{"id":130150,"date":"2021-12-05T10:25:03","date_gmt":"2021-12-05T16:25:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/recovery\/?p=130150"},"modified":"2021-12-17T19:20:51","modified_gmt":"2021-12-18T01:20:51","slug":"heydorns-take-dont-hold-me-to-this-nxt-war-games-2021","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2021\/12\/05\/heydorns-take-dont-hold-me-to-this-nxt-war-games-2021\/","title":{"rendered":"HEYDORN&#8217;S TAKE: Don\u2019t hold me to this \u2013 NXT War Games 2021"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pwtor-4183295468\" class=\"pwtor-before-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><hr \/><b>SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)... <\/b>\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"https:\/\/widget.spreaker.com\/player?show_id=3076978&theme=light&playlist=false&playlist-continuous=false&autoplay=false&live-autoplay=false&chapters-image=true&episode_image_position=right&hide-logo=false&hide-likes=false&hide-comments=false&hide-sharing=false&hide-download=true\" width=\"100%\" height=\"140px\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe>\r\n<hr \/><\/div><p>Five years ago, when NXT was piping hot, it was hard to imagine a world in which NXT TakeOver specials weren\u2019t a thing. The crowds were hot, the matches stellar, and the brand found a way to tap into true pro wrestling inside WWE\u2019s corporate cadence.<\/p>\n<p>Well, it\u2019s 2021 and 2021 wrestling is bizarre, so NXT TakeOver is no longer. The black and gold skull look replaced with brightly hip colors and new tone of NXT 2.0 that\u2019s a far cry from the days of NXT TakeOver Brooklyn.<a href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2020\/07\/HeadshotHeydorn2020_180.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-102397 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2020\/07\/HeadshotHeydorn2020_180.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"180\" height=\"210\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Is it a bad tone, though? It may be tough to admit, but the old NXT was stale. The product regularly served up premiere matches, but due to the piss poor track record NXT stars had on the main roster, the matches were meaningless outside of simple entertainment. The journeys that characters went on were non-existent and it made for stagnancy.<\/p>\n<p>NXT War Games 2021 is the coming out party for whatever NXT 2.0 plans to be. The brand has prominently featured new talents in major ways that culminate with this show. There is something to be said for young, hungry talent ready to show off. Obviously, there is something to be said for experience. The intrigue lays in which road shines brighter.<\/p>\n<p>Call this a preview, a calm look into the distant future, or a gaze into a wondrous crystal ball; just don\u2019t hold me to anything, ok?<\/p>\n<p><strong><em><u>Duke Hudson vs. Cameron Grimes \u2013 Hair vs. Hair Match<\/u><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve been impressed with Duke Hudson. The poker act is a prop to get over his personality and he\u2019s finessed that nicely thus far. Grimes has been near perfect with this program, giving credibility to segments that otherwise could be eye roll inducing messes. Both have chemistry, too. The feud is about establishing Hudson, so look for Grimes to get his head shaved. Grimes is a pros pro and this is the best chance for Hudson to show what he can do. A secret MOTN contender here.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em><u>Imperium vs. Von Wagner &amp; Kyle O\u2019Reilly \u2013 NXT Tag Team Championship<\/u><\/em><\/strong><\/p><div id=\"pwtor-2102698689\" class=\"pwtor-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>Not sure you can call this a feud between these teams, but it will make for an effective opening level match of the show. The real story here has been the development of O\u2019Reilly and Wagner. The oddball pairing has been fine and they\u2019ll put a bow on everything and win the tag titles in definitive fashion.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em><u>Joe Gacy vs. Roderick Strong \u2013 NXT Cruiserweight Championship<\/u><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Pretty cold. NXT has gone through the motions and given this program time to breathe, but it has square peg, round hole syndrome. Gacy doesn\u2019t fit as a cruiserweight and his act seemingly doesn\u2019t have an endpoint, being rooted in lots of directionless talk. Strong doesn\u2019t have the charisma to carry this either, so it\u2019s all fallen flat. Gacy just isn\u2019t a cruiserweight, so Strong will retain. Watch for Gacy to get his heat back in the end and stand tall without the title.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em><u>Women\u2019s War Games: Raquel Gonzalez, Io Shirai, Cora jade, &amp; Kay Lee Ray vs. Mandy Rose, Gigi Dolin, Jacy Jane, &amp; Dakota Kai <\/u><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A simple build, but an effective one. Toxic Attraction has pretty much run rough shot on the women\u2019s division and it\u2019s time for some comeuppance. The mini feuds within this match will work effectively to drive the narrative. Mandy Rose needs to shine and add a level of credibility to herself. She has the position and the push; she needs to deliver in the ring to be taken more seriously. Like MJF at Blood and Guts, Rose needs her top of the cage moment for supremacy. She\u2019ll get it here too with a victory.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em><u>Men\u2019s War Games: Tommaso Ciampa, Johnny Gargano, LA Knight, &amp; Pete Dunne vs. Bron Breakker, Carmelo Hayes, Grayson Waller, &amp; Tony D\u2019Angelo<\/u><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This has been well built with clear lines formed between NXT old guard and NXT 2.0. It\u2019s a tried-and-true formula that works. The team of veterans is loaded with talent so it\u2019ll be nearly impossible for the NXT 2.0 crew to have a bad showing. Nearly. That crop of talent is where the focus of the brand has been since the launch. They\u2019ve got to deliver. Look for Bron Breakker and his athleticism to be strongly highlighted. Like Mandy Rose, he prevails for his team in the end.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>CATCH-UP:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2021\/12\/02\/heydorns-take-and-the-man-who-should-dethrone-roman-reigns-is\/\">HEYDORN\u2019S TAKE: And the man who should dethrone Roman Reigns is?<\/a><\/p><div id=\"pwtor-662232953\" class=\"pwtor-content-1 pwtor-entity-placement\"><!-- Tag ID: pwtorchcom_test_300x600 -->\r\n<div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __300x600\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"pwtor-end-article-groups pwtor-entity-placement\" id=\"pwtor-4207513053\"><div id=\"pwtor-2404247116\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\nTHANK YOU FOR VISITING<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>Five years ago, when NXT was piping hot, it was hard to imagine a world in which NXT TakeOver specials weren\u2019t a thing. The crowds were hot, the matches stellar, and the brand found a <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2021\/12\/05\/heydorns-take-dont-hold-me-to-this-nxt-war-games-2021\/\" title=\"HEYDORN&#8217;S TAKE: Don\u2019t hold me to this \u2013 NXT War Games 2021\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":130131,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[52,6454,53],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-130150","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opnionandanalysis","category-heydorns-take","category-opinion_stafftakes"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2021\/12\/Screen-Shot-2021-12-17-at-7.07.40-PM.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/130150","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=130150"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/130150\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":130151,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/130150\/revisions\/130151"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/130131"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=130150"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=130150"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=130150"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}