6 Ups And 4 Downs From NXT TakeOver: San Antonio
New champs, good wrestling, but bumpy roads exposed for developmental brand.
After three years of TakeOver specials, NXT was bound to hit a bump in the road.
The little promotion that could, NXT has been the darling of wrestling geeks, a diamond in the rough that is WWE. NXT has been home to independent scene heroes and the proving grounds for homegrown stars. The heavy influence of Vince McMahon is mostly absent, and a more old-school approach favored by the late Dusty Rhodes and Triple H has dominated.
The TakeOver specials have consistently outshined nearly every WWE PPV, with crisp pacing, excellent storylines and fantastic wrestling. But all of this might have come to an end Saturday night, when TakeOver: San Antonio hit the airwaves.
Saturday’s special event was a fun night of wrestling, to be sure, and the matches overall were perfectly fine, but the event simply wasn’t up to par with its predecessors. And with the Royal Rumble PPV looking somewhat solid right now, it could quite possibly outperform NXT’s offering.
TakeOver: San Antonio featured two title changes and some nice moments for the fans who attended or tuned in, but it also highlighted some of the challenges facing NXT as the promotion moves forward.
With that said, let’s take a look at what rose to the occasion and what fell back to Earth…