NxT Takeover and Survivor Series was great last weekend. I wouldn't say fantastic in all aspects, but it was entertaining to watch and it was the one time this year where the WWE PPV had enough quality to not be usurped by NxT Takeover. Don't get me wrong, I still thought Takeover was better as you're about to read, but Survivor Series kept up in comparison to WrestleMania and Summerslam's sorry attempts to keep up with Dallas and Brooklyn II.
NxT Takeover Toronto:
Match 1: Bobby Roode def. Tye Dillinger via Inverted DDT
-The Opening contest had two native Canadians face off in a match that was entirely boosted by the pro-Canadian Crowd. In terms of the match itself, it was a great, yet simple opener. Roode kept the pace slow and found a way to get the crowd to boo even though he was over. Dillinger had fantastic hope spots, including a well done Superkick and a fantastic Sharpshooter. Roode wins the match with the Glorious DDT (not the official name yet) and crowd gives Tye Dillinger the Standing Ovation he deserves after what could be considered a career making match, similar to Becky Lynch at NxT Takeover Unstoppable, #DIY at NxT Takeover Brooklyn II, and Cedric Alexander in the second round of the Cruiserweight Classic
Match:5 out of 10 without the crowd, 7 out of 10 with the crowd.
The Authors of Pain w/Paul Ellering vs. TM-61
-The finals of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, it was admittedly the worst part of the night. It was a solid tag match that showed off TM-61's varied offensive arsenal. The Authors of Pain were good, and they were the right choice to win the match, but they weren't as solid as they could've been. The brutes were good on their moves, but they could have been more dominant. Plus, having a Lariat/Russian Leg Sweep as a finisher....sucks. They could benefit from more of a lifting type of finisher, ironically enough like TM-61's finisher (Thunder Valley). Haste had some fantastic spots, including the Tope con Hilo/Hero at the end and the beginning of the match, but Nick Miller had his best showing to date. Always known as TM-61's Powerhouse, he showed a flurry of offense that we had yet to see, including a beautiful Japanese style Moonsault. While the AoP won the match, TM-61 shined more.
Match: 6 out of 10 w/ and w/out the crowd.
#DIY vs. The Revival
-The MATCH of the night. Drama up the wazoo and then some. I can't describe it here. You just have to find a way to watch it.
Match: 10 out of 10
Mickie James vs. Asuka
-Mickie James's return was fantastic and Asuka was awesome as well. Could have gone a little longer....and it would have at least matched the opening contest.
7 out of 10
Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Samoa Joe
-Shocker of the night....fantastic match by both men and Samoa Joe winning was a great Swerve. Can't wait for the next chapter.
8.5 out of 10
Noam Dar, Rich Swann, and TJ Perkins vs. Anthony Nese, Drew Gulak, and Ariya Daivari
-Good opener, but needs more background on the characters.
6.5 out of 10
Kane vs. Luke Harper
-very solid match that could justify itself on a non-duel branded PPV
6 out of 10
Charlotte Flair, Sasha Banks, Alicia Fox, Bayley, and Nia Jax w/Dana Brooke vs. Becky Lynch, Alexa Bliss, Carmella, Nikki Bella, and Naomi w/Natalya
-Good match with interesting storytelling at the beginning with the injury angle leading to a huge Natalya Canada Pop for the crowd. Having Carmella go out first kind of sucked, but Alicia going next made sense. Having Sasha Banks get eliminated second wasn't exactly a good thing. Naomi was an afterthought again...sorry. Natalya did gain some credibility from beating Sasha and Becky got similar help by tapping out Nia Jax. Having Charlotte and Bayley finish off as the two survivors was great (wish Sasha had stayed alive).
7 out of 10
Breezango, American Alpha, The Usos, The Hype Bros, and Heath Slater and Rhyno vs. The New Day, The Club, Enzo and Big Cass, The Shining Stars, Sheamus and Cesaro w/Xavier Woods
-New Day getting eliminated early made me happy. Breezango getting eliminated before The Shining Stars was dumb. (The Shining Stars just don't do it for me.)The Hype Bros were funny and I'm glad they got their spot and got eliminated early enough. Alpha not being the last team shocked and disappointed me to an extent. Slater and Rhyno eliminated Enzo and Cass was cool with me. The Club lasting longer than the New Day was satisfactory but not entirely great. The Usos had a fantastic showing and as much as I could claim Samoan Dynasty bias, they were fantastic. Sheamus and Cesaro are amazing and I'm glad it was Cesaro that got the deciding fall. (PUSH CESARO FOR A WORLD/UNIVERSAL TITLE RUN DARN IT!)
7.75 out of 10
AJ Styles, Dean Ambrose, Shane McMahon, Randy Orton, and Bray Wyatt w/Luke Harper and James Ellsworth vs. Kevin Owens, Chris Jericho, Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, and Braun Strowman
-This is how to further stories and excite a crowd.
1)Ambrose got eliminated early and reunited for a Shield reunion to screw over Styles (NICE)
2)Strowman was counted out after the remaining members (and James Ellsworth) kept him out of the ring.....and Ellsworth was destroyed.
3)KO got disqualified using the list, then Jericho lost because of the list.
4)McMahon got SPEARED to Oblivion. It was fantastic and scary.
5)Rollins, Reigns, and Ambrose reunited for a Shield Reunion and it was (Sorry ROode) GLORIOUS! And they eliminated AJ Styles (boo)
6)Reigns was the final member of team raw (BOO)
7)Orton Sacrificed himself and Wyatt won the match (WHAT A TIME TO BE ALIVE)
10 out of 10
The Miz vs. Sami Zayn for the Intercontinental Championship
-The match was greater than expected for the majority of fans, but was missing something for me (not just because I'm a huge Sami Zayn mark and was rooting hard for Zayn...). The ending, while somewhat protected both characters.
6 out of 10
Kalisto vs. Brian Kendrick for the Cruiserweight Championship
-Good Match....but Corbin ruining the match does give me reason to say this was the worst segment of the night, even if it did move the Kalisto/Corbin Storyline. Cruiserweights should have been on Smackdown period.
5 out of 10
Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar
-Spear. Spear. Jackhammer. Goldberg won in 86 seconds.
1 out of 10 for the match, 10 out of 10 for Shock factor, 7 out of 10 overall because we're getting more Goldberg Later on.
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