NXT TakeOver: London (December 2015)

Original Airdate: December 16, 2015

From London, England; Your Hosts are Byron Saxton, Rich Brennan, and Corey Graves

Opening Match: Asuka v Emma: Asuka keeps her at bay with the threat of kicks to start, but misses a dropkick, and Emma covers for two. They trade wristlocks, but Emma makes the mistake of throwing an elbow, and Asuka takes her down in a fujiwara armbar - Emma clawing for the ropes to save herself. Asuka sends her to the floor with a kick combo, then dives off the apron with a flying hip attack, so Dana Brooke lends a distraction to allow Emma to fire off a dropkick for two on the way back in. Emma grounds her in a stretch, then snapmares her over for two. Full-nelson, but Asuka escapes, and backslides her for two. The execution was so good that it was almost an accidental three count there, with the referee having to stall while Emma kicked out. Asuka tries another backslide, but Emma counters with a short-clothesline for two, then corner whips her a couple of times. You know, that Emma has quite a tush. I'm just saying, it's right there! A third whip is countered when Asuka springboards onto the middle rope with a well executed missile dropkick, and she adds a regular dropkick. Kick combo puts Emma down, and a hip attack sets up more kicks, so Emma hooks a somersault cradle for two. Asuka responds by rattling her brain with a few spinning backfists, and another hip attack is worth two. Corner charge misses, however, and Emma slaps on a tarantula, butterfly suplexes her into the turnbuckles to setup a cross corner forearm smash for two. Surfboard, but Asuka counters to an anklelock, then release German suplexes her when she tries to escape! That's just mean! Shining wizard gets two, and she tries for the Asuka-Lock, but Emma rams her into the corner to block - bumping the referee in the process! That allows Dana to pass Emma a weapon, but Asuka gets it away from her - just in time for the referee to recover! He threatens a DQ, and as Asuka argues, Emma rolls her up - only for Asuka to counter into the Lock! Dana distracts the referee to prevent him from seeing the submission though, and Emma gets the weapon again - only for Asuka to knock her out come with a gorgeous spinkick at 14:50. Good opener, with Asuka's execution absolutely blistering, and Emma game to hang with her. *** ½

NXT Tag Team Title Match: Dash & Dawson v Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady: Enzo starts with Scott Dawson, and they feel each other out. Over to Dash Wilder, and Enzo catches him with a takedown during a criss cross, so he bails. He tries suckering Enzo into a cheap shot on the floor, but Amore is street smart, and gets the better of it. Inside, Enzo dominates with a hammerlock before passing out to Cassady, Colin hammering him in the corner. Standing overhead wristlock wears Dash down, but a stinger splash misses, and Dawson gets the tag. The champs double-up on Cassady in the corner, but a tandem clothesline doesn't end well, and the big man press-slams Dawson into Dash! Bada Boom Shakalaka, but the champs bail before they can execute it, so Cassady tosses Amore onto both of them on the floor instead! Back in, Enzo keeps it going, but runs into a double-team, and gets tossed to the outside. Hey, no digital ring aprons tonight! What, they get confiscated at customs, or something? The champs are happy to let Amore eat the countout, but he has the gall to beat it in, and they work him over - cutting the ring in half. Something about Cassady's appearance makes me feel like he'd be one of those guys who would be totally at home in the prison system. Like, the type that thrive in there better than on the outside. The referee here is doing a great job. Enzo manages to hit a 2^nd rope flying DDT to allow the tag to Cassady, and Roseanne Barr the door! Big Boom nearly finishes Dawson, but Dash saves, and they clip the big guy's leg. The champs go right to work on it, but Colin gets the ropes to escape an inverted figure four, and Enzo shoves Dawson off the top rope to allow Cassady to schoolboy Dash for a near fall. Shakalaka looks to finish, but Dawson breaks the count at the last possible moment - frustrating the crowd! Enzo is good and pissed, but quickly runs into the Shatter Machine at 14:59! I love how they actually bring the lights down for the matches, like in the old days. Something about seeing them lights come back up after the bell is just very satisfying to me, as a fan. Energetic tag team goodness. *** ½

Baron Corbin v Apollo Crews: Lots of posturing to start, until Crews gets sick of him, and sends him to the outside. Back in, Apollo hammers him in the corner, but eats a few turnbuckles smashes. Criss cross goes Crews' way with a dropkick, but Corbin backdrops him over the top as he tries following up with a cross corner charge, then unloads with stomps on the way back in. They're having a tough time finding a groove here. Corbin with a running big boot for two, and he works Apollo over in dull fashion. End of Days, but Crews counter with an inside cradle for two, so Baron corner whips him, and applies a backbreaker submission. Apollo knees his way out, so Corbin tries a powerbomb, but messes it up, and the sloppy sequence ends in Crews taking him down for some mounted punches. They spill to the outside, where Crews hits a moonsault press off the apron, then rolls Baron in for some clotheslines and a stinger splash - only to run into the Deep Six for two. End of Days, but Crews counters with an enzuigiri, and quickly adds the standing moonsault for two! Nice sequence there. Crews tries an atomic drop, but Corbin holds the ropes to block, and hits the End of Days at 11:45. Lots of awkwardness here, especially in the early going, and it all went on for too long. * ¼

NXT Women's Title Match: Bayley v Nia Jax: Bayley tries running circles around her to start, and manages to stick and move to avoid getting trapped in the corner, but runs into a headbutt. Jax takes the pep out of her step with a shoulderbreaker, then ragdolls her a bit in a cobra clutch. Bayley keeps sticking and moving, and a series of dropkicks knocks Nia down to one knee, but a pair of 2^nd rope flying backelbows aren't enough to put her down, and a third is blocked. Bayley manages to apply a triangle choke as Jax goes to follow-up, but Nia easily powers out, and takes her to the top for a superplex, but Bayley blocks, and hits a flying somersault senton splash for two! She runs into a series of three Samoan drops, however, and Jax adds a legdrop for two - Bayley kicking out of an arrogant cover.  Nia with another three legdrops for two, and she tries a Samoan drop off the top, but Bayley counters with a guillotine choke. She manages to get back to the mat in the hold, but Jax powers out. Bayley tries again, and the crowd is certain that's the finish, but Jax powers out again - dropping little Bayley on her head to escape. Nia is staggered, however, and Bayley is able to get the guillotine on a third time, and that's enough at 13:21. Jax looked green here, and her offense was extremely repetitive, but the match worked due to Bayley getting over as an underdog, and her selling. **

Main Event: NXT Title Match: Finn Balor v Samoa Joe: They size each other up to start, and Finn sends him to the outside with a dropkick, then follows with a baseball slide. Joe stalls on going back in, so Finn hits him with a running dropkick out there, then tries a Coup de Grace on the steps, but Joe moves, and drops him with a uranage. Inside, Joe pounds him with jabs in the corner, then adds a neat avalanche/enzuigiri combo. Balor tries slugging back, but gets put down with a backelbow, and Joe applies a headvice. Snapmare sets up a kneedrop for two, and a running big boot in the corner leaves Balor loopy. Yeah, well, that'll generally do it. Inverted atomic drop and another running big boot setup a senton splash, but Finn rolls out of the way. He tries a springboard, but Joe knocks him to the floor to block, and dives after him with a tope. Inside, it gets two, and a powerbomb is worth two. Joe shifts right into a Boston crab, then shifts again to a crippler crossface, but Balor rolls back into a cradle for two. Short-clothesline, but Balor counters with a floatover DDT, and starts unloading with chops. Kick sends Joe to the floor, and Balor goes after him with a somersault plancha! He hits a flying double-stomp to the back of the head for two on the way back in, but Joe blocks the 1916, so Finn throws an enzuigiri and a sling blade instead. Running dropkick misses, however, and Joe delivers a senton splash - only to have a muscle buster countered with a sunset cradle for two. Balor quickly adds a pele kick to buy himself a breather, but soon finds himself on the wrong end of a slugfest. He tries another pele kick, but Joe blocks, and grabs the Coquina Clutch. Finn escapes, but Joe blocks an enzuigiri, and applies the Clutch again! Balor manages to back flip out of it as Joe tries to bring him to the mat, and he's quick to add a double-stomp to buy himself some recovery time. Sling blade and a series of three running dropkicks aren't enough to keep Joe down, however, and he's up before Finn can dive with the Coup de Grace. He tries bringing the champion down from the top with a muscle buster, but Balor blocks, and executes the Coup de Grace to retain at 18:26. That was quite the match there, with both guys leaving it all in the ring. ****

BUExperience: What more do you need? There are five matches, and three of them are over the three-star mark, with nothing sucking. And it’s not just the workrate. It has a great atmosphere, an energetic crowd, and satisfying angles. Again, what more do you need?

****