WWE NXT Takeover London - 10 Interesting Observations From Attending Live

2. We Had A Japanese Style Main Event

Finn Balor spent many years in New Japan Pro Wrestling as Prince Devitt, and Samoa Joe is certainly no stranger to the land of the rising sun either. They put together a match which built gradually into a spectacular finish with Balor€™s Coup de Grace for the pinfall. Balor did look like he caught Joe in the face with the move, as Joe had to be helped to the match and looked like he€™d been knocked silly. Despite being the heel with a strong storyline, Joe was largely cheered by the fans at Wembley. Having been a regular at the venue for TNA, Joe has also wrestled a lot for British independent promotions and is one of the nicest guys you could ask to meet outside of the ring, and fans in the UK just love him. TNA discovered this last year when they had Joe as a heel and yet he was still cheered wildly. In Britain, we love someone who tries hard, and Joe always gives it his all, which fans appreciate and respect. Balor€™s Jack the Ripper style entrance drew gasps of appreciation from the crowd. The fact that this was a nod to London specifically made it feel special. I was expecting more of a partisan crowd for Balor, but I suppose that the majority of his UK based career before he left for Japan would have been before their time for a lot of the crowd in attendance.

Unlike the rest of the show, where the crowd were singing football style songs, the crowd were relatively quiet, concentrating on the action and showing their appreciation for big spots. So as well as a Japanese style main event match, we had a Japanese style main event crowd. Again, it made things feel very special. On a personal note, both myself and Fergal Devitt got our start in the wrestling business by the same man, the late Andre Baker, who also broke international stars Doug Williams and Zack Sabre Jr into the business. I had a lump in my throat when this match started, just thinking about how proud Andre would have been that one of his boys had headlined and sold out Wembley Arena. At the end of the match, Balor climbed the turnbuckles and pointed to the sky, presumably in recognition of his original mentor.

It was also interesting to watch the referee at ringside directing Balor€™s celebration, getting instructions through his earpiece. He would send him to the turnbuckles to celebrate, tell him to stand in the centre of the ring, facing the hard camera, and then let him know when the broadcast had ended so that he could return to the dressing room. Each direction was preceded by three taps on the ring apron. It was interesting to observe.