Bidoof's Match of the Week Recommendation
Tyler Breeze vs. Tyson Kidd vs. Sami Zayn vs. Adrian Neville (c)
WWE NXT Takeover: Fatal 4-Way (9/11/2014)
Match Link:
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x4is242
This was only a little over six years ago. Ponder that for a moment.
It was also the main event for the second-ever NXT Takeover. I don't believe at the time anyone could have predicted what NXT was to become over the next few years but this was kind of the starting point for the "super indy" period. It starts off as a pretty typical WWE multi-man but I feel the storytelling is better done here than it is with most especially when it comes to giving moments for each participant to shine. Kidd, the one who honestly felt like he needed the most, got it in this match and showed some great aggression as he worked over Zayn while keeping the other two out of the ring. Oddly, I feel like the champion Neville might have had the least shine of all four but that kind of helps add to the story of him being in over his head as a champion trying to fend off three challengers. It all culminates to the moment everyone remembers the most about this match - Neville, in a moment where it looked like Zayn had Kidd beat, yanking the ref out of the ring. Neville's face sold it all so well, a combination of "I can't believe I did that" and "I can't believe I
had
to do that".
Remember when watching NXT, you were seeing what could be the future of the WWE rather than another cog in the machine? Remember that hope you had watching performers like Zayn, Neville, and even Breeze going out and delivering on these shows?
Remember when you used to get excited when it was announced someone had signed an NXT deal?
I could go on forever about how much was squandered in this match alone. Instead of getting another angry rant about how much WWE sucks these days, I'll just leave it there.