8 Ups & 0 Downs From NXT TakeOver 36

5. Kyle O’Reilly Ends The Saga

Kyle O'Reilly NXT TakeOver 36
WWE.com

What a way to go out for Adam Cole.

If this is his final NXT bow, which it appears to be, then he deserves praise for refusing to phone it in. Cole put over one of his real-life best friends in a heated 2-Out-Of-3-Falls scorcher. Being honest, this writer actually preferred this match over their 'Unsanctioned' effort at TakeOver: Stand & Deliver.

That was good, but maybe just a little too long. Here, the ex-Undisputed Era pair shaved around 15 minutes off the length and still managed to weave an intoxicating narrative of broken friendship, betrayal and eventual redemption. Also, they were following the best match on the card (more to come on that), which cannot have been easy.

Weapons helped differentiate from that one, and so did the tasty lore between both men. They didn't d*ck about with too much stalling - both men sold their arses off at points, but those gaps made sense. Yep, this worked, and it helped elevate Kyle O'Reilly.

Advertisement
Contributor

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.