5 Ups And Downs For WWE NXT Takeover: Rival

4. Teasing The Fans

The match between Hideo Itami and Tyler Breeze was anything but boring. Despite losing most of his matches of late, Breeze has shown that he can hang with just about any competitor and have a solid match. This bout with Itami was no different, as the two wrestlers delivered a highly entertaining opener. It€™s also worth tossing out kudos to Breeze incorporating a fur-covered selfie stick to his entrance €“ a clever touch. But the one drawback from the contest is something that produces one of the biggest reactions in Hideo€™s matches. During the match, Itami hoisted Breeze up onto his shoulders, setting up for the Go To Sleep, a move he innovated, but one that was popularized in WWE by company pariah CM Punk. Fans at Full Sail University are hip to this and cheer wildly each time Itami lifts an opponent into position, but he has yet to hit the GTS. Instead, Itami has been winning his matches with a diving double foot stomp from the top rope or a running single leg kick, similar to the running knee he used in Japan €“ which Daniel Bryan uses as the Knee-Plus in WWE. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTIw6BSQLnY Whether it€™s an aversion to reminding fans of Punk or a desire to build to Hideo actually landing the GTS, WWE should just let Itami make a move he created his finisher. The announcers can make a big deal that he€™s the originator of the Go To Sleep and take a subtle dig at Punk, which WWE is probably dying to do.