6. Raquel Gonzalez Wins NXT Women’s Championship
The main event of night one saw the women steal the show once again.
Io Shirai put her NXT Women’s Championship on the line against Raquel Gonzalez. She may not be the baddest challenge Shirai has faced during her reign but she is definitely her tallest… “HOW CAN A FEMALE BE SO TALL” screams Triple H whenever Gonzalez towers over her opponents.
They did an exceptional job at hyping this match up throughout the entire night. The editing team created another fantastic video package and the pre-show featured two intriguing sit-down interviews with Samoa Joe. They even showed the carnage from Gonzalez throwing Shirai through the wall from last week. These women were ready to decimate each other.
The match was highly intense with the structure focusing on how in the world Shirai could take the challenger off her feet. The ‘Genius of the Sky’ managed to do this with an epic leap from the Stand & Deliver skull at the top of the ramp.
However, nothing would work and Gonzalez finally slammed the champion into the mat with her deadly one-handed powerbomb. As a result, Raquel Gonzalez is now our new NXT Women’s Champion.
This felt like a very wholesome moment for the powerful Gonzalez. It’ll be exciting to see where they go with her reign when NXT moves to Tuesday nights.
It will also be interesting to see where Io Shirai goes next. WWE posted an exclusive video on their YouTube channel revealing a standing ovation for Shirai post-match. This often results in the emotional star in the ring being called up.
It is always a scary move seeing your favorite NXT stars being sent to the main roster as you never know what direction creative will take their character in. Regardless, Raw and SmackDown are definitely lacking in top-star talent in the women’s division and Shirai would certainly be a big deal on either show.
5. MSK Win NXT Tag Team Championship
This match is slightly underrated compared to the rest of the card but it was an awesome clash nevertheless.
NXT proved to WWE how you book a tag team match properly, moreso a three-way tag team match. It is much more exciting when the three teams have a partner in the match rather than two competitors in the ring with an absent team lingering at the corner.
This is more effective as it allows for many options. Not only do you see a slugfest between two wrestlers but you can see mind-blowing moves created by three, four, five or even six talents. This match rocked.
MSK, Grizzled Young Veterans and Legado Del Fantasma were all very inventive. The flips we saw during this fight left us in awe at what we just witnessed.
The magic they created proved that the future of the NXT tag team division is in safe hands. We could easily watch a two-on-two tag team match between either team. They are all highly talented.
In the end, MSK managed to pull off a huge victory and in their short career on NXT, they have already solidified themselves as one of the brands top acts. We can’t wait for the future of this charismatic tag team.
We already have an idea of their first challenge as on the pre-show of night two, Killian Dain and Drake Maverick defeated Breezango to gain a future opportunity for the NXT Tag Team Championship.
4. WALTER Retains NXT United Kingdom Championship
Widely regarded as the best match on night one, WALTER and Tommaso Ciampa stood and delivered in a way only they can.
Slaps echoed around the Capitol Wrestling Center. Powerbombs put dents into the mat. Ciampa’s neck had flashbacks to its worsened state when WALTER targeted it like a missile about to strike.
There were so many great spots in this match, it’s too difficult to name them all.
WALTER is an impressive human being. He has such a unique old-school wrestling ability and it isn’t even surprising that he has held onto his United Kingdom Championship for as long as he has.
Furthermore, the star recognition he places on his name after each of these incredible showcases will just make whoever finally manages to overcome him even more deserving.
WALTER powered out of a Fairytale Ending and instead ended the fairytale of Ciampa’s dreams by suffocating him in his menacing sleeper hold.
Who will beat WALTER? The question still remains…
3. Santos Escobar Retains NXT Cruiserweight Championship
Night two of Stand & Deliver kicked off with the mysterious Poppy screaming into a microphone. She has changed so much since her YouTube days. Then the first match got underway…
Santos Escobar vs Jordan Devlin in a Ladder match to decide who is the undisputed NXT Cruiserweight Champion was a strange decision to go for. A heel vs heel dynamic doesn’t often work as it puts fans in an awkward situation on who they should be rooting for.
However, these stars sorta made it a success as Devlin seemed to be wrestling the babyface side of the match’s structure. Escobar was the one that tried to cheat and had his Legado Del Fantasma goons assist him during the match.
Obviously, it was going to be a mystical moment putting these two men in a ladder stipulation. The spots that were displayed were unimaginable to the normal viewer. If they didn’t get yanked from the top of the ladder, they would leap off it themselves!
This match was great and ended with Jordan Devlin being pushed from the ladder and crashing into another. This was not only a conflict of pain but a fall from glory. Devlin was really close to being classed as the true champion.
However, Escobar is a special kind of talent in the Cruiserweight division and it is delightful to see him remain at the top of the luchador circle.
2. Karrion Kross Wins NXT Championship
Karrion Kross has it all. An elitist ring presence. A mesmerising entrance. An interesting manager. A complex character. Even the hard-hitting wrestling style fits his aura and he is destined to do some big things in this company. Winning the NXT Championship for the second time proves this.
Plus, Finn Balor was the guy. NXT was his house for years. They didn’t fail to get over that this was Balor’s 16th TakeOver event. He was 14-1 heading into this warfare. Ultimately, Finn Balor is one of NXT’s best-built guys and it was nice to see this nostalgia run for Balor on the brand he made.
This match was intense. Kross wouldn’t let Balor out of his sight. Balor would always find a way to stomp on his ribs. It was really epic to watch. They entranced me so much that I bought into Balor winning with the Coup De Grace.
Not many kick out of that finisher, therefore, when Kross does it and manages to choke him then hammer his elbows into Balor’s head for the win, you know he is stealing the torch Balor has kept alit for years.
Kross is finally getting his opportunity to prove himself as the NXT Champion. Previously, when Kross beat Keith Lee for the strap, he had to relinquish it due to an unfortunate injury. No injuries have been reported for this show, and as a result, Kross’ celebration on NXT this Tuesday will be interesting to watch.
It is also intriguing to see what happens with Balor. This feels like an appropriate time to return to the main roster. Balor has the name value that the mainstream fans can believe in and still understand after two years of being gone. He will definitely be able to squeeze into one of the brands top feuds post-Mania.
1. Kyle O’Reilly Defeats Adam Cole
The main event of night two was a bit unsanctioned. It is always exciting to see a blood-feud strongly main event a TakeOver as it has become a tradition for the NXT Championship to cap the show. This usually only changes on special occasions, like WarGames or the personal rivalry between Gargano and Ciampa.
After Undisputed Era led the charge on NXT for the past few years, it was sweet to see Cole & O’Reilly culminate the show with their aggression and emotion. This unsanctioned fight stood, delivered and ended what has truly been an Undisputed Era.
The match started with the awful new theme songs for O’Reilly and Cole. These aren’t terrible but so generic that I can barely remember the way they sound while writing this. We really need theme songs with passion and meaning again. Songs that tell the character’s story. When can we get the likes of Robert Roode’s or Shinsuke Nakamura’s again? I really hope these get updated in the coming weeks similarly to the uproar on Keith Lee’s generic theme song when he was called up last year.
This was the only downer on this match. In my opinion, the brawl could’ve shaved ten minutes, but despite its length, I was engrossed throughout.
They didn’t waste a second once the bell rang. The strikes got delivered with motivation and anger. Their drive to topple one another was inspiring. The use of the steel chair, chain and working TV (why is there a TV under the ring?) all proved the lengths they would go to destroy each other.
One of the best but also worst parts of a Cole match is the kickout central it provides. I always pop hard whenever a last-second shoulder movement saves the match but it is also one of the biggest demons in a Cole fight. They happen too much and always catch me off-guard. Especially, when O’Reilly hit the last shot. Honestly, that should’ve been the end of this match.
Another epic moment saw Cole drop O’Reilly through the ramp. This was awesome and very innovative. No one does unsanctioned bloodfests better than NXT.
The finale saw O’Reilly confused at how to win this. Adam Cole certainly shocked his system. This was until he wrapped the chain around his knee and dropped it down onto a helpless Cole who was atop of an upside-down steel chair.
This was an incredible execution of the psychology of this feud. This betrayal has driven Kyle O’Reilly to the measures of getting close to killing his former best friend. Ultimately, he left victorious and Cole left on a stretcher.
This was a beautiful brawl, and despite the limitless kick outs, it stole the show for me. Definitely ended a terrific two nights of intense action.
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