Smark Out Moment

Welcome to another edition of Triple Threat from Smark Out Moment, where three of us get together to discuss three questions based on one big topic going down in the week of professional wrestling.

This week, Dallas Allsopp, Bodeen Green and Matt Morgan review the 2020 edition of NXT TakeOver: WarGames.

NXT TakeOver: WarGames was another incredible event, with both WarGames matches delivering in sheer entertainment value. Who is a made woman after such a brutal match? Is Johnny Gargano the right man to hold the NXT North American Championship? And just what is in store for The Undisputed Era?


ALLSOPP: Although last year’s effort was memorable from a storyline perspective, I believe this year’s match was the better in ring experience. It was pulsating, exhilarating, and most importantly, fun. Raquel Gonzalez comes away from this match looking like an absolute monster, and I cannot wait for her to challenge for the NXT Women’s Championship.

GREEN: Whilst it lagged at times, the women's WarGames match did a great job to open the show, living up to the brutal expectations that are expected from WarGames matches. It's honestly too hard to tell if this year's women's WarGames match was better than last year's offering. Whilst they were both great matches, they were extremely different, especially with last year's WarGames contest being 4 on 2 after Dakota Kai attacked and betrayed Tegan Nox.

Without a doubt, the MVP of this match was easily Raquel Gonzalez. She served the role of a powerhouse in incredible fashion, dominating some of the biggest names in NXT's women's division. The exclamation mark on her performance was pinning the current NXT Women's Champion, Io Shirai, to secure the win. This performance definitely made Gonzalez stand out, and it can easily lead to a title shot in the near future.

MORGAN: Similar to the statements made by the others, last year’s WarGames match had phenomenal storytelling with a lot of memorable fallout. This year’s match may not have featured that same level of prominence in regards to storylines, however, the action was incredible. All eight ladies in the match did an amazing job. Raquel Gonzalez benefitted the most this year. Her definitive victory over Io Shirai will undoubtedly make her a top contender for the NXT Women’s Championship down the line.


GREEN: This was a great match which made all three men look strong, especially Damien Priest, despite the fact he lost. As much as I enjoyed the shock factor of seeing Leon Ruff as NXT North American Champion, Johnny Gargano winning is a good call in my opinion. Gargano is at the stage in his NXT career where he can put over the next generation of superstars. However, in order to do this, he still needs to pick up big wins every now and then to remind fans just how good he really is.

If Gargano can break the curse of losing his first title defenses, I can definitely see him doing a lot with the belt, such as putting on great matches with younger or newer talent, giving them a spotlight whilst still looking strong himself. Perhaps the biggest moment of Gargano's title reign will be who beats him for the title, and how strong they will look when doing it.

MORGAN: I was hoping that Leon Ruff would win based on the freshness of his reign. However, Johnny Gargano is an absolute workhorse. As long as he is champion, I’m sure we will see great matches for the North American Championship. Going forward, I hope that Gargano is able to break his curse of not defending a championship more than once. Eventually, I would like to see him and Austin Theory battle it out based on their current alliance. Having a high profile match between Gargano and Theory could easily elevate Theory’s overall status on the NXT roster.

ALLSOPP: Johnny Gargano seems to be a great fit for the title, provided he can actually defend it successfully. As one of the best workers in NXT, he can elevate the NXT North American Championship and all who challenge him, whilst Damien Priest can make the logical progression towards a potential NXT Championship programme. Their match at WarGames was good, but it wasn't the barnstormer I thought it would be.


MORGAN: The men’s WarGames match for me was pretty enjoyable, especially due to Pat McAfee's involvement. The match was brutal, and everyone played their part really well. I cannot see The Kings of NXT continuing as a faction, especially with McAfee’s schedule and other commitments. With McAfee being the organizer and founder of the group, I don’t see Pete Dunne, Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch being associated with one another unless he is around. I am unsure, yet intrigued, to see what the future holds for The Undisputed Era. I am hoping that Bobby Fish is not severely injured. Even if he isn’t, Kyle O'Reilly is being groomed for a singles run. It’ll be interesting to see if his pursuit of the NXT Championship causes friction between himself and Adam Cole.

ALLSOPP: It was fun, but it did not excite me in the manner that WarGames usually does. As The Undisputed Era were presented as the face team, the match lacked real edge, although it was positive to see Pat McAfee bring his working boots to the match. The Undisputed Era seem primed for separate interests on the yellow brand whilst being loosely connected, but The Kings of NXT seem destined to split. Unless McAfee wants to compete regularly, I cannot see them staying together much longer.

GREEN: This was my favorite match of the night as all eight men involved did a great job in making this contest look brutal, with The Undisputed Era playing their new roles as faces nicely. However, the star of this match was without a doubt Pat McAfee. He continues to shine in the wrestling world, whether it's on promos or the few times he's been in the ring. He has always impressed and shown he is a natural in the squared circle.

With Bobby Fish potentially injured, it's hard to tell what is next for The Undisputed Era. It's clear that Kyle O'Reilly will continue his run as a singles star, so this could mean anything for the rest of the group. As for Pat McAfee's group, it is highly dependent on how much he will appear on NXT in the future. I do hope we see more McAfee though in the future, as he is extremely talented and has easily been one of the best heels of 2020. Even without McAfee, I can see Oney Lorcan, Danny Burch and Pete Dunne staying together, with Lorcan and Burch holding the tag titles for a little longer, whilst Dunne continues his career as a singles star.