5 Biggest Takeaways from NXT (July 27, 2021)
I like to keep things as positive as possible.
I like WWE.
I like AEW.
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If you were able to escape the week leading up to this week’s NXT without any spoilers, good for you. The show was jam packed with action and build towards Takeover. With almost a month to go, the card is shaping up quicker than usual which should help lead to the best build for a NXT event this year. Not sure what has changed from the taping of this episode from anything they have done in this CWC arena previously, but the crowd was much more hyped this week. The interactions from the crowd and just hearing them makes such a difference, as weeks prior we had a lot of dead moments that would deflate the room so the change is very welcome.
Some things that happened that didn’t make the cut: We had more Cameron Grimes and LA Knight magic, this time out on the golf course. A bump in with the Grizzled Young Veterans could potentially lead to the Grimes/Knight tag team I clamored for last week, but we’ll have to wait and see. The Mandy Rose angle starts to become more clear as she has seemingly chosen two ladies in Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jayne backstage, while Franky Monet seems to have her hands full with trying to dump Robert Stone from her little entourage. We had a brief glimpse of our Women’s Tag champs and no sign at all from the mens side and the beef between Hit Row and Legado Del Fantasma heated up as the two got physical once again, this time costing Hit Row their tag team match with Imperium. With all that action along with the top 5 Takeaways, this was a solid NXT showing and I’m hoping for your sake that the temporary move over to SyFy didn’t sway you from watching this week or else you missed out. So with no further to do, lets move right on in to the biggest takeaways this week.
5. Takever 36 = Stacked
I know this always seems to be the case with Takeovers. They are always great events that overshadow any other wrestling that takes place during that weekend. And even when the show doesn’t seem as stacked as we have come to expect these shows to be, they still always over deliver with the product they put out. This Takeover takes the cake. The Karrion Kross/Samoa Joe feud is coming to a head, as Samoa Joe has made the decision to resign from his managerial position in NXT to once again become an in ring competitor for the gold brand and will officially challenge Kross for the NXT Championship. Thats our headline match. On top of that, Walter’s unfortunate hand injury has turned out to be a blessing for wrestling fans because the Walter/Dragunov rematch will also be taking place at Takeover. Right there, 2 for 2 with matches that are guaranteed to deliver. Further on in this list, we will have a few other matches that help round this card out to be one of the biggest Takeover events we have ever had.
Other rumored matches: Imperium vs MSK for the Tag Titles. Santos Escobar vs Swerve Scott for the North American Title. Grimes vs LA Knight. This card is going to be absolutely insane and the only complaint that you will hear from me, as well as from the rest of the wrestling community is that this should not be taking place in the CWC arena. This kind of card needs to happen in front of a large audience. The ravenous NXT crowd is, and always has been, a huge part of what make this shows special and the fans could be the one that that separates this from a really good show to an all time great show.
4. Return of Ridge Holland
Last year leading up to Takeover: Wargames, Ridge Holland looked to be getting a massive push. He was gonna be teaming up with Dunne, Burch and Lorcan as they went in to the War Games match to take on Undisputed Era. A bad leg injury put a hault to that and he has been on the shelf ever since. Last night, at the end of a brilliant, hard hitting match up between Dunne and Lorcan against Ciampa and Thatcher, Holland made his surprise return. His target? Thatcher and Ciampa. He clotheslined Thatcher and allowed the double team of Ciampa to happen and help Dunne get the pinfall over Tomasso. After the bell, the post match beatdown happened leaving Holland, Dunne and Lorcan as the lone standing men. Where does this trio go from here? Are they gearing up for a War Games match this year? If so, who will Dunne’s bunch be targeting next? And when does Danny Burch return? These are all questions to ask after Ridge’s return last night.
3. Kyle O’Reilly BAY BAY!
We’ve had the non sanction match. We’ve gotten a straight up one on one match. Kyle survived the first battle and Adam Cole won the second. Was there any doubt that the trilogy was going to happen? After the Great American Bash, it seemed like the two had cooled off from one another and looked to be going their own ways. Then something happened during Kyle’s match with Austin theory and O’Reilly snapped. The steel steps Austin attempted to use triggered a memory in Kyle that brought out rage that would help him finish Theory off. This week, we go the entire show with no Kyle to be seen only for him to come in at the tail end of the night and attack a celebrating Adam Cole, fresh off his victory over Bronson Reed. Multiple chair shots to the back and then crushing Cole’s throat have told us that Adam Cole vs Kyle O’Reilly III is happening, and it’s taking place at Takeover 36.
Up til now, this feud has been booked backwards but now that we have the end in our crosshairs, we can look past all that and focus on what kind of stipulation is coming for this final battle. As I’ve stated before, some think we’re getting a “Loser leaves NXT” match, and that would have made sense, but now that Cole and Samoa Joe have had their encounters that seems less likely. Whatever the match ends up being, I expect it to top their 2 previous encounters and deliver big time on the intensity. Another fantastic match to add to the already stellar and stacked Takeover card.
2. Index is The Way
Where did Austin Theory go? That was the question on Johnny and Candice’s mind last night as they have not seen him since he decided to walk out on them last week. Johnny says he shouldn’t have been so hard on him(you think!?) and Indi wants them to know that she thinks it’s Candice fault. No matter who is at fault, The Way is down bad without Theory to fill the group out.
During this exchange, Indi gets a present. What is it? A picture that was obviously gifted to her by Dexter Lumis, in which Dexter is portrayed as the 4th member of The Way. Obviously Johnny and Candice are completely against this idea but Indi lets it be known that it needs to happen so that her and Dexter can be together. This segment leads to Indi making a match between Johnny Gargano and Dexter Lumis, in a “Love her or Leave her” match. The rules? Simple. Johnny wins, no more Dexter Lumis. But if Johnny loses, Dexter and Indi get to go about their ways and finally entangle themselves in the relationship we have been waiting for over the past few months. Having Lumis join The Way will be a nice backup plan with Austin leaving and lead to much more fantastic comedy skits amongst the pairing. I can see Theory making an appearance during this match that will allow Dexter Lumis to get the victory causing further turmoil amongst The Way’s family.
1. “As long as I have your back, you will always be champion…”
It didn’t take long for the seeds that were planted only a few weeks ago, to blossom in to the betrayal we have been waiting for since Raquel won the Title. Dakota Kai has been a favorite amongst fans for as long as I can remember, and they have been waiting patiently for her to take the reigns as the top woman in NXT, and win the Championship. It looked like she might be heading that way once she turned on Tegan Nox and went heel, but the introduction of Raquel Gonzalez put a hault on that idea. That’s where the jealousy begins. And with each passing week, Gonazalez got more and more attention until they made the call to make her the number one girl in the best women’s division in wrestling… and the jealousy grew. And with each defense, there was Dakota. Helping make sure that title stayed close, playing her part and waiting for the opportunity to pick her spot and claim what is rightfully hers.
“As long as I have your back, you will always be champion.” Those were the words Dakota said to end the segment. The two girls embraced, Raquel turned her back to show off the gold, and BOOM. Dakota Kai finally made the turn to a nice reaction from the crowd. It is obvious this was what we have wanted. Those words need to be reality. Dakota NEEDS to win that title at Takeover. I don’t think Raquel has been terrible as champion, but she had some big shoes to fill with following Io and it showed. There has been times she has felt forced upon us, and other times where she seemed to be in over her head. The division needs a new face on top for change. The womens championship needs to feel important again, it needs the prestige again. Dakota can give us that. She has waited long enough and it would be another great moment to have at Takeover to have her finally reach the mountain top and dethrone Raquel.
So with all that, the Takeover Card has filled out quite nicely. We almost have an entire show, and 3 more weekly shows to build upon. Are you excited for Takeover 36 already? Any matches on the card you don’t want to see? Any matches that you want to see take place? Let’s hear em. Hit me up and let’s talk NXT.
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