10 LIVE Observations From NXT TakeOver: New York

4. The Revolution Devolves

Ciampa Gargano
WWE.com

The presentation of four main-event level matches, received belatedly as main event matches, is remarkable, really. The brand pulls everything out of us - and, consequently, we had little left to give for the Women's championship Fatal 4-Way match.

This works live - just - but the prestige of the belt is fading. It worked live last night - just - because the layout and the performances were so throat-grabbbing in terms of action and pace. It was relentless, and by the pulsating last minute, the crowd was mostly engaged. Io Shirai, in particular, was in outstanding form. A top tier worker, she extracted the maximum impact from the execution of an arsenal spectacular in itself.

The incredible snap rotation of her moonsault popped the crowd, and when Shayna Baszler rolled away, this informed the anxious drama of the second. There was no way she was going to land it, given the technique, and yet she did, orchestrating a mega 1-10 instant Richter pop. As jaw-dropping as the action was in the white heat of the finish, certain storyline threads - the tension between the Sky Pirates - was lost somewhat.

Virtually everybody had this at ***3/4 - but, as NXT repeats this trick, a repeat of a Women's main event becomes a more distant prospect.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!