8 Secrets We Learned From WWE's Leaked NXT TakeOver Script

4. Mauro & Co. Don't Know The Finishes

Shawn Michaels NXT Script
Reddit, @Chris_Castaneda

Only one of the night's matches lists any kind of spot details, finish, or winner. That'd be the shortest clash on the show, Matt Riddle vs. Kassius Ohno, which includes the knee strike and the victor. Surprisingly, these fields are left completely blank for every other match on the show, and that's pretty awesome.

Though there's a chance that Mauro Ranallo, Nigel McGuinness, and Percy Watson are given another set of notes on the night, the lack of specific details suggests that everything they spit throughout the course of the show is genuine. Theirs are natural, organic reactions. When Ranallo goes nuts for a spot, he isn't acting or playing a role, but allowing himself to get lost in the purity of the moment.

This helps explain why NXT's commentary team sound so much more compelling than the main roster's. Without strict guidelines, and Vince McMahon screaming through their earpieces all night, they're seemingly free of the rampant micromanagement that makes Michael Cole intolerable on a bad night.

It all falls in line with reports that Mauro prefers to keep a blank runsheet so he isn't spoiled ahead of time. How refreshing.

Channel Manager
Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.