10 Best WWE Network Shows Of 2019 (So Far)
2. Target: TakeOver XXV
WWE’s best ever pre-show, Target: TakeOver XXV wasn’t branded as a “Kickoff” or centred around waffling warm bodies at a table, but instead laser-focused on the combatants in the titular TakeOver’s main event ahead of the anniversary edition of the NXT supercard.
Liberally borrowing from Rocky III, the show switched between Johnny Gargano making public appearances with his newly-won prize whilst Adam Cole re-cut his pristine teeth on the developmental brand’s unflinching and unending house show loop.
Fighting without a proper feud when they staked a match-of-the-year claim in April’s TakeOver: New York encounter, the pair are now linked by its immediate heft and history. Rebounding from devastation, Cole’s mission became about betterment in the face of Gargano’s deserved celebration. As with much of NXT’s output, it’s simple on-paper pro wrestling booking the company used to excel at before Triple H’s black-and-gold direction brought it back from the wilderness.
There’s no typical Network special happy ending, because the contest itself informs the conclusion. As with the movie it drew inspiration from, the narrative was tacitly telling the audience how the match would go before it had happened, thus enhancing the richness of the piece on re-watch.