HEY SUCKERS!

   I'm aware that I'm two days late on this, but I just cannot miss out on reviewing what I think is the best NXT TakeOver to this date.

   My mind was blown,

 tears were shed, 

and my heart is in
 a fragile state.

   Might break this into two parts (depending on if I exceed the 20 image limit), but we'll see. Alright, enough rambling. Let's get to it!

   1) ERIC YOUNG VS RODERICK STRONG

I am so impressed by Roderick Strong. You might hate me for this, but I used to not like him solely because I felt like he looked too generic. Not saying you need tattoos, muscles, a beard, or whatever to not be generic, but I hadn't seen much of him in the ring.

   The first time I ever really saw him in the ring was at TakeOver Orlando when he teamed up with Tye Dillinger, Ruby Riot, and Kassius Ohno.

   I was very surprised by how good that much, but even so, Tye + Ruby stole that match for me.

   Here however, Roderick Strong cemented a spot in my cold, dead heart. There is nothing generic about him in the ring, and dare I say he's ... "STRONG"

   His hits and strikes are just, amazing. 

Roderick's finisher (suplex release double knee back breaker) is a thing of beauty. 

   RANDOM SIDE NOTES:

   ↠  I think it was Nigel McGuinness that said  "Roderick has a lot of heart" and I could't help but to agree. 

  ↠  The crowd cheering "LETS GO RODDY" was really touching to hear.

  ↠ Eric Young is fucking amazing and so underrated. He seems so methodical in the ring, which I love. I still can't believe that he went from a comedic act in TNA to this menacing leader of a cult.

  ↠ GRADE: 10 / 10, HIGHLY IMPRESSED + SATISFIED.

2) PETE DUNNE VS TYLER BATE
FOR THE UK CHAMPIONSHIP

My mind was so blown I had to pause the event after this match just to sit down and have a breather. 

   I don't even know what to say about this match because literally, every second of it was fucking phenomenal. 

  A lot of people have been calling this #MOTY MATCH OF THE YEAR, and I can't help but to agree. To me, this should definitely be a strong contender for match of the year ( although, later on you'll find out what I think should really get all the awards). 

   Although (personally) Tyler Bate had me amazed more often that Pete Dunne, I have to give both men all the recognition in the world. This match was a series of events that just kept giving and whenever I thought Tyler had the upper hand, Pete would do something that left me shocked and out of my seat.

MOMENTS THAT HAD ME SCREAMING LIKE A BANSHEE THAT LOVES WRESTLING:

  1/8 ↠Ah the ring apron, one of the most painful spots that creates the most cringey and gruesome moments in any match.

 2/8 ↠I can't believe I'm saying this, but someone spins their opponents better than Cesaro. Tyler Bate, you are a damn wrestling machine with so much heart, speed, and precision ...

3/8 ↠This forearm of death by Pete Dunne made me feel pain. You know a move is THAT GOOD when you cringe and gasp at the same time.

   4/8 ↠This exchange a la Kevin Owens - Sami Zayn style, yes. Give it to us, destroy yourselves for our entertainment!

   5/8 ↠Tyler, you freak of nature I love you. Giving me some Son of Havoc vibes.

 6/8 ↠  This reversal, I fucking fell to my knees and kissed the ground because what even ...

   Did this remind anyone of that legendary moment in which Eddie Guerrero reversed Brock Lesnar's F5 and went on to become the Heavyweight Champ?

  7/8 ↠This spiral tap is state of the art.

8/8 ↠  Pete Dunne's finisher might just be my favorite thing ever now. 

    ◈ Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate work so well together that I want to see them encounter for another one hundred matches, yes please.

    ◈ Their styles clash so nicely, and their ability to tell a story = wow. I'd include a gif but it's too big to upload apparently. That one moment where they are both on their knees and they bump heads = YES! YES! YES! 

    ◈  Tyler Bate at just 20 years old is the epitome of age only being a number. Age should never stop or hinder anyone from pursuing their dreams and being a literal bad ass.

3) ASUKA VS NIKKI CROSS VS RUBY RIOT
FOR THE NXT WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP

  I'm 100% rooting for Ember Moon to make a full and speedy recovery, but man, I really did love this match. More than that, I love Nikki Cross + Ruby Riot. 

   I'm all for Asuka keeping her streak, so I wasn't upset that neither Cross nor Riot won. I still think these two need to segment off into a feud of their own. In the mean time, the only way I want to see Asuka dethroned is at Ember's sake.

  ↠ ASUKA: I JUST GODDAMN ADORE THIS WOMAN! I swear she cracks me up so often that I'm upset people don't realize how comedic she can be.

  ↠ RUBY RIOT: I am continuously impressed with her. I've since learned that she was in the Indy's as Heidi Lovelace. It makes sense that she was wrestling experience prior to coming to NXT because she's amazing!

   I'm certainly biased because I adore Ruby, but I just really do think that she's got that special something. 

   ↠ NIKKI CROSS: I love that deranged Scottish woman. I hate reading posts on tumblr that accuse her of being "too over the top" with her facial expressions because I personally don't see it as that.

   The only thing I do need to point out is this:

   This part here made me think that Nikki forgot she was supposed to fall right afterwards. She did her best to "sell" and make it not so noticeable, but it just made me laugh when I saw it.

   It was a tad bit awkward, but oh well, everyone makes mistakes.

   Other than that, 

I still love her.

THIS PART WAS WICKED!

   I KEEP ON INSISTING that the ring skirt is one of the most underutilized weapons ever. Point in case, this small bit of the match had me on my feet rooting for Cross. I love Asuka to death, but it's cool when the "untouchable" shows signs of pain, ya know?

   Like when Mickie James finally put Beth Phoenix down > I LIVE FOR MOMENTS LIKE THAT!

I think that in terms of "character / gimmick embodiment" Cross, Riot, Asuka, and Ember are the most solid / stable in NXT's Women's Division.  

   ◈ Super random, but I keep seeing people talking about how Billie Kay and Peyton Royce are being ignored ... am I the only one that doesn't mind that?

   I know it sounds horrible, but I don't get their gimmicks. Like, WHO ARE THEY? I feel like they keep trying to market themselves together and that really hurts their chances. To me, Peyton can be a massive monster heel and Billie just falls short for me ):

The times they've been given the chance to show case themselves, they make an impression but not a lasting one.

   What are your thoughts on that?

   What did you think of this women's match?

◈
◈◈

AUTHOR'S NOTES

Alright suckers, I'm going to take a small pause here because I'm approaching the 20 image limit (15) and I have a ton more gifs to use for the remaining two matches.

That and, my laptop is in serious need of being charged! I'll upload the next part pretty soon + as always, do leave me all your input.

Whatever you little hearts desire to say, work your fingers onto that keyboard or phone screen and let me know what you guys thought of this PPV.

What was your favorite match?
Any favorite moment?

( Try to exclude the final two matches that I have yet to talk about because trust me, I'll get to it and it's going to be good!)