WWE NXT Takeover R Evolution: 3 Things We Hated And 3 Things We Loved

Welcome to another edition of Wrestling Inc.'s retro reviews, where we take notable wrestling shows from the past and apply our globally celebrated loved/hated format! It's funny — this is our fourth one of these, and purely coincidentally, they've covered two shows from 1997 (WWF Badd Blood and WCW Halloween Havoc) and two shows from 2014 (WWE WrestleMania XXX and this new one). We'll be breaking that pattern with the next one, don't worry, but we couldn't just let the 10th anniversary of "WWE NXT" Takeover: R Evolution pass by without acknowledgement.

On December 11, 2014, "WWE NXT" streamed its fourth live special on what was then the new WWE Network, and the third to be branded "Takeover." It's one of the more celebrated Takeover shows, and for good reason, as it featured a breakout match in the young career of AEW TBS Champion Mercedes Mone, the first WWE appearance of Finn Balor's "demon" persona, and an up-and-coming Sami Zayn taking on reigning NXT Champion Adrian Neville (now known as AEW World Trios Champion "The Bastard" PAC) in the main event. However, it's probably most historically relevant for introducing WWE fans to Kevin Owens — not just via his entrance music and debut match, which opened the show, but via the unhinged and psychotic actions that closed it. With Owens having recently descended into madness once again in 2024 WWE, culminating in his Undisputed WWE Championship match with Cody Rhodes this Saturday, his WWE origins at R Evolution have never been more relevant, and as you'll see, the WINC staff had way too much fun tying those two events together. We also managed to cover most of the rest of the show — though the largely unremarkable tag title match will go unmentioned, because there are just too many other things to remark upon. With that in mind, here are three things we hated and three things we loved about "WWE NXT" Takeover: R Evolution!

NXT TakeOver: R-Evolution was a show that, in hindsight, had a lot of firsts. It was Corey Graves' first night as a full-time announcer after confirming that too many concussions had ended his career, it was the night that Finn Balor debuted "The Demon," and it was Kevin Owens' first night on the "WWE NXT" roster, and boy did he make it count.

Given how much of a superstar he has become in his 10 years with WWE, hearing his music play for the first time and hearing no reaction until he stormed out on stage was a little surreal, but the fans in Full Sail on this night knew what they were witnessing; the birth of a star. Many in attendance, and those watching at home, probably already knew everything there was to know about the former Kevin Steen, but for anyone who didn't know what to expect, they were left with their jaws on the floor after this sprint of an opening match.

Granted, it's not a five-star classic by any stretch, but it did exactly what it needed to do and then some. Owens bulldozing his way around the ring and the outside with that trademark look everyone has come to know so well, the look of a man who is clearly so happy to be a wrestler to the point that he will pulverize you out of sheer stimulation, was a joy to see. However, let's not take anything away from CJ "Wow hasn't Juice Robinson changed in the past decade" Parker, who also played his part in making Owens look great. He got a few good shots in to keep himself credible, one of which giving Owens that broken nose which likely garnered a bit of heat backstage, but added so much to the bout without overshadowing anything. A happy accident if you will.

Owens had the reputation of a man who was beloved by everyone when he signed with WWE, meaning that the company needed to knock his debut out of the park, and the combination of this and what he did at the end of the show (and don't worry we will get to that) worked wonders. This is how you spotlight a new star, a future world champion, and a true prize fighter.

Written by Sam Palmer

If you are one of those WWE fans who jumped aboard the NXT TakeOver hype train that really gathered a lot of steam around 2015, you know exactly what to expect. Five, maybe six at a push, matches that all range from good to jump out of your seat spectacular, with the best talent from around the world all being featured on a stage like never before. Which is why when you go back to 2014 and you watch the earlier NXT TakeOver events, you're met with matches like this and you think to yourself "did this really need to be on this show?" To which the answer is almost always a resounding no.

For context, Baron Corbin had been built up in the weeks leading up to this show as someone who could beat anyone who was put in front of him in no time at all, to the point where the crowd started counting just to see how long the match would last. They did it with CJ Parker at the last TakeOver, and they did it with Tye Dillinger here as well, both of which, did not need, nor deserve, to be on either show. This is meant to be a TakeOver card, which back in 2014 weren't a monthly, or even a bi-monthly thing, meaning that every match on the show needed to be warranted, and you give a 41 second squash match a spot over so many other people on the card?

This squash, which was used as a vehicle to spotlight a lower midcard feud between Corbin and Bull Dempsey, did not need to be here. It shouldn't have been here. I'm all for giving new talent a big stage to appear on, but even then, Corbin looked like a dear in the headlights when he walked out on stage. An absolute waste of time that could have been better suited for the weekly TV show. If you need an example on how to do a squash on a show like this, look at what opened the card, that's how you do it.

With all that said, Corbin apparently trended worldwide (as in THE ENTIRE WORLD WAS TALKING ABOUT THIS) on Twitter during this show so I guess he did something right, and shout out to Dillinger who is the only man on this card to still be in "WWE NXT" to this day, which does sound like an achievement on paper, but probably isn't in the grand scheme of things.

Written by Sam Palmer

I feel as though I should have known more about the history of Finn Balor's Demon character with my work in wrestling feature writing here at WINC (shameless plug), but as someone who wasn't watching "NXT" religiously outside of the clips I'd see on social media back in 2014, Balor coming out as the Demon in his tag team match alongside KENT...er, I mean, Hideo Itami, when the pair took on The Ascension at TakeOver: R Evolution was surprising. I initially thought he had already debuted the character somewhere along the line in "NXT" in a much bigger match, but that wasn't the case. So, I wasn't entirely sure just why it was happening here, despite how freaking cool he always looks when he brings out the Demon.

If one does the tiniest bit of research, you'll find that the common thought is that Balor was sometimes bringing out his alter-ego, "The Demon King" in Japan and on the indies, but that wasn't the case – he was just using body paint to cosplay comic book characters. This darker side of Balor was really forged in "NXT," and, while I could be wrong, a tag match against The Ascension's Konnor and Viktor didn't necessarily need the brutality of the Demon. It certainly seems silly now that this match was the start of it.

As history goes, Balor debuted the Demon persona on the main roster in a singles match, so those who never got to see him in "NXT" got the full experience of the former Prince Devitt all painted up in a super-intricate manner in a one-on-one match. He faced off, and won, against Bobby Lashley. While I certainly think Balor should have brought out the Demon in his "NXT" days to build up the lore of the persona before heading to the main roster and to make fans extra invested, I'm not sure if this TakeOver was the right call. It didn't help anything, but it certainly didn't hurt Balor in anyway. I just think it could have been put to better use, especially when we as fans know that body paint takes hours and hours to complete.

With everything on this TakeOver being excellent across the board, outside one backstage promo, in my eyes, it was hard for me to find anything else to complain about. While I love when Balor brings out the paint, but the anti-climactic, rather lackluster debut of it in a tag team match just wasn't for me, no matter how awesome he looks.

Written by Daisy Ruth

"NXT" has been known for its top-notch women's division since it started streaming live for fans not sitting in the audience at Full Sail University to actually watch, and the only women's match on this TakeOver card was all it needed to begin proving that. NXT Women's Champion Charlotte Flair's defense against Sasha Banks was one of the best matches on a card full of great in-ring work. Banks and Flair really put on a show on a night that belonged to Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn. The lead-up package was excellent for those of us who hadn't watched before and it really made me feel the tension and heat between these two women in this rivalry. The brief inclusions of the other Four Horsewomen – Bayley and Becky Lynch, to show the feuds between all of these women to get to the top of "NXT" was cool to see, as well, especially now knowing how things have worked out for all of them.

Flair retained her title in this match, hitting an excellent Natural Selection off the top rope, but not before Banks gave her a run for her money (pun not intended). The crowd was torn between them, and even with knowing the end result, I honestly was too. Both their styles were showcased well here, with Banks' mean streak coming out quick to try and topple "The Queen." From that, Banks goes into various submission holds on Flair, and looks pretty impressive for quite some time. Flair battles back, showing her strength, but I really thought Banks got a lot in here and looked incredible in defeat. Maybe this time period was the best for the future Mercedes Mone, but I was very impressed. The match overall was well-paced, even with Banks being on the offensive for a good portion of it, and the match didn't overstay its welcome, especially before a long main event that culminated in a big celebration.

In addition to just being an excellent match between two incredible women, watching this match inspired me to want to go back and watch other women's TakeOver matches to experience the history leading up to where we are with women's wrestling today. While they were still called "Divas" at this time, which made me cringe while watching, I can't imagine how amazing it was for younger fans growing up to watch matches like these. Flair and Banks put on an inspired match in the ring, and I loved it.

Written by Daisy Ruth

It can hardly be disputed that Roman Reigns is the biggest name in this era of professional wrestling, having adopted a "Tribal Chief" persona in 2020 and embarking upon a 1,316 day reign with the WWE Championship before returning this year as "The Original Tribal Chief" to much adulation from the WWE Universe.

But during this fun little flashback show featuring future fellow Original Bloodline member Sami Zayn winning the NXT Championship, there wasn't so much a diamond in the rough as a nugget of pyrite in a river of Black and Gold, with Reigns circa 2014 giving a terrible backstage promo. I was reminded that at this time literally days later this would be the Reigns that had been molded from the melted down kevlar of The Shield, keeping the music and the gear while adding no injection of personal character like Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose (Jon Moxley) had done. But at the same time, this Reigns that was almost stammering over his formulaic script about his quest for the WWE Championship was somehow considered just a month later as the man to win the Royal Rumble and main event WrestleMania 31.

This was a time when Reigns had just been betrayed by his Shield-brother and his emotions could only manifest a line coined by Sylvester the Cat. A Reigns that had been anointed by the powers that be, but one that appearing at "WWE NXT" Takeover R Evolution stuck out as horrendously miscast, especially when you consider that he would in a year's time become a two-time WWE Champion presented himself as drastically under-faceted when compared to the two in the main event: Sami Zayn and Adrian Neville (PAC). It's somewhat of an issue to me that watching this show put into perspective the lack of meritocracy at the expense of greater talent. Especially as it pertains to Neville, as he was someone who would go on to be underutilized at every turn on the main roster. It's wild to me that Zayn has yet to win a WWE title when, isolating this event for what it was, he had connected with the fans on a way that Reigns couldn't. Things have ultimately worked out for the better but these were issues that arose while watching this event, somewhat shaking the recency bias away from things, this was a stark reminder of the inane booking strategy the company employed at the time.

Written by Max Everett

The NXT Championship match between Adrian Neville and Sami Zayn is one of my favorite matches of all time, and in the decade since it happened, I've talked and written about it enough times that it's honestly hard to think of something new to say. I've discussed the match on its own terms, the delightful contrast in styles — Neville's cold, calculating precision vs. the chaotic "all heart no head" feel of Zayn's offense — and how it shines through in everything from their entrances to the final sequence. I've set it against the backdrop of "NXT" as a whole, Zayn completing the show's first major arc, with himself as the protagonist, just in time to pass the baton to the women's division. I've gone both broader and more personal at the same time, widening the camera lens to include not just the post-match attack by Kevin Owens, but their earlier careers as El Generico and Kevin Steen, trying to express what it was like for a longtime fan of both wrestlers to know that they hadn't missed each other; Owens hadn't arrived too late; their rich history (itself already more than a decade old at the time) would not be ignored. You can see it in the moment Owens runs past the rest of the "NXT" locker room, all of whom have been there longer than him, to be the first to congratulate Zayn in the ring after his title win — and Zayn's first response, before Owens hugs him, is to take a hesitant step back, because the man currently rushing toward him has already betrayed him once, and bloodied him countless times.

I've talked and written about that moment before, but it does hit a little different on this particular day. Considering the almost mythical attention to detail Zayn and Owens have historically paid to their storylines and characters, it's hard to imagine it's an accident that the 10-year anniversary of R Evolution — the three-part of act of Owens' debut, Zayn's title win, and Owen's immediate heel turn — is happening now. As I write this on the exact 10-year anniversary, we're three days away from Saturday Night's Main Event, where Owens will challenge Cody Rhodes for the WWE Championship. The story of his recent heel turn, which has received almost universal acclaim, hinges on his past betrayals, from Sami Zayn to Chris Jericho to Kofi Kingston (the only one he regrets). It's steeped in the entire history of the Kevin Owens character, which is also the history of the Kevin Steen character, which is also his real name.

It's the story of a kid who dreamed of competing in WWE, but who came in as a 30-year-old with a chip on his shoulder because everyone else from his generation of Ring of Honor/Pro Wrestling Guerrilla indie stars had been signed before him. It's the story of an incredibly memorable debut and unbelievably fast rise to the top — Owens took Zayn's NXT title two months after R Evolution, beat John Cena on the main roster six months after R Evolution, and won the brand new Universal Championship before his two-year anniversary with the company — followed by five years laboring under what felt like an impossibly hard ceiling, often personified in the form of Roman Reigns. It's the story of a man who, after Paul Levesque took over main roster creative from a "retired" Vince McMahon in 2022, returned to the "Prize Fighter" aesthetic he debuted at R Evolution and promised to finally win a championship again — only to be immediately eclipsed by Zayn, who rose from the ashes of the McMahon regime to become an integral part of the most successful storyline in modern WWE history. Owens has technically won a title since his declaration, but it was he and Zayn winning the tag titles; since then, Zayn also dethroned GUNTHER to become Intercontinental Champion at WrestleMania 40, while Owens has still not won a singles title since the summer of 2017.

Back in 2014, in the aftermath of his attack on Zayn, Owens claimed it was nothing personal — he came after Zayn because Zayn was champion, and being champion meant more money and a better life for his family. But that was a lie. In fact, Owens' very first WWE promo, one he cut at the Performance Center that never aired on TV, but that he credits with getting him hired, reveals that the attack was entirely personal, a product of bitter jealousy. One interesting thing about the 2024 version of the character is that he's now claiming entirely personal motivations, which makes me think that maybe his real motivation was always to win gold. Maybe it's wasn't Rhodes teaming with Reigns at Bad Blood that sent Owens over the deep end; maybe it was his title match with Rhodes a month earlier in Berlin, when he couldn't pull the trigger on his friend, that made him realize becoming "The Prize Fighter" again isn't just a matter of putting duct tape on your shirt — it also requires blood sacrifice.

My god, look at all those words. Do you see all this crap? And that's without all the stuff I wrote and deleted because it was going in a direction that would have required an actual novel. This is what happens when you delve into Zayn/Owens lore — it never stops. Everything is a twist on this or an echo of that; everything is potentially relevant. One thing that's always true, though, is that it always involves choice. It's always about the decisions characters make, and what that says about them — both as people and as wrestlers. Hell, it's the reason I love the Zayn/Neville match so much. All 23 minutes are beautiful, but the match hinges on the moment when uber-babyface Zayn has to decide if he's going to hit somewhat-more-complicated Neville with the title belt while the ref is down. In other words, is Zayn willing to do the wrong thing to guarantee victory? Does the title mean more than his values?

It doesn't, of course, and in this case, it doesn't matter — Zayn doesn't use the title belt but ends up winning the match anyway, proving that he's good enough to succeed while staying true to himself. Choosing the more difficult path and succeeding anyway is a recurring theme throughout Zayn's career, and it's a big reason he's one of my two favorite wrestlers. On the flip side, one of the reasons Kevin Owens is my other favorite wrestler is because he tends to make the opposite choice over and over again, prioritizing his personal success over what's morally right. And it should be noted that, at least in the short term, this strategy usually rewards him — he beat Zayn for the NXT title; he beat Chris Jericho for the United States title.

So yeah, I guess my big takeaway this time is that If I were a Cody Rhodes fan, I would not be feeling the most secure heading into Saturday. Because everything is a twist on this or an echo of that, and nothing in the modern wrestling industry resonates throughout history like a heel Kevin Owens fighting for blood, revenge, and championship gold.

Written by Miles Schneiderman