NXT TakeOver: Philadelphia (January 2018)

Original Airdate: January 27, 2018

From Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Your Hosts are Mauro Ranallo and Percy Watson

Opening NXT Tag Team Title Match: The Undisputed Era v The Authors of Pain: The champs stall to start, frustrating the Authors. Kyle O'Reilly ends up getting trapped in some mounted punches from Rezar, but manages to briefly counter with a triangle choke, then bails to the outside before Rezar can thump him again. Tags all around, and Bobby Fish gets trapped in the wrong corner, and pounded. He passes back to O'Reilly, but Akam pop-up flapjacks him, and the champs decide to take a walk. Unfortunately for them, the Authors are right on their tails, and Fish takes a trip into the steps, while O'Reilly gets pinballed between two angry Authors. Back in, the challengers go to work on O'Reilly, but Fish comes in with a spear to even the odds for his buddy, and O'Reilly is able to fire off some kicks at Akam. The champs double up on Akam, targeting his leg, and just absolutely going to town on him in their home corner. He manages to fight off Fish with a backdrop to get a tag off to Rezar, who comes in hot! Both champions get thrown around, but Akam is still too battered to assist, and Rezar eventually ends up getting overwhelmed. They go for the kill, but Rezar fights them off long enough to tag, and the Authors go for their own tandem move kill, but O'Reilly saves Fish. He gets Akam in a grapevine while Fish holds Rezar back with a sleeper, but the big challenger manages to snapmare Fish off his back - right onto O'Reilly to break his grapevine! Some guys have a monkey on their backs. Rezar gets a fish. Akam turnbuckle powerbombs O'Reilly, and the challengers go for the Super Collider, but Akam's bad knee gives out as he does his half, and O'Reilly schoolboys at 14:51. Good tag team psychology throughout here, with Fish and O'Reilly doing great jobs of cutting the ring in half and targeting a part, and it was nice to see all of that actually factor in to the finish. * ¾

Kassius Ohno v Velveteen Dream: Dream throws rights and lefts to keep the bigger Ohno a bay, and actually manages to knock him down. Unfortunately for Dream, he wastes so much time celebrating the knockdown that Ohno gets up and levels him with a right. He dumps Dream to the outside, and whacks him with a big boot on the way back in, but Ohno runs into a rotating spinebuster. Dream goes back at him with another flurry of fists, but a snap suplex is only worth one. Dream keeps pounding him, and grounds Ohno in a stretch, then shifts it into a reverse chinlock. Ohno powers to a vertical base in the hold, but Dream latches on with a sleeper to avoid getting dropped, then unloads with more rights and lefts in the corner. Ohno gets pissed, and starts teasing some no-selling, so Dream dives with a flying axehandle for two, then puts the boots to him to wear Ohno down for another reverse chinlock. Dream is keen to keep the hold applied this time, and isn't shy about using the hair to try and keep Ohno from escaping, but ultimately can't hold on. Ohno hits an x-plex, but is too battered to follow-up, leading to a slugfest. Ohno gets the better of it, and hits a senton splash, followed by a discus kick for two. Neckbreaker, but Dream counters with a backslide for two, and clips Ohno with a superkick. That sets up an awkward looking reverse STO into a DDT for two, but a dive off the top is blocked with a big boot. Ohno charges with a follow-up, but Dream uses his own momentum against him by turning it into a death valley driver for two. That also looked awkward, though more understandably so from a kayfabe perspective. Ohno fires back with a discus forearm for two, but Dream counters a neckbreaker with another death valley driver, and delivers a flying elbowdrop to finish at 10:46. Dream is over, but still has a long way to go with his execution of moves and stuff. But he's young, and he's definitely got the raw talent to build on. **

NXT Women's Title Match: Ember Moon v Shayna Baszler: Baszler quickly takes her down in a waistlock, but Moon manages to reverse, so the challenger powers into the ropes. Baszler casually takes Moon down again, but Ember manages to avoid getting trapped in anything, and throws a series of dropkicks to knock the challenger to the outside. Moon dives after her with a tope (between the middle and bottom ropes, LIKE A LADY), but an attempt at a handspring elbow on the way back in ends badly. Baszler throws a series of strikes for two, and she starts going to work on the arm. Moon fights back, and manages a springboard bodypress for two, and she heads up for the Eclipse - selling the shit out of the arm the whole time. Good girl. She hits the move, but lands right on her bad arm in the process, and can't even cover. In fact, she sells it so hard that EMTs come out, but Moon refuses to quit. Unfortunately for her, all that drama gives Baszler plenty of time to recover, and she captures the champion in a cross-armbreaker! Moon makes the ropes to save herself, so Baszler drags her back for another armbreaker - leaving Ember literally clawing at her to try and escape. Baszler sinks her teeth into it, but Moon manages to shift her weight just right to turn it into a cradle to retain at 10:13. I dug the finish of a trapped Moon using Baszler's own momentum against her with the cradle, but disliked the stuff with the EMTs, which stopped the match dead in its tracks. Aside from that weird transition, this was solid stuff, with great selling from Moon throughout. **

Extreme Rules Match: Aleister Black v Adam Cole: AB/AC. Big slugfest to start, with Black able to knock him to the outside following a kick. He teases a dive out after him, but decides against it, as usual. Cole responds by grabbing a chair, but an attempt to brain Aleister with it on the way back in doesn't go well, and Adam gets chases out of the ring again. Aleister follows to trade fists on the floor, but Cole gets the better of it this time, and he sends Black into the barricade. Both guys grab kendo sticks out there (which the Network's closed captioning system - the same system that actually makes sense of Ahmed Johnson promos - refers to as 'kindle sticks'), but Black abandons his in search of a fair fight. That ends poorly for him when Cole blocks a springboard moonsault press by whacking Aleister right across the stomach with the stick. Ouch! He beats on Black with the stick for a while, and hits a lungblower for two. Cole sets up a table on the outside, and tries to vertical superplex Aleister down through it, but Black blocks, and slams Adam off the top rope onto a trashcan. Black adds a bicycle kick for two, and he heads to the outside to set up a second table beside the first one that Cole set up. That all leads to him pulling out a ladder, but Adam attacks with a baseball slide before Black can use it, and somehow Cole has managed to bust himself open from the hand, which is bleeding rather profusely. That may be the first time I've ever seen a guy bleed from the hand in a wrestling match. Cole tries to send Black into the ladder, but ends up getting dropped onto it in the corner, and now we have to pause so the EMTs can attend to the hand. After that's over, Aleister gets a two count off of the ladder spot. That may be the only time in history a guy tried to pin his opponent AFTER he's had medical attention. Black tries to use a chair, but it backfires. Cole tries to use it, but a reversal sequence ends in Black hitting a double stomp. That allows him to try using the chair again, this time from the top rope, but Cole superkicks him off - Black taking a bump down through the two tables they set up on the outside earlier on. Cole forces him in to cover, but it only gets two. At least he didn't send him off for his yearly physical before covering. Adams sets up two unfolded chairs, back-to-back, but takes too long setting it up, and gets whatever he was going to try countered with a death valley driver onto the tips of the chair backs! That's the kind of crazy spot that used to only exist with action figures. Cole tries to use the chair as a crutch to get up, but Black dropkicks it into his face - only to have Kyle O'Reilly and Adam Fish run out to break the cover! They destroy Aleister on the outside, but Sanity run out before they can put Black through an announce table. That leads to a big brawl between the two factions, with Cole near tears once he realizes his back up has been neutralized. Luckily for him, Black is still dead though, so Adam heads out to try and finish his pals' thought from earlier - only to get countered with a wild flying double knee through the table! Black takes him in to polish off, but Cole manages to throw a superkick, and he grabs a chair. He goes for the kill, but Black is ready with a spinkick, and Cole is done at 22:02. I liked it, but honestly I'm not seeing the near classic that everyone else seems to be raving about. I mean, lots of good spots, and it was exciting, and told a good story, but it also had lots of downtime. Lots of move, stop to set up weapons, move, set up, etc - which I've never been a fan of. ***

Main Event: NXT Title Match: Andrade Almas v Johnny Gargano: Lots of time left in the show, so this should get plenty of room to breathe. Feeling out process to start, and a good one. Like, when they're trading holds, it actually looks like they're really wrestling, as opposed to the ultra smooth, overly choreographed style that has become the norm today. Gargano tries for the crossface early, but Almas has it well scouted, and evades, before hiding in the ropes. Johnny manages a headscissors takedown and a dropkick on his way to latching on an armbar, and riding it down into some pinfall attempts. Nice battle over those covers, in the style of Flair/Steamboat. Gargano tries to get cute in the corner, but that backfires when Almas starts throwing chops, so Johnny uses a 2^nd rope flying headscissors and a clothesline to send the champ to the outside. Both guys block each other's dives out there, until Gargano kicks him in the head to set up a somersault senton off of the apron - only for Almas to dodge, and Gargano to wipe out in dramatic fashion! Inside, that gets Almas two, and he capitalizes by stomping on the lower back. Gargano tries dumping him, but Almas lands in the ropes to avoid taking the spill, and he chokes his challenger there before hitting a seated dropkick for two. Chinlock follows, and a good one. Johnny tries to escape, so Almas leans back and wrenches him in it, but Gargano manages to fight to a vertical base. That may have been the most exciting chinlock spot in the history of chinlock spots. Reversal sequence ends in Gargano landing a kick, but he ends up in a tree of woe in the corner, and Almas leaps with a flying double stomp - only to miss. That results in Gargano sending him into the buckles with a release overhead suplex, to cap off another brilliantly timed sequence. Both guys stagger up for a slugfest, won by Gargano, and he throws an enzuigiri at the champion. Gargano with a 2^nd rope flying facebuster for two, but Almas blocks an exploder suplex, leading to another reversal sequence, this one ending in Johnny hitting a slingshot spear for two. Gargano keeps coming with an enzuigiri, but a headscissors is countered with a facebuster for two, and Almas goes up with a flying moonsault - only for Gargano to roll out of the way! However, Almas anticipates the dodge, and lands on his feet - then immediately hits a standing moonsault instead, for two! Breathtaking! That leads to another slugfest, with a groggy Gargano holding his own, but getting creamed with a backfist for two. Johnny fires back with a superkick for two, but another slugfest ends in both men collapsing. Almas takes him up for a hammerlock superplex, but Gargano slips down, and hits a wild superkick through Almas' legs while the champ is still standing on the middle rope! Crazy! Gargano follows up for a sunset bomb, but Almas counters with a swift double-kneesmash in the corner. That was one of the smoothest looking counters I have ever seen. He tries a running double-kneesmash, but Johnny dodges, and tries another slingshot spear - only for Almas to counter with a two-alarm rope-hung facebuster! You'd think that would be the end of what is already a blistering sequence, but you'd be wrong. Without so much as pausing to take a breath, Almas is hitting an inverted tornado DDT for two, and the crowd is just blown away here! Almas is battered, but he forces his challenger out to the apron to hit with a hammerlock DDT, but Johnny manages to block. He uses an enzuigiri out there to soften Almas up for a slingshot DDT on the apron that leaves both men down on the outside! Gargano drags the champ's limp carcass in to pin, but Almas has a shoulder up at two! Gargano tries for the crippler crossface, but Almas is able to muster the strength to block, so Johnny throws rights. When Almas responds in kind, Johnny tries trapping the arm into the crossface, but Almas blocks, so Johnny throws him into the corner with a snake-eyes instead. Almas blocks Johnny's follow-up with a thunderous corner dropkick, but Gargano is ready with a small package to counter the hammerlock DDT - only getting two! Crowd that that was it. Gargano with another superkick for another dramatic near fall, and poor Zelina Vega is losing her mind on the floor. Johnny tries going up, but Almas knocks him off, leaving Gargano hanging in a tree of woe towards the outside - Almas diving with a flying double stomp onto the apron! Crazy! Almas then bashes him into the electronic apron a few times to make sure Johnny Wrestling is good and done, but even after all that, the running double-kneesmash in the corner still only gets two! Johnny looks like he's on another planet right now, but he's still in it, damn it! He actually manages to control a slugfest with the champion, and plants a superkick to set up an inverted rana! Gargano goes for the kill with the crossface, and the crowd is ready for Almas to tap, but Vega distracts the referee, and the champ goes to the eyes! Quality heeling! That sets up the hammerlock DDT, but Gargano manages a backdrop over the top to block, and he leaps with a tope. He hustles Almas back in, but Vega stops him from following with a headscissors into the steps, and that allows Almas to hit the hammerlock DDT for a dramatic two count! Awesome sequence - awesome! The crowd is losing it too, because they're building legit drama and tension in a very organic way. Not just endlessly trading finishers and assuming we'll find it dramatic. Gargano is still alive, but he's running on fumes, so he wisely bails to the outside to buy time. That sends Vega marching over, but this time Candice LeRae (Johnny's real life wife) hops out of the front row, and spears her interfering ass down! Yeah! Candice beats the living shit out of Vega, and chases her through the crowd to get rid of her, so these two can finish this proper! That was awesome. Both guys stagger, and Gargano manages to strike first with a slingshot DDT, but it only gets two! Crossface, and this time there's no Vega to help him, and all looks bad for Almas... but he makes the ropes! Fucker! Almas bails to the apron, so Gargano follows, but gets shoved into the post, and hit with a double-kneesmash against it on the apron. They are busting out some insane shit for this. He's still not confident it's enough to finish this punk off though, so Almas drags his body up to the top rope, and spikes his head to the mat with a brutal DDT - that finally proving to be the fatal blow at 32:18. Ho.lee.shit. I'm exhausted from just watching that! This is everything I want out of pro-wrestling, and more! Just fantastic from bell to bell, loaded with blistering sequence after blistering sequence, and insane levels of drama. I mean, I don't watch the weekly show, but they sucked me in so perfectly with their brilliant in-ring storytelling that I was legit invested in seeing Gargano win, and on the edge of my seat with every near fall. *****

BUExperience: I may have found the overall show a little more underwhelming than most people did, but that main event is pretty much the definition of what a ‘must-see match’ is. So much so that you’re wasting time even reading this sentence if you haven’t already seen it. Seriously. Go.  


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