NXT TAKEOVER: IN YOUR HOUSE

WWE NXT TAKEOVER: IN YOUR HOUSE

Candice LeRae, Dakota Kai & Raquel Gonzalez vs. Mia Yim, Shotzi Blackheart & Tegan Nox

This was an extremely solid opener. Good energy throughout, everybody got solid time in the ring to look good & it went the perfect length at under 10-minutes. Hardly anything to truly rave about, but definitely very, very solid. **3/4

Damien Priest vs. Finn Bálor

This only went about 13-minutes, which was shocking to read, because it dragged like a mofo. I thought Bálor was a chore from underneath, and most of his offense looked really bad -- a special shout-out to those stomps n' forearms. Priest largely didn't interest me either, but I thought he was the stronger of the two performers in this one, surely. So yeah, definitely a very boring match for the absolute majority of it, but I did love the finish though; they actually treated that hellacious steel-steps moment as a big thing, as it lead to the finish w/ Bálor busting out those diving foot stomps, both of which looked GREAT & were the best things he did all match long. **

Johnny Gargano vs. Keith Lee

Nothing special & definitely not as good as it could've been, but I just gotta appreciate the fact that this wasn't the "usual" what we've come to expect & see from Gargano every big match. His periods on control weren't very compelling to watch, but I did like the finger-targeting that went on throughout the match -- it also created for my favorite single moment of the thing w/ that single-armed powerbomb spot. Sure there were some silly kick-out-at-2 faces, but as I mentioned, definitely refreshing not to see Gargano bust out 200 finishers & no sell 100 of them by his opponent in return. **3/4

Adam Cole vs. Velveteen Dream

On paper this sounds like a fun & somewhat fresh idea, but sadly in reality it was an extremely dull affair. Literally nothing to write home about.

Karrion Kross vs. Tommaso Ciampa

This was by far my favorite match of the night & the only one that truly felt like worth watching. 6 minutes of badass action with two mean motherfuckers going at it -- Kross' dominant work with him throwing Ciampa around with ease was a joy to watch, and Ciampa's big comeback run was epic in all of its urgency & explosiveness. ***1/2

Charlotte Flair vs. Io Shirai vs. Rhea Ripley

The end result is something I can fully get behind, as Io obviously RULES, but as a match, this was oh so meh. The whole thing just felt clunky w/ its flow, and the action just wasn't very compelling at any point. I guess I could say that there were a few pretty nice moments here & there if I wanted to be nice, but in reality I am struggling to name anything I liked about this, other than that outcome. *3/4