4 Ups And 4 Downs From NXT UK TakeOver: Cardiff
A surprisingly superb show from Wales - but did anyone even watch it?
When WWE announced that NXT UK would be coming to Cardiff on 31 August - coincidentally the same date as both New Japan's Royal Quest show in the country, and hours ahead of AEW's huge All Out event - it garnered widespread titters around the wrestling commentariat.
Did the company seriously think that a Welsh-themed edition of their least followed brand was adequate competition for NJPW bringing their absolute best to London's Copper Box Arena on the same date? According to a company spy at the arena, the answer was 'yes'. Indications suggested their cross-Pacific rivals were struggling to shift tickets, hence the ballsy decision to go head-to-head.
Turned out, their spy was wrong. By their own making, WWE had stupidly set their second NXT UK TakeOver up to fail.
On the night, it did anything but. Not only was the Cardiff International Arena full to the brim in spite of the competition down south - helped no doubt by the late announcement of Cesaro's involvement - but the content presented more than delivered. We saw a stunning title switch, a wonderful cameo, and a main event which, whilst maybe not quite as brilliant as early reactions suggest, was one of the finest WWE matches of the year.
If only it'd been on a different day, eh?