8 WWE NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day Impulse Reactions
4. MSK Vs. Grizzled Young Veterans
Far and away the most exciting new act on NXT in some time and the best chance the brand has of continuing the rehabilitation of the tag division, MSK had spent their first month in the company as mould-breakers.
Reporting to the Performance Center in December only to debut just weeks later, the former Rascals injected a bit of verve and vitality into a division stale for more reasons than the obvious. The Grizzled Young Veterans weren't part of that problem, but they'd struggled to provide a solution until this tournament. Something intangible seemed to click for James Drake and Zack Gibson during this year's Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, resulting in a final match reflecting the best of what the well-booked brackets had set out to achieve.
The MSK hot tag was a f*ckinng scorcher here, and the match never settled back down. Drake and Gibson were bitter little sh*thouses trying to grind down the newcomers, but had to level up to try and beat them conclusively. They attempted that with a mind-blowing diving doomsday device, but fell victim to their needless risk in the end.
MSK's win was tremendous in and of itself, but also reflected some significant commitment to the booking of the newcomers. The best NXT match of the year by some distance, this was an enormous statement from the trophy-winners ahead of whatever next awaits.