NXT Takeover: Respect Reax

Read on for my thoughts on last night's NXT special.

Kickoff:
I'm so excited for Sasha vs. Bayley. Heck, for the whole show really.

Touching to see Cody and Dustin as themselves to make the moment mean what it should.

Apollo's character is kind of bland. He can wrestle like no one's business, but there's not much to sink our teeth in beyond that.

Asuka's gonna KILL you... Asuka's gonna KILL you...

Sasha's so good.

Respect:
- Joe/Balor vs. Dash/Dawson:
Dash and Dawson are going places. A good old-school team.

I love when a hot tag is really built toward.

NICE moment for Joe and Balor. They're both top-level guys ready for the big time.

I like NXT doing shows in less traditional places to further differentiate themselves from WWE.

- Corbin/Rhyno vs. Jordan/Gable:
Jordan and Gable are good, but I think it's all about the powerhouses tonight.

I'm impresses as always with the amateur skills of JJ and Gable.

Don't make me mark out like that, JJ! I popped for the Angle Slam.

HOLY SHIT GABLE.

That move should have ended the match or at least had the pin broken up instead of just being a near fall. It's a huge move.

NICE second match, too. I love NXT.

Hmm, what if Balor loses the match due to injury and Joe blames him for it?

- Asuka vs. Dana:
Dana is so fucked.

Good stuff so far from the former Kana.

Dana's a pretty good heel at this stage.

Dude, Asuka can GO.

Dana and Emma make a good tandem. Effective heat on the newcomer.

Asuka's already really great. Just a little getting used to the WWE way of doing things and she should be set.

Nice for Emma to be intimidated by Asuka after that debut.

I definitely expect something important with Joe and Balor later.

Looking forward to Nia Jax. It will be tricky to push her AND Asuka.

- Crews vs. Breeze:
I like this so far. They work together pretty well.

Breeze is pulling off some impressive new stuff. I like it.

Really good match overall. I like both these men and am excited for their futures.

I get this WEIRD feeling Itami's going to attack Balor or something.

- Joe/Balor vs. Rhyno/Corbin:
I like the psychology of targeting the hurt leg.

Balor and Joe make one hell of a team. Rhyno and Corbin aren't half-bad as a group themselves.

Nice drama here.

Really cool ending. The best team really won. Balor and Joe can both really GO.

Really, REALLY cool for Cody and Dustin to get to be themselves for this moment. It wouldn't be the same with Stardust and Goldust.

Very touching stuff from Cody.

THIS IS GOING TO BE AWESOME.

- Sasha vs. Bayley:
I love Sasha trying to get a pin early. Smart moves.

Bayley returning the favor was good, too.

It's nonstop pin attempts!!

Nice stuff with Sasha heeling it up.

Good first pinfall. I hate when there are too many pins in this kind of match.

Sasha can be quite the heel. I like it.

REALLY heelish of Sasha to use the matrix board.

I like Bayley having to fight from behind. The countout was really good.

Sasha's just evil here. I hope we see this side of her on the main roster at some point.

The elbow drop move is a little silly for my tastes. Overly complex moves feel out of place sometimes.

They're really going all out here!

HUGE spot with the superplex. This has been incredible.

Nice of Sasha to use Bayley's own move against her, but Bayley keeps fighting through.

SO good with the long submission spot. Classic way to build a babyface.

The ending was a LITTLE out of nowhere, but otherwise things were really good.

Really touching ending to the show.