KB’s Review: NXT Takeover: The End Preview

I know this is a bit last minute but these are regularly some of the most entertaining and flat out best wrestling shows around. There’s a chance that this is going to be the final Takeover, though that might just be in name only. Either way it’s probably going to rock so let’s get to it.

We’ll start from the bottom and work our way up with a match that wasn’t actually announced on TV. In this case it’s Andrade “Cien” Almas vs. Tye Dillinger. This is the kind of match where you know the ending before the bell even rings but that doesn’t mean it’s not going to be entertaining. Almas has been getting some awesome looking vignettes and if rumors are to be believed, he’s going to be the hottest Mexican wrestler in a very long time. Dillinger is more than capable of holding his own as well though and the match should be something fun.

But yeah there’s no doubt who wins here as Almas is clearly going to be treated as something special going forward and the Dillinger match is one of those get acquainted with the new hot star specials. It’s going to be worth seeing though as Dillinger is capable of having a good match against almost anyone and Almas is someone who could mean something if all of the big NXT names are called up in the Brand Split draft. It’s not going to be a squash but there’s no doubt that Almas wins here.

Next up we’ll have a title match and a rematch on top of that as American Alpha defends the NXT Tag Team Titles against the Revival. While this is another one that seems one sided on paper, there should be one heck of a match before we get to the ending. The tag division is suddenly starting to look…..well like a division actually with Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano plus TM61 gaining steam. You have to think Ciampa and Gargano are going to be waiting for the winners of this in another great match.

Those winners would of course be American Alpha, who are just so far ahead of any team they could be facing. Yeah Revival is good and been FAR better since they found their aggression but it’s just not quite enough to dethrone Chad Gable and Jason Jordan. Those two are just on another level than anyone else right now and are definitely looking like one of the best teams in NXT history. It’s going to be one heck of a match but I can’t imagine the titles changing hands here.

In another title match, Women’s Champion Asuka will be defending against the monster Nia Jax. This is a match that was teased months ago but we’re actually getting it here. The women’s division is definitely in need of an upgrade at this point after the roster was gutted by the main roster callups. Right now we really just have Asuka, Jax and Bayley, who is out with an injury at the moment.

This should be one heck of a fight though with both women knowing how to hit each other very hard. Asuka can do a lot of amazing things in the ring but she’s never fought someone like Jax in NXT. She’s just such an unstoppable monster and she has a mean streak after the loss to Bayley back in London. Either way it’s going to be a huge battle with Asuka trying to take down the tree while Jax hits her really hard with a bunch of power moves that no one else can pull off.

I think I’m going with Asuka to retain the title though as it’s just too early to have her drop it. However, there’s the question of how intelligent it is to have Jax lose both of her first two big matches. Yeah she beat Bayley a few weeks back and then won that triple threat but NXT revolves around titles and if she loses both of her shots, it’s going to do some damage to her. Thankfully it’s not enough to crush her though and that’s going to be enough to keep the title on Asuka after one heck of a fight.

That brings us to the match that has a lot of people excited as Shinsuke Nakamura is facing Austin Aries. There’s really nothing special to say about this: these two are going to beat the heck out of each other and it’s going to be amazing. Aries and Nakamura are some of the most talented guys on the roster and they know how to bring it on the big stage. Nakamura hasn’t really been tested since facing Sami Zayn back in Dallas so it’s a good idea to let him show what he can do when he turns on the jets.

Aries is in a bit of a weirder place as he hasn’t had a big moment yet with the only noteworthy match he’s had being the one against Baron Corbin. That’s not exactly something worth mentioning so a showdown against the hardest hitting wrestler on the roster is quite the way to make your impact.

Unfortunately for Aries, I can’t see this ending any other way than with a Kinshasa to the head to give Nakamura the pin. Nakamura is the most likely candidate to go after the NXT Title next and there’s almost no way he’ll lose here going into that match. It’s not completely a lock though as there’s always the chance of having Aries win and face Joe with some vague references to Aries defeating Joe to take the ROH World Title back in the day. Still though, I’ll stick with Nakamura here.

That leaves us with the NXT Title match inside a cage with Samoa Joe defending against former champion Finn Balor in a rare gimmick match. It’s not clear if we’re going to be seeing the Demon or not though I can’t imagine they don’t throw the paint on Balor. However I also can’t imagine Balor winning here and you don’t want to have the Demon lose in a major match, unless he’s heading up to the main roster.

I really can’t imagine Balor getting the title back but at the same time I can’t picture him losing a major match either. It’s not something we’ve seen in a very long time (clips of the house show title change not counting of course) and it seems like something they want to protect. However, with the Draft looming, there’s almost no way they don’t bring Balor up to the main roster and the only way that’s happening is with a loss here. I’m a big Balor fan but if this sets up Nakamura vs. Joe, I don’t think anyone is going to be complaining.

Overall this sounds like one heck of a card with all five matches having the potential to be anywhere from good to excellent. The name of the show offers an interesting question about the future of the series, though I’d assume it’s just the end of the Takeover name in general. These specials have become such a huge deal and a guaranteed hit that I can’t imagine WWE would just get rid of them at the drop of a hat. You don’t throw away 15,000 tickets in Brooklyn with no logical reason. All that aside, the show is going to be a blast because that’s how Takeovers go.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews, check out my website at kbwrestlingreviews.com and pick up my new book on NXT: The Full Sail Years Volume II at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01FWZZ2UA

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6