Ahead of the aforementioned listless conclusion, Santos Escobar and Isiah Scott at long last had the fireworks factory they were obviously forced to hold on to before this point.
To ask those that still watch 205 Live, there's comparable cruiserweight action every week, but this was a welcome dose of flavour on a card feeling a little bland at the midpoint. Escobar is the real deal with or without his mask - a dynamic hybrid lightweight that will one day have main events so strong that these earlier TakeOver battles feel quaint.
Swerve has that identical aura, if not for the booking. Throughout NXT's rich history, babyfaces have lost a lot before getting the big win, but 2020 is a blot on said timeline. With Adonis likely to take the next swing at Escobar's gold, where else is there for Scott to go to make the most of his dormant electricity?
Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett
