9.99 Reasons to Subscribe to the WWE Network!

To celebrate the fact that the WWE Network is free for the month of May, here's 9.99 reasons to subscribe to the Network!


1 NXT!

This honestly is enough to justify the $9.99 p/m price tag (I'll probably repeat that sentence a lot). Arguably the hottest brand in the WWE just now, NXT are putting on stellar shows. This is down to 

a great roster and a fantastic creative team. Not only do you get an episode of NXT weekly on the network, every quarter NXT holds a special event; NXT TakerOver. These shows are available exclusively on the WWE Network. If NXT isn't enough to sway you into subscribing, here's 8.99 more reasons!

2 EVERY WWE PPV... EVER!

Ever wanted to rewatch Over the Limit 2010? Me neither, but you can with the WWE network! Their intensive library includes every single WWE PPV ever! Every WrestleMania, every SummerSlam, every Royal Rumble, every Survivor Series... You get the picture. If that still isn't enough, there are plenty more reasons.

3 EVERY UP AND COMING PPV! 

Yep, every single up and coming PPV, for only $9.99. Long gone are the days of paying $$$ for PPVs in HD. For the low, low payment of $9.99 a month you can stream live PPVs straight from the WWE App, website, xbox one PS4, etc. What? Still not convinced? 

4 EVERY WCW PPV! 

Relive the War Games, the rise of the NWO, Goldbergs climb to the top of the mountain, Booker Ts 5, 5, 5 WCW Championship wins. Also, bask in the hilarity that is WCW circa 1999-2001 (or the Russo years). Witness the demise of WCW with countless 'on a pole' matches and many more... You need more convincing??

5 EVERY ECW PPV! 

ECW changed the game in wrestling during the 90's. While the WWF and WCW where orientating their programming towards children, ECW was edgy, and the cool kids like this. Many say ECW was instrumental in ushering in the boom period of wrestling in the 90's. Why wouldn't you want to see this pan out? You can on the WWE Network for only $9.99!

6 THE MONDAY NIGHT WAR! 

  

This series is 20 episodes of full on nostalgia! You can relive the greatest time in professional wrestling history with this brilliant piece of TV. It manages to capture the excitement and intensity from both WCW and the WWF during that period. It is a must watch for any wrestling fan! 

7 ATTITUDE ERA RAWS!

Once you've finished watching the Monday Night War series, and your appetite is strong for some attitude, do not worry! The network are gradually adding all the old attitude era Raws! And with Nitro already on the network, it's like we never even left the 90s! 

8 TOUGH ENOUGH!

Almost every episode of Tough Enough is already on the network. If you want to know what it's like to live and train in the business, check this out. Oh, and, there's a brand new series airing exclusively on the Network later this year! 

9 NETWORK ORIGINALS!

There is so much original content on the network. This alone is worth the $9.99 price tag.

My favourites include:

• WWE 24
• Legends House
• Stone Cold/Jericho Podcast
• WWE Rivalries

And finally, the 9.99th reason to subscribe to the WWE Network.

IT'S ONLY $9.99 PER MONTH! 

WWE Superstars who were WWE Superstars before they were WWE Superstars!

1. Idol Stevens aka Damien Sandow!

Long before Sandow debuted as the intellectual saviour of the masses, he had a short stint on SmackDown as Idol Stevens. From 2006-2007 he formed a tag team with KC James and they were managed by Michelle McCool. The tag team burst onto the scene with a non title win over the tag champions London and Kendrick on SmackDown in '06. Stevens would continue his run in the tag division with James up until their manager McCool got injured. Both Stevens and KC James were sent back down to developmental never to be seen again....

That was until 2012 where Stevens re-debuted as Damien Sandow, the intellectual saviour of the unwashed masses! Since then, Sandow has experienced his best run to date, capturing the Money in the Bank briefcase and become a 1-time WWE Tag Team Champion (w/ the Miz).

2. Husky Harris aka Bray Wyatt!

Who would've thought that this New Nexus flop would become the new face of fear? 

Wyatt debuted under the Husky Harris gimmick in 2010, under the old school NXT banner. His mentor was Cody Rhodes. Later that year, Husky Harris made his main roster debut at the Hell in a Cell PPV, assisting Nexus leader Wade Barrett to a win over John Cena. Wyatt never really achieved much during his run as Husky Harris, and by the start of 2011, he was punted in the head way back down to developmental by the viper Randy Orton. 

After a short year back in developmental, he redebuted as Bray Wyatt, a mysterious swamp dweller leader of the Wyatt family. This gimmick was well received by fans and Wyatt as since achieved great things in his career. The past two Wrestlemanias he's faced off against John Cena and the Undertaker (losing to both). Wyatt is now a mainstay on the main event scene and a singles title run 

might not be long off the card.

3. Michael McGillicutty aka Curtis Axel! 

Perhaps the only one on the list that hasn't changed that much between debuts. McGillicutty followed the same path as Husky Harris. However, McGillicutty lasted longer on the main roster, and even managed to capture the Tag Team Championships with Nexus team mate David Otunga. Although McGillicutty became more accomplished during his time on Raw, he suffered the same fate as Husky Harris and was punted, again by Randy Orton, all the way back down to developmental. It was the end of the beginning of the genesis... The genesis of McGillicutty!

McGillicutty (real name Joe Henning, third generation superstar and son of Mr. Perfect Curt Henning) redebuted as Curtis Axel, a name he chose in homage to his father Curt Henning and Grandfather Larry 'the Axe' Henning. He became a new Paul Heyman guy and even won the Intercontinental Championship. Since this big debut, though, Axel failed to connect with the crowd and has since found himself falling lower down the card, even though #AXELMANIA is still running wild.

4. Dr Isaac Yankem aka Kane! 

The Big Red Machine was formally the Big Red Dentist! In 1995, Kane debuted as Dr Isaac Yankem, Jerry "the King' Lawlers private dentist. In reality, Yankem was brought in as a body guard for Jerry Lawler during his feud with Bret Hart. Yankem would go on to feud with Hart too (alongside Lawler). Yankem would continue to float about the scene for the rest of '95 and into the start of '96, becoming a glorified jobber in the process (he even had a match with his eventual "brother" the Undertaker!). Yankem disappeared from WWE TV that year. He made sporadic appearances as "Fake" Diesel for the rest of 1996 before becoming the household name he is today.

In April 1997, the instantly recognisable pyro went off for the first time and Kane debuted in the WWE. After tearing down the door to the cell and costing his brother, The Undertaker, the very first Hell in a Cell match, Kane has become a WWE legend and no doubt future Hall of Famer. A career that's spanned for over 20 years, Kane has held numerous championships and accolades and is still very much active in this day and age.

Wrestlemania Predictions!

We're only a few hours away from the biggest show of the year, Wrestlemania, kicking off! So, I thought I'd blog my predictions and maybe do a bit of fantasy booking before the event.


On tonights card, we have

• The Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal.
• Tyson Kidd and Cesaro (c) w/Natalya v Los Matadores w/El Torito v The Usos w/Naomi v The New Day for the WWE Tag Team Championships.
• Randy Orton v Seth Rollins w/J&J Security.
• Rusev (c) w/Lana v John Cena for the United States Championship. 
• AJ Lee and Paige v The Bella Twins.
• Bad News Barrett (c) v Daniel Bryan v Dean Ambrose v Stardust v Dolph Ziggler v R-Truth v Luke Harper in a ladder match for the Intercontinental Championship. 
• Sting v Triple H.
• The Undertaker v Bray Wyatt.
• Brock Lesnar (c) w/Paul Heyman v Roman Reigns for the WWE Heavyweight Championship 

A pretty stacked card with a lot of potential outcomes. 

The Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal.

For the second year in a row, 20 wrestlers will do battle to have their names sketched on the coveted Andre the Giant memorial trophy. Many fan favourites will be in this battle royal including Mizdow, AXELMANIA and NXT stand out Hideo Itami. My pick to win the trophy tho, is Ryback. I predict the final 3 participants will be Miz, Mizdow and Ryback. Miz and Mizdow will get into an argument when Miz orders Mizdow to throw himself over the top rope. This will allow Ryback to eliminate both men and win the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal.

Feed.. Me... More...

Fatal Fourway for the WWE Tag Team Championships. 

I can't see past the Masters of the Universe retaining the gold here, and deservedly so. These guys are two of the best workers right now and most definitely deserve to be holding championship gold. FACT! I'm guessing Cesaro will pick up the win by pinning one of the matadores, after giving El Torito the Cesaro Swing, of course. 

Randy Orton v Seth Rollins w/J&J Security. 

In a feud thats been brewing for months since Seth Rollins put Randy Orton on the shelf, I fully expect a potential show stealing match from this pair. My prediction is that near the end of the match, J&J will distract the referee, allowing Rollins to hit Orton with his MiTB briefcase and pick up the pin fall victory. Keeping him strong for a potential cash in at the end of the night. 

Rusev (c) w/ Lana v John Cena for the United States Championship.

CENAWINSLOL. Although I don't want to see it, I think Cena will end Rusevs unpinned, unsubmited streak, and capture the US Title in the process. Rusev will disagree with Lana, which will end up costing him the match. 

AJ Lee and Paige v The Bella Twins

This match can go either way, and the outcome doesn't really matter, but hopefully these four women put on a stellar performance, in highlight of the #givedivasachance trend. 

Winner, Pai-J with AJ Lee making Brie Bella tap out. 

7 Man Ladder Match for the Intercontinental Championship. 

In another potential show stealer, I think there's two possible outcomes for this match, and both of them don't involve BNB retaining. 

Scenario 1) 

WWE throw the fans a bone and have the fan hero Daniel Bryan climb the ladder and win the Intercontinental Championship. 

Scenario 2) 

A returning heel Sheamus costs Daniel Bryan the match, setting up a program between those two into the summer. If this is the case, I'd like to see Dean Ambrose walk out with the belt.

Sting v Triple H.

In his Wrestlemania debut, I can't see any other possible outcome other than Sting going over. Hopefully these two veterans put on a masterclass, with Sting giving the WWE Universe what they've been waiting almost 15 years for. 

The Undertaker v Bray Wyatt.

This is a match I didn't want to see happen. After last years Wrestlemania when the Undertakers streak was broken, I don't think it made sense for him to return. I don't know what way this match will go. A win for the Undertaker is another notch on his impressive Wrestlemania record, but it seems a bit obsolete with his loss at Wrestlemania 30. A loss however, would still shock the majority of the world as much as the 1 in 21-1 did! My guess is that Bray Wyatt will go over in some supernatural ending. 

Brock Lesnar (c) w/Paul Heyman v Roman Reigns for the WWE Heavyweight Championship.

Before Brock re signed with the WWE, it was a certainty that Roman Reigns was walking out of WM31 with the title, but now Brock's staying around, predicting the outcome of this main event a lot harder. It doesn't make any sense for Reigns to go over when Brock Lesnar defeated the Undertaker at Wrestlemania 30, dismantled John Cena and SummerSlam, and disposed of Cena and Seth Rollins at the Royal Rumble. I'm going with a Lesnar retention, as anything other than Lesnar leaving with the championship doesn't make sense.

So, there are my predictions. I'm looking forward to seeing tonights show and if any of my outcomes are right. 

Please feel free to leave comments on who you think the winners will be at this years Wrestlemania! 

Roman Reigns Road to Wrestlemania!

In this blog we will look at the path taken by Roman Reigns to get to the main event of Wrestlemania 31!

Since the break up of The Shield, each member of the former faction have went down their own paths. Roman Reigns has been slowly but steadily transitioning into the main event scene. He competed for the WWE Championship and defeated Randy Orton at SummerSlam. Things were looking up Roman, until September 2014, where he encountered an injury that would hault his push.

Fast forward to TLC in December, where Roman Reigns returns and is the first man to 'deglare' his entrance into the 2015 Royal Rumble.

"and I'm here right now to be the first man to deglare.. declare that at the Royal Rumble match... You think that I did damage last year? Wait till you see what I do this year." - Roman Reigns

Royal Rumble 2015 -

Enters the Royal Rumble match, to a hot crowd in Philadelphia. With all of the faces eliminated (including fan favourite Daniel Bryan), it is up to Roman Reigns to over come the odds when he's left in the ring with the Big Show and Kane. Reigns manages to come out on top eliminating both of the big men. Although, he's forgot one thing. Rusev. The Hero to the Russian Federation has not technically been eliminated as he didn't go over the top rope. As Roman think's hes won the Rumble Rusev comes back into the ring, only to be eliminated by Reigns. The fans do not like this at all. They are booing the face and cheering for the anti-American heel, Rusev. Something has to be done before the crowd go into all-out riot mode. Out comes the Rock to give Reigns a hand against the evil Authority, and to give him 'the rub'. The crowd don't take to this though, and even begin booing arguably the most popular character in professional wrestling history, the Rock! The fans clearly don't want Reigns in the main event of Wrestlemania, and they're letting their voices be heard. 

Even the Rock is confused at the negative feedback Reigns is receiving.

Luckily for Roman Reigns and the WWE, the next nights Raw scheduled to air live from Connecticut is cancelled and replaced with a live show from inside WWE Headquarters due to a severe snow storm disruption transport for that part of America. I think if the scheduled show was to go ahead, the live crowd that night, still angry from their hero Daniel Bryan not winning the title, and the 'forcing' of Roman Reigns down their necks, would have torn Reigns to shreds. 

Instead we are treated to a very calm face to face meeting between Reigns, Lesnar and Heyman. Heyman spends this time putting Reigns and his accomplished family tree over, but still irritates that he's not good enough to beat Brock Lesnar.   

The following week on Raw, HHH and the Authority manage to convince Reigns to put his guaranteed title shot on the line at Wrestlemania against Daniel Bryan at the last stop on the road to the grandest stage of them all, Fastlane.

At this point my heart was telling me we were going to see our hero, Daniel Bryan, overcome the conquerer, the beast, the 1 behind the 21-1, Brock Lesnar at Wrestlemania! But my head was telling me this match was set up to stop the fans booing Reigns for at least the next couple of weeks. 

FastLane -

At fast lane Reigns squared off against Bryan with his main event spot at Wrestlemania on the line. Unsurprisingly, he put on the best singles match he's had to date. This could however be more to do with his opponent, Daniel Bryan. This man could have a great match with anyone or anything! 

Reigns and Bryan went back and forth throughout the match. Reigns became the first person to kick out of Daniel Bryans running knee and was party to the most obvious spot of the night, the reverse running knee into the spear. Roman Reigns pins Daniel Bryan and is 100% going to Wrestlemania to face Brock Lesnar. 

Roman Reigns road to Wrestlemania has had many bumps along the way. The fans just did not take to the 2015 Royal Rumble winner, and he's had to jump through a few hoops because of that.

And now, we're only a few days out of the biggest date on the wrestling calendar... Will Roman defeat the conquerer Brock Lesnar? Or will he become another victim for the beast incarnate? 

We can only wait and see...

BROCK LESNAR RE SIGNS WITH WWE!

Brock Lesnar has signed a new lucrative contract with WWE closing the door indefinitely on a return to MMA.

After weeks and weeks of speculation, Brock Lesnar has announced in an interview with ESPN that he will not be making a return to the octagon and has in fact signed a new multi year contract with the World Wrestling Entertainment.

Lesnar attended UFC 184 last month and was photographed with UFC President Dana White. Many people believed that this was a sure sign that Lesnar had given up his in ring career, again, to head to the octagon... again. Although, it was speculated that Brock attended this event in order to gain some leverage in his contract negotiations with the WWE. Lesnar has since stated that he attended the event to "get a feel" of it again, in order to make his decision. He also stated that the decision did not come lightly and that it took him a year to come to this conclusion.

Brock Lesnar pictured with UFC President Dana White at UFC 184.

With Wrestlemania now just a few days away, what does this mean for the main event of the show?
Many fans believed Lesnar was out the door and that Roman Reigns was walking out the grandest stage of them all as the new WWE World Heavyweight Champion. However, with this new information emerging, the main event can now go any way... Will Brock Lesnar continue to conquer everyone in his path, or will Roman Reigns finally become the one to beat the one behind the 21-1... We'll have to wait until Wrestlemania, this Sunday, to find out!

Either way, this news means we're going to see more of this...

and this...

And of course... this...

SummerSlam 2015!

I'm going to SummerSlam! WWE released travel packages on their website for SummerSlam earlier in the week, and me and three friends decided to take them up on their offer and book up! This will be all of our first pay per view event, and what better way to start off than with one of the big four! We opted for the Gold Package for our first trip. This includes:

• SummerSlam Ticket
• Monday Night Raw Ticket
• Breakfast Slam Session with WWE Superstars
• Round-Trip Subway Transportation 
• Times Square Area Hotel

So, not only are we going to SummerSlam, we're also going to Monday night Raw the night after. The package includes a lot to ensure we're busy doing wrestling related things for the full weekend. The past few SummerSlams have been huge successes so I have high hopes for this event. Hopefully it can deliver.

SummerSlam 2013 saw Daniel Bryan defeat John Cena for the WWE Championship, only for Triple H to turn on him after the match and have Randy Orton cash in his MiTB briefcase and snatch the title away from Bryan. This was the night that kicked off a 8 month feud, which finally culminated at Wrestlemania 30. 

  

The event also featured CM Punk v Brock Lesnar and the debut of Bray Wyatt. 

Last years SummerSlam saw Brock Lesnar win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship by absolutely decimating John Cena like no one has before, starting off Brock Lesnars 4th, and current, WWE Championship reign. 

SummerSlam over the years has delivered, and I'm praying this year is no different. Hopefully this will be the first of many trips to the States to watch wrestling! If this trip goes well then it will more than likely become a regular thing. The next stop on the pay per view road for us though, is WrestleMania 32.

NXT TAKEOVER RIVAL REVIEW!

Here we are, another highly anticipated NXT Special event! There's more hype around the TakeOver events than there is for the main roster PPV's, and I am excited for this special!
I don't know how the NXT crew do it, but, each TakeOver event seems to be better than the last. Let's hope TakeOver Rival doesn't break the trend!

On the card we have:

• Hideo Itami vs Tyler Breeze
• Bull Dempsey vs Baron Corbin
• Lucha Dragons vs Blake and Murphy (c) for the NXT Tag Team Championships
• Adrian Neville vs Finn Balor - The winner of this match will become the #1 contender for the NXT Championship
• Charlotte vs Sasha Banks vs Bayley vs Becky Lynch for the NXT Womens Championship
• Kevin Owens vs Sami Zayn (c) for the NXT Championship

Hideo Itami vs Tyler Breeze

The match starts with both men going back and forth. Hideo picks up some momentum hitting Breeze with a few stiff kicks (vintage KENTA!) before sending him out the ring. Breeze gets back in and is met with a cross body and even more kicks from Itami.
Breeze begins to pick up steam, targeting Itami's most valuable asset - his legs. The ref checks on Hideo before Breeze starts attacking him again. Itami is led over to the ringpost where Breeze starts brutalising his leg against it. Breeze then puts Itami in the figure four leg lock around the ringpost, working the refs count and letting go at the very last second. Both men get back in the ring and Breeze locks in an inverted figure four in the middle of the ring. Itami manages to drag himself to the rope for the break. 

Breeze continues to work on Hideo until Hideo gets him up on his shoulders teasing the now infamous move he invented - the  GTS. Breeze squirms out and hits a supermodel kick for the 2 count. 

After the near fall Breeze starts going at Itami in the middle of the ring. Hideo "hulks up" and hits a combination of forearm strikes and kicks, forcing Breeze into the corner. 

Hideo then hits the hesitation drop kick and the running kick for the pinfall victory.

Hideo Itami def. Tyler Breeze  

What a great opening match. I think Tyler Breeze is great, and really has his character down to a tee. I'm not alone in thinking Breeze has been somewhat overlooked since the insurgence of high profile indy talent over the last 6 months, but tonight I thought he really shone. He made Itami look great with hi selling. Itami looks to be gaining more confidence and adapting more to the WWE style of wrestling, which can only be a good thing. The crowd went insane when they teased the GTS, and I'm sure when he finally hits it, the roof will explode off of the Full Sail arena. 

Overall, a decent match and its setting up nicely for a feud between the two for the next couple of weeks.

Baron Corbin vs Bull Dempsey

In the battle of the big guys Corbin faces off against Dempsey for their third encounter, however, this time it's a no DQ match. 

The match starts when Corbin rushes to the ring to get to Dempsey. They begin brawling and then head out of the ring. Corbin gets the upper hand as they head in and out of the ring. The two men make it up to the ramp where Corbin eats a suplex onto the steel. Dempsey is now in control as he heads under the ring to find a foreign object. Bull forces his opponent back into the ring. He goes for a running rope move but Corbin gets himself together in time to counter it with a spinebuster, followed by a two count. Both men get back on their feet. Dempsey is against the ropes and Corbin goes for the clothesline. They botch this spot and somehow Corbin ends up outside the ring and Dempsey throws himself over the ropes, which is met by huge boos from the full sail crowd. Dempsey gets Corbin back in the ring and goes to the top rope. He hits the diving headbut and goes for the pin but Baron Corbin manages to kick out at 2. An enraged Dempsey batters Corbin against the steel steps and then brings a chair into the ring. Dempsey tries to hit Corbin with the chair but he misses and walks into Corbins finisher - the end of days. Corbin gets the pinfall victory. 

Baron Corbin def. Bull Dempsey

This match was pretty boring for a no DQ match. The only aspect of the stipulation that both men used was the no count out rule. The majority of the match took place outside the ring. The match was pretty sluggish. The standout point in the match was the botched the clothesline. The full capacity Full Sail crowd were no sympathetic, and pretty much booed the house down, the let both guys know that they'd "f***ed up". Corbin ends up getting the pinfall victory after hitting his finisher. I'm not sold on this manoeuvre. It seems the guy giving the move is taking more damage than the guy taking it, it's as if Corbin is giving himself a rock bottom... It just looks weird. 

Lucha Dragons vs Blake and Murphy (c) for the NXT Tag Team Championships

Sin Cara starts the match off by taking both Blake and Murphy out. He then hits a springboard forearm on Blake and begins to set the pace of the match. Blake and Sin Cara go back and forth until both men end up groggy in the corners. Murphy tries to get involved but Kalisto gets in the ring and stops him from interfering. Kalisto botched a dive outside of the ring but eventually connects with Murphy, allowing Blake and Sin Cara to continue in the ring. Back in the squared circle Sin Cara connects with a top rope Enziguri followed by a victory roll for the two count. Both men get back to their parters and make the tags, Murphy goes straight after Kalisto, however the lucha dragon gets the upperhand with a series of springboard moves and arm drags. He drags Murphy over to Sin Cara and makes a tag. The two men then perform a double kick and a wheelbarrow senton onto the tag team champ. The match goes back and forth with Blake and Sin Cara each giving and receiving near falls. The match ends when Murphy gives Sin Cara a running suplex and Blake delivers a frog splash from the top rope onto the former champion.

Blake and Murphy def Lucha Dragons to retain the NXT Tag Team Championships. 

This match never seemed to pick up. There was no real flow from the two teams. Sin Cara made an early botch and I think it was a precedent of what was to follow. The announcers spent the majority of the match putting over Blake and Murphy and giving a back story on who the NXT Tag Team Champions actually where. Although this was to be expected as they seem to have appeared from nowhere. A pretty standard counter/near pin fall match up. I feel it had the potential to be a lot more than what it was but it never seemed to really grab my attention. 

Ps. Blake and Murphys entrance theme is really, really awful!

Adrian Neville v Finn Balor for a shot at the NXT Championship


After the spectacle that is Finn Balors entrance is over, the two men start the match off slow, with Neville taking control early on applying a series of rest holds. The match begins to pick up pace with both men exchanging blows in the middle of the ring. Balor hits a a big drop kick on Neville sending him out the ring. he goes for the suicide dive but is met by Neville on the apron, who then delivers a springboard legdrop on Finn for the near fall. The match takes a steady pace again with both men trying to gain the upper hand. Neville manages to connect with a drop kick on the apron to Balor followed by big suplex but, again, only manages a 2 count. The two men begin playing the cautious game again adapting a slow pace, waiting for the other to slip up. Finn manages to get Adrian Neville into the corner and then connects with an Enziguri, sending the former NXT Champion outside the ring. Balor then connects with a huge dive outside the ring, met by big "NXT" chants from the sold out crowd. Neville tries to retreat but Balor hunts him down and hits a big double leg drop on Neville who is rested against the barrier. Finn Balor then rolls Neville back into the ring and goes to the top rope, connecting with a double foot stomp to the back of Nevilles head, but, he only manages to keep the Geordie down for 2. After finding his bearings again the longest reigning former NXT Champion manages to level the playing field with a series of kicks to Finn Balor, which leaves both men groggy in the middle of the ring. After going back and forth again, Neville ends up top rope for the second time and goes for the Red Arrow. Balor manages to get his knees up just in time and goes for the small package for the 2 and a 1/2 count. Balor then hits a huge drop kick into the turn buckle, followed by a coup de grace for the win, and a shot at the NXT Championship!

Finn Balor def Adrian Neville to become the new #1 contender for the NXT Championship

What a match. Even before the match begins, the spectacle really begun. Finn Balors entrance is like no other, it really does hype the crowd up for what they're going to see. I'm so happy Balor has transitioned his body paint from his indie days into the WWE, because it really fits in with his character.
The match itself was, in my opinion, outstanding. These men really know how to go and know how to tell a good story, keeping the fans engaged and on the edges of their seats. The match was filled with everything you need to create a great showing - near falls, high spots and good technical wrestling. This has been the best match of the night so far, and maybe even these two guys best match of their NXT careers. With only 2 matches left on the card, they've definitely set the bar.

Charlotte (c) v Sasha Banks v Bayley v Becky Lynch for the NXT Womens Championship

After a great pre match video package, this contest gets underway. We kick off with all three challengers targeting the champion. Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks end up taking Charlotte out of the match early on, driving her into the ring apron and breaking the LED screen in the process. Both women then target Bayley double teaming her into the turnbuckle and then both of them attempting to pin her at the same time. The former team mates start arguing and Becky hits Sasha with a pump handle suplex, sending her out of the ring. She then sets her sights back on Bayley, laying into her. Becky continues to work Bayley over in the ring until Sasha gets back into the equation, attacking Becky and letting Bayley get outside the ring to collect herself. Both females go back and forth until Lynch hits a big drop kick from the top rope. She goes for the pin but the champion Charlotte gets back in the ring and breaks it up. Charlotte begins to dominate the two ladies, handing them both big neckbreakers in the process. Bayley ends up back in the ring and all four women brawl for a few seconds before Charlotte sends her back outside with a big boot. Sasha Banks then drives Charlotte into the ring post and hangs her up on the ropes, Becky Lynch tries to get involved but ends up hung up on the ropes herself, too. Sasha Banks then connects with a double knee drop onto the two ladies. She covers both competitors, but only manages two two counts. A frustrated Banks begins to melt down in the ring, allowing Bayley back in the match. She sneaks up on her and delivers a suplex to "the Boss". Bayley then sets her sights on the champion, who's resting against the turnbuckle. She connects with multiple vicious corner back elbows. Bayley then takes Charlotte to the top rope and hits a huge hurricanrana on the NXT Womens Champion. Bayley then hits the Bayley to Belly suplex but Becky Lynch breaks up the pin at 2. The two women then go at it outside the ring and on the ramp, until, out of nowhere, they are met by a suicide dive from Sasha Banks, taking all three of them out. After all three women get back on their feet on the outside of the ring, Charlotte hits a diving cross body from the ring, taking then all out again. Charlotte and Sasha Banks end up back in the ring. They go back and forth until Sasha Banks locks in a submission in the middle of the ring. It looks like Charlotte is about to tap out, but, before she can, Sasha releases the hold and applies a crucifix pin for the 3 count, the win and the NXT Womens Championship.

Sasha Banks def Charlotte (c), Becky Lynch and Bayley to become the new NXT Womens Champion

Wow. I've just said the match before was the match of the night, but the women have well and truly blown it out the park. The match was full of excitement. The double knee drop to to Charlotte and Lynch, the Suicide dive by Banks and the flying cross body by Charlotte are stand out moments. The women told a great story throughout the match. Bayleys comeback against Charlotte, hitting her signature moves and nearly scoring a pinfall, was great and adds to her "underdog" character. As cliche as it sounds, these women have stole the show, but the MVP in my opinion, was the new NXT Womens Champion, Sasha Banks. She seemed to have kicked it into another gear tonight, and here's hoping she gets a lengthy, well deserved title reign. The only downfall to the match was the ending. Although Sasha went over the champion, clean, the pin kind of seemed anti climactic compared to the showcase we had just seen. Putting that aside these girls still put on a stellar performance, and have certainly showed the divas from the main roster up. This match has has done more for womens wrestling in the WWE than the full divas division has in the past 5 years, but maybe that's to do with the restraints put on the main roster divas, who knows? 

Sami Zayn (c) v Kevin Owens for the NXT Championship

Owens starts the match off slowly, stalling the match and getting outside the ring, frustrating the NXT Champion Sami Zayn. Owens continues to tease Zayn getting in and out of the ring, laughing in the process. Sami has had enough and goes for a running top rope dive, over the referee, connecting with Owens on the ramp. Sami Zayn gets Kevin Owens into the ring and starts taking control of the match, laying into his rival. Owens manages to gain the upper hand, hitting Zayn with some hard hitting offence. Owens works over Zayn in the middle of the ring and goes for the pinfall, only managing the 1 count. Sami tries to fight back but Owens picks him up and drops him onto the ropes. Owens continues to keep control of the match, connecting with a huge gut buster and senton, but again, only managing to keep Sami down for 2. The two men end up outside of the ring, where Owens brutalises the champion once more. Sami, however, manages to make a comeback, hitting Owens with a series of strikes, and a lariat before rolling him back in the ring. Once in the squared circle again, Sami hits a blue thunder bomb on Owens for the nearfall. Zayn sets up for a helluva kick but Owens manages to connect with a superkick, followed by a cannonball. Kevin Owens then hits his unnamed finisher move, but Sami kicks out at 2 and a half. Owens then goes for the pop up powerbomb, but Sami reverses it into a half and half suplex for another near fall. The two men end up outside the ring again, where Owens sets up for an apron powerbomb. Sami is wise to this tho and grabs onto the ropes before Owens can finish the manoeuvre. Sami then hits a top rope move, but appears to have hut his head off the ramp in the process. Sami looks disorientated and this allows Owens to connect with the pop up powerbomb, but again, Sami kicks out at 2. Owens then starts brutalising Zayn again, laying into him with heavy strikes. The ref breaks it up to check on Zayn, but Owens continues to attack him, hitting Zayn with multiple powerbombs. The match was stopped and Owens won by technical knock out. 

Kevin Owens def Sami Zayn (c) by TKO to win the NXT Championship

NXT have managed to get years and years of emotion and build up into a feud only 2 months in the making, and that is amazing. Bringing the personal side by including the family of Owens was a cool move, especially for the heel, in my opinion. The match wasn't the best of the night, but storytelling wise, it blew the others out of the water. This match made you believe Kevin Owens was a legitimate, tough, bad ass, and it further solidified Sami Zayns resilience and "never say die" attitude. They had some pretty cool spots, and teased the move that broke the friendship and started the fued, the apron powerbomb. The next couple of months on NXT will be good viewing, Owens as the champion and Zayn chasing makes much more sense to me. Sami Zayn is better at chasing the title than he is at actually holding it. The match also got Owens some huge heat. Coming in as an already established guy, and getting cheers when he wasn't supposed to, something had to be done. Brutalising a fan idol such as Zayn in the way that he did certainly done the job. A great battle in the early stages of the Owens/Zayn war. I can't wait for round two. 

I said at the start of the blog that I had hoped that this takeover special wouldn't disappoint, and it didn't! There seems to be a trend with the NXT guys that (almost) everything they touch turns to gold. The only things letting this show down was the awful Dempsey and Corbin match, and the tag team match. Dempsey and Corbin look like fish out of water compared to the guys and girls that made this event and its predecessors so great. The tag team match had a lot of potential, but it never really caught my attention, and was full of botches - disappointing.

With that being said though...

The fatal four way - Amazing

Balor/Neville - Amazing

Owens/Zayn - Amazing

NXT TakeOver Rival... Amazing! 

I'm counting down the days until the next special.

TL:DR - Fantastic Fatal Four way, Balor is boss, KILL OWENS KILL! 

Thanks for reading guys, please feel free to leave any comments!