8 Ups And 4 Downs From NXT TakeOver: Orlando

Ups...

8. Another NXT Debut At TakeOver

tommy end aleister black
WWE.com

It seemed like a questionable decision to pit a resurgent heelish Andrade Almas against the debuting Aleister Black, but the two delivered a match that introduced the newcomer to NXT.

Their bout wasn’t hugely memorable or anything like that, but it showcased Black’s strikes. Almas was a more formidable opponent that some typical cannon fodder, and his showboating heel character was a nice contrast to Black’s no-nonsense attacks.

This wasn’t anywhere on the level of Shinsuke Nakamura’s debut at TakeOver: Dallas last year, but it did the trick of allowing fans to buy into a new, impactful wrestler on the roster. Sometimes, that’s all you need to get the ball rolling. Still, this could have been a lot better and barely gets passing marks.

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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.