[7.0] "Most of this card was pretty great. Gargano vs Andrade and Cole vs Black were very awesome. Picking up the pace of the overall show, at the very least. The show ender was crazy, too. ***1/2"

[8.0] "Great show that's carried by what is likely top 25 matches all time. I genuinely think it's that great. Everything else ranges from good (UE vs AOP, and Aleister vs Cole) to mediocre. (Dream vs Kassius.)"

[9.0] "Excellent show! Nothing lower than a six with two 9/10 matches back to back. Opening tag is also a great match which surprised me."

[10.0] "The undercard is pretty good, the Black Vs Cole extreme rules match is incredible and of course the main event with Andrade Vs Gargano is just wrestling perfection. Overall NXT TakeOver: Philadelphia is a spectacular show and another one of the best takeovers ever, even with Andrade Vs Gargano alone."

[8.0] "This was a great PPV. Very fun watch especially the last two. I feel like it's overlooked and would've been considered the best Takeover by many if not for New Orleans. Very good TakeOver and the start of NXT's boom period."

[9.0] "The first three matches were okay to good and the final two were homeruns. The main event was outstanding, it is amongst my favourite matches of all time and is my favourite WWE/NXT match ever. Black Vs Cole was as great as Expected from two of the best the brand could offer. Amazing show that I will forever remember for having one of the best Championship Contest in history."

[10.0] "An incredible show. There was a lot of psychology in the Tag Team Title Match, THE AOP showed realistic selling. The Velveteen Dream is an interesting character. Extreme Rules Match also turned out great. But the main event just stole the show. It's not just a match, it's a fucking diamond. Andrade and Gargano just blew up the hall."

[9.0] "I personally after the Women's Championhip match thought the show was gonna be average but it turned out really great thanks to the Extreme Rules and the more than incredible Main Event match. Undisputed Era vs AOP was good for an opener, I love Kyle O'Reilly and Bobby Fish, they are such a great team and AOP improved so much - ***1/2. Velveteen Dream vs Kassius Ohno was solid, surprised Velveteen was more over than an hardcore wrestling legend like Kassius Ohno which might also mean that maybe they should let him be Chris Hero - ***. Didn't like match very much the Women's match - **. Adam Cole vs Aleister Black had an awesome Extreme Rules match, they are both great and gave everyone an amazing time - ****1/2. Gargano vs Almas had an absolutely incredible match for the Title, it had all I ever wanted and more, for real, this is the best NXT match of all time and it's been so far the best Pro Wrestling Match of this year. - ***** or *****1/2 (much deserved)"

[7.0] "I donŽt watch NXT that often. Good matches donŽt always equal a good show. A good show has to have more than just couple of good matches. (There is exceptions of course) Even the very stripped NXT PPV formula has produced better overall shows in the past. There is not much to say about the event that has not something to do with individual matches. About the card i thought that Ohno vs Dream would have been a better opener, because of its length, energy and phase. The Undisputed ERA vs The Authors Of Pain (skipped most of the match) The Velveteen Dream vs Kassius Ohno (***Œ) Ember Moon vs Shayna Baszler (**œ) Aleister Black vs Adam Cole (****œ) Andrade Almas vs Johnny Gargano (maybe around ****œ)"

[8.0] "Takeover does not disappoint, but there is not much to say aside from its two "main events". The first tag team match is quite good, but nothing too exciting, while the two mid-card bouts are forgettable. Aleister Black vs Adam Cole is a good match, but let's be honest, "Extreme Rules match" is an exaggeration; it's a glorified no-disqualification match. The main event it's a masterpiece, and one of the best WWE matches in a long time."

[9.0] "Another characteristically very strong Takeover event. The Almas vs Gargano main event was a fantastic combination of in-ring action, emotion and storytelling that solidified both men's claims to the top of the card in NXT. Black vs Cole was worth of the Extreme Rules tag you knew they had to put on at least one match over the Philly weekend and also had good storytelling, with Cole's personality forcing Black to go to an even darker place to earn victory. reDRagon vs AoP for the tag titles was a fine opening match, with the Authors seeming to be adding more dimensions to their ring-work past just being a power team. Dream vs Ohno was a nice showcase, if not as strong as Dream's match with Black at the last Takeover, but the Women's Title match didn't quite deliver. Also worth noting the excellent opening sequence with Paul Heyman's narration. Good show."

[9.0] "AOP vs Undisputed Era was a great opener, fantastic job in Akam ARM (***1/2), Velveteen Dream vs Kassius Ohno: Good Match, Some Botches but its ok. (***), Ember Moon vs Shayna Baszler: Easily the less entertain match in the event, Shayna is still green, i don't no why they put him in big matches. (**1/2). Aleister Black vs Adam Cole was a Freaking War, Pure Violence. Some Insane Spots. (****1/2), Johhny Gargano vs Andrade Cien Almas: Instant Classic, The Best match in NXT History, a Deserved 5 Star. (*****). Awesome Event, Two Rewatch Worthy Match."

[8.0] "Authors of Pain vs Kyle O'Reilly and Bobby Fish Really good match. I loved KOR and Bobby Fish going after the leg of Akam who sold it really well. The dynamic was a bit weird with AOP being the faces but they made it work ***Ÿ The Velveteen Dream vs Kassius Ohno Entertaining match. Dream; antics were very fun to watch. A few bitches here and there. All forgivable. ***Œ NXT Women? s Title Match: Shayna Baszler vs Ember Moon That finished lowered the match but pretty entertaining. That finished lowered the match but pretty entertaining. *** Adam Cole vs Aleister Black Good match. It lacked a spark for most of it until the interference though. Correct winner. ***œ NXT Championship Match: Andrade ? Cien? Almas vs Johnny Gargano Fantastic match. The crowd was hot as fuck for the match. Almas was brilliant as always. Gargano was awesome. Fantastic storytelling by both men MOTN. ****1/4"

[9.0] "A great Takeover with a legendary main event. Only average match was the women's match. Extreme rules match was great too."

[9.0] "AOP vs ReDragon : ***3/4. Ohno vs Dream : ***1/4. Moon vs Baszler : ***1/4. Black vs Cole ****1/4. Almas vs Gargano : *****"

[9.0] "I? ve never seen an event that I thought was worthy of a 10, this takeover made me question whether or not it was worth a 10, and I decided it? s not. But the show was great, AOP vs Undisputed (***1/2) was a nice opener that had some school spots and just overall was good tag team wrestling, I just wasn? t a fan of the ending. Dream vs Ohno (***3/4) was one of my favorite matches of the night, mainly because Dream is my favorite wrestler, but both men sold very well in this match. The NXT women? s championship match (**1/2) was okay, it furthered the narrative of Ember being a resilient champ, and Shayna being a dangerous woman who will do anything to get to the top. Black vs Cole (****1/4) was a very good match that had some amazing spots especially with weapons, I wish Cole would? ve won with all the outside help he had, but this will be good for Black if he gets called up to the main roster soon. Lastly, the match of the year thus far, Cien vs Johnny Wrestling (*****) was amazing the pure wrestling passion and talent on display made the match and instant classic. Everything in the match was great the storytelling, the spots, the selling, etc... overall this was a great show."

[9.0] "This Takeover started with Undisputed ERA vs Authors of Pain which was a good strategy match, ***1/4. Velveteen Dream vs Ohno wasn't bad but it wasn't good neither, **1/2. Ember Moon vs Shayna Baszler was awesome storytelling match, MMA vs Pro-Wrestling, heel vs face, bully vs hero, competition vs heartiness, ****. Cole vs Black was awesome too, there were some stupid moments but it was a memory of ECW, ****1/4. Gargano/Almas was the best main event of any NXT Takeover so far. The underdog story of Gargano was beautiful, ****1/2. The management knew that they have to do top wrestling for Philly and I think that this show offered absolutely everything what great wrestling show need to have. Good opener which was with good tag team action, good pure wrestling match, some kind of crazy match, heritage to the place where is the show, and fantastic main event with great atmosphere. At end of the show Tommaso Ciampa made his return and it was good moment, I'm really looking forward for this feud. Only thing that I think it was bad was the place where was Cole/Black match. Before the main event and the crowd was cold in first minutes of the main event. But overall this was another big-four weekend stealing show."

[10.0] "Black vs. Cole - Sooooo intense, hard hitting, amazing. Both those guys need to be on the main roster. They tell such good stories. Black is my favorite guy on NXT. Gargano vs. Almas - MATCH OF THE YEAR (top that! ), instant classic, phenomenal, emotional thrill ride, story telling showcase, goosebump-fest! I have not been engrossed in a match like that since Bryan winning the title at WM 30 in the main event. Yeah Gargano could have won, but the Ciampa story needed this so badly. IT ... WAS ... PERFECT!"

[8.0] "Great show! And that was before THAT main event! Bobby Fish & Kyle O? Reilly -vs- Akam & Rezar [***] Real heavyweight! The Velveteen Dream -vs- Kassius Ohno [** 3/4] This had some absolutely awesome moments, yet I can't help feel The Velveteen Dream being a little green to really deliver on his potential. Ohno really put him over and the fans reacted to the climax, so definitely a positive experience. Ember Moon -vs- Shayna Baszler [*** 1/4] Baszler mirroring Minoru Suzuki in an excellent way! I loved the lay-out of this one. Along with the angle they did with Baszler with the arm, this told a story of a dangerous predator. And I felt the danger. This was a fight between fighters. One MMA specialist, another an instinct driven creature, and it played out so nicely! Aleister Black -vs- Adam Cole [***] For the most part a very traditional American style hardcore match, and that's why it took so long for I started appreciating it. The turning point was that Cole back bump on top of the standing chairs! That looked nasty. The match quickly grew from there. The ending was well-timed too leaving a happy impression. Andrade Almas -vs- Johnny Gargano [**** 3/4] This is the type of match you can ramble on and on about, or just say "This was epic style delivered right! " Almas came across as a true champion while Gargano was the heart and soul ? pumping hard! Amazing match which has got to be one of the main picks for Match of the Year 2018 regardless of it only being January!"

[9.0] "Can there be a bad Takeover? Apparently not. Undisputed Era vs AoP -***3/4, Velveteen vs Ohno - **3/4, Baszler vs Moon - ***, Black vs Cole - ****1/2, Gargano vs Almas - *****. Classic stuff."

[8.0] "Solid event, the level of this PPV is the same of the previous two Takeover. The building up of this event was very elementary, according to the match Cole vs Black (two of the most charismatic performer at the moment) it would have been better. Main Event was built up in a good way, but the status of the two performers was too low for a title match. Solid booking for all the matches. Fight Actions are good, main event was great, other matches were above average."

[8.0] "8/10 - Overall a pretty good show, last two matches made it feel special. The last match may be the best NXT takeover match I've ever seen, but I think Zayn/Neville may be better just through the emotion of that story. [1. Undisputed (c) vs Authors of Pain (NXT Tag Team) - **** - Good match, great selling by Authors of Pain, finish was a bit odd. ] [2. Ohno vs Velveteen Dream - *** 1/4 - Started off really good, but towards the end the match felt like it was getting sloppy. ] [3. Moon (c) vs Baszler (NXT Women's) - *** - It was a fine match, but the idea that they tease a medical stoppage and then Moon survives about 2 minutes of various armbar maneuvers felt almost Super Cena-esque. Still, love Baszler, she plays a bully really well, and I feel myself legitimately hating her character. ] [4. Black vs Cole - ****1/4 - Good hardcore match, some good spots (taking that back bump on the chair's edge made me cringe a bit)] [5. Almas (c) vs Gargano (NXT Championship) - ****3/4 - Seriously such an incredible match. My only complaint is that this felt like a match that should have seen Gargano prevail and become NXT championship. If it had been shorter and less engaging, then I would be completely fine with the decision, but the match was so god damn good, that anything short of a Gargano victory felt out of place. But that's a minor grievance and in no way takes away from how much I loved this match. ]"

[9.0] "Tag Title Match (***1/2) - Dream vs. Ohno (***) - Moon vs. Baszler (**1/2) - Black vs. Cole (****) - Almas vs. Gargano (*****) An inoffensive undercard, nothing really good but had two great matches at the top of the card with the best NXT match and probably best WWE match in the last 5-6 years in the main event. As an event as a whole, really good."

[9.0] "Great show. From top to bottom, every match is watchable and highly recommended. Opening tag was utterly stunning; superb work by both teams and even Ellering's reactions added to how things went down - great storytelling, wonderful selling, smooth in-ring work and an excellent finish that had been set up from the very beginning. - match of the night and my personal match of the year so far (*****). Dream/Ohno was fun and utilised both men's strengths. It was a little sloppy here and there but it's presentation and the spotlight it put on Dream was great for him moving forward and a very good follow up from his previous feud with Aleister Black (*** 1/2). The women's title match was all about the story; it's arguable that Shayna's not quite ready for this kind of stage when it comes to her actual in-ring work, but she's such a great character and she is really working hard to improve, already she's better than she was in the Mae Young Classic. Ember helped elevate Baszler to her level and the finish was really well done (*** 1/2). The Extreme Rules match was really good although Cole took some risks that simply weren't necessary and were kind of stupid. It's very easily the best singles match Cole's had since arriving in NXT and having not seen much of his previous work, it's the best singles match I've seen him in. Very enjoyable (*** 3/4) The main event felt a little bit long and lost it's way for a minute there in the middle but overall it built well and the last ten minutes or so were utterly phenomenal. Gargano and Almas worked ridiculously well together but this may have been my least favourite of there trio of matches, which is saying something because this is a great match. I was biting on near-falls left, right and centre towards the end (**** 1/2)."

[10.0] "Such a good event. TUE vs AOP ***1/4. Velveteen Dream vs Kassius Ohno ***1/2. Ember Moon vs Shayna Baszler ***. Very Brutal. Aleister Black vs Adam Cole ****1/2. Very fun to watch. Andrade Almas vs Johnny Gargano *****. Amazing. Great story and Tommaso Ciampa came out and beat up Johnny. Such and Amazing Match. Overall an amazing show"

[8.0] "This was a very good Takeover PPV Event. Good start to kick off the road to Wrestlemania as well. Really enjoyed the Tag Team Title Match between the Authors of Pain and The Undisputed ERA. Wasn't really into the Velveteen Dream/Ohno match. The Women's Title was very sloppy on Shayna Baszlers end. Ember Moon sold a lot of the moves very well. I feel like Shayna went to far after the match and I hope William Regal suspends her. She needs to understand when you do the moves your suppose to do it enough to make it seem like she's hurting the opponent, not literally hurting the opponent. I also believe she should be suspended since she deliberately injured Dakota Kai. This is an entertainment business. Not a fighting federation. Really enjoyed the Extreme Rules match between Aleister Black & Adam Cole. Great to see Sanity get involved in the match to even the odds. Main Event was good but I feel like Johnny Gargano deserves the title more the Andrade Almas. Can't wait to see Candice LaRae get her hands on Selina Vega in one on one match down the road on NXT. Having Ciampa attack Johnny Gargano makes sense. Andrade Almas still seems a little clumsy in the ring and I think taking the title off of him would be a better move than to have him retain. Especially after what happened to Drew McIntyre at the last Takeover PPV Event."

[6.0] "This would have been a strong show if not for a few weak areas. Nothing was necessarily 'bad' but there were a few things which definitely lacked. The opener of Fish & O'Reilly vs Authors of Pain was MOTN, which is disappointing to see in hindsight since the rest of the show essentially went down hill. This was a very good match though. I liked the dynamic of big brawlers against smaller strikers/grapplers. Nice teamwork from both teams and nice story with Akam's leg being worked over. ***3/4. Ohno vs Velveteen started off great and then simmered down but was still quite good. I enjoyed the 30-second knock-out tease. Nice arrogant character work from Velveteen whiel Ohno desperately tried to fight back. Ohno sadly caused a few botches and awkward moments later on, but the work was mostly good. ***1/4. Moon vs Baszler was disappointing. Baszler was awkward early on. Moon's selling was on the melodramatic and comical end sadly. Baszler's work was mediocre but she carried herself very confidently and felt threatening to some extent. I enjoyed the teases of her submission holds too. The rushed cradle roll-up finish was very underwhelming. ***. Cole vs Black was pretty good. I enjoyed the 'dastardly' aspect here, which isn't something I usually enjoy with hardcore-related stipulation matches. Here, though, it played very well into the story. Two arrogant men, both channeling that in different ways. Cole is cheap and cowardly while Black is extremely confident and menacing. I enjoyed Black refusing to use weapons early on but eventually using them when finally pushed to his limit. The various weapon spots here were very cool, and both men had very good general wrestling chemistry also. The various interference at the end was annoying, but the majority of the match more than made up for it. ***1/2. Almas vs Gargano wasn't bad but went overkill to an infuriating extent. Unsurprisingly, more isn't always more. **3/4."

[9.0] "Was lucky enough to see this show live. Now the first 3 matches were all good, nothing special, but those last two matches were something else. TUE vs AoP was a really good opener ***3/4. Dream vs Ohno was good, Dream was wildly over ***1/2. Shayna vs Ember told a really good story to set up a rematch ***1/2. Black vs Cole was so much fun. Incredible use of extreme rules and just all out great ****1/2. Then Almas vs Gargano just wow. Best match I've ever seen live, beating out the RR2015 triple threat. That match just flowed so well and built perfectly. Simply incredible ******"

[7.0] "*** 3/4 for AoP vs. Fish & O'Reilly. *** for Ohno vs. Dream. *** 1/4 for Moon vs. Baszler. *** for Cole vs. Black. **** 1/4 for Almas vs. Gargano."

[8.0] "Weak undercard, but the last two main events more than made up for it. Opener was way better than I expected with both teams looking good, ***3/4. Ohno vs Dream was fine, but the former's talent should be being used on better opponents, ***1/2. Shayna vs Moon was practically a dollar store version of Tanahashi vs Suzuki from half a day earlier. Cole vs Black also exceeded expectations as well in being a very brutal war, ****1/2. Main event is one of the best WWE matches I have seen in years, *****."

[9.0] "Except for the terrible NXT Women's Title match, everything is great. Adam Cole vs Aleister Black is entertaning and "extreme" for the Philadelphia crowd. Almas vs Gargano is a MOTY contender, what an unbelievable match! The first two matches are good enough, a great Wrestling night on par with the NXT Takeover standards."

[10.0] "AOP/reDRagon: ***2/3. AOP are still very green, but they can be led. Finish was a bit off. Really good nonetheless. Ohno/Dream: ***1/2. A bit clunky, but still very good. Dream is gonna be something. Ember/Shayna: ****. Great story. Ember was a great underneath baby face. Shayna is a great combo of Minoru Suzuki and Brock Lesnar. This match reminded me of Okada/Suzuki from early 2017. Finish was great, and it accomplished what it should have, a need for a return match. I loved this. Cole/Black: ****1/4. This was great. Cole got the dog s**t whipped out of him. This was so well done. Brutal. Main Event: ****1/2. Just an amazing roller coaster of a match. This was special. Andrade was great. Gargano was elite. Show of the year contender IMO. Easily in the running for best TakeOver to date. Go watch this whole show in one sitting!"

[9.0] "AOP/reDRagon was a textbook David vs. Goliath tag battle - enjoyed it a ton (***3/4), Ohno's Kawada color attire was sick, but the match vs. Dream was like the worst Ohno match in at least 2, 5 years or something; simply too much Dream on top in this one (**), I loved Ember/Shayna - I thought the structure of it was pretty much perfect for the 2 characters (***3/4), Cole/Aleister was crap and I feel like I am being too generous with my rating for it (*), Almas/Gargano... WOW! There isn't much else to say except that it was pro wrestling at it's best (*****) - gonna be hard to beat for the 2018 MOTY honors. Masterful stuff. Overall Takeover knocked it out of the park once again. Wonderful show."

[9.0] "Undisputed ERA Vs Authors of Pain ***3/4. Velveteen Dream Vs Kassius Ohno ***1/4. Ember Moon Vs Shayna Baszler 1/2*. Aleister Black Vs Adam Cole ****3/4. Andrade Almas Vs Johnny Gargano *****. Very fun opener match. Should be a good send off for AoP. Dream Vs Ohno didn't meet my expectations but was still pretty good. Moon Vs Baszler was a shitfest. Black Vs Cole was really, really fun. Great spots and moments with a good outcome. Andrade Vs Gargano is probably the 2nd best NXT match ever. Everything about it was great. This would have been 10/10 show but the women's match sucked ass."