REVIEW: NXT Takeover: Fatal 4 Way: The Sequel

Welcome to KB’s Old School (and New School) Reviews. I’ve been reviewing wrestling shows for over twelve years now and have reviewed over 6,000 shows. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, I’ll be posting a new review here on Wrestlingrumors.net. It could be anything from modern WWE to old school to indies to anything in between. Note that I rate using letters instead of stars and I don’t rate matches under three minutes as really, how good or bad can something that short be?

 

NXT Takeover: Fatal Fourway
Date: September 11, 2014
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Attendance: 400
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton, Renee Young

The question here is can they pull it off three times in a row. Arrival and the first Takeover were both outstanding shows that have set quite the standard for NXT, but now it’s up to them to pull it off one more time. The title tells you all you need to know about the main event with NXT Champion Adrian Neville defending against Sami Zayn, Tyler Breeze and Tyson Kidd. Let’s get to it.

The opening sequence is a very cool concept here as the NXT video hacks into the traditional WWE opening, taking it over you might say.

Tag Team Titles: Ascension vs. Lucha Dragons

The Dragons are challenging after winning a tournament and the fans are still getting into doing their dance. Granted it probably has something to do with Cara clearly not caring about the thing. Cara and Viktor get things going with Sin trying to flip around a bit, only to get sent to the floor and into the apron to start working on his back. Konor comes in to stomp away before Viktor cranks on both arms. Viktor: “QUIT!”

Back up and Cara counters a powerbomb into a hurricanrana but Konor runs in and knocks Kalisto off the apron to break up the hot tag. Konor crushes Cara with a splash in the corner but gets caught with an enziguri. That’s enough for the hot tag off to Kalisto as things speed WAY up. Everything breaks down and Cara takes Konor out with a suicide dive. Kalisto adds a dive to take out the champs but an STO takes him down back inside. Cara breaks up the Fall of Man though and the Salida Del Sol gives us new champions at 7:48.

Rating: C. Power vs. speed is the most tried and true formula in wrestling and it worked just fine here. The fans went nuts for the title change and it was one heck of an upset to finally get the titles off Ascension. That Salida Del Sol looked awesome too and should be a great finisher for Kalisto going forward.

Post match the Dragons celebrate and say the future starts now.

We get a quick moment of remembrance for September 11.

Video on the main event with Neville talking about how he’ll fight all comers. He’s never been in a fatal fourway but he had never been in a ladder match either and that’s how he won the NXT Title.

Baron Corbin vs. CJ Parker

This is a bonus match and Corbin hasn’t been around for a few months though this is billed as his debut. He makes the most of his appearance though with a quick swinging Downward Spiral for the huge upset in 29 seconds.

Corbin doesn’t look even slightly surprised that he won. Fans: “THANK YOU BARON!”

Tyson Kidd talks about how amazing he is and says FACT after every statement.

Enzo Amore vs. Sylvester LeFort

Hair vs. hair after the Legionnaires cut off half of Enzo’s beard. This lead to the introduction of hair cream which removed all of the hair from a stylist’s dog because wrestling is a strange business. As usual, LeFort has a better look than half of the main roster. Before the match, Enzo says he’s going to punch Sylvester in the mouth and give him a haircut. The question is what kind of haircut. Maybe a bob and a weave. What about a pompadour? Unfortunately LeFort’s options are limited to ZERO options because he’s losing all of that hair tonight.

The announcers start talking about Baron as LeFort takes Enzo down with an armdrag and makes haircutting motions. They run the ropes a bit until Amore gets in a quick dropkick. LeFort stomps away in the corner as the announcers make bald jokes. Enzo has to pull himself up using LeFort’s boots and tights before getting in some jabs. Marcus Louis offers a distraction though so LeFort can get in a clothesline. That earns Marcus a boot to the face from Cass, allowing Enzo to grab a rollup (and tights) for the pin at 5:38.

Rating: D. The match was mostly worthless but of course this was all about the post match stuff and the fans popping for Enzo and Cass. I don’t think anyone expected Enzo to get shaved here so the ending was obvious but the big reaction told you everything you needed to know about this one. Yeah it’s a nothing match but it was the right call, which is all it was ever designed to be.

Cass and Enzo take LeFort up for the haircut but Louis makes the save, allowing LeFort to bail. Louis gets the bucket poured on his head instead.

Tyler Breeze is ready to make the title gorgeous because he’s fighting a hobbit and Nattie’s husband.

Here’s General Manager William Regal with something to say. He’s here to introduce the newest signing in the history of NXT: Kenta (as in Kobayashi). This brings out Kenta to introduce himself to the crowd and say something in Japanese. Then in English, he talks about how this is a dream come true for him and redubs himself Hideo Itami with a goal of being NXT Champion. This brings out the Ascension to toss Itami outside before demanding a rematch for the Tag Team Titles. Itami gets back in and takes off his jacket before blasting both guys in the face and grabbing a chair to fend them off.

The announcers recap Bull Dempsey vs. Mojo Rawley. They were partners back in the tag team tournament but Bull couldn’t handle losing, setting up this match.

Mojo Rawley vs. Bull Dempsey

Mojo is serious here and charges to the ring to start the brawl in a hurry. That’s the extent of his offense though as Bull runs him over, slams him down, and drops a top rope headbutt for the pin at 1:10. Total squash and the fans were chanting WE WANT STEEN (as in Kevin) the whole match. To clear up any confusion, earlier in the day HHH had tweeted a photo of himself, Kenta, Kevin Steen and Prince Devitt, all of whom had been signed recently.

Bull gives him another headbutt post match.

Enzo and Cass are in the back and the former wants to see someone bald. They see Louis with a towel over his head and carry him into the arena for the big reveal. The towel is pulled off and there are only a few specks of hair left with no eyebrows to be seen. Renee loses it at the new look and Enzo thinks it’s B-A-W-L-D.

We recap Charlotte vs. Bayley, which is fallout from the destruction of the BFFs with Bayley being treated like a kid in over her head but still beating Sasha Banks to become #1 contender. Charlotte’s advice to Bayley: “Stick to hugs before I destroy you.”

Women’s Title: Bayley vs. Charlotte

Bayley is challenging and debuts the streamers on her arms as well as her best known theme song. Charlotte offers an early handshake but Bayley will have none of that and drives the champ into the corner for some shoulders to the ribs. A chop to the back and a dropkick get two for Bayley but Charlotte counters a backslide into a neckbreaker to take over. The fans are going nuts for Bayley here and keep trying to get her back into things with Renee calling her the NXT darling.

We hit the figure four neck lock but Bayley bridges back for two and a break. Charlotte goes ultra evil by stealing the headband and flicking it out to the floor. This actually draws some of the loudest booing of the night to really show how over Bayley is. Charlotte does the rolling figure four neck lock mat slams which only drives the fans crazier. The Figure Four is countered into a small package for two but Charlotte decks her again to keep control.

Charlotte knees her in the head but it just fires Bayley up for some forearms, only to have the champ slam her head first onto the mat for two. The moonsault is countered into a super hurricanrana for two and Bayley is spent. Charlotte rolls her up to send her head first into the corner followed by an awkward looking moonsault (Charlotte’s feet hit the mat first so it was more like a backflip and then a falling splash) for two more. Renee: “BAYLEY’S ALIVE!!!” Natural Selection (Bow Down to the Queen) retains the title a moment later at 10:40. Sorry Renee.

Rating: B. It may not have been the first two Women’s Title matches but it was certainly a well done title match and still miles ahead of anything the Divas were doing at the time. Bayley is clearly the most popular act in the division (and one of the most popular in all of NXT) but she wasn’t ready to take the title off someone as naturally talented as Charlotte. It’s still a good match here though and that’s all it needed to be for Charlotte’s first big title defense.

Sasha Banks comes out after Charlotte leaves and beats Bayley down, only to have Sasha come out for the save.

Video on Sami Zayn, who always comes up just a little bit short. He and Neville may be friends but that’s the man he wants to beat so he can beat the best.

NXT Title: Adrian Neville vs. Tyler Breeze vs. Sami Zayn vs. Tyson Kidd

Neville is defending and this is one fall to a finish with no tags. After the big match intros, we get dueling TYSON CHICKEN (a brand of chicken if you’re not familiar) and NATTIE’S HUSBAND. They finally start things off after about a minute of staring with Kidd and Neville going to the corner and Breeze going outside with Sami. Those pairings don’t last long and it’s off to Neville vs. Sami in the ring, only to have the other two come in to break it up.

Sami takes over on Breeze and stops to take a picture with the phone going into the ring. You know that’s going to get a big OLE chant. Back in and Kidd gets caught in the Koji Clutch with Breeze diving in for a save. Breeze and Kidd take Neville up to the stage for a suplex before giving Sami one on the ramp. Sami is thrown inside for some double teaming but a NATTIE’S BETTER chant slows Tyson down.

Kidd turns on Breeze and gets two off a neckbreaker to Sami before we hit the quickly broken chinlock. The hanging in ropes middle rope legdrop gets two on Zayn and Kidd drives knees into his head in the corner. We hit another chinlock as Breeze and Neville are somehow still down on the floor. The chinlock continues until Neville gets back in, only to be sent to the floor just as quickly.

Breeze is back in as well but Sami is waiting on him with the running clotheslines. The villains are put in position for the big flip dive but Neville steals the chance and moonsaults onto both guys for a very loud NXT chant. Neville tries to moonsault into an electric chair but flips over Sami and crashes to the mat to give Zayn two. Kidd throws Breeze and the champ out to the floor before getting in a fisherman’s neckbreaker for two more on Sami. There’s an enziguri but the springboard elbow hits knees.

Breeze runs back in with a Beauty Shot to Sami and a Supermodel Kick on Kidd, followed by a dropkick to knock Neville out of the air for two in a white hot sequence. A CM Punk chant breaks out for some reason but the fans quickly boo it down. Breeze looks to take Neville up for a superplex but it gets turned into the Tower of Doom with Sami powerbombing everyone and falling onto Kidd for a very near fall.

The Helluva Kick is broken up by Neville’s raised boot and a shooting star press keeps Sami in trouble. Breeze dives in and throws Neville off to steal a two count in another very close call. Kidd grabs the Sharpshooter on Breeze in the middle of the ring and it’s Neville diving in to stop Breeze’s hand from tapping. Sami and Neville slowly slug it out until Kidd walks into the exploder suplex in the corner.

That should set up the Helluva Kick but Sami dives through the ropes to take out Neville instead. There’s the diving DDT to drop Breeze, followed by the Helluva Kick to Kidd, only to have Neville pull the referee out at two (remember there are no disqualifications). Neville superkicks Sami and scores with the Red Arrow on Kidd to retain the title at 24:12.

Rating: A-. I would have cut out about two minutes in the middle to bring this up even higher but dang they were going hard out there. This really felt like a long match instead of a bunch of miniature segments like most multi-man matches feel like. Sami having the title won until Neville saved it was a great bit of storytelling and really should set up Sami as the next challenger. Just awesome stuff all around here with everyone looking awesome and like they could potentially win the title at any time.

A lot of replays and closeups of Sami take us out.

Overall Rating: B. This is easily the weakest of the big shows so far and it was more than fine. The main event is definitely worth checking out if you have the time but the rest was more about storyline development than a big blowoff, which really isn’t something you expect out of one of these shows. In other words, this was more like a really big TV episode than a pay per view style show and that’s a rare thing to see in NXT. Still though, this is another good show and a very solid way to spend two hours.

Thomas Hall has been a wrestling fan for over thirty years and has seen over 60,000 wrestling matches. He has also been a wrestling reviewer since 2009 with over 6,000 full shows covered. You can find his work at kbwrestlingreviews.com, or check out his- Amazon author page with 30 wrestling books.

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