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LIKE many of the FT faithful, your correspondent has enjoyed numerous great nights out over the years at the Manchester Arena watching wrestling.
We came home safely having enjoyed a fun night’s entertainment courtesy of WWE, TNA and countless others, just as those poor people had every right to do on Monday night.
So our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims and those affected by the cowardly attack on that great city this week. Together, we remain stronger.
We have every reason to be proud of the British spirit this week as wrestling fans. Two young Englishmen, barely 20 years old apiece, not only stole the show at the NXT Takeover event in Chicago on Saturday but the entire weekend of WWE events with the quality of their match.
Take a bow, Tyler Bate and Pete Dunne.
You could argue that these exceptionally talented young pros had nothing to lose and everything to gain.
The traditionally raucous Chicago crowd a perfect and explosive backdrop, second spot on the bill when that crowd is still lively, a fresh audience to play with who wouldn’t be overly familiar with their work. The stage was set.
But they still had to go out there and seize the moment.
Just prior to Wrestlemania, NXT Champion Bobby Roode told us that his overriding impression of the young English talent arriving to WWE was exactly that – young.
Impressed
Roode opined on their ability to work different styles, specifically the American style, on a grand stage across the pond.
As the figurehead of the brand, he must have been impressed with what he saw. Dunne has all the seething character qualities and technical ability befitting his new status as champion.
Bate showed real class in delivering a title match that will have added to the prestige of the new UK belt in a manner that other titles in
the company surely need.Several arguments have been made that both men have actually put on better matches so far in their brief WWE tenure, but in terms of creating that “moment” like Sasha Banks and Bayley at Takeover Brooklyn back in 2015, this one takes the cake.
Elsewhere, the surprising Jinder Mahal title win at Backlash raised eyebrows – let’s hope it evolves from its pure novelty value.
Kevin Owens and AJ Styles were good but remained within themselves. Nakamura phoned it in with Ziggler, which was a surprise, but he fitted the billing, naturally.
Roode and Itami, the former KENTA, worked a solid main. Roode seldom fails to deliver.
FT enjoyed Eric Young and Roderick Strong too and the ladder match was one of the more violent in living memory. An excellent turn from Ciampa too, to round things off.
WWE couldn’t really have contrived a better advert for the upcoming NXT tour – this is a company which thrives on competition for the spotlight within its ranks to the benefit of fans. We got a salutary example of that from two young men with extremely bright futures.
Hats off to you gents.