NXT TakeOver WarGames II: 8 Things It Got Right

8. Keeping The Card Short

NXT Takeover WarGames II
WWE.com

Five matches was all TakeOver: WarGames II needed to be.

Think back to bloated main roster shows like SummerSlam, the Greatest Royal Rumble and (more recently) Crown Jewel. A scatter of the matches on all three of those cards meant little, and that rendered them totally forgettable. At NXT's latest slice of heaven, every single bout WWE presented had something unique to offer.

By the time the WarGames lads had left Dave Meltzer with a dirty, sloppy grin on his face at the end of their pulsating main event, it still didn't feel like NXT had kicked the arse out of things. That's remarkable, because it shows that a shorter card can work in an era when beating viewers over the head with content is the law.

It's easy to look back on TakeOver and remember each match individually. That doesn't happen often under WWE's banner nowadays, so it shouldn't be overlooked as a major reason why WarGames II was such a success from start to finish. Whomever made the call on length (it was presumably Triple H) deserves applause.

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.