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IF YOU HAVEN'T WATCHED THIS SHOW YOU SHOULD RATHER THAN JUST READ MY BLOG, KYLE GETS HIS SHOT AT FINN, WE GOT TWO RETURNS, WILL JOHNNY HELP HIS WIFE, SWERVE IS ON FIRE, HALLOWEEN HAVOC RETURN, KUSHIDA IS NOT HAPPY WITH THE DREAM, PRIEST DEFENDS, FIRST LOOK INSIDE THE CAPITOL WRESTLING CENTER - ONGOING NXT TAKEOVER BLOG

Welcome to my Takeover 31 blog.  The show opened with a video homage to Capitol Wrestling, the company started by Vince’s father. That morphed into what is now the Capital Wrestling Center, the former Performance Center.  It looks pretty cool.  We do indeed have some ThunderDome elements, which is cool and makes NXT look more on a par with Raw and Smackdown.  We have video walls with fans.  I like it.

We are opening with Damien Priest defending his North American Title against Johnny Gargano.  I had hoped that this would go after his wife wrestled.  Champ out first, then Johnny.  

Vic Joseph, Wade Barrett and Beth Phoenix are your announcers.  Vic is in the building.  Not sure on the other two.

Johnny was in control early, taking Priest to the floor and then beating on him when he came back in and working over the leg.  The story was Johnny was working him over and Priest was trying to fight back from underneath.

Given the way the building is, I am thinking I am liking the fan cam aspect better here.  The smaller builkding makes it look like they are right on top.

Priest came back but Johnny got the first near fall.  Priest keep coming back but Johnny smartly worked the knee to even the odds.  As we all know, Johnny is a machine in the ring and he is certainly being a machine right now in this match.

Johnny got full of himself and mocked Priest’s arrow gesture.  Priest went for him but Johnny rolled him up for a two.  Priest came back with a chokeslam for a two.

Priest is selling a shoulder and still has the knee.  The story is Johnny has wounded him.  Priest went to the top rope but Johnny bailed to the floor.  Priest came flying over the top to the floor but Johnny pulled two security guys in front of him.  He nailed Priest in the nuts and got a two count.  He put Priest in the Escape.  Priest moved so Johnny brought him back in the middle and locked it on again.  He finally got to the rope but now he is selling almost his whole body.  Johnny back to work.

Johnny has Priest on the apron, trying to take him out but instead he ran into a kick to the face.  But Johnny came back with two of his own.  He tried to jump into the DDT but Priest caught him and put him away with a swinging DDT/Reckoning of his own.  Really, really good stuff.  Johnny was vicious in the match and just got caught at the end.  Priest showed heart in fighting back.  Now, it’s up to Candice.

Kyle O’Reilly just showed up with the rest of the UE.  Finn has arrived as well.

Kushida vs. Velveteen Dream is next.

Dream mocked Kushida at the start which led to him coming out of nowhere and beating the snot out of Dream.  He took a beating for a while but then came back and went to work. Dream is wearing what look like yellow dishwashing gloves.  Wade even said, in essence, he looks silly but he wrestles hard.  Definitely enjoying the atmosphere here a lot more than Full Said.  The Dome aspect is great.

They have been mostly brawling, which makes sense since Kushida hates the Dream in the storylines.  Wade and Beth are not in the building FYI.  They do a great job of throwing it to each other.  

Kushida is working over Dream’s arm and shoulder in violent manner.  Dream is selling it and came back with a desperation super kick.  He went up but Kushida was playing possum and caught him when he came off and locked on an arm bar.  Dream used a thumb to the eye to break it.  Dream got a two with a powerbomb but Kushida broke it by locking on an arm bar.  Cool stuff.

Dream hit the DVD and then went up again.  Purple Rainmaker but he used the bad arm and hurt himself as well so he couldn’t cover in time.  Dream hit a huge clothesline.  He went up but Kushida followed and got the Hoverboard Lock.  Dream hit the DVD to try and break it but Kushida held on and Dream tapped.  I loved this.  It was a war and they fought way more than they wrestled.  The New Kushida is a force to be reckoned with.

Speaking of which, after the match Kushida attacked Dream again and destroyed his arm.  Dream sold it like he was dead and Kushida attacked him again and trashed the arm again.  I think Dream is going away for a while after this.  He is selling it for all he is worth.

Shotzi Blackheart will be hosting NXT Halloween Havoc on 10/28!

Santo Escobar defends the Cruiserweight Title against Swerve Scott next.

Check to Page 2 for more thoughts on tonight’s show.

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