7 Ups And 3 Downs For NXT TakeOver XXV

2. Ryker Detracts From Ladder Match

Jaxson Ryker Takerover XXV
WWE

Let’s put aside questioning what WWE/NXT sees in Jaxson Ryker for a second and discuss his role in the NXT Tag Team Championship ladder match.

It was a safe bet that Ryker was going to play some role in the bout, but when he came out and ran over everyone in the match – six men! – without selling a single thing, it was ridiculous. It took all six to recover and beat him down to knock him out of the match, and even then, he barely sold the beating. This lasted way too long and ultimately did nothing other than slow down the entire match.

Besides that, Ryker has had eight televised matches since last summer, despite two years in NXT. He’s big, muscular and intense, but that’s about it. Maybe someone out there can shed some light on why he’s out there no-selling beatings from people and acting like he’s nearly invincible.

Regardless, his involvement in the ladder match did not help it at all.

Advertisement
Contributor
Contributor

Scott is a former journalist and longtime wrestling fan who was smart enough to abandon WCW during the Monday Night Wars the same time as the Radicalz. He fondly remembers watching WrestleMania III, IV, V and VI and Saturday Night's Main Event, came back to wrestling during the Attitude Era, and has been a consumer of sports entertainment since then. He's written for WhatCulture for more than a decade, establishing the Ups and Downs articles for WWE Raw and WWE PPVs/PLEs and composing pieces on a variety of topics.