured I would do a small review of the show, as it seems to have been very popular with fans.
Finn Balor vs Samoa Joe-***3/4
A good match, even a great one when you consider the circumstances. Joe got busted open during a pre-match head-butt that was unnecessary and the match had to be delayed several times so they could clean up his wound. I understand it can be frustrating for a fans to have the match stop, but fans should realize that it is for the wrestlers' health, not because WWE is obsessed with maintaining a PG rating. The crowd was a little morbid by chanting "Let them bleed", these guys already risk so much of their health and well-being to entertain the fans; they don't need to bleed for our entertainment as well.
Balor retaining was a bit of a surprise for me, but considering NXT is now a major touring brand, they need that top babyface to build around and with Bayley and Sami Zayn now likely headed to the main roster WWE is really going to have to lean on Balor. I thought the match told a pretty good story, with Joe coming off really strong despite losing. It reminded me of Ric Flair matches from the 1990s, where he would face up against a larger opponent and get dominated for most of the match, only to squeak away with the victory on pure guile.
Bayley vs Asuka-***1/4
Solid match, but I don't think I'm alone in thinking it didn't reach its full potential. Bayley and Asuka are arguably the two best female wrestlers in the company and while they had a good match, it did leave something more to be desired, especially considering the standard previous title matches involving Bayley have set.
The finish came out of nowhere, which was odd considering Bayley has been such a pillar for NXT. Losing via a chokeout that sort of came out of nowhere seemed like kind of melancholy way to go, I'd rather see her get kicked a bunch of times in the head so it seemed like she was knocked out and then get put in the hold. That is neither here nor there though, it was a solid match and it will be interesting to see how Asuka works with her different challengers.
Sami Zayn vs Shinsuke Nakamura-***3/4
Nakamura's debut match has blown a lot of people away and has generated some early Match of the Year buzz over the last twelve hours or so. I thought it was pretty good, but it didn't have the same effect on me as it seemed to have on a lot of other fans. I want to stress that this is just my personal opinion and that it doesn't mean that the match wasn't a classic; just that it didn't resonate with me the way it did with others. Maybe if I hadn't seen that much of Nakamura before I would feel differently, but to me I know both men are capable of better work.
If Nakamura was looking to make a big splash on his debut, he hit a homerun. WWE did an excellent job hyping him up and then giving him a 20 minute debut match against a top talent in front of a crowd of hardcore fans that are going to immediately respect him. The worry a lot of fans had was that WWE was going to tinker with Nakamura and end up screwing his character, but after his debut he appears to be exactly the same as he was in New Japan Pro Wrestling. He even wore the same ring-attire and had the captain's band, which is interesting since he isn't the captain of anything anymore (or is he?)
American Alpha vs The Revival-****1/4
Surprisingly ended up being my favorite match on the card. Really strong tag team match with near falls, good double-teaming and hot tags, pretty much a by-the-numbers formula for a good tag team match. Chad Gable gets a lot of credit and rightfully so, but I was really impressed by Jason Jordan, who made a great hot tag and showed a ton of intensity to go along with his great strength and athleticism. That guy could end up being a real superstar for WWE. The Revival are an underrated team, I feel like they would be a much bigger deal if tag team wrestling was still really important in WWE, which unfortunately it is not. Scott Dawson is a hell of a worker though.
Baron Corbin vs Austin Aries-**3/4
Not the best match on the card but solid nonetheless. The goal of the match was to have Corbin bully Aries, only to make a mistake and get defeated by the veteran. Both men did a really good job at telling that story. Corbin has come a long way since his debut and he is starting to really understand how to use his size in the ring effectively as a heel. I expect a longer, more even match next time these two meet.