Blood Policy Hinders Main Event of NXT TakeOver Dallas, Bobby Roode In Crowd

Saturday, April 2nd, 2016 | News, WWE | No Comments | Subscribe Via RSS

‘Let Joe Bleed’

In the opening sequence of the NXT TakeOver Dallas main event last night between Samoa Joe and Finn Balor, Joe was legitimately busted open near the eye. WWE’s anti-blood policy caused considerable interference in the match as doctors continually tried to wipe the blood away with towels in the middle of the action. In the beginning Joe no sold and pushed them away, but the message soon became clear and he acquiesced to their demands.

This threw off the pace of the match and resulted in “fuck PG” and “let Joe bleed” chants from the crowd. Though it was an interesting and unique dynamic, there’s no doubt it hindered their performance, especially taking away from Joe’s bad ass persona and NXT’s old school/new school image.

One thing that was apparent is that they were not properly equipped to handle the wound. In UFC blood flow from even the deepest of gashes can be successfully stemmed with an expert ‘cut man’, who applies adrenalin with a cotton swab to constrict blood vessels, followed by a formula to dry the blood and then jelly to cover and protect the area. The NXT team were just fumbling around with towels.

If there’s going to be a policy where matches are interfered with to stop blood. Then have a proper procedure to STOP the blood! They returned so many times to wipe Joe down that it became absurd. What exactly was the point? The fans had already seen the blood, this was on the Network not TV, and WWE’s medical tests will recognize that Joe is not suffering from any kind of blood disease.

The policy needs to be reviewed!

The overall show was of course another home-run for the so called “developmental” brand. The debut of the flamboyant Shinsuke Nakamura is still buzzing on social media!

In battle, not all leave unscathed… #SamoaJoe receives 6 stitches backstage after #NXTTakeOver #WWENetwork

A photo posted by WWE (@wwe) on Apr 1, 2016 at 10:48pm PDT

NXT TakeOver Dallas Results

– American Alpha def. The Revival to become the new Tag Team Champions:

– Austin Aries def. Baron Corbin:

– Shinsuke Nakamura def. Sami Zayn:

– Asuka def. Bayley to become the new Women’s Champion, when Bayley passed out in the submission:

– Finn Balor def. Samoa Joe to retain the NXT Championship, when he reserved the Coquina Clutch in to a pin.

Bobby Roode Appears In Crowd

That's @RealBobbyRoode at ringside at @WWENXT #NXTTakeOver: Dallas!! pic.twitter.com/4KcHpe4V2O

— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) April 2, 2016

A number of stars were shown in the crowd during the event, including Jim Ross, Xpac, Scott Hall, Japanese star Kota Ibushi with Funaki, Stephanie McMahon, and … Bobby Roode!

As if the sight of Kota Ibushi at NXT TakeOver: Dallas wasn’t enough to get the rumor mill rolling, another highly acclaimed grappler was revealed amid a sea of NXT fans. Former World Champion Bobby Roode was shown watching the live WWE Network event very closely from his seat in the capacity crowd. But why was the veteran competitor at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas?

Just like with Ibushi, WWE.com can only speculate at the moment, but there are immediate thoughts of dream showdowns between Roode and the NXT roster’s elite. Perhaps Roode was just there to watch the hottest show in town. Or maybe he was there to scout potential future opponents. Going by the reaction of the NXT Universe when Roode was shown in attendance, fans were certainly excited by the prospect of the latter possibility.