By Nicholas Jason Lopez

“Notes In Observance” features random thoughts and analysis on recent television shows. Quick results can be found at the bottom of the post.

(Aired 4/6/16)

A Dallas Flashback

– NXT TakeOver: Dallas remains our favorite show of the year thus far (WrestleMania included) and while we were disappointed that NXT TV following the show didn’t give us anything new, it was all okay, because it still revolved around TakeOver.

– NXT prides itself on feeling like a sport revolving around wrestling, which in turn makes it more legitimate to the casual viewer. Loved the show’s broadcast presentation, which basically showed us follow-up interviews with several talent after their TakeOver matches. That said, the “control center” was welcomed since it made it feel like “NXT Sportscenter.” Cathy Kelley also handled herself well for her television debut, almost rivaling Ring Of Honor’s Mandy Leon.

– Fresh off winning the NXT Tag Team Championships from The Revival in a hard-hitting affair, American Alpha showcased the deep emotion of a reward paying off. Jason Jordan legitimately moved to tears helped the moment get over even better, as we knew these were two humbled individuals who got their big moment.

– Bayley couldn’t be NXT Women’s Champion forever and it at least set the stage for Asuka to be the one to uncrown her. This told us that Bayley’s NXT time is winding down, but not in the way that she’ll immediately be thrown into the main roster. As it looks like, we’ll get a rematch between the two as per Bayley’s clause. Bayley’s backstage promo made her come off as disappointed but eager for a second chance, putting Asuka over for her resilience and deserved to be Champion.

– The most interesting part of the show was Austin Aries’ backstage promo that was taped after his defeat of Baron Corbin, who has now debuted on the main roster. That leaves Aries in a position where he was established with the TakeOver win, but can also work with some of NXT’s “greener” talent, essentially flopping between babyface and heel. Aries can do that well by tweaking his gimmick in either direction for the desired crowd reaction. His promo expressed that he was either loved or hated and nothing in between. He came off as a hard tweener and that’s honestly the best way to book him.

– Having now beat Samoa Joe twice, what’s next for NXT Champion Finn Balor? Who knows, but at the least, they had him establish Joe as a dominant powerhouse in their match and that even though he won, he went through a war to get to victory.

– Joe’s backstage segment consisted of no words, but an angry facial expression after his loss. We know he has an obsession with being NXT Champion. What’s exactly next for his character? Ironically, winning the belt off Balor would’ve been a logical step, but it seems they don’t want the Balor express to stop anytime soon, letting Balor go as perhaps the longest NXT Champion in history before it’s all said and done.

– Another “No Way Jose” hype video. We’re fully convinced it’s the emergence of Fandango’s misunderstood Mexican cousin.

– Apollo Crews debuted on the main roster as well, but was featured on this episode in a battle with Elias Samson, mainly because Crews defended his buddy from the independents (Johnny Gargano) from a Samson attack. This match was unanticipated to say the least, but maybe would give Samson some much-needed rub as he continues to struggle to find an identity in NXT. So far, we think he’s Seth Rollins’ down-on-his-luck homeless rocker twin who yearns to start his own band. Or maybe he just likes bracelets. Either way, we just don’t get it. Nope, singing your promos doesn’t make you cooler either. Let’s get to the action. Would you believe this match actually spanned 22 minutes? Neither do we, but Crews (to his credit) pulled a decent effort out of Samson to at least get a reaction from the Dallas faithful, but we can’t dismiss it as “go-away heat” either. Despite their efforts, the ending was predictable and we fail to see what Samson got out of it. He got intriguing after his first loss to Gargano, but a second straight loss to Crews? Well, something has got to give.

– Given the reaction upon wrestling critics and the worldwide internet, the best talk was saved for last – Sami Zayn vs. Shinsuke Nakamura. The highlights made it feel even more epic. Zayn’s backstage promo expressed deep respect for Nakamura and the war they were just in, regarding it as one of his career’s biggest battles. Zayn certainly got what he was promised in a marquee affair.

– Coming off a golden goose of a debut win against Zayn, Nakamura’s backstage promo (through a translator) was kept short and sweet, just saying that it was tough and that “Strong Style has arrived.” Nevertheless, the thought that Nakamura would be in action the following week made us quite happy.

Quick Results

• Apollo Crews def. Elias Samson via pinfall