WWE ‘NXT TakeOver Rival’ Post-show Breakdown & Participant Future’s

– Another NXT TakeOver special has come and gone and what a show it was! It’s hard to say if ‘NXT TakeOver Rival’ was the best one yet or not after so many excellent NXT TakeOver’s have already taken place, but there is no doubt it can be argued it was. Below I will breakdown the event and where the match winners and losers go from here.

* Opening Match: Hideo Itami defeats Tyler Breeze

It was fairly easy to see that Itami would likely come out on top in this match, he is one of WWE’s new international megastars, and while I think Breeze may be the most underrated & underutilized talent on the NXT roster, he simply does not have the push or excitement behind him that Itami does.

For Hideo Itami his strong push will continue while he tunes his wrestling skills to better fit WWE’s style and learns to do promo’s and other mic work in English better down in NXT. He will further all of that training until he is ready for primetime and the main roster, which despite his talent might take a bit longer then the other high profile international stars WWE has signed lately, simply because of the time needed to break the language barrier.

For Tyler Breeze the waters are more murky. Breeze is a guy that could benefit highly from a long midcard Title run, if NXT had one.  Without that option on the table, and with WWE’s newer indy/international signings blowing by him in the NXT pecking order race, expect Tyler to unfortunately have wait his turn, and that wait likely just got a bit longer tonight.

* No DQ Match: Baron Corbin defeats Bull Dempsey

The most easy match of the night to call (both in winner and in match length) went just how I thought it would, Dempsey further buried under the avalanche push of Baron Corbin.

For Corbin, Dempsey is just the first of many feuds he will surely win during a monster push that should see him decimate almost anyone put in front of him. He has the look, and enough ability to back it up.

For Dempsey, his road has become as rocky as anybody on this card. Once being a pushed as a wrecking ball monster himself, that persona is all but gone at this point. Either a very slow rebuilding project needs to now begin with wins over NXT’s mostly unknown low card talents, or a complete repackaging needs to happen. Either way it won’t be easy for Dempsey moving forward.

* NXT Tag Team Championship Match: Wesley Blake & Buddy Murphy (c) defeat The Lucha Dragons

In what could signal the end of the road for the Lucha Dragons Tag Team, Wesley Blake & Buddy Murphy defended their recently won NXT Tag Titles. Blake & Murphy were a surprise when they won the Tag Titles during a seemingly routine Title defense for the Lucha Dragons, but once they had them you had to figure they would not just lose them right back, and they didn’t.

For Blake & Murphy, they have gone from the outhouse to the penthouse of NXT. Largely jobbers in 2014, they now are the NXT Tag Team champions in a push few saw coming. I look for them to now start a program with the team they bested to become #1 Contenders for those Titles, the Vaudevillians. Look for Blake & Murphy to play Face in this feud, and the Vaudevillians to become as underhanded and (dare I say it) dastardly as ever.

For the Lucha Dragons this could be the end. I think WWE would be wise to let Kalisto branch out in singles competition now, and let Sin Cara return to the main roster for a well earned semi-push. They could go the break-up route and have Kalisto play a Face Vs a Heel Sin Cara (which we all know Hunico could play well) in what would be a high flying feud to say the least, but I doubt they will.

* NXT Championship #1 Contender’s Match: Finn Balor defeats Adrian Neville, Finn Balor New NXT Championship #1 Contender

In a match-up you knew would be amazing (not only because of the talent involved, but because it has happened before in other organizations), Balor and Neville delivered in every way. It was high flying and highly entertaining and though Balor came out on top, it certainly did not feel like Neville was a loser in anyway, especially if you look at the larger picture.

For Balor you have a the next step in a fast rise up the ranks of NXT, he is now the #1 Contender for the NXT Championship and a true challenger for that Title given his talent and the fact that he is already a very well know international star. Look for him to establish himself as no pushover in his upcoming NXT Title feud.

For Neville this loss is hardly a loss in the end. He already was the longest reigning NXT Champion of all time, and he has bigger mountains to climb now. Those mountains are on the WWE main roster which is where I think we will see Neville very soon now. How soon is the question, it might be after Fastlane, but more likely look for it to happen after WrestleMania, a time in which WWE seems to like to reset and bring new talent into the fold.

* NXT Women’s Championship Fatal Four-way Match: Sasha Banks defeats Charlotte (c), Bayley & Becky Lynch, Sasha Banks New NXT Women’s Champion

In an excellent Fatal Four-way where every Diva had their moments Sasha Banks created the right moment to shine brightest, and honestly it was a long time coming. All these ladies should be very proud of the amazing show they put on, once again this NXT Divas match put most main roster Divas matches to shame. However, that does not just have to do with talent, but also the lack of time WWE gives their main roster Divas. Regardless though it is flat out obvious that it’s time for the “next generation of WWE Divas” (as Triple H himself put it) to take center stage and that was as apparent as ever tonight.

For Sasha Banks this moment has been a long time coming, though just 23 years old she has already wrestled for 5 years and in my opinion has the most complete gimmick of any NXT Diva. Sasha may be an Anime loving somewhat nerdy girl out of the ring, but she has also come to embody her ‘BOSS’ gimmick in it (and even on Twitter many times). Her talent in the ring and on the mic has brought her from one-third of the BFF’s group, to half of Team B.A.E., to finally shinning in her own spotlight as NXT Women’s Champion.

For Charlotte this loss much like Adrian Neville’s loss is not necessarily a bad thing. Charlotte is ready for the WWE main roster, she has the look, the name, and the talent to be a champion there too. All that remains to be seen is when. In Charlotte’s case though that time might be VERY soon as no matter who walks out of WWE Fastlane as Divas Champion they would provide a very interesting match-up for her. Add the fact that Charlotte’s Hall of Fame father Ric Flair could be brought in to be her manager initially (and thus maybe even ringside her at Mania) and the possibilities become even more intriguing.

For Bayley this lost of course hurts, but not as much as it may seem at first glance. Given the fact that Sasha and Charlotte have both recently been touring with the WWE main roster on Live Events, it’s obvious they are the next in line to head to the main roster, but then whom is next in line for the NXT Women’s crown then you ask? Well that almost certainly is Bayley, she has put the time in and has the in ring talent for sure. Some may not like her squeaky clean face gimmick, but whom else in this era of the ‘Total Divas’ has anything like it? Plus as someone that has met Bayley in real life myself, her niceness seems to genuinely fit her gimmick in spades and that is also refreshing in this day and age. Look a for a heated Sasha/Bayley Title feud coming soon.

For Becky Lynch being in this match was a step up in itself. She seems to have the passion and plenty of talent, but she still needs a bit of seasoning, especially given how talented the women that have paid their dues above her are. However, that said she has become one of the top NXT Divas on the roster and shortly down the line when Sasha gets her call-up, Bayley is gonna need a rival to feud with and Becky Lynch could very well be it. Before that though it will be interesting to see if she continues to be by Sasha’s side now that she is the Champion, or if Sasha will let her.

* NXT Championship Match: Kevin Owens defeats Sami Zayn (c), Kevin Owens New NXT Champion

In a grudge match that certainly delivered the goods, Kevin Owens did what he said he would do and captured the NXT Championship, but it was not a win without controversy. After Sami Zayn appeared to suffer a bad bump diving to the out side of the ring (one that looked legit at the time), he would seemingly attempt to wrestle the rest of the match on instinct as he stumbled around looking like he may have suffered a concussion. The finish of the match though seemed to make the “injury” seem scripted as Sami took many more big bumps that likely would not have taken place if he was really hurt. Eventually WWE doctors had the ref stop the match and the ref awarded the win AND Title to Owens.

For Kevin Owens this push is a near ultimate super push, but in this case a smart one for WWE. Owens unlike many NXT talents is not a spring chicken at already 30 years old, he has loads of experience and once upon a time may have been a guy that would have skipped WWE Developmental all together to go straight to the main roster. He has a presence and attitude that not many guys have, you can feel that he is a veteran when he talks and it’s obvious that he does not need much seasoning before coming up to the main roster. So putting the Title on him now is a smart move for WWE to get him through NXT as quickly, but triumphantly as possible.

For Sami Zayn (and Kevin Owens too really) his next feud depends on how much WWE sells this “injury” angle. I look for WWE to sell Zayn’s “injury” on TV and perhaps go on his own tour of WWE Live Events with the main roster while Owens has a feud with new #1 Contender Finn Balor. Then I see Sami coming back to NXT looking to avenge his lost and get his Title back. Whether he does or not likely depends on when WWE wants to call him and/or Owens up, and while sometime this year is a safe bet for both, it’s hard to put an time on it.

* So there you have it, now you have a clearer picture of not only the great event that was ‘NXT TakeOver Rival’, but also what might be next for everybody involved. Do you agree? Disagree? Have your own view on what happened, or what is coming next? Let me know in the Comments section below!