NXT TakeOver: Chicago (2018)

[Bomberboyokay]

10AM AEST SUNDAY JUNE 17TH

NXT Championship
Aleister Black (c) vs Lars Sullivan

NXT Tag Team Championship
The Undisputed Era (Kyle O'Reilly and Roderick Strong) (c) vs Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan

NXT Women's Championship
Shayna Baszler (c) vs Nikki Cross

Chicago Street Fight
Johnny Gargano vs Tommaso Ciampa

Ricochet vs Velveteen Dream

 

[Bomberboyokay]

 

[Demonic Ascent]

Nice

Haven't watched since the last TakeOver but really looking forward to Ricochet/Velveteen Dream. Ciampa/Gargano should be brilliant too.

 

[Bomberboyokay]

Lars Sullivan is 1999 Big Show. Him versus Aleister Black could be good but won't be great. It'll probably be the worst match of the night if the women's match isn't Cross being fed to Baszler.

It almost feels like a B show but 5 people from the last one have gone to the main roster so Adam Cole (who will probably rock up for the tag team match) and EC3 are the only real absences.

 

[Bomberboyokay]

 

[Cleavy]

Vic Joseph isn't the worst replacement. He does a good job on 205 Live.

 

[Loonerty]

Good tag match to open the show.

 

[eDPS]

First 2 matches have been hot

 

[NotAMagpieBogan]

Jesus I was terrified that the elbows from Gargano just there were going to split Ciampa’s ear.

Edit: This has been genuinely hard to watch at times.

Edit: Alright that was nuts. One the most brutal matches in WWE, some of those spots were deadly

 

[Cleavy]

I think we need to have Takeovers on separate weekends to the PPVs. It's unfair to the main roster to get totally smashed every single time.

 

[Cleavy]

so how do they end the Gargano-Ciampa feud? Hell in a Cell? Wargames? Buried Alive (lol)?

 

[eDPS]

so how do they end the Gargano-Ciampa feud? Hell in a Cell? Wargames? Buried Alive (lol)?

Crutch on a pole match

 

[L_W_P]

so how do they end the Gargano-Ciampa feud? Hell in a Cell? Wargames? Buried Alive (lol)?

"I Quit" match at TakeOver:SummerSlam with the loser (Gargano) leaving NXT. Ciampa can threaten Candice or something really horrible.

Ciampa can then chase Black and the NXT title at Takeover: WrestleMania before moving up to whichever brand Gargano isn't on.

 

[Cleavy]

it feels like the time to call up Lars to be Braun's nemesis and cost him MITB.

 

[offtherails9]

First time really watching a Takeover, I watched a bit of the one before mania but I was hungover as and didn't pay much attention outside the Ladder Match but jeez that really was amazing.

The whole vibe of the thing must be pretty heavily influenced by what Triple H wants because it just screams like early 2000s WWE to me. The intros, the announcer yelling over the crowd whilst it's panning across the arena etc.

I'm not some Meltzer type wrestling nerd but jeez that was some good wrestling. Most matches just drew me in and my disbelief was suspended which to me shows it's a good show.

Velveteen is so special, as someone said on twitter he just gets wrestling. The psychology and everything, he can be anything.

And that was the first Gargano/Ciampa match I've seen but * that was amazing. That ending was unreal, so unpredictable. Great stuff.

 

[Bomberboyokay]

Undisputed Era vs Burch and Lorcan: It was good although obvious the two baldies weren't going to win. The Undisputed Era as a whole, including the injured guy, have a lot ahead of them before they start losing championships to lowcarders.

Ricochet vs Velveteen: Very good. Predicted the winner. Ricochet isn't super young anymore so if they have plans winning will help. Kevin Nash probably hated it.

Baszler vs Cross: It was fine but I'm pretty indifferent to Baszler and her MMA-inspired gimmick.

Black vs Sullivan: A real Backlash and whatever the PPV after SummerSlam is called match this one. They don't want to use a big star on the champion yet but he's got to do something so big grrrr! opponent. But it was good and Sullivan isn't s**t. Just the outcome was predictable.

Gargano vs Ciampa: Watching delayed so knew how long it was going to be which undercut the first half of the match. Got really good when chaos kicked in with tearing the ring up and going up the ramp. Will meet again at Brooklyn or Los Angeles no doubt.

 

[Loonerty]

First time really watching a Takeover, I watched a bit of the one before mania but I was hungover as and didn't pay much attention outside the Ladder Match but jeez that really was amazing.

The whole vibe of the thing must be pretty heavily influenced by what Triple H wants because it just screams like early 2000s WWE to me. The intros, the announcer yelling over the crowd whilst it's panning across the arena etc.

I'm not some Meltzer type wrestling nerd but jeez that was some good wrestling. Most matches just drew me in and my disbelief was suspended which to me shows it's a good show.

Velveteen is so special, as someone said on twitter he just gets wrestling. The psychology and everything, he can be anything.

And that was the first Gargano/Ciampa match I've seen but **** that was amazing. That ending was unreal, so unpredictable. Great stuff.

My hope is that when Trips takes over (lol) the main roster hits this quality.

 

[Bomberboyokay]

so how do they end the Gargano-Ciampa feud? Hell in a Cell? Wargames? Buried Alive (lol)?

Cage match.

Buried alive happens when they get to the main roster.

 

[Bomberboyokay]

it feels like the time to call up Lars to be Braun's nemesis and cost him MITB.

Too early. He'll be wasted with his European accent.

 

[Cleavy]

Too early. He'll be wasted with his European accent.

fine, he can stay but he has to put over Keith Lee.

 

[DaveyBoy123]

it feels like the time to call up Lars to be Braun's nemesis and cost him MITB.

I don't think the time is quite right, but feuding with Braun just has to be the way he is called up... It's logical.

I'd probably save it for the next time Braun is close to the title (likely towards the end of this year).

 

[DaveyBoy123]

so how do they end the Gargano-Ciampa feud? Hell in a Cell? Wargames? Buried Alive (lol)?

I think it will be a cage match of some kind, whether it be normal, HIAC or even as War Games captains... I kinda hope it's not in August though... Maybe have Ciampa challenge Black for the title on SummerSlam weekend, with Johnny possibly costing him the title to set up November.

 

[Cleavy]

I'm hoping for Team Gargano vs Team Ciampa in Wargames. Doesn't mean I'll get it.

 

[DaveyBoy123]

The 5 results were never really in doubt and kinda irrelevant (Dream had maybe a 1/3 chance, but the rest booked themselves).

Ratings-wise, I'd probably go:

4
3.75
2.75
3.5
4.25

18.25/25 = 73/100

 

[DaveyBoy123]

I'm hoping for Team Gargano vs Team Ciampa in Wargames. Doesn't mean I'll get it.

Yeah, I'd like it too, but it would be tricky to book (especially on the Ciampa side)… They'd probably have to start laying the groundwork of him mingling with others in the next fortnight or so.

Who'd be involved? Well, that's tougher to work out. Lars & Lee would probably be the only definites... Maybe EC3, although I'd think he may be challenging Black at this show.