7 Ups And 3 Downs From WWE NXT TakeOver: Toronto

6. Entertaining Entrances

Bobby Roode
WWE.com

WWE would do well to learn a thing or two from its developmental territory. Actually, the main company could stand to learn a couple dozen things from NXT. But for now, we’ll focus on one.

One of the best parts of NXT TakeOvers is the extravagant, over-the-top entrances. NXT treats its handful of TakeOver events as major PPVs, almost like WrestleMania, SummerSlam and Royal Rumble. So when it comes time to do these shows, we without fail get to see some outstanding, supersized entrances.

At Toronto, we saw Bobby Roode serenaded by a choir, amplifying his already-glorious entrance. Tye Dillinger’s light-up jacket and extra theatrics made for a more entertaining entrance. Fans donned Asuka masks as the Empress of Tomorrow entered in a creepy visual. And having several violinists “playing” Shinsuke Nakamura down to ringside was fantastic, particularly how the King of Strong Style fed off the musicians in the ring.

As noted with Dillinger’s entrance, not everything has to be over-the-top, but jazzing up the entrances we see week after week on TV helps make the event feel a little more special, and it’s something WWE could take to heart.

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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.