Dallas: Three Legitimate Main Events and Balor vs Joe Isn't One of Them

[Uncle Sam]

When I look at the card for NXT Dallas, four words come to mind:

1. Fucking
2. Give
3. It
4. Me

Absolutely stellar top to bottom.

Finn Balor's defence of his championship against Samoa Joe will, on the evidence of their previous encounter, be fantastic. Both wrestlers have built up a very good head of steam lately. One even gets the sense that Balor might lose the belt, freeing him up to travel to pastures new, leaving Joe as a gatekeeper champion. But on this card, it is absolutely not main event material.

Sami Zayn versus Shinsuke Nakamura is. Nakamura is quite possibly the biggest name that NXT has ever signed. Sami Zayn is the foundation on which NXT was built, and this is more than likely his last NXT match, and just as likely to be a masterpiece. Sami Zayn's parting gift.

Bayley stole the show in Brooklyn and was rewarded with a main event... at a pygmy NXT special, in Full Sail. Her match against Asuka is an Ultimate Warrior vs. Hulk Hogan style event; the unstoppable force vs. the immovable object. There's unlikely to a bigger match between two women for some time and the "revolution" could be legitimised by giving them a proper main event. Don't give me any of that "co-main event" bollocks.

While I'm going all Social Justice Warrior, let's talk about the discrimination that tag teams suffer every day. Tag teams can't marry other tag teams, they're routinely ignored by government policy, they can't even vote. Make a statement by putting NXT's most over babyface, Chad Gable, in the main event against the most effective heels the tag division has ever seen. Something something Arn Anderson.

Just don't have the bare-faced nerve to put a rematch from the last show on last.

 

[Mighty NorCal]

Calling it now, some sort of six person match with Enzo, Cass, and Mella against.....Someone and something and Peyton Royce. Swan Song.



OR



OR OR OR


The tag title match.



Honestly the tag title match feels like a damn fine opener, but as a person who has been to three live NXT shows, and someone who has watched the product from day one....Enzo and Cass are THE opening act of NXT. They just are.


As for what goes last, I think we will have to watch the builds to see. A case could be made for Joe - Balor, im just not sure if they will want the biggest NXT show to date going off the air with a triumphant heel.



You have yourself a point here sir.

 

[J-Dogg]

I'm looking forward to all the matches, Joe and Balor has alot potential to be ME material, Shinsuke and Sami will probably be match of the night and the fact that Sami, Balor, Enzo and Cass and Bayley are the foundations of the brand, Takeover Dallas will likely go down as phenomenal show with each match having great built and talent present.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I'd say that Balor vs. Joe will go on last if for nothing else than simple tradition. Whenever an NXT Championship has been on the TakeOver card, it's always gone on last. However, NXT knows how to walk a fine line between traditional and shaking things up a bit so just because an NXT Championship match is on the card doesn't automatically mean it'll get the main event spot. At the same time though, both Balor and Joe are quite over and the same can be said of everyone else that's currently on the card.

A possibility is Zayn vs. Nakamura as this will be Zayn's swan song in NXT, so they could build it up as this emotional bout for Zayn and end the show on something of an emotional high note with Zayn basking in the adulation of the NXT fans one last time, maybe have some of the NXT roster giving him an ovation on stage along with Nakamura if they deliver a fantastic outing, Zayn & Nakamura embracing, etc.

To be perfectly honest, I don't really care if it's Balor vs. Joe, Zayn vs. Nakamura or Bayley vs. Asuka that closes the show as I don't think there'll be much that can go wrong with any of them in the final spot. But, I think they'll go the traditional route of Balor vs. Joe to close the show out and that's fine with me; just give me entertaining matches with wrestlers I invest my interest in and that's all I really care about.

 

[Navi]

Personally I can't wait for this. The way things have been going for the main roster, this card is almost as good if not better than the main roster Mania card.

All look to be stellar matches, not a bad one in the bunch. Should blow the roof off whatever building they are doing it in.

 

[BenChillin]

I'm sure Balor and Joe will be better than the last Balor and Joe. This whole card is great. I'm beyond hyped.

What has me even more hyped is the potential for the NEXT Takeover based on what happens here.

Will we see Asuka vs Nia Jax since they kept them away from each other in the tag?

Will be see Joe vs Nakamura for the belt?

Hideo?!

Can Chad and Gable do a four team elimination tag match and just run thru everybody for 25 minutes?

I love nxt. This is the real wrestlemania.

 

[midgensa]

I honestly cannot remember the last time I was as excited about a card as I am for this show.

I think every wrestling fan is super excited to see Nakamura in his debut and, of course, the ladies championship and NXT championship matches should be phenomenal.

There is nothing in wrestling right now as good as this show is on a week to week basis.

 

[Piss Bucket]

I'm sure HHH and William Regal must be proud of themselves for booking a card for a development show that on paper looks like it could be better than the main roster's show of the year!