I started work at 5 a.m. this morning and it’s been crazy busy. It is now 2 p.m., I still don’t know how to write this. Firstly, I have not been so emotionally involved in a match for a couple years. That match being Bayley vs. Sasha Banks. It was on second to last and I was anticipating this match so much I really wasn’t into the other parts of the event.
Let’s try it though.
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Intro-
NXT Takeover:Brooklyn starts with a solo spotlight on HHH in the middle of a sold out Barclays Center. He has a mic set up where only us at home can here him, he does some spiel about how they wanted to build the future, but we told him the future is now! He then goes THIS IS NXT!! With NXT chants filling the building likeВ
Paul Heyman and ECW.
And I’m Like… As cheesy as it seemed it was a very cool visual when the lights hit the crowd. Got me excited for the night.В
Jushin ‘Thunder’ Liger vs. Tyler Breeze
Most of this match I was talking with the people that were at my house. Most people didn’t know who Jushin was, only my wife and I knew Tyler Breeze. It seemed like it was a good match from my few glimpses at the screen. We were mainly talking about the shooting star press and who did the move. Of course this led to Brock Lesnar at WM19.
And I’m Like… This will be a lot of how I watched the matches. Until the woman’s title match.В
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NXT Tag Team ChampionshipВ
Vaudevillians vs. Blake and Murphy (c)
The Villians came out to a thunderous ovation, they were wearing blue which was a bit of a tip off to where the story was headed. My buddy had never seen NXT before and these guys won him over instantly.
Blake and Murphy came out with Alexa Bliss; she was gonna start her slapping shenanigans until Aiden gestured to the back with Simon and out cameВ Blue Pants. В I never heard a crowd cheer for a manager so much. This was the payoff to the story of “chivalrous men will not hit a lady”. I don’t remember much of the match either because I was telling the group about how Blue Pants came about in NXT. I said that she was basically someone used to get other talent over, but her accomplishments outside WWE led to a devoted fan base. When she was used once she didn’t have a name, so the crowd chanted for her by cheering her color choice of pants.
This is a hipster wrestling generation, where irony is sometimes the key. Corey Graves pointed that out during commentary and my buddy who is type of an old school fan totally agrees. From a casual eye I wouldn’t get what the fuss was about or what the character is, either way it was a fun moment.
The match was a good match to my memory, fun spots, taunts and manager interaction. The Vaudevillians won with the Whirling Dervish to become new NXT Tag Team champions.
And I’m Like… Wasn’t really invested in the story. I don’t get Blake and Murphy as characters outside of Dubstep and Benoit pants in Bret Hart colors. The Villians just wanted to title and not to be slapped. My anxiety was mounting though, my brothers friend is adamantly against woman’s wrestling,В much like Greg Valentine. В He doesn’t understand how I can get this way over ‘women’s wrestling’ I responded with “I don’t have to say anything, Sasha and Bayley will do it for me”
Tye Dillenger vs. Apollo Crews
This match surprisingly everyone paid attention to. I might be in the minority here but I don’t like Tye’s “10” gimmick. It probably will work for the rest of his career though. You can see the crowd loving the “10” chants. Dillenger’s facial expressions are on point, he just needs to work that annoying “10” thing into his matches more. Apollo did a cool thing where he did stuff better than Dillenger and did the 10 chant himself.
To me this match felt off, everyone around me seemed to like it, but my wife did fall asleep during this match also. Crews won with a Gorilla Press Slam into a standing back flip splash.
And I’m Like… Sure Apollo will grow on me, my first impression wasn’t too kind. It was funny when Crews saw his name on the ‘Tron and said “That’s Me!”
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Samoa Joe vs. Baron Corbin
And I’m Like… This was my only chance to use the bathroom and go out for a cigarette, I came back in and Joe had Corbin in the Coquina Clutch. Joe won which is nice, we’ve seen the entitled character of Baron Corbin lose now, maybe that will add change to his character.В
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NXT Woman’s ChampionshipВ
Bayley vs. Sasha Banks (c)
This is the one I’ve been thinking of all day. I’ve written a blog for a couple months, and wrote poetry and rap music for over a decade. It’s always been easy for me to express my emotions through written word.
That’s what shocks me, I can’t find words to describe my feelings during this match. Sasha Banks is my number one right now, she is a total package. I personally cannot relate to the braggadocio ways of her “Boss” character. I feel like I’m more humble in the ways of Daniel Bryan and Bayley. Bayley is my favorite character right now. She is John Cena but never wins. She has been stepped on and walked over for two years and never wavered in her views of the world.
On top of that we are witnessing history, women’s wrestling is slowly becoming less of a joke to the masses. It seems as wrestling fans we always are fighting something. Mocked as sports fans, ridiculed as theater appreciaters. Wrestling is a creative controlled combat, it is high drama story lines, as well as barbaric battles. It is so hard to explain fandom to a non fan. Now imagine finding people who are fans and understand your societal rejection because of a choice of entertainment. These people deal with the anxiety of sharing your excitement for wrestling. As a fan I know you have been there. Now imagine trying to fight those fans about the perception of women. It is an endless struggle almost. There is a part that is beautiful though.
You take this match with this classic story: working class vs wealthy, rich vs poor, confidence vs doubt, dreams vs reality, Flair vs Rhodes, McMahon vs Austin, the Authority vs Daniel Bryan, and Banks vs Bayley. If anyone has struggled, told they weren’t good enough, weren’t taken seriously, weren’t respected for their talents, you can feel what I’m talking about. Wrestling isn’t good enough for sports or entertainment, Women aren’t good enough for wrestling, Bayley isn’t good enough for the main roster. All that, physically and mentally was proven wrong after this match.
Words can’t do the action justice. Bayley won after a Bayley-to-Belly that followed this.
And I’m Like… The buddy that said “divas are only good if Nikki is on.” He was bewildered at the sight he was seeing, the crowd noise, the match quality,
the feeling
. My brother was half asleep the whole event, three feet away from the screen, cheering and laughing for Bayley. My Uncle who would not stop fidgeting because of the excitement he was witnessing. My wife who woke up and was glued to the screen because she has been on the NXT journey with me. My unborn daughter, who started kicking at the beginning of the match when Sasha came out.В
NXT fan girl and Bayley protГ©gГ© Izzy
В being so overcome with emotion that she falls to the ground. В This was a journey. Not just for Bayley, it’s also for the fans, for the other women trying to change the world. В
I kept saying I would cry. I kept it together until this happened.В
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Those faces you guys! That is raw emotion. That is success, teamwork, validation. This is the end of an era or the beginning of another, but God damnit it’s glorious. Thank you Four Horsewomen. Thank you for being what wrestling is supposed to be. Thank you for giving me so much pride in my fandom. Thank you for telling the right story. Thank you for changing lives of kids across the world.В
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That’s Bayley with her family, congratulations girl!
For those of you that wonder what Ric Flair thinks about this Four Horsewomen.
NXT World Championship
Kevin Owens vs. Finn BГЎlor
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And I’m Like… Gonna be honest. I was too emotionally spent to even remember this match. I know it was good, I know Finn won. I just was processing the match previous, and I couldn’t care as much as I tried for what I was watching.В
This was a great show, I made it seem like it was a one match show, it wasn’t. If you have time watch it.В
Bayley spoke withВ wwe .com afterwards and that’s what we will leave with.В
” It’s… Like I dreamt about it forever, but there is nothing to compare it to. The moment I actually won…. I just can’t wrap my head around it. As long as I dreamt about it I was never ready for the feeling. (The Horsewomen hug at the end) That was the most important thing. The match was amazing but, that right there, that’s what we are all fighting for, and how we all support each other and… I Just… I don’t know, I don’t want to feel like they are up there and I am down here.” Her mom and family show up and you get such a real moment. Pride and love, passion and sacrifice, total risk and reward.В
Summerslam should be fun. Have a good one.
-Jake
