NXT Takeover Brooklyn 4 has come and gone, and left devastation in its wake. My predictions were dead on... until the main event. Let's get into it.
The Undisputed Era (Kyle O'Reilly and Roderick Strong) vs. Moustache Mountain (Tyler Bate and Trent Seven) for the NXT Tag Team Championship
This match was awesome. Everyone brought their A+ game from jump, and the storytelling was on par with the extreme high level of technical proficiency. I may have to take back what I've about Trent Seven being the weakest link. He was great here. I was particularly impressed with Kyle O'Reilly. He's got this douche swagger thing going so well. It's kinda amazing that this is a guy who was a face for most of his pre-wwe career. Era went over, but War Raiders didn't settle for waiting in the wings. They came out and destroyed the UE. Because that's what face teams do now, I guess?
Winner: The Undisputed Era
Velveteen Dream vs. EC3
This match was a bit of a letdown. Part if it is that the crowd was a bit exhausted after the tag title match, and took a while to really warm up. But mostly, I blame EC3. He doesn't seem to have fully internalized what being on a TakeOver means as far as pulling out all the stops. Dream was great, and those "Call Me Up, Vince" tights were astounding. Dude's working it on multiple levels, and is super meta, and I dig it.
Winner: Velveteen Dream
Adam Cole vs. Ricochet for the NXT North American Championship
This one had a bit of a slow start, but it built and it built. Both guys worked a great match, with the story being that Cole is crafty and precise, while Ricochet is a ridiculous athlete with heart. So, pretty much true to who they are. Ricochet's 630 is a thing of beauty.
Winner: Ricochet
Shayna Baszler vs. Kairi Sane for the NXT Women's Championship
I'm gonna start with a complaint: This was the shortest match of the night, and I don't love that. It wasn't short, but another 5 minutes would have really allowed it to fully tell the story. Shayna is a monster heel in a way women rarely get to be, especially in WWE. And Kairi is just an incredible worker and face. This match also marked a shift when it comes to audience response: In the previous three matches, the crowd was supporting both sides. Not so here and in the main event. The Brooklyn crowd was entirely behind Kairi Sane, which is a testament both to her face work and to Shayna's heel work.
Winner: Kairi Sane
Tommaso Ciampa vs. Johnny Gargano Last Man Standing match for the NXT Championship
So... remember on Friday, when I said Johnny had to win? Welp. This match was absolutely brutal, as expected. These two performers have to have ultimate trust in one another to go through this knowing they'll be protected and okay. That comes with knowing each other for so long and so well. This was a 30 minute match, once again giving these guys an opportunity to tell a story that hearkens back to their entire history in a variety of ways. Evil prevailed.