Three days after WWE stunk up the joint with its TLC PPV, NXT showed the parent company how its done across the pond with TakeOver: London. The mix of developmental wrestlers and more established independent performers put on a competitive, energetic and fun show that barely had any down moments throughout. If you came away from TakeOver hating it, you probably just dont like professional wrestling. The latest installment of the two-hour TakeOver series emanated from London, England, only the second time that an NXT special aired from somewhere other than Full Sail (the other being Brooklyn earlier this summer). Much like Brooklyn, London proved to be a great location for the NXT wrestlers to perform, as more than 10,000 fans jammed the SSE Arena and kept it rocking from beginning to end. The special capped a weeklong United Kingdom run for the touring brand, which likely will be deemed a success. NXT has been on a roll lately, turning out solid TakeOver shows that receive critical praise. One could only hope that WWE takes note and applies some of the successful methods to the main roster. After all, what good is developmental if the main product is faltering? So what felt like royalty and what felt like Jack the Rippers last victim? Lets get to it
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.
