What we learned from NXT TakeOver: The End

NXT live specials returned to the home of the brand, Full Sail, on Wednesday. It was there that TakeOver: The End took place, with a subtitle for that subtitle introduced at the last minute just to further place importance (and a hint of ridiculousness) on the whole affair: it was now “The End of the Beginning,” a sign that NXT truly is at the end of an era in more ways than one.

The show did not feature a major swerve like Finn Bálor turning heel or any serious upset. Instead, it went five-for-five on successful wrestling matches, the bulk of which told an entertaining story in between suplexes and kicks to the head, and helped to set the stage for the next few months of NXT story telling. All of this will lead into the company’s most significant show of the year at a likely sold-out Barclays Center in Brooklyn this August. We even got some hints -- post-show -- for what the main event of TakeOver: Brooklyn might be.

Let’s start from the beginning.

This was the debut match for Andrade Almas, formerly known as La Sombra outside WWE circles. If you were wondering why WWE took La Sombra’s mask off, this match helped answer that: Andrade Almas is a handsome, handsome dude.

What we learned: The crowd wasn’t quite sure what to make of him at first -- maybe in part because his opponent, Tye Dillinger, is a fan favorite. Almas’ high-energy style quickly got the Full Sail audience behind him, though, and they ended up making plenty of noise for both competitors -- that’s what you want out of a debut kicking off your show, yeah?

Almas scored a pin after a violent-looking running double knee to Dillinger while he was in the corner, but on the whole, Dillinger wasn’t pushed around by a wrestler NXT is likely to feature quite a bit in important matches and stories going forward. That’s a good sign for Dillinger, as he looked to be on an upward trajectory that might help him escape his current role of Guy Who Loses To Guys Like Almas.

We didn’t get to see everything Andrade Almas is capable of, but this was a taste that left fans wanting more. He’s likely to be a major player in WWE’s upcoming Cruiserweight Classic, which begins taping later this month.

A couple of weeks ago, this seemed like an obvious match with an obvious outcome. The upcoming separation of WWE’s main roster shows, RAW and SmackDown, though, meant that things could change in a hurry for NXT wrestlers who could receive a promotion to one or the other. Once that happened, the chance of The Revival -- comprised of the anti-flip, pro-fists Dash and Dawson -- winning back the tag team belts they lose in Dallas to American Alpha’s Chad Gable and Jason Jordan seemed significant.

What we learned: That’s just what happened, after arguably one of the greatest tag matches NXT has put on. The work of these two teams anchored the entire show, with Gable and Jordan looking completely unstoppable until The Revival managed to put an end to that. These two teams somehow convinced you, over the course of the match, that American Alpha should never lose to anyone, but also that losing to The Revival made sense.

It took a lot of sneaky tag team shenanigans for Dash and Dawson to survive in the match as long as they did, but they managed to isolate and attack the champs just often enough to finally get a pin out of it. In the insult to injury department, a new tag team, Authors of Pain, debuted after the match to put a beat down on Gable and Jordan. They’re being managed by the legendary Paul Ellering, who previously managed tag teams like the Legion of Doom. So, now we know what American Alpha is going to be up to while they wait for that inevitable main roster promotion.

Aries wanted this match to prove he didn’t deserve to be overshadowed by Nakamura, who made his in-ring debut in NXT at the same time as Aries at TakeOver: Dallas. Aries proved he can hang with even the best the company has to offer, but hanging with and beating Nakamura are two very different things. That’s why you’re being overshadowed, Aries!

What we learned: It was a good, not great match, one that helped setup the next thing Nakamura is going to do while also giving the crowd a moment to breathe after an intense tag team championship match. Triple H, who runs NXT, more than hinted at an eventual Nakamura vs. Samoa Joe match in the future following the conclusion of Wednesday’s TakeOver. Will that be in Brooklyn in August? It very well might be, and if it is, that means we also learned how Samoa Joe could find himself on the main roster before the summer is out.

Getting kicked in the head isn’t the healthiest way to earn a promotion, but you do what you have to to get ahead.

Speed took on power in Asuka’s first defense of the Women’s title she won in Dallas, and speed came away on top this time. It took a whole lot from Asuka to retain, though, as she had to punch, kick, choke, and kick some more in order to stop the at-times unstoppable Nia Jax.

What we learned: Nia Jax has come a long way since her debut, and is becoming the terrifying heel we all hoped she would be. It’s not quite enough to topple Asuka, but part of that is because the story being told is one of hubris. Jax, with her unique size and powerful, violent moves, knows she should be destroying everyone. However, against Bayley in her previous championship match, she let her ego get in the way just long enough for Bayley to turn the tide and retain her title. This time around, Jax screamed in the face of Asuka, and earned kicks in the head for it that led to the end of the match.

You can see Jax, her character, and her ring work all improving with each match she has, though, and at this point, her becoming NXT Women’s championship seems inevitable. She defeated Bayley the second time they met up -- maybe she’ll have similar luck against Asuka if they get a round two.

The steel cage represents the end of the feud, so its presence in the main event of this show wasn’t an accident. And this was the end of Samoa Joe vs. Finn Bálor, with the latter losing his last chance at winning back the NXT Championship he dropped during a house show in Lowell, Massachusetts.

What we learned: That the ceiling of Full Sail isn’t high enough for a traditional cage-dropping to occur. That Bálor looks pretty great in black-and-white demon paint instead of just his traditional red, white, and black. That it took a move Samoa Joe could only do in a cage -- a Muscle Buster from the turnbuckle after pulling Bálor off the cage -- is what it would take to deliver the Demon version of Finn his first loss in NXT. We also learned that WWE can still put on a ridiculous -- in a good way -- cage match in the year 2016.

We know what Joe is likely up to next -- he’s now a true monster heel who looks unstoppable, making him the perfect target of the similarly unstoppable Shinsuke Nakamura. What about Bálor, though? Is he headed to the main roster now that he’s lost his rematch? What happens to the Demon now that Finn’s helpful and violent metaphor has taken an L? WWE’s Money in the Bank event is right around the corner, you know, and Bálor has some old friends working a feud against John Cena at the moment...

So, yeah, we didn’t necessarily learn anything about what’s next for Finn Bálor so much as we learned what’s not next, but there sure is plenty to think about.