I remember watching this match live. We watch NXT religiously. It's the best wrestling around and far away the best wrestling content WWE produces. For a hardcore NXT fan, this match is like opening a time capsule. It's from when the Takeovers were still done in the studio and not big arenas. You've got Corey Graves learning the color commontary game. And that NXT crowd!
The match starts off slow as you'd expect a match of this length. There's a series of chain wrestling holds that flow so smoothly. It speaks volumes to Sami Zayn's ability because he's not thought of as a chain wrestler. Neville is no slouch here either. They both move through the holds effortlessly and make them look like they hurt.
Steve Austin always says that a babyface needs to have fire and a heel needs to have a vicious streak. You can't ask for more from the players here. When Zayn fires up, the crowd reacts. He can elevate a crowd with the smallest of gestures or mannerisms. In the same way, Neville plays his role perfectly here. He's nastier than he had been in previous matches. This is a babyface/babyface match at heart because Neville hadn't really been turned. He still does a great job of playing the heel although a stronger heel character would have elevated the match even more. He's a master at taking a powder which is a lost art.
The ref bump spot is great. It shows Zayn being the good guy, checking on the ref. When he turns around, Neville lands a superkick that looks PAINFUL. This is where the match really starts to kick into high gear. There's a second ref bump (which the crowd just hates) and Sami is put in a situation where he could cheat to win. The interplay of Zayn sticking to his morals makes for a great story. Sami didn't want to win this one in a way that would compromise his character. It's really compelling, especially when it almost costs him the victory.
When you watch this, you can't help but think how bad WWE blew it with both men. Neville has gone on to hopefully better things. Zayn is still there, for now. Hopefully WWE either capitalizes on the potential of Zayn or they let him go elsewhere to maximize his career.
And then there's the aftermath. Everyone is celebrating Sami and Kevin Owens comes in and just destroys him. It could not have been done any better.
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