WWE NXT Review: TakeOver: Rival Fallout
By Mike Smith
WWE.com
The Vaudevillains vs. Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady
Before the match, Enzo and Big Cass did their usual thing. They said they’re going for the NXT Tag Team Championship. They got cheered, Carmella got booed.
Aiden English cheated from the very beginning to help Simon Gotch gain an advantage on Enzo, and The Vaudevillains used that to go to work. Enzo was able to escape English, and he made the tag to Big Cass.
Big Cass tore through The Vaudevillains, before making a tag to Enzo so they could get the win with a double-team maneuver.
Amore and Cassady defeat The Vaudevillains via pinfall.
2.5 out of 5 stars – Nothing special here. Really short match.
Blake and Murphy promo
After the match, Blake and Murphy appeared on the video board.
Blake and Murphy, who clearly turned heel since we last saw them, were verbally attacking Enzo and Big Cass. They said their original win to take the NXT Tag Team Championship from The Lucha Dragons was no fluke, and that they proved that when they beat them at TakeOver.
They also did a little hitting on Carmella, who was not interested.
I’m not a fan of this. It would have been nice if they ran an angle this week, then did this promo next week. At least do something to set up their heel attitudes, especially since there’s not another live special coming too soon, so they could’ve taken their time.
Adrian Neville w/ Greg Hamilton
Neville said he feels like he has been hindered in NXT, and he’s going to take this opportunity to let loose.
Neville said that he hasn’t forgotten what happened the last time that he was in the ring with Kevin Owens, and that it will be on his mind in their match.
Neville was good, but Hamilton, who’s still really new, came off as a fantastic interviewer here, and he showed some serious promise.
Bayley and Becky Lynch backstage
Bayley said she laid it all on the line, but she came up short. She promised that there will be a night when she walks out as NXT Women’s Championship.
Lynch called the Fatal 4-Way one of the best performances of her life, but Bayley cost her the match. She said if it wasn’t her, she’s happy that Sasha Banks won, and she’s definitely happy that Charlotte loss.
Bayley and Lynch, in separate, short interviews, were both really good. Plus, it was smart to get them both out of the way, and suspend any reaction from Charlotte.