NXT Takeover: London Reax

Read on for my thoughts on yesterday's WWE Network special.
Not much to say about the pre-show, although the stuff at the end from Balor and Joe was really good. Should be a fucking WAR.

Takeover: London:
You know, I kind of wish HHH was in a cast or something after the big ass-kicking from Roman. But this is face HHH, the head of NXT. It was important for him to be at the show.

Look how big of a crowd they got! That's really impressive.

I like the contrast in personalities between Asuka and the duo of Emma and Dana.

- Asuka vs. Emma:
Asuka trying to KO Emma early was good, as was Emma getting into the ropes to reset things.

I like the rolling hammerlock.

Emma's a really smart competitor. One of my favorites to watch.

This has been really solid so far. I have high hopes for Asuka if she can continue to mesh into the WWE way of doing things.

Asuka has some real fighting spirit. I'm glad she decided to come to NXT.

Emma's a valuable performer.

They're getting a lot of drama from these false finishes.

Really good work!

Big entrance for Enzo and Cass. I think they'd be on my short list for the next act to bring up to the main roster. Enzo/Cass vs. New Day could be GOLD.

Enzo and Cass are O-V-E-R. OVER!

- Dash/Dawson vs. Enzo/Cass:
Enzo's fired up and serious. I like it.

Good tactics from the champs.

Enzo's doing better from a technical standpoint than I expected. Hopefully the team will be skillful enough to make it on the main roster.

The chants are getting annoying. You don't have to make noise all the time...

Enzo's a house of fire here.

The champs are getting more and more crisp. Dawson in particular is someone to watch out for.

The "small feisty guy setting things up for the big hoss" dynamic isn't new, but I think Enzo and Cass are doing it well.

"This man is writhing in agony due to a vicious attack my the heels. Let's sing The Beatles!"

I would have bought Cass winning with that rollup.

GOOD GAWD WHAT A SHATTER MACHINE. That was one hell of a match.

- Corbin vs. Crews:
Apollo's bringing the fight to him.

Pretty good action by both men to start.

Corbin straight up burying Crews' indie background. Damn.

I like this being more of a fight or brawl than a technical spectacle. Crews is doing a good job as the face in peril.

This is going pretty well I think.

Nice stuff leading to the standing moonsault. Crews is really good, and Corbin isn't bad himself.

I think that was a good match overall. I wanted Crews to win, but both men did good work here. I can easily see Corbin as the next No. 1 Contender.

I'm excited to see Zayn back next week.

Dude. Asuka vs. Nia could be a lot of fun. My only concern would be they're both still new to the WWE way of doing things.

- Bayley vs. Nia:
This is intense right from the opening staredown.

The chanting is ruining the atmosphere of this big match.

I think a lot of this match is going to depend on Bayley. Nia's got impressive size and strength, but she's lacking in experience.

Nice dragon sleeper spot.

I like Bayley trying to "chop down the tree" so to speak with big moves.

I'm enjoying this underdog story.

Good God. Talk about being womanhandled.

I expected Bayley to stay down for three there.

GOOD GAWD SOMEONE STOP THE DAMN MATCH. BAYLEY HAS A FAMILY, DAMNIT.

I like Bayley and all, but she's kicked out of a LOT of big moves here.

The champion's struggling to the corner after a beatdown, and these idiots are singing. It's really sad.

I like the story of continuing to go for the submission move.

Good ending. That was a real war.

I look forward to that big tag team war next week.

Finn the Ripper is a pretty horrifying concept.

I like that Joe is just wearing his regular gear and isn't scared of the Demon. He doesn't need body paint to kick someone's ass.

- Balor vs. Joe:
Finn and Joe are two top-level talents. Two of the most acclaimed performers on the globe. This is really special.

It's great to see Joe in a new environment with new opponents after so long in TNA.

Joe can just pound on somebody, then hit a big aerial move. It's unreal.

Joe's bringing the fight.

Nice submissions from Samoa Joe.

Balor's quite good himself.

GOOD GOD WHAT AN ENZIGUIRI.

Great sequence leading into the Coquina Clutch.

They're getting a little bit into "not selling enough" territory.

That was a really, really good match. Balor earned that win, and they'd be crazy not to slot him as coming up the night after WM32. He's a special talent, and they can do big things with him.

More wrestling coming up.