NXT Takeover Respect One Of The Best Live Shows I’ve Ever Experienced, What You Saw On-Air & What I Saw Off-Air

October 8, 2015

Every Monday and Friday there is a column for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. This week, extra columns are being done while in Orlando. Here’s an excerpt of my reaction to NXT Takeover Respect:

ORLANDO — NXT Takeover Respect was one of the most emotionally charged shows and experiences in my 25 years of going to professional wrestling events.

Respect filled a void for me. I never got to attend a live ECW show back in the 1990s with its famous intimate and rowdy crowds. This NXT show has that energy of 800 fans, many regulars, loud at the start and louder by the finish.

Respect was an experience of being in the bubble for a brief time before a major show. While taking a tour of the amazing facility that is Full Sail Live where NXT is filmed and the backstage area, I could feel the nervous energy. I could see it. I could hear it. I spoke to Triple H for about five minutes and you could see the proud dad smile on his face, talking shop about wrestling and the NXT brand.

Respect reminded me of special moments. I’ve been to to six WrestleManias, the first being WrestleMania 17, which many declare the greatest ever. I’ve been there when history and moments are happening. Being ringside for the 30-minute Iron Man match with Bayley versus Sasha Banks was a moment. This match lived up to the hype. No minute dragged. No second had silence from the crowd.

The crowd’s mixed loyalties didn’t last as Banks was a boss when it came to manipulating them. By the second half of the match, she turned the brutality up a notch with a beating on Bayley outside the ring. She then taunted and mocked the famous young Bayley fan and family sitting ringside. At this point, Bayley was No. 1 in every fan’s heart.

One of the most interesting live aspects of this match was seeing Stephanie McMahon nearby and watching her facial expressions and reactions to the match. It’s not often you get to see a McMahon watch a match and get the genuine live reaction, free from the cameras’ eyes.

CLICK HERE for Bayley once the cameras turned off and reaction to the rest of the show.

Justin is is the Executive Producer and Co-host of "Chair Shot Reality" which airs every weekend on WrestleZone. LaBar also hosts a weekly audio podcast called "Wrestling Reality" which is available for download everywhere. You can now read some of his WWE opinions on upgruv.com. He also is a producer and performer for IWC Wrestling in Pittsburgh which has been a sustained indy company with history dating back to 2001. He is also occasionally featured on NBC Sports and 120 Sports for WWE commentary. He's a former WWE columnist for Bleacher Report and the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.