10 Live Observations From NXT TakeOver: Dallas

3. The Blood Stoppages Didn't Hurt The Main Event...

samoa joe nxt.jpg

The final bout of the show was the much-anticipated rematch between Finn Balor and Samoa Joe, with the NXT Championship on the line. Despite the fact that Joe took the advantage early, an errant shot from Balor busted the challenger open near the eye. Joe threw Balor into the crowd, and during the subsequent lull, referees and doctors tried to attend to his laceration.

The opening minutes of the match were full of halted progress as Joe's cut was continuously cared for, stalling the competition and drawing chants of "PG Sucks" from the crowd. While the treatment kept the match from getting fully underway, it wasn't too much of an issue. It actually made the bout feel like more of a high-level fight, with the angry Joe stewing as he reluctantly allowed the medical staff to attend to him.

Yes, it might have been better for storyline purposes if Balor was the one who was busted open, but Joe handled the entire situation in perfect character and it didn't hamper the bout a bit.

Contributor
Contributor

Scott Fried is a Slammy Award-winning* writer living and working in New York City. He has been following/writing about professional wrestling for many years and is a graduate of Lance Storm's Storm Wrestling Academy. Follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/scottfried. *Best Crowd of the Year, 2013