C.S.

Neither did I. Not sure what people in this thread heard. Is it our TV sets? I don't have a fancy sound system. I also don't think that match was any great shakes. Yeah, it was awesome compared to, like, Divas matches from a decade ago, but I've seen both of them in much better matches. I'm fine with the result if it means Becky is winning the Rumble or otherwise has a big spot at WM.

Okay, sure, Asuka has been supremely over since being called up from NXT. My bad. How is it a hot take? It's a simple fact.

Because nobody gives a shit about Asuka. Her act did not translate one iota outside of NXT. WWE cooling her down and devaluing her sure as hell didn't help, but I always knew she'd have a tough road ahead of her on the main roster. I'm rooting for Becky to lose via interference and then enter and win the Rumble.

Murphy is a guy they probably had no plans for, and he made his own spot and success (granted, on 205 Live, but still). Good on him!

There goes Drew's chances of winning. Bad, monotone promo. If it was scripted, that could be why the delivery was so awful and stilted.

The "he doesn't speak English" comments are straight out of the Vince Russo playbook. Not sure if you're all criticizing Itami for that or clumsily speaking on behalf of McMahon and Dunne in a way that isn't very obvious. I think it's a perfectly fine comparison. Itami came in with a lot of hype and credibility. Omega would be coming in with the same, except more magnified because of NJPW's increased stateside exposure. Itami had injuries, bad luck, etc., but it doesn't change the fact that his current position is something no one could have predicted only a few years ago. Omega has to be seeing this (and many other examples like it) and it has to only confirm in his mind that AEW is the right move. Stats in wrestling are worked. News at 11.

Doesn't change the fact that Itami is a complete non-factor now. Bad luck or not, Kenny could easily find himself a few banana peels away from being in the same spot with WWE.

Think Kenny Omega is seriously considering going to WWE? All he has to do is watch Hideo Itami on the pre-show, not even remotely over or consequential, and that will steel his resolve to sign with AEW.

What a drop for Nakamura: from Royal Rumble winner to Royal Rumble pre-show. I have a feeling that's the only reason Nak won tonight.

Way to make Rusev look like an incompetent geek...

Did I miss something? Why is Rezar teaming with Dawson?

That entranceway looks like it's a mile long.

My favorite PPV of the year!

I'd love this. No such thing as too many Rumbles IMO. It's one of the few matches that's almost always good. (The year Bryan came in at #10 and got eliminated quickly was pretty fucking atrocious though.) The high spots are more impressive coming from Hanson. I like Belair's hair. It's unique and gives others the opportunity to pull it, etc. (as we saw in the Shayna match). Still hoping for the spot that one poster suggested with her getting choked out by her own hair.

It was fine, but let's not pretend an Ohno match is ever worthy of being on a TakeOver. The guy is a pure JTTS with the worst gear in the industry (awesome color combinations that really pop, but everything else is blech). You can argue that he deserves to be more than a JTTS, but he isn't, so it's impossible for me to get invested in any of his matches since the outcome is never in doubt. I tried to fool myself into thinking Ohno was going to win (see my earlier post), but of course he didn't. He never does. He never will. He's the wrestling equivalent of a tomato can. Good showcase for Riddle though. Still can't wrap my head around a surfer bro who wrestles like an MMA fighter, but that's exactly who he is IRL and it's oddly appealing to me.

That posedown/lovefest at the end could be setting up something.

Middle of the road show as far as TakeOvers go, but not a bad show. Best matches were the Tag and Women's Titles

I've been distracted throughout this match. Am I missing much? Edit: Aaaaaand there's the finish!

Dream vs. Black for the title at the pre-WM TakeOver?

Great match, with near-submissions that actually felt suspenseful. But the ref's facial expressions are the dirt worst.

Who ran in during the ref bump? I missed it.

Damn you! Now I'll be disappointed by whatever the finish actually is.

Did anyone else notice Shayna mouthing "NXT Women's Champion" along with the ring announcer?

Which is fine, but it felt like a clash of styles with Gargano.

Underwhelming match. I think the problem is, Ricochet forces his style on everyone else. Yes, he's amazing at it, but there's a reason the Johnny control segments were the best part of the match, because then it at least became somewhat more of a Johnny match.