NXT: TakeOver 31 Recap
by The Tantor October 8, 2020
NXT Takeover 31, WOW! What a night. NXT never disappoints. It’s a trip back in time to my NWA days watching Dusty Rhodes take on Ricky Steamboat. It was 100% in ring gold. Let’s start with the venue, the performance center renamed the Capitol Wrestling Center. The performance center trainees were in attendance behind a chain link fence to give it a street fight appeal. Above the attendees was the massive wall of video monitors with worldwide fans going crazy. I loved the perfect atmosphere for a great night of fighting. Calling the action was the best commentator team in the business: Vic Joseph, Beth Phoenix and new comer Wade Barrett.
NXT proves that less is more with only 5 matches. It’s the quality not the quantity of the matches that matter. We start Damian Priest defeating Johnny Gargano. Mr. All Heart No Soul Gargano sold me on Priest. Damian Priest need this match and specific opponent to get over. Tantor was just not previously impressed with Priest. Just another big guy. Oh did Mr. Gargano prove that wrong. Gargano sold Priest as the athletic big man that he obviously has become for the North American NXT Championship belt. Priest was able to do things I have never seen before and can’t wait to see other tricks he can perform.
We move on to Kushida enforcing a submission on Velveteen Dream. Kushida was a technical submission hold machine constantly going from hold to hold while mixing in kicks and strikes. Velveteen sold everything like a master, and Kushida should be buying him beers all month. This was 13 minutes of great in ring old school work.
The NXT Cruiserweight Championship was next with Escobar beating Swerve Scott. I really hated this result as Tantor is a major Swerve Scott fan. Swerve is incredibly talented with both strikes and aerial moves. Swerve stayed on script and put Escobar over as a true heel. Escobar plays that roll to perfection. It was another great match by two tremendous performers.
The Women of NXT got into the action for the NXT Women’s Championship belt. With all the injuries in the women’s division, we are down to champion Io Shirai. Luckily the bench includes the ultimate pro, Candice LaRae. It’s very rare to see a women’s match go 10 minutes, but this one provided over 16 minutes of perfection. Watching a great athletic Champion face, Shirai, go against the best female heel in professional wrestling, LaRae, was a treat. Shirai can cut loose with her entire arsenal and LaRae can sell every action and still pose a story threat to the champ. Shirai won the match, but this is one that I could watch again and soon.
Finally, we have the NXT Championship match with Kyle O’Rielly (KOR) vs Champ Finn Balor. This match was one Tantor had all question marks. KOR is part of Undisputed ERA. U-ERA is dominated by Superstar Adam Cole with KOR as only a supporting role. Well, the joke is on Tantor. KOR absolutely stole the night with strikes, knees, kicks and holds on Balor. Balor responded with everything in his repertoire. Both men were bloody and beaten by the end of the match. Balor got the pin on KOR, but KOR came out looking like a future force. He sold it so well that NXT should write him into a belt run in the future. While bloody, Balor was the warrior we all know him to be. What a great Championship match. To add to this was Holland entering and dropping an unconscious Adam Cole at ringside. What a cliffhanger!
You might still be looking for Tantor’s match grades. Stop looking. No reason to type A+ in every match summary. That’s what it was, a perfect match night for NXT! Congratulations NXT. The best PPV in 2020! Tantor said.
NXT proves that less is more with only 5 matches. It’s the quality not the quantity of the matches that matter. We start Damian Priest defeating Johnny Gargano. Mr. All Heart No Soul Gargano sold me on Priest. Damian Priest need this match and specific opponent to get over. Tantor was just not previously impressed with Priest. Just another big guy. Oh did Mr. Gargano prove that wrong. Gargano sold Priest as the athletic big man that he obviously has become for the North American NXT Championship belt. Priest was able to do things I have never seen before and can’t wait to see other tricks he can perform.
We move on to Kushida enforcing a submission on Velveteen Dream. Kushida was a technical submission hold machine constantly going from hold to hold while mixing in kicks and strikes. Velveteen sold everything like a master, and Kushida should be buying him beers all month. This was 13 minutes of great in ring old school work.
The NXT Cruiserweight Championship was next with Escobar beating Swerve Scott. I really hated this result as Tantor is a major Swerve Scott fan. Swerve is incredibly talented with both strikes and aerial moves. Swerve stayed on script and put Escobar over as a true heel. Escobar plays that roll to perfection. It was another great match by two tremendous performers.
The Women of NXT got into the action for the NXT Women’s Championship belt. With all the injuries in the women’s division, we are down to champion Io Shirai. Luckily the bench includes the ultimate pro, Candice LaRae. It’s very rare to see a women’s match go 10 minutes, but this one provided over 16 minutes of perfection. Watching a great athletic Champion face, Shirai, go against the best female heel in professional wrestling, LaRae, was a treat. Shirai can cut loose with her entire arsenal and LaRae can sell every action and still pose a story threat to the champ. Shirai won the match, but this is one that I could watch again and soon.
Finally, we have the NXT Championship match with Kyle O’Rielly (KOR) vs Champ Finn Balor. This match was one Tantor had all question marks. KOR is part of Undisputed ERA. U-ERA is dominated by Superstar Adam Cole with KOR as only a supporting role. Well, the joke is on Tantor. KOR absolutely stole the night with strikes, knees, kicks and holds on Balor. Balor responded with everything in his repertoire. Both men were bloody and beaten by the end of the match. Balor got the pin on KOR, but KOR came out looking like a future force. He sold it so well that NXT should write him into a belt run in the future. While bloody, Balor was the warrior we all know him to be. What a great Championship match. To add to this was Holland entering and dropping an unconscious Adam Cole at ringside. What a cliffhanger!
You might still be looking for Tantor’s match grades. Stop looking. No reason to type A+ in every match summary. That’s what it was, a perfect match night for NXT! Congratulations NXT. The best PPV in 2020! Tantor said.
picture courtesy of wwe.com