Gutteridge’s NXT Takeover: The End Hit List – Samoa Joe vs. Finn Bálor for the NXT Title, American Alpha vs. The Revival for the NXT Tag Team Titles, Asuka vs. Nia Jax for the NXT Women’s Title, Nakamura vs. Austin Aries, Andrade Almas vs. Tye Dillinger

By Darren Gutteridge

NXT Takeover Hits

Samoa Joe vs. Finn Bálor for the NXT Title: In hindsight, the addition of the cage was clever, as it gave Joe and Bálor something new to play with in their fourth encounter. It was enough to get this feud to its conclusion without becoming stale, and thankfully this felt like an ending. Both men gave it everything, and Joe can now be spotlighted as the guy having conclusively beaten Bálor.

American Alpha vs. The Revival for the NXT Tag Team Titles: Even without the shock win for the Revival, this would have been a fantastic tag team match. The pace and near falls were off the charts good. Add to that the unexpected new champions, and you have a contender for best NXT Tag Title match in history. The arrival of the new Paul Ellering backed team at the end was similarly unexpected. Who knew an NXT tag division could be so good?!?

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Austin Aries: Did this live up to the billing of “dream match”? Perhaps not. I was disappointed that Nakamura didn’t sell the work Aries did on his leg (see, I CAN criticize Nakamura!), and Aries looks like a real dope for diving on Nakamura at the end when he was seconds away from the count-out win. Still, it was very enjoyable, and the ending sequence was outrageous.

Asuka vs. Nia Jax for the NXT Women’s Title: I appreciate that they told a different version of essentially the same match Jax and Bayley had at Takeover: London. Bayley won that match by having more heart and determination. Here, Asuka beat the bigger Jax by being more skilled and staying one step ahead. Both matches entertained, and it’s a good sign that Jax can step up when she’s put in there with better talent.

NXT Takeover Misses

Andrade “Cien” Almas vs. Tye Dillinger: I’m on the fence about this. Ultimately, it was a flashy debut for Almas, but he also didn’t make the impression on me I had been led to believe he would. I know this was only a snippet, but I didn’t get the hype straight away. In hindsight, Dillinger may have been a poor choice as his first opponent. Full Sail loved the Perfect 10, so Almas got a muted at best reaction.

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