NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn II: The full rundown and why you should care

For a year now, we’ve been asking if any NXT show could be “better than Brooklyn.” For a year now, we’ve been — well, “disappointed” isn’t the right word, as NXT has put on some killer events since TakeOver: Brooklyn, but you get the drift. Now, though, we have an event that could maybe match the greatest live special in NXT’s history, and, not coincidentally, it’s also in Brooklyn.

Let’s talk NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn II, which could signal another massive shift in the WWE developmental brand we all know and love. Maybe it won’t be as good as the original, but getting even 75 percent of the way there will make for a wonderful show this Saturday. You can watch the event on the WWE Network, beginning at 8 p.m. ET.

What am I looking at here? Billie Kay has the very long legs, and if you don’t notice on your own, you will be notified by the announcers. Not in like, a weird or creepily sexual way. More like when she attempts to kick her opponent in the head with one of them, mention will be given to how long/powerful/dangerous said legs are. Ember Moon is the new wrestler in the mix, as all we’ve seen of her so far are some very fantasy-based vignettes. You might know her outside of NXT as Athena, and if you are aware of her in that way, then you are very excited for this debut.

Why you should care: Both Kay and Ember Moon are part of the next wave of talent in NXT’s women’s division. With Carmella, Alexa Bliss, Nia Jax, and Eva Marie all called up to the main roster during the WWE brand split draft, and Bayley potentially not far behind, there is suddenly a ton of room for new characters and new stories. Kay and Moon are both talented, and this first match-up could be something we see repeated down the road in a more important context.

What am I looking at here? Austin Aries is the shorter wrestler who thinks he’s better than you. Well, not just you: Aries refers to himself as the “Greatest Man Who Ever Lived.” He’s not a humble dude. He also attacked No Way Jose — who just wanted to help Aries get over a tough loss with some dancing — and in doing so unlocked a harder edge we hadn’t yet seen from Jose. Basically, we’ve got a guy who doesn’t take his opponent seriously in line to get his face punched in and then danced upon.

Why you should care: We haven’t seen a real showcase match for No Way Jose yet, but this should be one. That matters because Jose is clearly, obviously talented and is already connecting with the crowd despite his relative newness. Getting his (justified) revenge on Aries, who has turned on the crowd and is very easy to hate, should help propel him to the next level. Is Jose a potential main-event talent? Who knows, but you don’t need to be in order to be super entertaining and beloved.

What am I looking at here? The Revival, lovers of fists and haters of flips, are super old-school. The way they heel, it’s old-school. They way they wrestle? Did you not see the “haters of flips” thing? Also old-school. That makes Ciampa and Gargano, Indie Darlings, one of their greatest possible rivalries. Old-school dudes who prefer punches to flash are not going to appreciate a fast-paced tag team beloved on the indies. The juxtaposition of the two teams has worked well in the past and should work well again, and it’s worth pointing out that, while The Revival were able to defeat the greatest NXT tag team ever, American Alpha, right before that, they lost to Ciampa and Gargano.

Why you should care: Gargano and Ciampa are only recently full-time NXT performers, but they’ve been on the show for some time now, ever since invitations for the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic went out in 2015. They might end up being one of the anchors of the show — or at least the tag division — as it moves forward from The Revival, American Alpha, and Enzo and Cass. Of course, they have to beat Dash and Dawson’s Revival for that to happen, and there is no guarantee that’s the result on Saturday: not knowing who is going to win, or what exactly the outcome will lead to for either team, should keep you on edge during this title match.

What am I looking at here? Andrade Almas, in another life in another country, was a wonderful masked wrestler named La Sombra. Telling you so isn’t breaking any rules of wrestling secrets, either — WWE used that information in Almas’ own vignettes that introduced him to their audience, only using his mask instead of the name drop to do so. He hasn’t quite caught on with NXT’s audience yet, but he has the talent to get there once he moves past this quiet introductory period. As for Bobby Roode, he made his name with Impact Wrestling, and like Samoa Joe and Austin Aries before him, is now in NXT to impart his knowledge on the kids in between blows to their heads.

Why you should care: This is Bobby Roode’s theme song. You should watch Brooklyn II if only to see him come down the ramp to it.

Also like the match should be pretty good and stuff, too.

What am I looking at here? Asuka won her NXT Women’s title from Bayley at TakeOver: Dallas before WrestleMania. It was a hard-fought match on both sides, and a wake-up call for Bayley to let her know that, just because she had conquered all of her previous challenges and challengers, did not mean she knew how to conquer every possible one. Asuka hits harder and more often than anyone Bayley has wrestled before. She knows that now, and it will be intriguing to see how things change in their rematch — especially since this could very well be Bayley’s final NXT match if she fails to regain the championship.

Why you should care: Bayley is the most beloved wrestler in the history of NXT. Finn Balor sold a ton of merchandise and had a lengthy championship reign. Sami Zayn’s story helped make NXT what you see it as today. Neither were fully embraced to the degree Bayley was, though, and more than any other single wrestler from the promotion, past or present, her eventual absence will leave a noticeable void and truly make NXT feel like a different place.

The longest-running (and most successful) story of NXT is the one where we watched Bayley grow up in front of us, overcome every obstacle in front of her, and become NXT Women’s Champion. That story wrapped up a year ago at the inaugural TakeOver: Brooklyn, and the past year has been her holding onto her title until she found someone she maybe can’t defeat in Asuka.

If this is it for Bayley, you want to see it. It’s going to be emotional, and you know she’s not going out without one last classic behind her.

What am I looking at here: Samoa Joe is the current NXT Champion, and he earned that right by being the one to finally topple Finn Balor, both in leather jacket and demon forms. Shinsuke Nakamura is the human-shaped clustering of charisma in a cool jacket who ends matches by kneeing faces right off. Nakamura is the greatest threat to Joe in all of NXT, and he too defeated Balor to get into this position. The thing is, Joe is also the greatest threat to Nakamura, and might be the only opponent in NXT who could believably defeat him... at least, until Hideo Itami has fully powered back up following his shoulder surgeries.

Why you should care: This has the potential to be the match of the entire weekend — TakeOver is Saturday, followed by a loaded SummerSlam card, so that is not a statement to be taken lightly. It’s not the only TakeOver match about which that could be said — Bayley vs. Asuka similarly has instant classic potential, and like Sasha Banks vs. Bayley a year ago, could surpass everything else — but the additional intrigue of not knowing whether one of Samoan Joseph or Shinsuke are headed to the main roster or staying with NXT or if this is a one-off or the start of a longer feud just might give this one a leg up over the rest of the competition.