WWE NXT, WWE.com
Expectations were blown out of the water when the WWE NXT Superstars took over the WWE Network the night before the Royal Rumble.
A lot of fans had their doubts heading into Saturday’s NXT TakeOver event live from San Antonio, given that in comparison to many of the previous specials the brand has offered the WWE Network, the build for this one was rather lacking.
Things only recently started to heat up given that December was filled with house show matches and not an obscene amount of story progression, so while the matches on the card were bound to deliver, the lack of hype surrounding the event in recent weeks might have prevented it from really striking home like past events.
That being said, the low expectations from everyone involved meant that a range of top-drawer match-ups would blow everyone’s preconceptions out of the water.
With two new champions crowned, a reaffirmed faith in the NXT Women’s division going forward and a number of up-and-coming names in NXT getting the chance to increase their stock on a big weekend like this one, there were a lot of people who stood to gain something from NXT TakeOver: San Antonio.
But who stood to gain the most, you might ask? Well, let’s take a look.
WWE.com
5. Roderick Strong
Strong vs. Almas was the match that most people let slip their minds.
Take nothing away from either man, they’re both rising through the ranks at a steady pace – with Almas in a better place since his heel turn and Strong still looking to prove himself as one of NXT’s strongest acquisitions of 2016 – but on a card that had a pretty lackluster build, this match was the least-anticipated by a country mile.
That being said, this was by no means a boring match, in fact as it unfolded, it quickly emerged as a sleeper candidate for Match of the Night.
Both men got some great offense in with Almas going to work on the arm. Some big spots include Strong’s debilitating top turnbuckle back-breaker, which looked about as nasty as it sounds, as well as Almas’ brutal double knee strike in the corner.
In the end, Almas’ continued submission attempts would be ineffective as a huge running single-leg kick to Cien’s head would put this match to bed early.
Almas put on a good showing, establishing himself as the heel well which allowed Strong to build up a little bit of momentum from the crowd who slowly got involved, culminating in a hushed albeit still audible “This is Awesome” chant.
Roderick Strong has a lot of potential to go the distance in NXT, and though we are still in the early days, more wins against game opponents will allow him to rise up.
WWE.com
4. Eric Young
With the rampage that Sanity has been on since debuting in NXT, there was no way that Eric Young could afford to lose his first NXT TakeOver match. Tye Dillinger has been through this routine many a time, and at this stage in his tenure, he could afford yet another loss in the efforts of getting newer talent over.
It’s not the kind of role you’d want for yourself, but look at Tyler Breeze; he was one of NXT’s best talents to date and he rarely ever won big matches. Dillinger is the same, his role in NXT has been to put others over, but his hugely popular “Perfect 10” gimmick allows him to maintain his dignity as a performer in the process.
That said, Eric Young’s victory in this one wasn’t a whitewash, and all parties did well to ensure that everyone knew Tye’s loss was a direct result of Sanity’s hijinks.
The constant interference, and Alexander Wolfe putting Young’s foot on the bottom rope as Dillinger attempted the pinfall following a Tye Breaker did well to keep Dillinger’s integrity intact. At the same time, Sanity now pushes forward.
Tye’s future remains up in the air, so given that Eric Young has the potential to eventually make his way into the NXT Championship picture, while Wolfe and Killian Dain potentially break into the tag title scene and Nikki Cross continues to push for the NXT Women’s Championship, this victory was the first in a long line of stepping stones towards Sanity taking over the NXT brand.
WWE.com
3. The Women of NXT
Asuka may have emerged with the NXT Women’s Championship – not to mention the award for NXT’s Female Competitor of the Year in 2016 – but make no mistake: “The Empress of Tomorrow” was not the only woman who shined in the fatal four-way.
We knew from the get-go that Billie Kay and Peyton Royce would be doing everything in their power to ensure that one of them would walk out as the new NXT Women’s Champion, and their dominance on the night was nothing short of brilliant.
From the start, it looked as though they would be content to let Asuka and Nikki Cross duke it out until they could swoop in, but to both their merit, they wasted no time in blindsiding both combatants to take up the limelight in the match.
In the end, all four women put their talents on display in a huge way, with each of them staking their claim to the NXT Women’s Championship.
Asuka showed her intimidation factor to no fault, Nikki Cross stepped forward as the dark horse of the match with a fiery temper that nobody would want to mess with, and Peyton and Billie fell perfectly into the role of the heels that dominated the bout.
They had a chip on their shoulder and they proved it when they suplexed Nikki Cross through a table, quite possibly the most out-there spot we’ve ever seen from NXT’s women’s division – not only making Cross look like a champ for taking the brunt of it, but confirming Peyton and Billie’s desire to carry the title.
Maybe the fact that these two women didn’t care who held the championship once the night was done kind of sullied the mentality a little bit, when you consider the fact that one of them could’ve just lay down for the pinfall, but nevertheless, they were on a mission and they came very close to accomplishing it on the night.
However, Asuka’s reign is not over yet – this woman might just be unstoppable, and it could be Ember Moon’s turn to take her down at the next TakeOver.
Still, just months ago we looked at NXT’s women’s division with a sour expression.
With names like Paige, Emma, Sasha Banks, Becky Lynch, Bayley and Charlotte in its alumni, the state of the division looked incredibly weak. But after San Antonio, it’s safe to say that the job has been done almost to perfection in building up the current roster into something worthy of the grandeur and excellence of its past pupils.
WWE.com
2. The Authors of Pain
Despite their incredible efforts to win the NXT Tag Team Championship at NXT TakeOver: Toronto, Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa walked into San Antonio as the overwhelming underdogs in their title defense against The Authors of Pain.
Ever since bursting onto the scene, Akam and Rezar have annihilated everybody that NXT’s budding tag team division has had to offer, from American Alpha to TM-61, and the odds were heavily stacked in their favor to walk out of Texas on Saturday night with the NXT Tag Team Titles over their shoulders as well.
Paul Ellering’s hopes would come to fruition in the end, but it was the fight in the ever-popular #DIY that made The Authors’ eventual win much more gratifying.
More from Daily DDT
Gargano and Ciampa used almost everything they had in their arsenal to counteract the immeasurable power and strength of these two behemoths, and with a sheer amount of heart and determination backing them in their efforts, it looked for a moment their like #DIY might just be able to do the unthinkable.
But it was one final Super Collider that would put the final full-stop on the story of Gargano and Ciampa’s brief run with the gold, and with one Last Chapter for good measure, Akam and Rezar would become the new NXT Tag Team Champions.
The great thing about this duo isn’t the fact that they tower over their opponents or that they obliterate everyone who stands in their path, it’s the fact that – in the case of TM-61 and #DIY at least – the offence their opponents get in throughout the match makes the eventual Authors of Pain victory that much more special.
This was not a squash match by any means. Both teams utilized one another to increase their own stock, and although only one team could emerge victoriously, #DIY still looked spectacular. As a result, the new champions have kick-started what is sure to be a lengthy run as titleholders with a full head of steam, and no end in sight.
WWE.con
1. Bobby Roode
“Glorious” Bobby Roode walked out of San Antonio on Saturday night with the Holy Grail of NXT – the NXT Championship – adding his name to an esteemed list of NXT’s finest alumni to have held the title with pride over the last five years.
In order to do so, he needed to get inside the head of Shinsuke Nakamura, who in addition to being known as “The King of Strong Style”, should be recognized for his excellent usage of mind games throughout his match-ups as well.
We saw Roode test Nakamura’s patience throughout the match – utilizing the ropes to prevent the two from locking up early on, and playing possum as Nakamura tried to set up for his brutal Kinshasha, only to roll the man up for a close two-count.
But it was Roode’s ability to take advantage of any and all opportunities that put this man in the fast lane to becoming the next NXT Champion, as a rough landing from Shinsuke Nakamura coming straight down from the second turnbuckle to the apron would do irreparable damage to the champ’s knee for the time being.
The look on the champ’s face as he writhed in agony gave the impression that the referee might have to stop the match, because after seemingly knocking Roode out with the Kinshasa – Nakamura couldn’t find it within him to make the cover.
The fact that the ref didn’t ring the bell would make what followed even sweeter, as with two Glorious DDTs and a half-Boston Crab, Roode capitalized on the injury to pin Nakamura and become only the tenth man in history to carry the title.
Even if he had to take advantage of a busted knee, Bobby Roode’s victory is going to go a long way towards this man being the face of NXT for the foreseeable future.
He put in a spectacular performance, and through all of the punishment dished out to him from the champion, he withstood and gave it right back. In the end, Roode’s ability to capitalize on every opening would see him become the rightful champion.
