6 Ups & 3 Downs From NXT TakeOver In Your House 2021

Downs...

3. Did This Belong On TakeOver?

Mercedes Martinez Xia Li
WWE.com

Xia Li got a strong win and looked like a beast, but her match with Mercedes Martinez was the proverbial lame duck at TakeOver. It just didn't really feel like it belonged on a pay-per-view style special, and maybe should've been saved as a featured bout on the regular weekly TV show.

The seven minute length made it hard to get super-invested before the rather sudden finish too. On the plus side, it's good that Li won, and the post-mach beatdown was a nice addition. Even so, one was left wondering why this was even on the card at all.

It wasn't TakeOver-worthy.

That's something WWE need to think about going forwards. They've set the bar high for these events in the past, and fans tuning in expect certain things. Long story short, they expect that every match on the show will be an epic winner.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.