Instant Reaction - NXT Takeover special
By Ben Tucker, PWTorch TV specialist

Overall Score - 8.5

It's mind-boggling that WWE's flagship show is as dull and stale as it is when the company's developmental league never misses a beat. Tonight's Takeover special event proved yet again why WWE's Thursday night show is consistently its best. Simple and effective storytelling and fantastic wrestling. Not Jerry Springer and recycled matches. Easy, right?

The strongest example of what makes NXT great was found in the main event four-way match. Despite a slow start, the pace picked up by the end of the contest and managed to spotlight all four contenders while providing numerous memorable spots, from Tyler Breeze wiping out the whole ring to Adrian Neville physically preventing Breeze from tapping out. The nearfalls were excellent in the final stretch, with each contender having a spot where it was conceivable that they could win. The story told between Neville and Sami Zayn was subtle and didn't interfere with the pacing of the match, successfully transitioning the NXT Title scene into a one-on-one feud between the two. All in all, a fantastic main event that blows almost everything from Summerslam out of the water.

The semi-main event match for the Women's Championship, while not as strong as Charlotte-Natalya from Takeover 1, was still a very competent contest that told a great story, putting over the underdog Bayley and the dominance of Charlotte. The biggest problem holding the match back was Charlotte and Bayley's inexperience, resulting in a few botched spots towards the end. Overall, though, the women delivered for a third NXT special in a row. Compare this with Nikki Bella yelling about wombs on Raw.

The great thing about NXT is that the writing team adapts. When something isn't working (vanilla Tyson Kidd), they adjust the idea (smarmy heel Tyson Kidd). When green wrestlers are stuck in a dull-as-dishwater feud (Mojo Rawley and Bull Dempsey), they have them settle their differences in a quick match that doesn't expose their flaws while still strongly putting over one of the characters. It sounds simple that writers should work with the positives and find a way around the negatives, but the WWE main roster shows that this rule isn't always adhered to (once again, see: Twins, Bella).

NXT seems incredibly in-tune with what makes a wrestling show tick. This results in segments such as Baron Corbin's debut, where the man can make a giant impact by only delivering two moves. Can he talk? I dunno. But he has a wicked finisher. Let's highlight that. KENTA's... er, Hideo Itami, had another impressive debut as well. Despite his diminutive stature, he was made to look like an absolute killer by defending himself from the Ascension. This one moment was the perfect debut anyone could ask for. More highlighting of positives. Not so hard, eh?

The rest of the show was fine, with the Tag Title match spotlighting the high-flying moves of Kalisto expertly and the Amore-Lefort segment managing to figure out how to have a hair vs. hair match without the hideously long wait while the person's head is actually shaved. It's a miracle!

On nearly all accounts, NXT Take Over II was a success. Great storytelling, great characters, and great wrestling. Keep working with those positives.

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