8 WWE NXT TakeOver: WarGames 2020 Impulse Reactions

7. Team Shotzi Vs. Team Candice

Team Candice
WWE

There was a great vibe about this match before the opening bell.

The first appearance of Shotzi Blackheart's new tank - and the babyface team unified atop it - was one of those glorious visuals only something as multifariously excellent as pro wrestling could provide. As with the introduction, this wasn't short of polish but it really didn't matter. It foreshadowed how they'd make an inherently flawed match make all the sense in the world too.

Heels typically need the advantage of the WarGames numerical stipulation, but this was a pleasing rule-proving exception. Every entrance into the match used logic to forward things for the heels without undermining the faces, right through to them working tirelessly to keep Io Shirai from getting in. But when she did...

The 'Genius Of The Sky' flying through it with a bin on her head instantly felt like one of the best wrestling moments from a miserable year, triggering a final act where the eight women beat the f*cking sh*t out of each other. An Eclipse from Ember Moon was one of the multiple violent highlights before Raquel Gonzalez got the biggest win of her career with a sickening one-arm powerbomb through an elevated ladder on the NXT Women's Champion.

 
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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett