NXT Minus 6: Takeover 30 Aftermath

What matches met or exceeded expectations? What matches dropped a big fat turd? Here is how Takeover 30 stacks up to my pre show rankings.

6. Keith Lee versus Karrion Kross: I was expecting a brawl and they gave me a wrestling match. If there had been no Dijak, no Burch, no fireball, this would have been the same match. Sadly, they did not tell the story they spent a month building. And halfway through, Lee forgot that his left arm was destroyed. The only saving grace is that Lee wasn’t wearing face bandages. 2.5 stars (dropped from 4 to 6)

5. Breezango versus Brit Am Brawlers versus Frito Bandito: This was an ok Wednesday night match. Nothing horrible. Nothing special. Poor Tyler Breeze has been reduced to “guy who plays dead for 10 minutes after taking one shot from his opponent.” Any other team winning would have been a better outcome. Imperium cleaning house, winning the match and challenging themselves for the titles would have been a better outcome 2.5 stars (up from 6 to 5)

4. Pat McAfee versus Adam Cole: I refuse to believe McAfee was only training for 2 weeks. Part of me hates that a newb got in so much offense against a pro like Cole. It makes wrestling look so easy that any goober can jump right in and do it. The other part of me wants to see him in ring full time, because dude is a freak athlete. Cole wrestled a standard Cole match. He’s in desperate need of a new finisher. McAfee walking halfway across the ring staring at his feet in order to eat the Panama Destroyer just looks bush league. I can’t believe I’m typing this, but McAfee carried Cole to 3 stars. (up from 6 to 4)

3. Io Shirai versus Dakota Kai: The match itself was as good as I thought it would be. Kai continues to be the star of a loaded women’s division. The ending was lukewarm garbage. Waaaay too much Raquel Gonzalez. It felt like the main focus wasn’t the match itself but the post match angle. Speaking of, Rhea Ripley’s appearance was a pencil with erasers on both ends… pointless. A 4.1 star match with a 2 star ending. (stays at 3)

2. Timothy Thatcher versus Finn Balor: JR, how tough is Thatcher? He’s tougher than a $3 steak! I can see why people think he’s “boring” but I don’t subscribe to that theory. He has so many ways to tie up an opponent, his match never feels redundant or like he’s going through the motions. The old joke is that RVD worked the same match for 15 years. We will never say that about Thatcher. I like Balor. I don’t love him. I do recognize excellence. He’s not capable of having a bad match. 4.4 stars (stays at 2)

1. North American Title ladder match: Bronson Bigelow pays homage to my favorite big man ever AND puts himself in the running for Mama Mia of the Year with a huge splash off the ladder. Johnny Gargano played this in a way I’ve never seen in a ladder match. Damian Priest went from a guy I spent a year bashing to the guy I hoped would win. Kudos to you, Mr. Priest, for your first taste of NXT gold. Great performances from all involved. After the MITB ppv, I suggested putting the ladder match on hiatus because it was stale & predictable. Glad they weren’t listening to me. This absolutely met my very high expectations and is in the running for quarantine MOTY. 4.6 stars 

Overall, the show is what I expected. Two outstanding matches. Two good matches. Two that you could live without. Takeover is usually more consistent. It’s rare that anything comes in under 3 stars. This time, the 2 great matches were good enough to cover up any blemishes, and the star of the show was Pat McAfee. I hate to admit that guy might actually be next level.