Last night, NXT ushered in a new era of the black & gold brand with new champions and the end of feuds at TakeOver XXX.
Not only that, but they delivered another thrilling edition of the TakeOver event, this one feeling special because it was the 30th iteration.
We saw a brilliant ladder match – giving the first North American Title ladder match a run for its money, and Pat McAfee also shone in his performance and is one of the most talked about parts of this show.
There is a plethora of things to discuss, so let’s take a look at the ‘Six Biggest Takeaways From NXT TakeOver XXX’.
1. Damian Priest Wins NXT North American Championship
The ladder match for the NXT North American Championship conveyed the newer stars vs the old in a terrific style of pain and sacrifice.
The old – Johnny Gargano & Velveteen Dream – proved they still had it, whereas, the newer stars – Bronson Reed, Damian Priest and Cameron Grimes – were emphasising that they are going to be the future of the brand.
This match saw a beautiful splash from the top of the ladder by Reed to Gargano with Candice LeRae on the Thicc Boy’s shoulders – LeRae interfered during the match.
Grimes took a wicked sunset flip from the top of the ladder and landed on top of another ladder leaving him with excruciating pain in his back.
Velveteen Dream got toppled off of one ladder over the barricade, seeing heaven as he went crashing back into Earth and on top of a few tables.
Excellent match – definitely match of the night, and it saw Priest pick up the victory. He celebrated in a hot tub, with a little bit of the bubbly and sexy dancers. I’m looking forward to Priest bringing prestige to the North American Championship.
2. Breezango are NXT Tag Team Title #1 contenders… again?!
The pre-show match was a #1 contenders match to determine who will challenge Imperium for the NXT Tag Team Championship. This was a fight between Breezango, Burch & Lorcan, and Legado Del Fantasma.
It was a good way to begin the show, but the team that needed the win the least ended up getting it.
Burch & Lorcan seemed to be getting pushed into the position to challenge Imperium, and Legado Del Fantasma had the excitement factor of the entire group being draped in gold.
Breezango only lost to Imperium a few weeks ago and were certainly the least interesting tag team out of the three.
I guess it is just another easy victory for the Tag Team Champions.
3. Pat McAfee Can Wrestle?!
If someone told me Adam Cole vs Pat McAfee would be a top match on the 30th TakeOver card, I would’ve thought they were pulling my leg.
Pat McAfee. A podcaster, talk show host, footballer, pre-show panelist, suit and shorts wearer. Pat McAfee.
I’d be more surprised if I found out he can actually give Adam Cole a decent match.
This was exactly what happened! Even in defeat, McAfee was the talk of the match. He flipped, punted and putting on a decent wrestling performance.
He even selled a thrilling Panama Sunrise giving Cole the victory.
I’d be pleased with more McAfee matches on a regular basis.
4. Io Shirai Retains The NXT Women’s Championship
In a good match with a predictable result, Io Shirai beat Dakota Kai.
They put on one of the better matches on the show, but Kai was never seen as a threat to the NXT Women’s Championship.
If they capitalise on her heel talent more, she would be a remarkable champion one day.
However, it appears Rhea Ripley will be next in line as she had a tense stare-off with the ‘Genius of the Sky’. That match will be bonkers – I can’t wait!
5. Tommaso Ciampa Returns This Wednesday
In one of the advertisements during the show, it was made official that Tommaso Ciampa will make his long awaited return to NXT this Wednesday.
I say “long awaited”, but he only went absent after In Your House when he got crushed by Karrion Kross.
This return will open up many options. Will he challenge Kross for the NXT Championship? Maybe he wants a shot at Randy Orton, which was heavily rumoured a few weeks ago? Whatever they do, I want more of the ‘Blackjeart’.
6. Karrion Kross Wins NXT Championship
In a pretty good main event, Karrion Kross beat Keith Lee for the NXT Championship.
He has been built up strongly for the title since debuting so this is great news.
It was reported that he sustained an injury during the match. So hopefully he doesn’t have to cut this dominant reign short.
Speaking of Keith Lee, I can see him moving up to the main roster and being an excellent addition to the Thunderdome.
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