4 Ups & 5 Downs From WWE NXT TakeOver: WarGames 2020
NXT's annual spotfest TakeOver labours under the weight of WarGames.
NXT's annual WarGames edition of TakeOver has suffered the same fate as the main roster's gimmick pay-per-views in that it is now just another date on the calendar rather than the organic product of a story hot enough to demand it, but the build to this year's men's match at least warranted the mega-cage.
Pat McAfee and Adam Cole have been at each other's throats since summer. When McAfee refused to accept his TakeOver XXX defeat, he built an army. The hatred between these sides was real, tangible, and well-played heading into the event, setting them up for a blistering main event. The women's build hadn't been as compelling, but screw it: four of the same wrestlers worked the best match of the night at last year's WarGames supercard and the division is well booked, for the most part. The ceiling was higher than the cage itself.
The presentation was on point throughout, with WWE nailing the Capitol Wrestling Center aesthetic. Sparks of pyro shot from the cage, Black Sabbath's seminal War Pigs rang through the arena, and the tight, closed-in confines created a nastily claustrophobic atmosphere. TakeOver: WarGames felt edgy, which isn't something you can often say about a modern WWE product.
Unfortunately, the rest of the evening was largely a case of the bookers getting in the athletes' way...