It’s that time again as NXT is taking over….well Peacock again, but that might work out just as well. This time feels different though, as I have forgotten that the show is taking place more than once now. This has not felt like the kind of build you get for a Takeover and that is a shame, as the show has earned its amazing reputation. There are matches on the card that look good though so let’s get to it.

Mercedes Martinez vs. Xia Li

We’ll start with the only non-title match on the show because NXT has become a promotion that is awash with titles, just like almost every other. Martinez is mostly a monster and Li is running through the entire division. You need to run over some people on the way there though and Li has marked Martinez as her next target. That might be easier said than done.

Or maybe not as I’ll take LI to win here. There is little reason to think that Martinez is going to win as, simply put, she doesn’t win matches around here. I’m not sure how long Martinez is going to stick around NXT, but at least she is getting some high profile matches. This should be a heck of a fight as Li has gotten that much better, and odds are she is going to win here.

North American Title/Tag Team Titles: Bronson Reed/MSK(c) vs. Legado del Fantasma

This is one of those things that can work out rather well, as you have all of the titles on the line in a winner take all match. That is something I could go with seeing, as it combined a pair of matches into one but it also opens up a bit more drama, which is not something you might be able to get out of a single match. It means you could see a surprise, and it would be two at a time.

As tempting as a pair of title changes would be here, I think the champs retain, as Reed winning the North American Title felt like a big deal. I could see MSK dropping the belts to Legado sooner rather than later, but I don’t think it happens here. There is an idea here though and that is a good thing, but actually pulling the trigger on the changes is a bit hard to imagine.

Million Dollar Title: Cameron Grimes vs. LA Knight

Hey look, a ladder match. As in another ladder match, just like they had at the last Takeover. This time around it is for the revived Million Dollar Title, which has oddly turned into an interesting feud. Granted that might have something to do with how great Grimes has been on the mic in the build to the match. Knight is one of my favorite talkers today though and I could go for seeing the match.

That means I have to pick a winner though and egads I’m not sure where this is going. I’ll take Grimes just because the story has been built up so long, but I’ll say that with a grand total of no confidence. This could go either way and that is a great way to build up some drama. Knight needs the win, but it isn’t like losing a ladder match would hurt him at all. Granted the same thing could be said of Grimes, and that is why the whole thing should work well.

Women’s Title: Raquel Gonzalez(c) vs. Ember Moon

Moon has come back a very long way and that is quite the relief. She has been back in NXT for a good while now and nothing has really come together for her just yet. That has finally started getting better and Moon is starting to feel a little bit more like a star who could pull something like this off. I’m not sure if she will, but it is something I could believe and that is a good thing to see.

With that being said, I can’t imagine Moon winning the title back here so we’ll go with Gonzalez retaining. Gonzalez is someone who could be champion for a very long time to come and a win over Moon is going to be a good start. Moon has the bigger weapon with the Eclipse and that is something you have to account for, but ultimately Gonzalez is going to retain, likely with the lifting powerbomb.

NXT Title: Karrion Kross(c) vs. Johnny Gargano vs. Adam Cole vs. Kyle O’Reilly vs. Pete Dunne

Then we have this, which is the majority of the main event scene thrown together into one huge main event. This is the kind of thing you don’t see very often in NXT and that might be a good idea in this case. What we are likely to get here is one big mess with everyone going nuts for twenty plus minutes with a bunch of near falls after another. You can get a lot of entertainment out of that if the match is structured right, which is where NXT shines.

As for a winner….egads where are they going here? I think I’ll go with my usual train of thought here and pick Kross to retain. I’m not sure I can imagine him having two pretty short title reigns, but there is always the chance that he is getting hotshotted up to the main roster. I would not be stunned to see him lose the title, but I’ll go with Kross retaining here in a prediction likely to be wrong.

Overall Thoughts

The more I think about this show, the more hope I have for it. There are a lot of good pieces to the card and just a few should be enough to carry a five match card. NXT knows how to do these big shows as well as anyone else and if they can pull this one off, they might be even more impressive than I thought. The potential is there, even if the interest might not be, and that could be enough to get it across the goal line.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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AND

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NXT
Date: June 8, 2021
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Beth Phoenix, Wade Barrett, Vic Joseph

It’s the go home show for In Your House and there is not exactly a lot of hype around this one. It isn’t a good sign when they have a main event of five people in the title match, which feels about as un-NXT as you can get. Hopefully they have something to build up the show tonight, because it needs the help. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of the NXT Title match, plus a look at some of the rest of Takeover.

Austin Theory vs. Oney Lorcan

This is “my friend is better than your friend” and Theory dropkicks him into the corner to start. Lorcan is back up with a headlock takeover to put Theory down for a bit. They get up and exchange forearms with Theory getting the better of things. Lorcan is knocked down for a slingshot stomp into a suplex, which has commentary a bit too impressed. Back up and Lorcan hits a heck of a chop to knock some skin off of Theory and a knee life puts him on the floor.

A suplex puts Theory down again outside and here is Pete Dunne to watch as we take a break. Back with Johnny Gargano at ringside too and Theory sending Lorcan into the barricade a few times. They get back in for a fall away slam to send Lorcan down again. Lorcan is sat up top for a running springboard Spanish Fly and another near fall. Another trip to the floor sees a double clothesline, sending Gargano and Dunne into a brawl. As the two of them are ejected, Lorcan hits a half nelson slam for the pin at 12:35.

Rating: C+. They hit each other pretty hard here and it was nice to see Theory getting to do something nice in the ring instead of having everything be all wacky comedy. Lorcan is the same as he can get in there and have a good match with anyone. All in all, this was a fine match, though I’m not sure how much it did to build towards Takeover’s title match.

We go to LA Knight’s house to show his Million Dollar Legacy. This involves having some women join him in the hot tub with some champagne so he can talk about how he’ll take out Cameron Grimes on Sunday. Then he gets in a rather expensive looking car (with one of the women closing the door) and drives off. This is the kind of vignette that we need to see more of because they are a great way to build someone up in a hurry.

Here’s your weird flashback of the week as Dok Hendrix joins us for an In Your House Slam Jam.

Here is Legado del Fantasma to call out Bronson Reed. Cue Reed to look at him running over Santos Escobar last week so the brawl is teased. Cue MSK to chase them off, so Escobar throws out the challenge for a six man tag with all titles on the line. Deal, but first we see Escobar getting squashed again last week. Hold on though as here is Hit Row to stare down the champs.

Isaiah Scott vs. Killian Dain

The rest of Hit Row and Drake Maverick are here too. Dain works on the wrist to start and Scott can’t get around him to start. Scott gets sent outside but it’s too early for the big dive. The distraction lets Scott sneak in from behind for some cheap shots but Dain runs him over again. Another distraction lets Scott get in a cheap shot, setting up the running kick from the apron.

Back in and a kick to the face rocks Dain but he unloads in the corner to stagger him again. One heck of a shot to the head drops Scott again, setting up a running crossbody for two. Scott rolls away from another clothesline and the rolling Downward Spiral gives Scott two of his own. Dain is back with a splash in the corner as the brawl breaks out on the floor. Top Dolla catches Maverick with an AA on the apron so Scott kicks the distracted Dain off the ropes. A running kick to the head finishes for Scott at 6:40.

Rating: B-. There is something so cool about the way Scott moves as he looks so smooth out there. This was a rather fun match and the two of them both looked good the whole time. Hit Row has hit the ground running as they are already feel like one of the bigger deals around here. I would be surprised if they don’t have some titles by the end of the summer and that is a good thing.

Candice LeRae is annoyed at Poppy being here tonight but Indi Hartwell runs off to find Dexter Lumis. Candice: “Why does this keep happening? They were never even a thing.”

And now, Cameron Grimes’ Million Dollar Legacy. We start with Cameron hitting a cannonball into a pool and coming back up to talk to the camera while looking between a woman’s legs. Grimes fires up a Cuban cigar with a $100 bill but chokes on the smoke. Some liquor makes him cringe as well so it’s time for a massage. Then Grimes gives the woman a massage and seems to have a better time. Then he jumps in a less expensive looking car and drives off.

Mercedes Martinez comes out for a match but Xia Li jumps her from behind and the big beatdown is on. Martinez fights back and sends Li over the barricade. Back in and ring the bell.

Mercedes Martinez b. ???

Air Raid Crash finishes in 16 seconds.

Breezango talks about Imperium coming after them and doesn’t like the propaganda videos that they have been seeing. Maybe Imperium is a little scared because Breezango beat them once before.

HHH and William Regal are in the back with Poppy, who has put together an NXT soundtrack. HHH asks when the album drops so Poppy pulls out her phone and hits a button. Poppy: “Right now.” The album is plugged and here’s Dexter Lumis with a drawing for Poppy. She hugs him and here’s Indi Hartwell to scream.

Cameron Grimes and LA Knight arrive at the same time and a guard comes in to say that Ted DiBiase is waiting in the ring for them. After Knight can’t tip the guy and Grimes won’t, we cut to DiBiase in the ring asking them to join him. Cue Grimes and Knight so DiBiase can say that they need to climb the ladder to success. A solid gold ladder comes down from the ceiling and Knight seems cool with all of this. He promises to run over the hillbilly to get here but Grimes doesn’t like the name.

Instead Grimes talks about how he can do everything in between these ropes, he cannot be beaten. You can take his clothes and his legacy but he is taking the Million Dollar Legacy to the moon! Grimes starts climbing the ladder and asks what is he reaching for. DiBiase is glad he asks and tells the guys to bring it in. Two goons bring in a case containing….the Million Dollar Title. Well that was kind of obvious and I really don’t need to see a ladder match, but it does make sense in this case. DiBiase’s laugh makes up for a lot of it though and Grimes’ promo was fire.

Kyle O’Reilly and Karrion Kross have to be held apart in the back when a ticked off Regal comes in to say cool it.

Ever-Rise is going to host the Takeover Pre-Pre Show!

Grizzled Young Veterans vs. August Grey/Ikemen Jiro

Grey/Jiro are a regular team on 205 Live. Gibson takes Grey down by the arm but Grey is back up with a running hurricanrana. Jiro, who wrestles in a jacket, hits a forearm to the head but gets sent to the apron. That’s fine with Jiro, who slingshots in with an anklescissors. Gibson is fed up with this and goes after Jiro but makes the mistake of touching the jacket.

Everything breaks down and Drake comes in to clean house, including Gibson kicking Jiro in the face. A shot to Jiro’s leg puts him down and a slam sends him legs first into the ropes. Cue Timothy Thatcher and Tommaso Ciampa to watch the match and the distraction lets Grey come in off the hot tag. House is cleaned, including a spinning high crossbody. So Much Prettier (Unprettier running up the corner) is broken up and it’s the Ticket To Mayhem to finish Grey at 5:00.

Rating: C. This is where 205 Live can be a bit of a benefit to NXT, as Grey and Jiro have won a few matches in a row on the show. Now that wasn’t exactly focused on here, but at least the Veterans won clean in the end despite the distraction. It wasn’t exactly a great match but they did it fast enough that it didn’t hurt anything.

Post match the Veterans shout at Ciampa and Thatcher about wanting the titles, but Ciampa says the title shot goes through them. That’s cool with Gibson, who issues the challenge for a tornado tag match next week. Ciampa says they love tornadoes and they don’t need tags, so let’s do it right now. The Veterans run from the right.

We look back at Pete Dunne and Oney Lorcan injuring Bobby Fish’s arm.

Fish is training in the back and says he isn’t done with Lorcan.

Here is a ticked off Candice LeRae to talk about how annoyed she is with Poppy. Indi Hartwell ran off crying because of Poppy so now it is time for Poppy to learn. So either come out here right now or be introduced to the parking lot. Cue Poppy, who doesn’t seem interested in fighting, but here is the returning Io Shirai who is glad to do it.

Dok Hendrix gives us the Slam Jam for In Your House, still as the best promo on the show.

During the break, Poppy and Xia Li ran into Raquel Gonzalez and Dakota Kai.

Dakota Kai vs. Ember Moon

Raquel Gonzalez is here with Kai but there is no Shotzi Blackheart. They both kick the other in the arm to start so they take turns driving the other into the corner. Kai knocks her down for two and a whip into the corner sets up a running kick to the face for the same. Back up and Moon hits a running kick to the face into a basement Downward Spiral for two of her own. Kai gets sent to the apron but manages a forearm to the back and sends Moon into the post as we take a break.

Back with Moon hitting the middle rope Codebreaker, followed by a superkick. A flipping Stunner gives Moon two and she grabs something like a dragon sleeper of all things. That’s reversed into a spinning faceplant to give Kai two and a running kick in the corner gets the same. Moon is back up to reverse a victory roll into a powerbomb for two and Kai needs a breather on the floor. Gonzalez’s cheap shot doesn’t work so Moon hits a suicide dive to take them both out. That’s enough for Gonzalez, who comes in for the DQ at 12:34.

Rating: C. Moon has improved a good bit in recent weeks and is now starting to feel more like the version that made her a star in the first place. I’m not sure why you wouldn’t have her get the pin over Kai here but it could have been worse. Still though, not a bad match and Moon busted out some new stuff here so she feels like a bit more of a threat to the title on Sunday.

Post match the beatdown is on but Moon counters the lifting powerbomb into a Stunner. The Eclipse leaves Gonzalez laying and Moon holds up the title.

Karrion Kross says the four challenges have been given the opportunity to face him tonight. They don’t have to wait until Sunday to feel what it is like to be flatlined though and now is their chance to find out what it is like. Tick tock.

William Regal is in the ring with Karrion Kross and Scarlett. Regal rants about how he is the GM around here and Kross isn’t taking over the show. Kross says this place has been out of control for a long time now so he wants the four challengers out here right now. Cue Kyle O’Reilly to say that Kross has the thinnest skin he has ever seen and it is a matter of time before he snaps.

Cue Johnny Gargano to stand on the announcers’ table and talk about how Kross shouldn’t let a guy in a jean jacket talk about him that way. Kross isn’t Johnny Takeover but he should go choke O’Reilly out right now. Kross calls Gargano a mark and offers him a beating of his own. Cue Pete Dunne to say he is tired of waiting and promises to win the title on Sunday.

Adam Cole pops up on the video screen to say he beat the unbeatable Kross (verbally) last week. Kross is scared to face Adam Cole bay bay because Cole can beat any of the rest of them (again) to become NXT Champion (again). He’ll see you on Sunday and goes away. O’Reilly: “Clearly Adam Cole is too much of a b**** to be here tonight.” He gets in Kross’ face and the beatdown is on with security getting beaten up as well.

Security winds up holding Kross so the other three can score on him a bit. Kross is back up to run O’Reilly over though and stands tall….until Cole runs in for a superkick to the back of the head and the Last Shot. Cole stands tall to end the show, again looking like the biggest star on the show by a mile. This segment was effective enough, but egads it felt tacked on, much like the entire title match. I could see this not headlining if there was anything else worthwhile to put in the top spot, but that just isn’t the case this time.

Overall Rating: B-. This show did a good job of building up Takeover but at the same time, the show isn’t exactly jumping off the page. Nothing on it feels must see and it comes off more like a Takeover that is happening because it has to, not because they have the material to have one. The wrestling tonight was good enough and they added a match/adjusted another, though I’m still not sure how much I need to see the show. That being said, Takeover has a reputation like no other and if anyone can pull it off, it’s NXT.

Results

Oney Lorcan b. Austin Theory – Half nelson slam

Isaiah Scott b. Killian Dain – Running kick to the head

Mercedes Martinez b. ??? – Air Raid Crash

Grizzled Young Veterans b. Ikemen Jiro/August Grey – Ticket To Mayhem to Grey

Ember Moon b. Dakota Kai via DQ when Raquel Gonzalez interfered

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

NXT
Date: June 1, 2021
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Beth Phoenix, Wade Barrett, Vic Joseph

We have less than two weeks to go before Takeover and that means it is time to start setting up the card. One of the most important matches will be made tonight as we have a triple threat match between Kyle O’Reilly, Pete Dunne and Johnny Gargano to find out Karrion Kross’ next challenger. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

The opening video looks at the triple threat match, with all three participants getting to say why they can win.

Pete Dunne vs. Kyle O’Reilly vs. Johnny Gargano

The winner gets the title shot against Karrion Kross at Takeover. They start fast with Gargano being sent outside, leaving Dunne to work on O’Reilly’s arm. Gargano comes back in to tie up O’Reilly’s leg at the same time, which is broken up in a hurry. The rather sore O’Reilly rolls outside, leaving Gargano to miss an armdrag on Dunne, who ties up the legs. O’Reilly comes back in to kick Dunne to the floor so O’Reilly can work on Gargano’s arm.

That’s fine with Dunne, who comes back in to crank on one of their arms at the same time. Dunne gets sent to the floor and Gargano drops O’Reilly for two as we take a break. Back with O’Reilly kicking away and throwing some suplexes. O’Reilly hits a running knee off the apron to drop Dunne but Gargano hits a suicide dive each. The slingshot spear gets two on O’Reilly but Dunne is back in for the X Plex for two on Gargano.

Dunne grabs an armbar on O’Reilly with Gargano making the save. Gargano sends Dunne to the floor and O’Reilly grabs a kneebar, leaving Dunne to come back in for the save. The Lawn Dart gives Gargano two on Dunne but O’Reilly gets back in, leaving everyone to knock each other down for a breather. O’Reilly chokes Gargano so Dunne chokes O’Reilly, who drops Gargano as a result.

Gargano breaks that up with the Gargano Escape on Dunne as O’Reilly is sent outside. Dunne manages to snap the fingers for the escape and hits the Bitter End, only to have O’Reilly make the save with the top rope knee. O’Reilly follows Dunne outside for a double clothesline….and here’s Adam Cole to chair both of them down. A livid William Regal comes out with security to get rid of him, though Cole throws in another low superkick to Cole as he leaves in a great move. We’ll say it’s a no contest at about 18:00.

Rating: B. This was all action and that’s what it needed to be, though the Cole ending is a little surprising. O’Reilly seemed to be the perfect choice to get the title shot at Kross here and I’m hoping that they don’t just do a rematch later on. A four way isn’t out of the question, though I’m not sure where that leaves Cole. Odds are we get something by the end of the show, but this was kind of a weird way to go.

Post break Regal ejects Cole from the building, with security dragging him out.

Ember Moon is in the ring and demands Raquel Gonzalez get out here right now. Cue Gonzalez and Moon superkicks her straight back out to the floor. Regal and security hold them apart but Dakota Kai runs in to take out Moon from behind. Regal checks on a downed Moon.

Santos Escobar gives Legado del Fantasma a pep talk before their Tag Team Title shot tonight. It’s going to be their coronation, because that is what they do.

Earlier today, Hit Row interrupted Drake Maverick and Ever Rise, the former of whom is called a clown. Killian Dain came in and a tag match seems to be set up.

LA Knight vs. Jake Atlas

The camera follows Knight from the back, with Knight talking about how he is going to drop Atlas and prove that he is the one worthy of the Million Dollar legacy. Atlas armdrags Knight down to start and grabs a springboard armdrag for two. The armbar keeps Knight down but he fights back up and nails a hot shot. Cue Ted DiBiase to watch as Atlas grabs a springboard sunset flip for two. Knight slams him down though and hits a fist to the face, followed by a slingshot shoulder.

We take a break (ok then) and come back with Atlas hitting a crossbody for two but getting sent over the top. Knight hammers away back inside but Atlas punches him out of the air (with Knight doing the front flip bump that DiBiase would do back in the day). Atlas strikes away as Cameron Grimes is out to say he deserves the Million Dollar legacy. Something like a Death Valley Driver into a standing moonsault gets two on Knight so Atlas goes back up. Knight runs the corner but Grimes offers a distraction, allowing Atlas to knock him back down. The cartwheel DDT finishes Knight at 12:35.

Rating: C-. This was a good bit longer than it needed to be, but the worse part was they gave away the ending with the break. There was little reason to have the match go longer other than some kind of a screwy finish. Atlas winning via interference isn’t some death knell for Knight, but this didn’t need to go that long for this kind of a finish.

Post match, DiBiase shakes his head at Knight and leaves.

Oney Lorcan chases the camera out of the trainer’s room. Lorcan says Adam Cole just cost Pete Dunne the title shot but here is Austin Theory to say that it’s Gargano’s shot. Shoving ensues.

Ted DiBiase talks about how important it is to have brains and brawn…..and Adam Cole walks by so let’s follow him to a break. You don’t get that kind of spontaneous stuff and it’s a nice feeling.

Post break Cole is in the ring to rant about how he just took out three main event stars in one night. That means he wants the NXT Title back because Karrion Kross is just some big musclehead. It’s no coincidence that Cole was NXT Champion for 403 days….and here are Karrion Kross and Scarlett to interrupt. Kross says Cole stopped being special as soon as he signed here, but entertain him anyway. Cole: “All right Mr. Overrated.”

Cole talks about how NXT has done everything they can to make Kross feel special but all they have to do with Cole is ring the bell. Kross isn’t special because he’s just a guy who has Cole’s property. Cue William Regal to say Cole’s plan isn’t going to work but Kross cuts him off. Kross wants…….EVERYONE in the match at once, including this kind of weasel. Regal: “Done. Done.” Cole gets on the announcers’ table to shout at Kross, who mocks him for just talking. With that not working, Cole throws a bottle of water at the two of them and leaves. It’s an interesting match, but I’m not big on making the triple threat a waste of time.

Candice LeRae is annoyed that Poppy is going to be back next week but even more annoyed that Indi Hartwell is listening to 80s power ballads on her headphones.

Video on Carmelo Hayes, formerly known as Christian Casanova. He is ready to prove himself tonight against Kushida. You’ll see a UFO before you see someone as good as him.

Tian Sha is watching Mercedes Martinez and seems to have a new target.

Dexter Lumis picks up Indi Hartwell’s headphones and seems to like what he hears.

Cruiserweight Title: Kushida vs. Carmelo Hayes

Hayes is challenging and gets a pretty big entrance. Feeling out process to start until Hayes snaps off some armdrags into a dropkick. Hayes kicks him in the back of the head for two and ties Kushida in the ropes. That means a springboard legdrop (with Hayes going backwards instead of forwards) for two on Kushida as we take a break.

Back with Kushida knocking Hayes off the apron and hard into the barricade. Hayes comes back in with a springboard….I guess we’ll say clothesline, as even commentary isn’t sure what to call it. Something close to La Mistica plants Kushida for two so Hayes tries it again, only to get taken down for a basement dropkick. The Hoverboard Lock is countered but Kushida punches Hayes out of the air. Now the Hoverboard Lock can retain the title at 10:58.

Rating: B-. Hayes lost but he looked like a star here as it is clear NXT wants to push him as something serious. He has a good look and the athleticism, but more importantly he has the presence to make something of himself. This was a heck of a surprise and they put on a good one, so well done on throwing this in.

Post match Kushida shakes Hayes’ hand and tells the fans to give him some applause. Hayes shakes the hand and gets a nice ovation.

MSK is ready to retain the Tag Team Titles.

Frankie Monet is rather pleased with the reviews of her debut. She is just getting started.

Zayda Ramier/Zoey Stark vs. The Way

Non-title. Hartwell slams Ramier down to start and it’s off to LeRae to take it into the corner. The neck crank/chinlock have Ramier in trouble and Hartwell kicks Ramier from a tag attempt. LeRae elbows Stark off the apron but the tag brings her in just a few seconds later. Stark comes in and drops LeRae in a hurry for two before wheelbarrow slamming Ramier onto her for the same. Everything breaks down and start gets sent over the top, with her face landing hard on the apron. Back in and the Wicked Stepsister sets up Pretty Savage (springboard elbow) to finish Ramier at 3:37.

Rating: C-. They did something interesting with Stark here as she was treated as someone to be feared. That’s a good way to help make someone feel like a big deal and it was an effective move. The match itself wasn’t anything great, but the Way does feel like a team instead of two women who have been thrown together. In other words, they’re ahead of most of the teams on the main roster.

Mercedes Martinez isn’t worried about being marked as Tian Sha because she has been a marked woman for her whole career. At Takeover, she’s running through her, assuming that is official.

Cameron Grimes vs. LA Knight is confirmed for Takeover.

The Diamond Mine is opening soon.

Ember Moon is tired of Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzalez. That’s why it’s Kai next week and Gonzalez at Takeover, where Moon is becoming a two time Women’s Champion.

Tag Team Titles: MSK vs. Legado del Fantasma

Legado, with Santos Escobar, is challenging. Wes Lee and Joaquin Wilde trade armdrags to start as Escobar has a seat at ringside. Wilde slams Lee down and runs Nash Carter over as well to put the champs in early trouble. Raul Mendoza comes in to drop Wilde onto Carter for two but Carter fights back up. Cue the Grizzled Young Veterans but Timothy Thatcher and Tommaso Ciampa come out to fight them to the back. The champs hit a pair of moonsaults to the floor and we take a break.

Back with Mendoza getting two on Lee and handing it off to Wilde for an armbar. A hard elbow to the jaw sets up a slingshot splash into a Lionsault for two on Lee. Back up and Lee finally gets in a DDT, allowing for the hot tag to Carter. House is cleaned in a hurry and the push moonsault gets two on Wilde. It’s already back to Lee but Mendoza makes a blind tag behind Lee’s back. That lets him come in with a springboard missile dropkick and a swinging suplex gets two.

Carter gets knocked off the apron and some running clotheslines in the corner have Lee in more trouble. A super hurricanrana into a powerbomb gets two with Lee being tossed outside. Escobar sends Lee into the steps, setting up the running boot/Russian legsweep combination. Carter makes the save and Bronson Reed runs in to crush Escobar against the barricade (that came out of nowhere). The Blockbuster Hart Attack retains the title at 15:26.

Rating: B-. MSK continues to get to showcase their crazy athleticism and there was enough stuff going on here to make it that much more interesting. I wasn’t sure who was leaving with the titles here and that is always a nice feeling to have. Thatcher and Ciampa cutting off the Veterans helped and Reed crushing Escobar looked good. It’s a good main event and MSK could hold the titles for a pretty long time.

Reed and MSK have the staredown with Legado and pose to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. The main thing I liked about this show, or at least the first half of it, was that it felt spontaneous. So many times a wrestling show feels far too structured and rigid, with segments going from one point to another. This felt like things were happening on the fly, with things like DiBiase’s promo just being cut off because something else happened. The action was good as well, making this a rather fun use of two hours.

Results
Pete Dunne vs. Kyle O’Reilly vs. Johnny Gargano went to a no contest when Adam Cole interfered
Jake Atlas b. LA Knight – Cartwheel DDT
Kushida b. Carmelo Hayes – Hoverboard Lock
The Way b. Zayda Ramier/Zoey Stark – Pretty Savage to Ramier
MSK b. Legado del Fantasma – Blockbuster Hart Attack to Wilde

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

NXT
Date: May 25, 2021
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Wade Barrett, Beth Phoenix

It’s time for the big fight night with a Takeover: Stand & Deliver rematch between NXT Champion Karrion Kross and Finn Balor. Kross took the title from Balor last month and it is time for Balor to get his rematch. This is being treated as the big dream rematch and hopefully they live up to the hype. Let’s get it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

The opening video looks at Kross vs. Balor and makes it feel like the biggest match in a pretty long time.

Shotzi Blackheart/Ember Moon vs. Raquel Gonzalez/Dakota Kai

Blackheart can’t roll Gonzalez up to start so it’s off to Moon, who can roll Gonzalez up for two. Kai comes in and sends Moon into the corner but Blackheart makes a blind tag. A running splash in the corner sets up the reverse Sling Blade to Kai and it’s back to Moon for two off the standing moonsault. Blackheart puts on a Texas Cloverleaf but Gonzalez breaks it up from behind, setting up some big elbows.

We take a break and come back with Moon and Gonzalez coming in off a double tag, meaning Moon can come in and clean house. Some slingshot knees to the ribs set up the middle rope Codebreaker but Kai cuts Moon off on the way back up. Blackheart has to make a save and then comes in to kick away at Kai. A fireman’s carry facebuster gets two on Kai but something like a Doomsday Device is broken up. Moon pulls Kai into a modified STF until Gonzalez makes the save. Gonzalez’s lifting powerbomb is countered though and Moon grabs a modified Eclipse. The Dominator/sliding cutter finishes Kai at 10:26.

Rating: C+. Energetic match here and I’m a bit surprised by the ending. The match would seem to have been there to also set up Moon as the next challenger to Gonzalez, which would be a good way to go. Kai being there to take the fall for Gonzalez is a formula which could work if they are going to be a team, so nice job of setting things up for the future and keeping the right people strong.

Post match Gonzalez jumps them both so Moon can be choked on the rope. Gonzalez sends Blackheart into the barricade, the post, and the barricade again. Moon vs. Gonzalez works for me.

Tommaso Ciampa and Timothy Thatcher are ready for the Grizzled Young Veterans and promise a round three. They both throw chairs and Thatcher wants to break some limbs.

NXT is excited to have fans back.

Video on Bobby Fish vs. Pete Dunne, with Dunne injuring Fish at Takeover: WarGames.

Bobby Fish vs. Pete Dunne

Oney Lorcan is here with Dunne. Fish goes right after him at the bell and tries for the leg. That earns himself a heck of a chop and a kneebar from Dunne, who is fine with cutting someone to pieces. Dunne cranks on the arm a bit before taking Fish into the corner. The chinlock is countered into a Fujiwara armbar but Dunne fights back up.

That’s fine with Fish, who drops him arm first onto the top. Dunne gets sent outside and we take a break. Back with Dunne working on the leg before switching over to the arm. Fish fights up and hits a spinebuster but gets taken right back down by the arm. Dunne sends him outside to drop him again, but Fish manages an exploder suplex into the ropes back inside.

Some knees to the ribs have Dunne rocked in the corner but he snaps off a German suplex. There’s a big kick to the head but Fish hits a jumping elbow for two. The seated armbar goes on but Dunne rolls through into the Bitter End (what a sweet counter) to put Fish away at 12:12.

Rating: C+. That’s the only way to go here as Fish is going to mostly be a good hand around here. Dunne seems primed for a main event run so there wasn’t much of a choice to this one. There is nothing wrong with a competitive match where you know how things are going to go and they made it work.

Post match Lorcan jumps Fish and stays on the arm, including putting him on the apron to stand on it, with the arm being bent down towards the floor.

We look at Bronson Reed winning the North American Title last week.

Mercedes Martinez is ready to start her road to redemption. Boa is behind her, unseen.

Hit Row knows this is the land of opportunity and it is time to go gold. They’re watching the champions and are ready to put an L on their heads like they’re Mario’s brother. Everyone is on notice and if you didn’t know, now you know.

Mercedes Martinez vs. Zayda Ramier

Martinez’s entrance has some Glacier elements. Ramier gets taken down in a hurry but she moonsaults over Martinez in the corner. Some shots to the face give Ramier a quick two but Martinez knocks her down. Some rolling butterfly suplexes give Martinez two and there’s a spinebuster for the same. Ramier manages a hurricanrana into a choke but Martinez drives her into the corner for the easy break. A press slam off the top sets up a running knee into the Air Raid Crash to finish Ramier at 3:22.

Rating: C. This was more competitive than I would have bet on but Martinez survived everything that was thrown at her to win in the end. That’s all this needed to be, through Ramier got in a little bit of offense to give her a bit of a rub as well. She might turn into something later, so that was a nice bone to her here.

Post match the lights go out and we get a lot of red smoke. The blue lights come back up and Tian Sha’s symbol is on Martinez’s hand.

Ted DiBiase is in the back and the Robert Stone Brand comes up to him. DiBiase throws money at them and walks away.

Here are Cameron Grimes and Ted DiBiase for the Million Dollar Faceoff. Grimes talks about how he hasn’t always had money and how he looks up to DiBiase. Money lets Grimes treat people horribly and get away with it, because he has so much money to do whatever he wants. DiBiase says he likes Grimes because he is looking for the best person to personify the Million Dollar Man.

It isn’t all about money, because there is also everything that happens in this ring. Grimes has lost his focus since he got his money….and here is LA Knight to interrupt. Knight talks about how much of an opportunity there is here because he is perfect for something like this. Grimes says Knight needs to stay out of this talk between millionaires but DiBiase wants to hear what he has to say.

Knight talks about needing DiBiase as the final piece of the puzzle. That sounds appealing to DiBiase, who praises Knight’s million dollar body and mind but Grimes says this is between himself and DiBiase. Knight needs to leave, but he decks Grimes instead. DiBiase says Grimes is never going to get it and laughs before leaving with Knight. This is intriguing, for the talking possibilities alone.

Indi Hartwell is looking for Dexter Lumis but runs into Ever-Rise instead. Drake Maverick tries to calk things down and says Lumis was in that room over there a few hours ago. Hartwell goes in and finds a room with the walls covered in pictures of sad things, mainly themed around broken hearts. One of them has Dexter with a knife through his heart, leaving Hartwell freaked out.

Frankie Monet vs. Cora Jade

Monet takes her into the corner to start and the chops are on in a hurry. Some running knees to the back set up a running hip attack in the corner, followed by the running knees to the face. A hard knee drops Jade again but she gets in some forearms, which surprise Monet more than anything else. Jade grabs a Russian legsweep for two but a spear cuts her off. The yet to be named Road To Valhalla (Beth: “That looked familiar!”) finishes Jade at 3:08.

Rating: C. Another effective squash here, with Monet looking confident and dominant at the same time. Jade’s offense meant nothing and served to make Monet all the more angry so she could finish things off. Monet feels like a complete product already, but a little more seasoning never hurt anyone.

The Grizzled Young Veterans want the Tag Team Titles so they’ll be watching MSK’s Tag Team Title defense next week.

We look at Bronson Reed winning the North American Title and talking about how much it means for Australians.

Walter yells at Imperium about how Alexander Wolfe is gone for good and now it is time to show how sacred the mat is again. They start by making up for losing the Tag Team Titles to Breezango.

Here is Bronson Reed to celebrate his title win. After soaking in some tears, Reed talks about how the title represents being willing to fight for what you want. Now that he has this, try to take it from him. Cue Legado del Fantasma (this could be interesting), with Santos Escobar talking about how this business was born to him. That title has Escobar’s attention and it is why he took the Cruiserweight Title in the first place. He likes being the champion of Mexico and the United States (Joaquin Wilde: “What about Canada?” Escobar: “I told you Canada doesn’t count!”) so the beatdown is teased, but MSK runs in for the save.

William Regal sets up a triple threat match for next week between Kyle O’Reilly, Johnny Gargano and Pete Dunne, with the winner getting an NXT Title shot at Takeover.

NXT Title: Finn Balor vs. Karrion Kross

Kross, with Scarlett, is defending. Balor starts kicking at the leg and grabs a headlock for some early control. Kross sends him outside but they switch places, with Kross being frustrated as we take a break. Back with Kross kicking away at the legs and planting Balor for daring to try a comeback. Some shoulders to the ribs and more to the back have Balor in trouble in the corner and there’s a big shot to the back to make it worse.

Kross sends him flying again and a German suplex has Balor reeling. Balor finally manages to take him down though and rolls into the jumping double stomp. Kross knocks him outside but Balor manages to tie things up in the ring skirt. That means a bunch of stomping to the back and we take another break. Back again with Kross hitting a powerslam for two but Balor grabs something like the Nightmare on Helm Street.

Another double stomp is pulled into a rear naked choke and Balor takes his time to get to the rope. They head outside with Kross sending him into the barricade over and over to stay on the back. Once back inside, Balor manages a quick DDT into the Sling Blade. With Kross being sent back outside, it’s a big flip dive to take him down…for all of a few seconds, as Kross drops him onto the announcers’ table.

Back in and Balor hits a double stomp into the shotgun dropkick but the Coup de Grace misses. A release German suplex drops Balor and there’s a Doomsday Saito to put him down again. The running elbow is countered into a cradle for two but Balor’s seated abdominal stretch is countered into some forearms to the back of the head. Balor slips out and hits his own forearms to put Kross in trouble for a change.

A straitjacket choke has Kross in trouble and Balor switches over to a triangle choke. Kross grabs the referee to save himself though and there’s a powerbomb to put Balor down hard. A forearm to the back sets up the running elbow to the back of the head, setting up a bunch of stomps to Balor’s head. The Krossjacket Choke ends Balor at 22:41.

Rating: B. This took some time to get going but the last few minutes were the intense stuff you would expect from these two. I’m curious if Balor sticks around NXT at this point, as there is nothing left for him to do and the main roster could certainly use him. They didn’t get to the same level that they did at Takeover, but this was quite good for a big time TV main event.

Kross and Scarlett pose as Balor rolls away to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This show was another good one up and down but it wasn’t quite to the same level as some of their recent efforts. The action was good and the main event felt important, but the rest of the show was just kind of there. The good thing is that they have started the build towards Takeover though, which is coming up pretty quickly. NXT are the masters of slow and steady, though this one, while good, was more of the former.

Results

Shotzi Blackheart/Ember Moon b. Dakota Kai/Raquel Gonzalez – Dominator/sliding cutter combination to Kai

Pete Dunne b. Bobby Fish – Bitter End

Mercedes Martinez b. Zayda Ramier – Air Raid Crash

Frankie Monet b. Cora Jade – Road To Valhalla

Karrion Kross b. Finn Balor – Krossjacket Choke

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

NXT
Date: May 18, 2021
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Beth Phoenix, Wade Barrett, Vic Joseph

It’s time for a big main event with the North American Title being defended inside a cage. Johnny Gargano has to defend against Bronson Reed, which could set up a heck of a Tsunami to crush Gargano for good. That could be quite the match as you have two talented people in there, plus a lot of other things on the show. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

We open with a look at the cage match.

Toni Storm vs. Zoey Stark

Stark starts fast and drives her into the corner to hammer away, setting up a springboard missile dropkick. They head outside with Storm getting knocked around until she manages to whip her into the steps. The running hip attack crushes Stark against the steps and Stark barely beats the count. The chinlock doesn’t last long so Storm boots her down for two.

Stark grabs a backslide for two and nails an enziguri to put both of them down as we take a break. Back with Stark reversing Storm Zero into a hurricanrana for two, followed by a half nelson suplex for the same. Storm is back up with Storm Zero for two and shock exists. That’s fine with Storm, who grabs a judo throw and spins it over into a DDT, which drops Stark on her head (that was TERRIFYING) for the pin at 11:30.

Rating: C+. They got me with the finish as I was thinking Stark was going to win after surviving Storm Zero. Granted I would hope they could come up with a better way to do it than by dropping Stark on her head, but at least she seems to still be alive. Storm really needed the win, and if she can get a less disturbing finisher, she should be good to go.

Post match here is Frankie Monet to stare at Storm.

Legado del Fantasma is ready for MSK but Tommaso Ciampa and Timothy Thatcher come in to say not so fast. Thatcher goes into Spanish to say…..I believe “the cat does not have shoes.” Ciampa: “That makes perfect sense.” The match seems to be made for later.

Cameron Grimes comes up and says park his car, but he’s in Ted DiBiase’s spot. He gets a match with the valet, who happens to be Jake Atlas, for later.

The Way is at a spa, where Indi Hartwell admits that Candice LeRae was right about everything, including Dexter Lumis. As you might have guessed, Lumis is giving her the massage, though she can’t see him due to the cucumbers over her eyes.

We get a Prime Target on Karrion Kross vs. Finn Balor II. Kross was feeling the injuries from the match for weeks and can’t believe Balor survived as long as he did. At the end though, Kross left with the title. Balor says getting back up is how you keep going though and it’s time to go. Pat McAfee is ready for the rematch and Paul Heyman says everyone is interested in the match, even Roman Reigns. As for a spoiler….it’s a little too close to call. Next week, it’s round two. More greatness from these videos, as usual.

Cameron Grimes vs. Jake Atlas

Before the match, Grimes says everyone is glad to see Ted DiBiase, but he has a video on the REAL DiBiase, including all kinds of bad things happening to him over the years. Atlas dropkicks him to the floor before the bell and we take a break. Joined in progress after a break with Grimes hammering away but charging into a boot to the face. A springboard armdrag sets up a running enziguri in the corner, followed by the middle rope hurricanrana for two.

Grimes clotheslines him down and grinds an elbow into the chest in the corner. Atlas sends him chest first into the corner and snaps off a German suplex….as Ted DiBiase arrives in his limo. Something misses off the top and Grimes snaps off the flipping powerslam. The Cave In is loaded up but we’ve got Ted DiBiase in person, allowing Atlas to grab a rollup for the pin at 4:51.

Rating: C-. The action wasn’t the point here and Grimes losing to Atlas in this kind of situation isn’t going to hurt him. Grimes vs. DiBiase continues to be one of the best things going on in all of wrestling today and I want to see where it keeps going. I’m not sure if it is going to be but they have me wanting to see it every week.

Post match Grimes gives chase but DiBiase is in the limo, saying that Grimes will never be a Million Dollar Man. Ranting ensues again.

Bronson Reed is ready to make everything he has put into his career worth it by winning the North American Title. He has been around the world but now he is going to be here, winning the title and telling his wife that they did it.

We get a sit down interview with Pete Dunne, talking about how he can win any title he wants at any time. He has never had a bad match and even when he loses, people leave the ring a different person. Dunne talks about being influenced by British style and everything he has put together over the years (with the required Fit Finlay reference). The fans’ influence makes a huge difference and he can’t wait to see what is next.

Alexander Wolfe vs. Killian Dain

The rest of Imperium (minus Walter) and the still scared Drake Maverick are here too. Dain punches him into the corner to start but gets kicked and uppercutted for his early efforts. Some uppercuts from Dain allow him to send Wolfe into the corner. Fabian Aichner knocks Maverick off the apron and there’s a German suplex to Dain. Marcel Barthel throws in a chair but Wolfe takes too long, allowing Dain to hit a running crossbody for the pin at 1:49.

Post match, Imperium turns on Wolfe and beats him down, setting up the posing.

Raquel Gonzalez and Dakota Kai are done with Mercedes Martinez and are ready for the Women’s Tag Team Titles. Ever-Rise come in (with coffee mugs) to say Shotzi Blackheart and Ember Moon are the #1 contenders. They plug their show, but Gonzalez doesn’t watch it. Matt Martel says that sounds like she wants to hit him….and she does, dropping him with one slap. These guys are good.

Legado del Fantasma vs. Tommaso Ciampa/Timothy Thatcher

Wilde dances at Ciampa to start, who takes him outside for a ram into the barricade. Back in and we hit the front facelock on Wilde, setting up the chinlock. Thatcher comes in for a hammerlock on Mendoza, followed by a headscissors from Ciampa. Mendoza fights up and raises a boot in the corner to cut Ciampa off. Thatcher comes back in for a headlock into an ankle lock.

With that still on, Ciampa comes in with his own to Wilde but stereo rollups get….no count because two of the people are illegal. Stereo enziguris put everyone down and we take a break. We come back with Ciampa hitting a string of running clotheslines in the corner. Mendoza breaks up the hanging DDT on Wilde as we see Mendoza’s busted nose being checked on during the break. Ciampa gets punched and chopped in the corner but Mendoza misses a charge into the post.

The hot tag brings in Thatcher to hammer away in the corner, with Ciampa getting to do the same. Legado gets Ciampa into the corner for a clothesline and some moonsaults get two. Thatcher breaks up the Russian legsweep/boot combination and Wilde nails the big running flip dive. Back in and the hanging DDT gets two on Wilde with Mendoza making the save. Cue the Grizzled Young Veterans to jump Ciampa though and now the boot/Russian legsweep is good for the pin at 15:41.

Rating: C+. What we got was good but we got quite a bit of it as this match felt long. Legado is a solid team, though it’s weird to have heels who fly around like they do. At the same time though, it sets up the Veterans vs. Ciampa vs. Thatcher, which more than works for everyone involved. Legado likely gets a title shot too so that is a well used match.

Bobby Fish says his business is with Pete Dunne and Oney Lorcan. The torn tricep was a long recovery, but now he is back and there is a debt to be paid. First up is Pete Dunne because they have unfinished business. Next week, they can finish it.

Back at the spa, the Way’s credit card is declined. They think it is Austin Theory, but the spa employee called the credit card company and found out that it was something about a florist three weeks ago. Indi Hartwell puts the pieces together and realizes that Dexter Lumis still loves her. Hartwell runs off screaming this over and over as Candice LeRae is stunned. Beth: “Forget Bennifer! INDEX IS BACK!!!”

Johnny Gargano is ready to prove that Bronson Reed is not on his level. Gargano stops the unstoppable inside of a steel cage.

Aliyah vs. Sarray

Sarray starts fast with a springboard armdrag into a basement dropkick but Jessi Kamea grabs a leg. Aliyah gets in a few shots of her own but walks into a spinning kick to the face. There’s a German suplex into a missile dropkick from Sarray, followed by a running dropkick against the ropes. The high collar suplex finishes Aliyah at 2:25.

Shotzi Blackheart and Ember Moon are ready for the Way again and it’s time to get gritty and wild. Howling ensues (Moon: “That’s what she said.”).

Hit Row vs. Ariya Daivari/Tony Nese

That would be Ashante Adonis/Top Dolla, with the former taking over on Nese to start. Dollar hits a World’s Strongest Slam/Wasteland at the same time and it’s already back to Adonis for the corner stomping to Daivari. A superkick drops Nese and Dolla has to calm Adonis down. Something like an AA into a neckbreaker gives Dollar the pin on Daivari at 2:20.

Post match, Hit Row brags about the win, with Isaiah Scott promising to watch the North American Title match.

William Regal announces Legado del Fantasma vs. MSK for the Tag Team Titles in two weeks. There are going to be some new stars in the cruiserweight division, and also next week it’s Dakota Kai/Shotzi Blackheart vs. Ember Moon/Raquel Gonzalez.

Here’s what’s coming next week, including Frankie Monet’s debut, Cameron Grimes and Ted DiBiase in a Million Dollar Faceoff, plus Balor vs. Kross II.

North American Title: Johnny Gargano vs. Bronson Reed

Gargano, with Austin Theory, is defending inside a cage. An early escape attempt doesn’t work for Gargano as Reed pulls him back and shoves Gargano out of the air without much trouble. Reed sends him into the cage a few times and drives his face into the steel to make it worse. A missed charge hits cage, but the slingshot spear doesn’t work because of the cage.

That lets Reed snap off a hanging DDT but Theory is there to cut off a climb attempt. Gargano superkicks the knee out and we take a break. Back with Reed hitting a super Samoan drop for a delayed two. That means it’s time to go up but Gargano powerbombs him back down. It’s too early for Gargano to escape though as Reed pulls him back in and sits on his chest. A powerbomb is countered with a grab of the cage though and Gargano hits a poisonrana to put both of them down.

One Final Beat is countered with a toss into the cage but Theory slams the door on Reed’s head. Now One Final Beat can give Gargano two so it’s time to go up. Reed is right there to catch him with a superbomb but makes the mistake of climbing, allowing Theory to cut him off. Gargano gets headbutted off the top and Theory gets punched down. The splash to the back sets up the Tsunami to give Reed the title at 15:25.

Rating: B. This was exactly how such a match should have gone, with Reed overcoming the obstacles/odds and winning clean in the end. There was no fluke here either, as that Tsunami is one of the best looking finishers going today. Gargano was a good choice as champion because he could do something like this, but is more than enough of a legend to be back just fine in a few weeks. Solid main event here, and a good example of how a telegraphed finish isn’t a bad thing.

Pyro goes off for the celebration to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. Pretty awesome show here as they had a bunch of nice stuff capped off by the big main event, which more than delivered. I can always go with watching NXT get to do their thing and show how a good show is supposed to be put together. They have things set up for weeks now while delivering this week as well. That’s an efficient two hours and it was worth the watch here as usual.

Results

Toni Storm b. Zoey Stark – Judo throw spun into a DDT

Jake Atlas b. Cameron Grimes – Rollup

Killian Dain b. Alexander Wolfe – Crossbody

Legado del Fantasma b. Tommaso Ciampa/Timothy Thatcher – Russian legsweep/running enziguri to Ciampa

Sarray b. Aliyah – High collar suplex

Hit Row b. Tony Nese/Ariya Daivari – Fireman’s carry flipping neckbreaker to Daivari

Bronson Reed b. Johnny Gargano – Tsunami

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

NXT
Date: May 11, 2021
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Wade Barrett, Beth Phoenix

It’s another double title night as we have two titles on the line. As a bonus, one of the matches, in this case Kushida defending the Cruiserweight Title against Santos Escobar, will be two out of three falls. That’s nice enough, but will it be nicer than Raquel Gonzalez defending the Women’s Title against Mercedes Martinez? Well yeah it probably will but that’s beside the point. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Opening recap/preview.

Karrion Kross vs. Austin Theory

Non-title and Scarlett/Johnny Gargano are here. Theory is rather worried to come in but Gargano talks him into it, meaning the stalking can start fast. A clothesline doesn’t do much to Kross but his clothesline takes Theory’s head off. Kross looks annoyed at Theory and tosses him with a Doomsday Saito. Gargano offers a distraction though and Theory rakes the eyes to take things outside.

A DDT on the floor drops Kross but Theory breaks the count at nine for some reason. Kross gets posted and Theory hits a rolling clothesline as we hear the Bronson Reed gets a North American Title shot against Gargano next week. Kross comes right back with another Doomsday Saito and Theory is out, even as Kross hammers away at the back of the head. The Krossjacket choke finishes Theory at 6:03 as Kross stares at Gargano.

Rating: C. I would have bet on total destruction here but Kross got in enough offense to make it work. Theory is someone who could be a star if he was given the right kind of presentation as the talent is certainly there. That being said, there was no reason for Kross to break a serious sweat here and that did not take place, so they did it the right way.

Post match Finn Balor pops up behind Karrion Kross to say he doesn’t wait in lone. The match is on at some point in the future.

Earlier today, Leon Ruff asked William Regal for a match tonight but was turned down because of the beating he took last week. Ruff wrecked Regal’s desk but Angry Daddy Regal got serious and told him to get out.

Breezango vs. MSK

Non-title. Lee and Breeze start things off with Breeze taking him down and strutting a bit. Back up and Lee drops him with a shoulder before flipping over Breeze to show off as well. Their stereo superkicks connect with each other’s feet and we get the wincing standoff. Lee comes in and takes Breeze down, setting up some dancing. Fandango comes in and runs the ropes to go over both of them before colliding with Breeze.

Back up and Breeze runs the ropes as well, with the referee dropping down and then leapfrogging over him, allowing Carter to hit a dropkick. Back from a break with Fandango dragging Lee over to the corner, where Breeze slingshots him….into Fandango. That’s enough for the hot tag to Carter and the push moonsault gets two.

Fandango makes the save and it’s time for the four way slugout. Breezango gets the better of things but Carter catches Fandango on top. A running knee puts Fandango on the floor and Carter hits a middle rope moonsault to take out both of them. Back in and a running dropkick in the corner sets up the spinebuster/Blockbuster combination to finish Breeze at 10:49.

Rating: C+. The match was pretty good but e pluribus gads Breezango is one of the least interesting things NXT has had in a long time. The interest goes away as soon as they are shown doing almost anything and that has been the case for a long time. MSK is very good at what they do, but my goodness they are not an interesting team to watch. I’m not sure how to fix that, but being a bit more serious would be a good start.

Post match Breezango teases turning on MSK but shake hands in peace.

Johnny Gargano goes into William Regal’s office and wants to know why he made the match against Bronson Reed. Of course Regal doesn’t hate him, because Gargano is the North American Champion and has his own headband! Gargano doesn’t seem convinced and storms off.

Commentary talks about Takeover: In Your House II when Ever-Rise pops up behind them. Those guys have grown on me so much.

Here is Pete Dunne, with Oney Lorcan, to talk about Finn Balor getting the next shot at Karrion Kross. Dunne can’t blame him because Kross knows how tough Dunne really is. The open challenge is on and here is Leon Ruff to jump Dunne from behind.

Pete Dunne vs. Leon Ruff

Oney Lorcan is here with Dunne. Ruff starts fast and hammers away but Dunne counters a jump out of the corner. Dunne starts working on the hand but Ruff snaps off a hurricanrana. One heck of a clothesline cuts Ruff off though and it’s right back to the hand cranking. A big stomp on the arm makes Ruff scream and it’s time to bend the arm around the rope.

Ruff manages an enziguri out of the corner and a missile dropkick to put Dunne down. Dunne pops back up with a dropkick and then knocks the middle rope twisting cutter out of the air. A Figure Four necklock with some elbows to the head have Ruff knocked silly and the referee stops it at 3:03.

Rating: C+. I continue to marvel at how much Ruff has gotten out of this run and jobbing to Dunne after getting in a few shots is not a bad role to have. That being said, Dunne looks primed to become the next big thing around here and is starting to feel more like his NXT UK version. That is a great thing for everyone around, because that Dunne is one of the best in the world.

Post match, Dunne breaks the fingers for a bonus.

Legado del Fantasma promises to get the Cruiserweight Title back tonight.

Frankie Monet debuts in two weeks.

Also in two weeks: Kross vs. Balor II for the title.

Women’s Title: Mercedes Martinez vs. Raquel Gonzalez

Gonzalez, with Dakota Kai, is defending and gets knocked down to the floor to start. Martinez scares Kai over the barricade and dives off the apron to take Gonzalez down. We take a break and come back with Gonzalez hitting a heck of a clothesline for two. The chinlock goes on but Martinez punches her in the face for the break. Well that works. Something like ground and pound has Gonzalez in trouble and it’s off to a sleeper.

Gonzalez rams her into the corner for the break but gets forearmed hard in the face. The hanging DDT (or maybe a fisherman’s buster) out of the corner gives Martinez two and they head to the apron, with Martinez hitting a spear. Back in and Gonzalez flips her throat first onto the top, which puts Martinez on the floor again.

This time Gonzalez posts her but Martinez comes back in with some forearms to the face. A clothesline cuts Martinez down for two and a backbreaker is good for the same. The lifting powerbomb is countered though and Martinez hits a running knee to the face. There’s the fisherman’s buster for two on Gonzalez, followed by some knees to the face. Gonzalez is right back with a big boot (because knees to the face can be shrugged off) into the lifting powerbomb to retain at 11:58.

Rating: B. This was about two strong, hard hitting women hitting each other in the face over and over again and that’s what they did. I’m not sure if there was any real drama over a possible title change here, but Gonzalez getting a nice win and making the powerbomb look good in the process is smart. Good stuff here, limited selling of shots to the face aside.

The Way seems to have attacked Bronson Reed.

Here is Isaiah Scott, who introduces his new group, which seems to be called Hit Roh (pronounced Row), featuring AJ Francis, Ashante Adonis and Briana Brandy. The three of them put a chair in the ring for Scott, who talks about the mistakes he has made in NXT. He has been thinking that he is a dangerous man, and now it is time to have some people who think like him.

First up is Francis, now known as Top Dollar. He is the top in everything and raps a bit about how great he is. Brandy dubs herself B Fab and talks about how she is the mind of the team. She put money on Leon Ruff’s head so Dollar dropped him. Scott dubs the team as NXT’s new problem. If it gives Scott something to do, that is some awesome news.

We go to an auction for a house, with Cameron Grimes showing up and bidding eight million dollars. Ted DiBiase pops up and bids TWENTY MILLION DOLLARS, sending Grimes into hysterics all over again. These things continue to be gold.

Zoey Stark used to be a fan of Toni Storm but then she went all nuts. Storm doesn’t like her because Stark lives in the gym and works hard to be here.

Oney Lorcan vs. Kyle O’Reilly

Pete Dunne is here with Lorcan. This is fallout from earlier when Lorcan said O’Reilly couldn’t beat anyone, which had O’Reilly thinking Lorcan had been in the sun too long. Kyle dives for the leg to start but gets caught in a front facelock. O’Reilly escapes a headscissors so Lorcan takes his head off with a clothesline. The triangle choke over the rope has Lorcan in trouble until O’Reilly has to go after Dunne. Lorcan gets in a cheap shot from behind and we take a break.

Back with Lorcan hammering away, including some shots in the corner. O’Reilly hits a running knee to the knee though and some more knees to the chest have Lorcan in trouble. A belly to back suplex sets up a quickly broken kneebar, so O’Reilly hits the brainbuster. The top rope knee to the back finishes Lorcan at 8:58.

Rating: B-. Lorcan is one of those guys who can go out there and have a fine match with anyone, meaning it felt like O’Reilly had to do something to win here. That’s what you need in a match like this, as you can pencil in O’Reilly vs. Dunne for Takeover. Good match, with that top rope knee getting turned into a pretty serious finisher.

Post match Pete Dunne comes in for the big beatdown but Bobby Fish returns for the save. O’Reilly is glad to see him but they agree to go their own ways because they have their own things going on. That’s good, as there is absolutely nothing left for them to accomplish as a team.

We get a superhero movie trailer style vignette for the Way.

Bronson Reed is sick of the Way so next week, the title match against Johnny Gargano is inside a cage.

Cruiserweight Title: Santos Escobar vs. Kushida

Escobar is challenging and this is 2/3 falls. The brawl starts in a hurry and Kushida is sent outside, where Legado del Fantasma tries to jump him. Cue MSK immediately to take them out though and all four are ejected. Kushida hits a big flip dive from the top to drop Escobar and we take an early break.

Back with Escobar working on a half crab before putting Kushida on top. A fireman’s carry drop puts Kushida ribs first into the turnbuckle and we hit most of a Boston crab on the steps, with Kushida’s throat going into the post. Back in and the surfboard has Kushida in trouble, followed by a reverse chinlock to work on the back even more. Escobar stomps in the corner but a superplex is countered into a sunset flip for two. Back up and Escobar grabs the Phantom Driver for the pin and the first fall at 10:57. Commentary says we’re going to a break but hang on as Kushida grabs a cross armbreaker to even things up at 11:23.

Now we take the break and come back with Escobar snapping Kushida’s arm across the top and hitting his signature suicide dive tot he floor. Back in and Kushida counters the double underhook gutbuster and takes Escobar down for a breather. Kushida kicks him to the floor and takes Escobar down by the arm, only to miss the running kick to the arm back inside. Escobar rolls him up for two and counters the Hoverboard Lock into a small package for two more.

They go into the pinfall reversal sequence, with Kushida’s cradle (that he used to win the title in the first place) getting two. A double clothesline puts them both down though and we need a breather. Back up and Escobar takes him to the top, only to get pulled into the Hoverboard Lock. Kushida rolls it into the middle of the ring but Escobar makes the rope anyway. A suplex sends Escobar into the corner and a bridging northern lights suplex retains the title at 22:14.

Rating: B+. These guys work very well together and it is nice to see Kushida get a win after a big match like this. That being said, the ending was rather abrupt and I was almost expecting some kind of shenanigans. I’ll take Kushida retaining the title clean though, as it makes his title reign feel that much more established. I’m not sure what is next for Escobar, but having the goons with him should keep him fine for a long time. Good wrestling match here, and sometimes that is what you need, especially if it makes the Cruiserweight Title look important for a change.

Overall Rating: A-. This was almost Takeover-esque with some of the matches working very well. Granted this show did start off a little bit slowly, but once it got on a roll, it was on a roll in a big way. I liked this one a lot and they made me care about things I likely wouldn’t care about otherwise. Very good show here, and a nice example of what NXT can do when they are focusing well, including setting up stuff for the next few weeks. That’s quite a use of two hours.

Results

Karrion Kross b. Austin Theory – Krossjacket choke

MSK b. Breezango – Spinebuster/Blockbuster combination to Breeze

Pete Dunne b. Leon Ruff via referee stoppage

Raquel Gonzalez b. Mercedes Martinez – Lifting powerbomb

Kyle O’Reilly b. Oney Lorcan – Top rope knee to the back

Kushida b. Santos Escobar 2-1

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NXT
Date: May 4, 2021
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Beth Phoenix, Wade Barrett, Vic Joseph

The big story this week is the return of Finn Balor for the first time since he lost the NXT Title to Karrion Kross back at Takeover: Stand & Deliver. That alone should be interesting as we get to see what is next for him. In addition, the Women’s Tag Team Titles are on the line as Ember Moon/Shotzi Blackheart defend against the Way. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

The opening recap sets up tonight’s Women’s Tag Team Title match, plus Isaiah Scott vs. Leon Ruff.

Isaiah Scott vs. Leon Ruff

Falls count anywhere. Ruff charges into an elbow to the face to start but he’s right back up with a failed crucifix bomb attempt. Instead Scott knocks him down but the JML Driver is countered with Scott being knocked to the floor. The suicide dive is blocked as well and Scott slams him back first into the apron. Scott sends him into the barricade and hits a heck of a delayed top rope superplex for two (Ruff being small can make for some great crashes).

Ruff is sent outside where he counters a kick from the apron to tie Scott’s legs in the ropes. That means a running dropkick to knock Scott to the floor as well, but Scott is fine enough to chop Ruff out of the air. Scott whips out a toolbox and we take a break. Back with Ruff hitting a flip dive off the stage to take Scott down again. They go back into the ring with Scott reversing another superplex into the super crucifix bomb for two.

To get even scarier, Ruff busts out a poisonrana off the apron to the floor. Scott catches him against the barricade though and hits the Confidence Boost on the floor for two. Ruff comes back with a toolbox shot to the knee and puts on a kneebar with I believer a wrench to crank on the leg even more. That’s broken up so Ruff hits the great looking spinning cutter out of the corner. Scott it sent outside again and another diving cutter connects but Ruff climbs up onto the set. The big dive lands on…..AJ Francis, who catches Ruff and throws him down rather hard. Back in and the JML Driver finishes Ruff at 15:24.

Rating: B. This got some time and had the right result, with Ruff getting in everything that he could for a long time. Ruff is someone who has made the absolute most out of his TV time as he has gone from a guy who was just there to a former North American Champion who can put on some rather good matches. I had fun with this and Ruff got to showcase himself again before the right person won.

Post match, Ruff celebrates with his entourage, including Francis and an unnamed man and a woman.

The Way comes in to see William Regal, but he’s busy talking to Scarlett. Austin Theory looks at her and says those are the biggest he’s ever seen and knows they have to be real. Her nails of course.

Asher Hale vs. Cameron Grimes

Hale is Anthony Henry of Evolve fame. Grimes runs him over to start and goes to the hard strikes in the corner. Hale’s kick to the leg earns him an uppercut back down but a dragon screw legwhip slows Grimes down. A missile dropkick gives Hale two but Grimes knees him down. The swinging sitout Side Effect sets up the Cave In to finish Hale at 3:04.

Rating: D+. Not quite a squash here but what matters here is Grimes getting more TV time and capitalizing on his momentum from the Ted DiBiase stuff. I’m not sure what is coming next from the two of them but at least Grimes is getting to do something great. I love NXT making something for him and turning it into something interesting, which you don’t get to see very often.

Kayden Carter and Kacy Catanzaro aren’t worried about Tian Sha because they want the Tag Team Titles. Frankie Monet comes in and thinks they’re so adorable.

Cameron Grimes celebrates with Ever-Rise. They aren’t thrilled when he goes to the VIP room. NXT has a VIP room?

Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Timothy Thatcher/Tommaso Ciampa

Before the match, the Veterans rants about how much they don’t like Thatcher or the shoes off deal. Thatcher and Ciampa interrupt the catchphrase though and we’re ready to go. Ciampa and Drake lock up to start with Ciampa taking him down for a headscissors. Thatcher comes in to send Drake into the corner for the tag off to Gibson, who comes in to lock up for a bit.

That means Thatcher can take him to the mat and start working on the shoulder before switching to a chinlock. Drake’s save is cut off and Ciampa takes him down, meaning the rapid fire forearms to the chest put the Veterans on the floor. We take a break and come back with Drake pulling on Thatcher’s ear and handing it off to Gibson for a cravate. That’s broken up and it’s back to Ciampa for the chops in the corner (with Thatcher holding the tag rope in the air and standing on the apron like a statue).

Ciampa hits a running knee to Drake’s head for two, steps on and bites his finger, and hands it back to Thatcher. Everything breaks down again with Drake and Thatcher crashing out to the floor. Thatcher wins a strike off with Gibson but can’t get the Fujiwara armbar. Instead, Gibson plants Thatcher with a DDT for two but someone steals Barrett’s shoe somewhere in there and throws it inside. Ciampa offers a distraction and Thatcher hits Gibson in the head, setting up the Fujiwara armbar for the tap at 14:27.

Rating: C+. Good fast enough paced match here with both teams looking good, even if the shoe thing was a bit of an eye roll inducer. I could go for Thatcher/Ciampa as a high level team as it isn’t like they can’t hang in the ring. There are enough teams out there to make things interesting and hopefully both of these teams get some more TV time in the near future.

Joseph to Barrett: “Your shoe’s off! YOU HATE GIBSON!”

The Way yells at William Regal about the upcoming North American Title defense against Bronson Reed. It’s still on, as is Austin Theory vs. Karrion Kross next week.

Isaiah Scott and company brag about his win and leave the building.

Video on Sarray and Zayda Ramier.

Here are Karrion Kross and Scarlett for a chat. Kross says he isn’t going to be afraid of anyone and wants to give the people what they want. Let’s give them a fight so we’ll start next week against Austin Theory. Cue Kyle O’Reilly to say Kross is the NXT Champion and that is the match O’Reilly wants. He thinks Kross wants it too….but here is Pete Dunne to interrupt. Dunne asks if they are having a laugh and starts to throw his hat in the ring but here is Finn Balor to cut him off as well.

Balor goes after Kross and gets knocked down so Dunne goes after Kross as well. Kross sends him outside and kicks O’Reilly into the corner. Balor shotgun dropkicks Kross into O’Reilly in the corner as security comes in. A Kross clothesline drops Balor and a security guard gets suplexed. Kross is left alone but here is the Way to jump him from behind. Theory gets suplexed but some superkicks put Kross down for a few seconds. Gargano adds a belt shot to finally leave Kross laying. This did a rather nice job of making Kross look like a monster and lining up the challengers.

During the break, Gargano and Theory (favoring his shoulder) left, despite Indi Hartwell and Candice LeRae having a match later.

Zayda Ramier vs. Sarray

They trade headlocks to start with Sarray knocking her down off a running dropkick. Back up and Sarray gets pulled into an STF to put her in some trouble. That’s broken up and Sarray pulls her into something like a Muta Lock. Since that can’t last long, Sarray hits a running dropkick against the ropes and a missile dropkick puts Ramier down again. Sarray snaps off a hard t-bone suplex for the pin at 4:39.

Rating: C. This was a much more impressive match from Sarray, who didn’t exactly impress me last week. They had more of a squash this time around with Ramier only getting in a little offense before getting crushed in the end. What matters is Sarray looked better, though there is still a long way to go with making her a star around here.

Walter yells at Imperium via video in German. Alexander Wolfe isn’t happy and walks off.

The Diamond Mine is still coming.

Sarray checks on Zayda Ramier when Toni Storm and Zoey Stark get in a staredown. Storm storms off and Stark checks on Ramier as well.

Jake Atlas vs. LA Knight

Knight says the fans just saying his catchphrase doesn’t make them cool. As for Atlas, Knight is going to hit him so hard that Atlas is going to need an atlas to tell him where he is. Knight gets taken down into an armbar to start but sends Atlas into the corner for some stomping. Atlas nails a running dropkick to send Knight outside but the suicide dive is cut off with a forearm. A slingshot shoulder drops Atlas but he is back with a German suplex for two. Atlas kicks away but Knight ducks a big one and hits the bulldog driver for the pin at 3:05.

Rating: C-. Not much to this one but Atlas got in some offense before Knight won, as he should have. Knight has all of the charisma that you could need and he is backing it up well enough in the ring. All they need to do is having him talking and doing well enough with the wrestling, which is what we got here. In addition: NXT is smart enough to put people on shows like this and keep them in fans’ minds until they have something to do. That can be rather important long term and it doesn’t happen enough today.

Indi Hartwell is panicking over not getting Dexter Lumis back but Candice LeRae hides a drawing he has left her. She also closes the blinds because Dexter is looking in (into the women’s locker room that is).

Toni Storm talks about how Zoey Stark is the flavor of the month but she is rapidly losing that flavor. Storm bought her into this business and now she is going to take her out. I miss these “talk to the camera” promos as they don’t happen enough these days.

Here is Legado del Fantasma for a chat. Santos Escobar talks about tradition and says last week was part of a premonition. He is going to regain his Cruiserweight Title and he’s doing it soon. Joaquin Wilde says MSK won the Tag Team Titles but they didn’t beat Legado del Fantasma. Raul Mendoza issues the title challenge but here is Kushida on screen to issue a challenge to Escobar for a Cruiserweight Title match next week. Escobar says he’s on. It’s great seeing Kushida finally getting to do something.

We get a sitdown, split screen interview between Raquel Gonzalez and Mercedes Martinez. Raquel says the title means she is the baddest woman in this division and she has pure power. Martinez talks about how she has been around for a long time but Gonzalez isn’t intimidating her (Gonzalez: “Not yet.”).

They promise to beat each other up next week and Martinez says she paved the roads that Gonzalez has come down. Gonzalez: “Am I not gritty?” Martinez calls her cookie cutter but Gonzalez says she has accomplished in a year than Martinez ever did. Gonzalez says Martinez is the next challenger, but she won’t be the last. That was a good closing line and Gonzalez sounded a lot more natural than Martinez here.

Shotzi Blackheart and Ember Moon find Frankie Monet’s dog in their tank. The dog is sent on but the tank is now unusable due to, uh, various things now in it.

Cameron Grimes is going to the VIP room but he isn’t on the list. The entire room has been rented out, and here’s a long white limo. Ted DiBiase gets out and says he has bought the whole club. DiBiase hits the catchphrase and laughs before going inside. Grimes: “THAT WASN’T EVEN FUNNY!” It was a little funny.

Next week: Kushida vs. Santos Escobar for the Cruiserweight Title in a 2/3 falls match, plus Raquel Gonzalez defends the Women’s Title against Mercedes Martinez.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: The Way vs. Ember Moon/Shotzi Blackheart

The Way is challenging in a street fight so they start fast, with Barrett saying where we’re going with this one, we don’t need rules. They go straight for the weapons, with LeRae pulling out a bunch of chairs but Moon (in street clothes for some reason) kicks her down. Some trashcans are thrown in and Indi is double teamed in the corner. A basement dropkick sets up Blackheart’s running backsplash and Moon puts a trashcan over a seated Indi.

That sets up the stereo basement dropkicks for two with LeRae making the save. Candice gets dropped with a double trashcan lid shot and it’s time for another table. Hartwell breaks that up and drops Blackheart onto the apron before setting up four chairs at ringside. Moon puts her face first into the chairs and Hartwell is set in a chair on the four chairs. Blackheart’s dive is cut off with a blast from a fire extinguisher though (as it could have been rather nasty otherwise) and we take a break.

Back with Moon dropkicking LeRae down and sending her shoulder first into the post. The Dominator/sliding neckbreaker combination gets two on Hartwell and LeRae is laid onto a ladder bridged between the ring and apron. Blackheart’s top rope backsplash drives her through, leaving Moon to drive Hartwell through a table in the corner for two. Back up and Hartwell kicks a ladder into both champs and then holds up a ladder with Blackheart laid across.

That lets Candice hit a Lionsault onto Blackheart onto the ladder but Moon is back up to kick away. A spinebuster onto the ladder plants Moon for two but Blackheart is back up to send Hartwell into the barricade. Hartwell is put onto the announcers’ table for the BIG splash off of the tower and they’re both done. LeRae plants Moon back inside and Hartwell is somehow back up to put Moon through a table on the floor. That leaves LeRae to hit Blackheart with brass knuckles. The Wicked Stepsister onto a chair finishes Blackheart for the pin and the titles at 15:38.

Rating: B. This was a wild fight and that’s what they needed to do here. The women’s tag team division isn’t a strong one in the first place so going with the title change here was the right move. Moon and Blackheart were thrown together for the tournament so there was no need to keep them together long term. The Way at least feels like a regular team (they even have a name) so let them get a bit more established to build up the titles somewhat. Also, well done on not having Dexter Lumis involved here. He and Hartwell are kind of interesting, but this wasn’t about that story.

Overall Rating: B. The opener and main event were both very good, stuff was announced for later, and the two not so great matches were about three minutes long each. This is where NXT tends to shine: building up a lot of different stuff, almost like a buffet, rather than one big main course and hoping that’s enough. Nothing stands out above the rest, but it makes for a better show with a solid average throughout rather than being so up or down. Rather effective effort here, as they used the tried and true NXT formula.

Results

Isaiah Scott b. Leon Ruff – JML Driver

Cameron Grimes b. Asher Hale – Cave In

Tommaso Ciampa/Timothy Thatcher b. Grizzled Young Veterans – Fujiwara armbar to Gibson

Sarray b. Zayda Ramier – T-bone suplex

LA Knight b. Jake Atlas – Bulldog driver

The Way b. Ember Moon/Shotzi Blackheart – Wicked Stepsister onto a chair to Blackheart

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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AND

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Takeover: Stand & Deliver Night One
Date: April 7, 2021
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Wade Barrett, Beth Phoenix

Things are changing a bit here as we have the first ever two night Takeover. It’s going to be interesting to see if they can make a two night event work, but I have learned never to bet against NXT. Hopefully they can make that work here, with Io Shirai defending the Women’s Title against Raquel Gonzalez in the main event. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Zoey Stark vs. Toni Storm

The fans are split on this one to start. They trade headlocks to start with Toni getting the better of things early on. Stark drives her down with a knee into the arm but Storm is back up with a shoulder. Stark gets away and hits a quick missile dropkick to rock Storm. That’s enough for Stark to go up but Storm pulls her off of the middle rope for a crash. Storm knocks her into the corner and stomps away a bit, followed by a slap out of the corner.

This time it’s Storm going up but Stark catches her with an enziguri, setting up a superplex for the double knockdown. A kick to the face rocks Storm and a half nelson suplex makes it even worse. Stark’s running knee to the face gets two but Storm is right back with an electric chair faceplant for two of her own. Storm Zero is blocked and Stark hits a heck of a superkick for another near fall. A pair of quick German suplexes drop Stark but she counters Storm Zero into a small package to pin Storm at 9:49.

Rating: C+. I’m surprised that it happened but Stark had to win something at some point. You can only be the one who comes close so many times while still losing for so long so the win is a good sign for her future. I’m not sure how much doubt there was that NXT wanted to push her, but now they are actually giving her a little something. Somehow Storm now needs a win to stop her downward slide, but I’m not sure when that is actually going to come.

Nita Strauss plays America the Beautiful to open things up.

A bunch of lightning goes off and the voiceover says welcome to the show. There are a lot more fans here here than there have been in recent weeks and you can feel more energy than NXT has had in a very long time.

There is even a ramp to the ring to make things feel even more unique this time around.

Pete Dunne vs. Kushida

Kushida takes him straight to the mat for a failed cross armbreaker attempt. A kneebar doesn’t work either but Kushida ties up the legs and grabs the arms. They get back up to fight over arm control with Dunne not being able to keep a hammerlock. Kushida tries a Tajiri handspring but Dunne cuts him down and starts in on the fingers. Dunne snaps the arm across the bottom rope for a nasty visual, followed by a painful looking stomp to the head.

Back up and Kushida kicks him in the arm, setting up the cartwheel dropkick to put Dunne on the ramp. Kushida misses a dive but manages the handspring elbow on the ramp instead. Back in and Dunne jumps onto Kushida for a Hoverboard Lock of his own but Kushida reverses into a quickly broken real thing. Kushida hits a fisherman’s buster for two and we take a break.

We come back with Kushida grabbing a Falcon Arrow into the cross armbreaker but Dunne is out in a hurry. Dunne’s armbreaker is broken up as well and they trade headbutts on the mat. Kushida hits a running dropkick to the arm and there’s a running flip kick to send Dunne to the apron.

The Hoverboard Lock goes on on top and Kushida flips him down into the full version on the mat. Kushida reverses into another arm crank, forcing Dunne to have to reach the ropes with his foot. A hard knee to the arm sets up another Hoverboard Lock but Dunne makes the rope. That’s fine with Kushida, who grabs the Hoverboard Lock on the other arm instead. Dunne escapes again and stomps on the hand, setting up the Bitter End for the pin at 10:41.

Rating: B-. I was getting into this one near the end and then it just wrapped up all of a sudden. They were getting somewhere with all of the arm work and building to a big submission battle but it felt like the match needed another five to six minutes to really hit that other gear. It’s good and Kushida was doing better than he usually does, but it just didn’t have the time to reach that next level.

Gauntlet Eliminator

There are six people involved here and a new entrant comes in every three minutes. Pinfall and submission only for eliminations and the winner gets a North American Title shot against Johnny Gargano for tomorrow night. We come back from a break with Leon Ruff in at #1 and Isaiah Scott in at #2, with both guys already fighting in the ring (possibly because the Peacock feed is continuing during the commercials). Thankfully we get the opening bell here and they fight to the floor in a hurry.

Ruff is dropped onto the barricade but comes back with the twisting cutter off the announcers’ table. Back in and Scott sends him into the corner but a superbomb is countered into a good looking hurricanrana to put them both down again. Bronson Reed is in at #3 so Ruff dives at him on the ramp, only to get thrown back in over a ducking Scott. Reed sits on Scott’s back to put him down and then German suplexes both of them at the same time.

Cameron Grimes is in at #4 and a quick triple team knocks Reed to the floor. Scott and Grimes start double teaming Ruff but he bounces off the ropes in the corner (that was cool) and slides between Grimes’ legs. That doesn’t work to get rid of Scott though and a faceplant puts Ruff down again. Scott goes outside to kick Reed in the face and keep him down.

Back in and a hard clothesline puts Ruff down and it’s Dexter Lumis is in at #5. During the entrance, Scott pins Ruff for the first elimination at 9:46. Lumis gets in and fires off the suplexes to everyone but Reed, meaning it’s time for a staredown. Back up and Lumis manages to lift him up in a fireman’s carry but that doesn’t quite last. Instead Reed is thrown outside with Lumis and Grimes being knocked down as well. LA Knight completes the field at #6 and it’s time to talk a lot of trash on the mic. Reed scares him down though and we take a break.

We come back with Lumis grabbing the Silence on Grimes but Knight grabs a rollup to pin Lumis at 14:50. Grimes plants Knight though and Reed adds a backsplash to get rid of Knight at 15:25, much to Barrett’s annoyance. Lumis Silences Knight after the elimination and it’s a three way slugout inside. Grimes puts Scott down but a staggered Reed falls onto both of them to leave everyone on the mat for a breather. Back up and Grimes manages to counter Reed’s crossbody with the flipping powerslam (that was impressive) but Scott rolls Grimes up with trunks for the pin at 18:29.

Reed knocks Scott down and goes up but Scott catches him with a running kick to the head. Scott manages something like a Death Valley Driver onto the apron for a big knockdown, followed by a 450 for two back inside. The House Call rocks Reed again but another attempt is countered with a grab to the throat. Scott isn’t having that and hits another House Call for another two. Reed is back up with a powerbomb into something like White Noise. The Tsunami sends Reed to tomorrow at 22:25.

Rating: B. This was another good one but it never came close to that top level. That being said, Reed is a very fresh name to push in this spot and that is something interesting. There is something to be said about a monster who can hit a heck of a splash like that and I could go for Gargano seeing what he can do with Reed. If nothing else, it isn’t Lumis and I’ll take that pretty much every time.

Post match Gargano comes out for the staredown.

United Kingdom Title: Walter vs. Tommaso Ciampa

Walter is defending and Ciampa is in trunks for the first time in a long time. Ciampa’s headlock doesn’t last long as the much bigger Walter drives him into the corner. You don’t do that to Ciampa, who goes into Blackheart mode and stomps Walter down into another corner. A running boot is cut off by a big chop though and they head outside, where a missed chop sends Walter’s hand through the announcers’ table.

The arms are fine enough to drop Ciampa onto the apron though and they head back inside. A big chop is cut off with a raised elbow and Ciampa kicks away at the bad hand. Walter kicks him down for a breather and a half crab has Ciampa in more trouble. That’s broken up so Walter kicks him in the face again. Walter slowly knocks him around but Ciampa gets in a few shots of his own and we take a break.

Back with Ciampa managing to hit the Fairy Tale Ending and not being able to believe the kickout. Walter can’t get the sleeper but he can hit a release German suplex into the huge clothesline….for two. Back up and Ciampa pulls another clothesline into a Fujiwara armbar with the hand being bent back as well. The rope is grabbed so Ciampa unloads on Walter, who can only cover up until he makes the rope again.

Walter gets up on the apron and headbutts Ciampa down but he is right back to catch Walter on the top. That means a super Air Raid Crash gets two and they’re both down. Walter is back up to chop him down again and the powerbomb plants Ciampa one more time. Then it’s another powerbomb with Walter stacking up the cover for two. A sleeper suplex drops Ciampa again and the big chop is finally enough to put him away at 16:05.

Rating: B+. These guys beat the fire out of each other and that’s what you want from Walter. I don’t think there was any drama over who was leaving with the title here, due to a combination of Rampage Brown already having a title match tomorrow at Prelude and, you know, Walter doesn’t lose. The hand injury being kind of forgotten near the end hurt things a bit, but these two beat each other senseless and that’s all this was for a good while. Pretty awesome stuff.

The dog from last week runs into an elevator, comes out of an elevator, and then runs into the ring where a woman (or at least her legs) are waiting. The name is confirmed as Franky Monet.

Tag Team Titles: MSK vs. Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Legado del Fantasma

The titles are vacant coming in. Legado elbows Lee down to start and drop Gibson as well. There’s a double basement dropkick to Lee but the Veterans get together to dropkick Wilde in the knee and the head to send him outside. Caster comes back in with a high crossbody to Gibson but Drake hits a clothesline to take him down. Drake stomps Carter down in the corner and we hit the chinlock.

That’s broken up as well so Lee comes back in to double team Gibson to the floor. Carter hits a step up dive to take the Veterans down again but Mendoza kicks Lee outside. Legado hits stereo dives (one of which included a flipping springboard) to take everyone down at once and we take a break. Back with Carter in trouble in the corner as Legado keeps up the double teaming.

Some running charges in the corner set up a double a suplex, followed by a moonsault to give Wilde two. Carter manages to get in a shot of his own though and the hot tag brings in Lee to clean house. The big flip dive takes out Legado on the floor and there’s the moonsault kick to Drake’s head. The push moonsault gets two more on Drake but Gibson is right there to pull Lee off the apron. Carter knees Drake but Legado is back into drop Carter again.

Lee hits a springboard moonsault into a double reverse DDT to put Legado back on the floor. Gibson is right back up to tie Lee’s hand in the turnbuckle, with Drake adding a running dropkick to crush the hand. The Shankly Gates has Lee in trouble but Carter grabs his hand to break up the tap. Gibson chokes Carter out but Mendoza breaks it up. A Death Valley Driver plants Drake and Wilde hits a top rope splash on Gibson.

The Russian legsweep/clothesline combination gets two on Lee and Legado can’t believe it. The Veterans load up the running Doomsday Device to Wilde and Carter Racks Mendoza for a running knee from Lee. That leaves us with MSK vs. the Veterans in the big showdown into a slugout. Carter hits a double cutter to put the Veterans down again and the flipping neckbreaker Hart Attack finishes Gibson for the titles at 15:29.

Rating: B. Yeah this was exactly what it needed to be here and that is all you can ask for. They had three teams going nuts for fifteen minutes and the young team won. I would assume that they were going to win the titles here anyway, so maybe we can see them face Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch when they get back. If nothing else, NXT just did what Impact Wrestling didn’t do in the years the team was there as the Rascalz: win something important. This was the high energy match that you would expect it to be and I’ll certainly take that.

We run down the night two card, which does look a lot better.

Stephanie McMahon and Sarray are here.

Women’s Title: Io Shirai vs. Raquel Gonzalez

Shirai is defending and Dakota Kai is here with Gonzalez. We get the Big Match Intros and Shirai charges straight at her, only to get sent into the corner. A hurricanrana doesn’t work for Shirai so she slaps her legs around Gonzalez’s head instead. That sets up a good looking top rope hurricanrana but the slingshot knees are blocked with straight power. Shirai sends her outside and hits the suicide dive against the barricade to keep the pace up.

Kai goes after Shirai though and that means the big over the top ejection. A kick to the chest sets up a Lionsault to drop Gonzalez again but she blocks another one. Gonzalez lawn darts her shoulder first into the post for two, followed by a powerbomb flipped forward into a kind of spinebuster for the same. Another powerbomb is dropped backwards to send Shirai throat first onto the top rope for two more.

Gonzalez drops some elbows for three but Shirai kicks out at four (that was a REALLY bad mess up as the referee clearly knew something went wrong) so we can keep going. Back up and Gonzalez puts on something like a Gory Stretch but Shirai reverses for a hurricanrana. A double stomp has Gonzalez in more trouble and the 619 makes it even worse. The springboard missile dropkick into a Code Red gets two on Gonzalez so Shirai goes up top.

Gonzalez catches her in the lifting powerbomb but Shirai slips out into a Crossface to have Gonzalez in trouble again. The rope is finally reached and the moonsault onto the ramp drops Gonzalez again. Shirai hits some running knees to leave Gonzalez mostly done. Naturally Shirai has found a way to climb onto the skull set and hit a HUGE high crossbody to crush Gonzalez for about the ninth time.

Back in and Shirai hits the moonsault for two. Gonzalez is down on the floor so Shirai goes after her, only to get caught in the lifting powerbomb. Back in and Gonzalez blasts her with a clothesline to turn Shirai inside out. One heck of a lifting powerbomb gives Gonzalez the pin and the title at 12:54.

Rating: B. Gonzalez winning was the best way to go here as Shirai is all but out of challengers after holding the title for over ten months. I’m not sure if Shirai is on her way to the main roster, but she didn’t need to have the title any longer. You also needed a big moment to end the night here and Shirai was doing everything she could here. They told a nice story of having Shirai try everything she could, only to come up short in the end. This felt like a main event and that’s a nice way to wrap up the show.

The long celebration ends the show.

Overall Rating: A-. It says a lot when the worst match on the show would be one of the best matches of the month on Raw. I’m not sure if it felt like a Takeover (the commercials on the TV version took a lot out of it) but they kept things going here and it was a very entertaining show. Above all else, it was an awesome start to Wrestlemania weekend and I had a great time. Tomorrow night awaits us though and that’s when the big stuff goes down. For now though, more Takeover awesomeness, which really shouldn’t surprise you.

Results

Pete Dunne b. Kushida – Bitter End

Bronson Reed won a Gauntlet Eliminator last eliminating Isaiah Scott

Walter b. Tommaso Ciampa – Chop

MSK b. Grizzled Young Veterans and Legado del Fantasma – Flipping neckbreaker/spinebuster combination to Gibson

Raquel Gonzalez b. Io Shirai – Lifting powerbomb

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This is a different kind of Takeover as the whole thing is spread over two nights. That has caused a few issues with the build to the show as it is a little bit difficult to focus on two shows at once. Throw in the fact that this means we have twice as many matches as usual for a Takeover and I’m not sure how something like this is going to go. Then again, you don’t bet against Takeover so let’s get to it.

Night One

Kickoff Show: Toni Storm vs. Zoey Stark

Stark continues to be one of the more interesting cases in NXT at the moment as it is clear that they see something in her (because it’s there) but she keeps losing to one big name after another. At some point that is going to stop working out for her and the stock is going to drop, meaning she needs to win something. I’m just not sure if she is going to get that win here.

I think I’ll go with Storm to win here, as she has been kind of floating since the feud with Io Shirai, meaning she is going to need something to get her back on track. Beating Stark is not exactly the kind of thing that is going to be the big saving grace for her, but it is going to help her out a bit. Stark is going to get a win of her own someday, though I’m really not sure when that is going to be the case.

Tag Team Titles: MSK vs. Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Legado del Fantasma

This is for the vacant titles thanks to Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch being injured. We’re starting off with a confusing one here too as I have no idea who is winning the titles. You really could go with all three as possible winners and that is a great thing to see. MSK would seem to be the likely winners here as they were guaranteed a title shot thanks to winning the Dusty Classic….but things have changed since then.

As much as I want to pick Legado as the team who could pick up the titles because the other two seem like the likely winners, I’ll go with MSK winning the titles here for a nice feel good moment. I’m not sure if that is the best idea though as the Veterans need to win something after coming up short time after time, but MSK seems popular enough that a win would be a nice energy boost to the show.

Gauntlet Eliminator: Leon Ruff vs. Isaiah Scott vs. Bronson Reed vs. Cameron Grimes vs. Dexter Lumis vs. LA Knight

This is something similar to a Royal Rumble, but you are eliminated by pinfall or submission and the winner gets a North American Title shot against Johnny Gargano on night two. In theory that eliminates the heels from getting their shot, but stranger things have happened around here. I would assume that we only have three potential contenders, and only two of them are interesting.

Unfortunately I think we’re getting Lumis here, as he has been tied up with Gargano and the Way for a few weeks now. Reed is the most interesting choice and Ruff has a history with Gargano, but Lumis makes the most sense here. Grimes is on a roll and could feud with a few people in the match. Scott is already feuding with Ruff and Knight….well I’m not sure you can call his stuff with Reed a feud just yet. Lumis goes over here and moves on to the title shot on night two.

Pete Dunne vs. Kushida

Yes please. I think I might need a bit more than that, but this one feels like possibly the most intriguing match on the entire card. Kushida is someone who is capable of busting out a great match at the drop of a hat and Dunne is Dunne, so how can this one be bad? These two have been having issues for weeks now and that sounds like a good enough reason for the two of them to spend fifteen minutes trying to break the other’s arm off.

While Kushida needs a win to get some footing underneath him, Dunne is a far bigger star and is going to win here. He is someone who could become a top star around here in the blink of an eye and it makes sense to have him go over here. This very well could steal the show and the entire Takeover, but it is more about getting us to the inevitable, which is Dunne getting the win.

United Kingdom Title: Walter(c) vs. Tommaso Ciampa

Speaking of matches that could steal all of Takeover, we have these two who are more than capable of doing just that. This time around it is for Walter’s title, as his seemingly never ending reign continues. Now the problem with this one is they have announced Walter’s next title defense, but that isn’t exactly the point here. What matters is Walter is back in the ring and that is a great thing for everyone.

Of course Walter wins here, because they aren’t going to end the epic title reign on a different continent in a match that feels a bit thrown together. Walter is someone who can have a classic with anyone he faces and if we get the old Ciampa here, these two could do something incredible. I know Ciampa isn’t as great as he has been before, but even a mostly there Ciampa is a sight to behold.

Women’s Title: Io Shirai(c) vs. Rhea Gonzalez

This is an interesting one as the champ issued the challenge for a change. You might not realize it but Shirai has been champion for about ten months now and has all but cleared out the division. Thankfully NXT is good at bringing in fresh talent and that is exactly what they are doing with people like Gonzalez (among others). This was the main focal point of last week’s NXT and it feels like a main event.

I’ve been betting that Shirai will lose the title for the better part of ever now and I’ll do that again here, as there just aren’t many people left to take it from here (save for maybe Xia Li, but I’m not sure how much someone with her current gimmick needs the title). They need to pull the trigger on someone eventually (though Shirai is doing fine in this role) and Gonzalez makes more sense than probably anyone else. Gonzalez wins here and ends a sneakily epic reign from Shirai.

Night Two

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Shotzi Blackheart/Ember Moon(c) vs. The Way

These titles are still brand new and one of the best ways to make them mean something is to have them on the line. Granted there still are not very many established teams to go after them, but at least the Way has a name. Blackheart and Moon don’t feel like long term champs, but losing in one of your first defenses seems like a quick drop (pun intended), even at a show like this.

Now the question is will they drop them here and I’ll go with not yet. I think the Way does get the belts eventually, but it isn’t happening so soon. It is just a little too early for the titles to change hands twice and NXT would be smart to have the titles sink in with Blackheart and Moon for a bit. The Way isn’t a team that needs to have multiple titles, so hopefully the titles don’t change here, because they really don’t need to yet.

North American Title: Johnny Gargano(c) vs. Gauntlet Eliminator Winner

This is a follow up from the previous night as the winner of the Gauntlet Eliminator (Lumis, assuming my completely accurate picks are right) gets a shot at Gargano. I’m not sure how much I like this idea as it can make for a hard match to set up in advance, but at least they have something going here between Gargano and Lumis. That sets up a rather scary possibility of even more of a focus on Lumis, though they have pulled back a bit in recent weeks.

I think I’ll go with Lumis winning here, as it has been teased long enough that it probably needs to just happen already. Gargano is fine in his role as champion, but it feels like he has held the title for the better part of ever at the moment. The title probably needs some fresh blood and while Lumis isn’t the most exciting or interesting blood, he certainly would be fresh. Now just get it over with already.

Cruiserweight Title: Jordan Devlin(c) vs. Santos Escobar(c)

It’s a special situation as both are champions, meaning there are two titles. Since Shawn Michaels is helping to run NXT and it has been at least a month since the last one, it is time to put the belts above the ring and have a ladder match. That makes things both a little more interesting and less interesting at the same time, as I wasn’t sure who was going to actually take the fall here. Throw in the ladder though and things are a little bit different. Someone has to stick around though and I think I know what that means.

I’ll go with Escobar to win here, as not being able to pull down a title from above the ring is not going to crush his momentum. Devlin still seems to be the guy who is going to go after Walter (and likely take the title from him) so getting him away from the Cruiserweight Title is a necessary step. I’m also not sure I can imagine him sticking around in America and NXT UK doesn’t need a Cruiserweight Title so let Escobar have it for good.

Adam Cole vs. Kyle O’Reilly

This is unsanctioned and I believe the words “oh boy” are appropriate. These two have some great chemistry together and it should be awesome to see them beat the living fire out of each other. I know the working theory is that it should be time to see Cole go to the main roster and while I’m not sure I believe that is the case, getting beaten by O’Reilly in a big blowoff feud would be a great way to go.

So yeah give me O’Reilly here, mainly for the reason that Cole absolutely does not need to win this match. O’Reilly has yet to have the big singles win and Cole has won everything he needs to win in all of NXT. I wouldn’t mind seeing Cole show up on the main roster as a post WrestleMania surprise, but I’m hoping that we see him go down to O’Reilly after one heck of a fight.

NXT Title: Finn Balor(c) vs. Karrion Kross

We’ll wrap it up with another match that could go either way. In theory the loser here should be on their way to the main roster, as Balor has already been a main roster star and Kross was pretty much ready for the main roster the day he debuted. I don’t know how well the gimmick would work there, but at least it would make sense to have Kross and Scarlett up there. Someone has to lose though and that makes it hard to figure out.

I actually think I’ll take Balor to win here, as NXT is going to want to keep some star power down there because the show moving over to another night. Hopefully the match is the hard hitting struggle that it should be, but I have no idea who goes after the title once Balor retains. Granted he probably doesn’t win here because it is a complete coin flip, but yeah we’ll go with Balor here.

Overall Thoughts

I’m not completely sold on the idea here as it feels like a pair of shows put together rather than one great Takeover. That could mean a bit of a downgrade, but if there is one thing that I have learned about Takeover over the years, it is that NXT knows how to figure out a way around anything. There is enough good stuff on the card to believe that they could pull it off and hopefully that is the case here.

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NXT
Date: March 10, 2021
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Beth Phoenix, Vic Joseph

This is one of the most stacked shows that NXT has had in a long time, with a pair of title matches to cap off the show. In addition though, General Manager William Regal is making two major announcements this week, both of which could be quite the game changers. Or they are either short term or not overly interesting ideas. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

The champions and the challengers arrived earlier today.

Here’s William Regal to make the big announcements to start the show. First up, we go to a video on the history of Takeover, which is coming back over Wrestlemania weekend….for two nights, Wednesday and Thursday, on USA and Peacock respectively. This one is called Takeover: Stand And Deliver, which is at least better than Vengeance Day. Back in the arena, Regal has asked the women’s division to stand in the aisle. These women have proven themselves over and over, week in and week out, so Regal would like Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzalez to come to the ring.

They got cheated out of their Women’s Tag Team Titles last week, so Regal is making his own move. Therefore, the two of them are the first ever NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions. Kai is rather proud and thanks Regal before bragging about running through the tournament to win the titles. Cue Shotzi Blackheart and Ember Moon to say if we have champions, we are going to have some challengers. Regal agrees and makes the match tonight. Well that was fast. These titles absolutely do not need to (and should not) exist, but at least it was fast.

Women’s Title: Io Shirai vs. Toni Storm

Storm is challenging and takes her up against the ropes for an early slap. They go to the mat to slug it out with Shirai being knocked into the corner. Shirai manages a shot to the ribs and hits a slingshot double stomp to the back. A rollup gives Shirai two and we hit the abdominal stretch with an elbow into Storm’s ribs. They head outside with Shirai being whipped into the steps as we take a break.

Back with Shirai hitting a flapjack, followed by the springboard missile dropkick for two. Storm nails a sliding clothesline into a bridging German suplex for two of her own. Another sliding clothesline against the ropes but Shirai backdrops her onto the apron. That’s enough to send Storm to the floor and there’s the big moonsault to drop her again.

Back in and another moonsault is broken up, setting up a sitout powerbomb out of the corner for two. Shirai snaps on a Crossface but Storm makes it over to the ropes in a hurry. Another moonsault misses and now Storm Zero connects for a rather near fall. Shirai is right back with the Crossface….and Storm actually taps at 12:00.

Rating: B-. I was surprised by the ending, though I do like the idea of Shirai having another finisher. She has been the champion for a very long time now and I’m not sure who is going to take the title from her this time around. Storm losing actually threw me here and I’m not sure where the two of them go from here.

Finn Balor wants tonight to be him and Adam Cole one on one and face to face for that title.

LA Knight says he’s ready to debut next week but here’s Bronson Reed to grab him by the throat. Drake says this is his time and I think we have a showdown for next week.

Pete Dunne vs. Jake Atlas

Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch are here with Dunne. Atlas starts with a cartwheel and gets hammerlocked down to the arm for his efforts. Back up and Atlas snaps off a hurricanrana, followed by a springboard armdrag. Dunne isn’t having any of this and kicks the arm in. There’s a knee to the arm to put him down again and the armbar goes on. Atlas is right back with a snap German suplex for two and a discus lariat drops Dunne again. The cartwheel DDT is broken up though and Dunne snaps the fingers into the armbar to make Atlas tap at 4:26.

Rating: C-. This was all about making Dunne look like a monster who picked Atlas apart. Dunne not having any time for Atlas’ flips and ripping him to pieces was great. I’m not sure what is next for Dunne, but he is the kind of guy who could face anyone in NXT today and have a great match. This wasn’t a squash, but it was a heck of a beating.

Post match Dunne says he made his name in the UK but he is the best technical wrestler in the world today. Prove him wrong.

Imperium says that they are awesome and want Timothy Thatcher to join them.

Leon Ruff is tired of being told that he lucked into the title so now he’s ready to prove that Isaiah Scott is in for another rough landing.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Raquel Gonzalez/Dakota Kai vs. Shotzi Blackheart/Ember Moon

Moon and Blackheart are challenging. Shotzi wastes no time in grabbing the Cloverleaf on Kai, which is pulled into the middle of the ring. Kai finally makes the rope so they can both hit kicks to the face at the same time. We take a break and come back with Gonzalez dropping Kai into a double stomp onto Blackheart. Back up and a quick enziguri allows the hot tag off to Moon to clean house.

Moon picks Kai up for a powerbomb and spins her down into a faceplant (that didn’t look good), followed by the middle rope Codebreaker on Gonzalez. Blackheart dives onto Gonzalez and Moon throws Kai back in. Kai nails a running boot to the face in the corner and Gonzalez comes in for a gorilla press into Kai’s bicycle kick.

Gonzalez knocks Blackheart off the apron but Moon slips out of a powerslam and brings Blackheart back in. Blackheart dives onto Gonzalez off the top as everything breaks down. Moon comes back in but Gonzalez blocks the Eclipse with straight power. A hurricanrana sends Gonzalez and Moon to the floor though, leaving Blackheart to roll Kai up for the pin at 12:16.

Rating: C+. The match was kind of all over the place but the title change on the night the titles debuted is certainly an exciting way to go. Moon and Blackheart had potential as a team so it’s nice to see them getting a chance as a team. It’s a better fit for the titles anyway and maybe this can finally get Moon some momentum after the first few months of her rather uninspiring return.

Adam Cole talks about how he got rid of the dead weight in the Undisputed Era. Then he played Finn Balor like a fiddle because it was always about getting the NXT Title back. Tonight, the next reign begins.

Shotzi Blackheart and Ember Moon get a standing ovation in the back but the Way walks off. Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell find Johnny Gargano, who is looking for Austin Theory. They can’t believe he paid off the therapist last week. Gargano says he did it to show Theory that Dexter Lumis does not care about him. Theory comes in and starts to cry, before ripping his shirt off and saying that Lumis has crossed the line. Storming off ensues.

Video on WWE working with Girl Up.

Xia Li vs. Kayden Carter

They start fast with Carter kicking her down and hitting some clotheslines. A scissors kick into a running boot in the corner gets two on Li but Carter misses a charge. Cue Kacy Catanzaro on crutches as Li loads up the leg in the corner. Li says this is for Catanzaro, who hits her with the crutch for the DQ at 2:04.

Post match Boa comes in and blocks the crutch shot from Catanzaro. Carter gets in a cheap shot on Boa so she and Catanzaro can escape.

Jordan Devlin says his travel ban is lifted and he is coming back for Takeover because the Cruiserweight Champion should be on the card.

Video on Zoey Stark, who grew up on the wrong side of the tracks and used wrestling as her escape. It lets her focus and then she got a job here through hard work. It’s cool to see her getting some focus like this because she certainly impressed in her early matches.

Santos Escobar yells at William Regal about Jordan Devlin and stays backstage during Legado del Fantasma’s match.

Legado del Fantasma vs. Grizzled Young Veterans

Before the match Zack Gibson asks what it feels like to be Santos Escobar’s goons. What they did to Wes Lee’s hand is going to be nothing compared to what they do to these two. Gibson gets knocked to the apron to start so Drake comes in and gets knocked into the wrong corner. A hiptoss into the ropes sets up a splash for two on Drake. Back up and an enziguri gives Drake a breather….and we’ve got astronauts ala Breezango last week. It’s MSK though, and the distraction legs Wilde sunset flip Drake for the pin at 1:43.

Post match MSK take off the helmets and smash Legado’s hands. Breezango runs in as well and the beatdown is on. With Legado done, dancing ensues.

Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzalez are livid but they were the first champions. Io Shirai comes in to challenge Gonzalez, who says be careful what you wish for.

Timothy Thatcher is asked about Imperium but here’s Tommaso Ciampa to interrupt. Ciampa doesn’t want to put the cart before the horse and since they’re against Imperium, it’s a tag match next week. Thatcher doesn’t seem sure about this.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

NXT Title: Adam Cole vs. Finn Balor

Balor is defending. They start fast with the takedowns to the mat and an exchange of headlocks. Balor holds a headlock for a bit and then Cole holds one for a bit, followed by a standoff to send us to a break. We come back with Cole unloading in the corner Cole unloading in the corner but walking into a dropkick. Balor grabs a chinlock for a bit so Cole fights up, only to have his leg dropkicked out.

A shinbreaker can’t quite set up a half crab so Balor settles for a double stomp to the chest instead. The Nightmare on Helm Street gets two on Cole and he gets kicked outside, where he manages a quick pump kick. Cole loads up the steps but Balor manages a suplex onto the ramp to send us to another break. Back with Balor hitting a brainbuster onto the knee for two but the Panama Sunrise misses. Balor nails the Sling Blade, only to miss the Coup de Grace.

Cole’s superkick gets two and he grabs a Crossface of all things. They roll into the middle with Balor in trouble until he rolls back to escape. Cole is right back with the Crossface so Balor goes to the rope this time around. Cole kicks the knee out and the Last Shot connects for two, followed by the Panama Sunrise for the same. Another Last Shot is countered with a toss to the floor and Cole winds up in front of Kyle O’Reilly. The distraction lets Balor hit the big flip dive and 1916 on the floor knocks Cole silly. Back in the Coup de Grace retains the title at 20:07.

Rating: B+. They surprised me again as I would have bet on Cole taking the title here. That being said, I’m kind of glad that they didn’t because Cole as champion has been done, even if he was transitioning it to O’Reilly at Takeover. Balor is all but guaranteed to face Karrion Kross so they’re both set. As for the match, what else were you expecting? They’ve had great ones before and they had time on the big stage here. How else was this going to go?

Post match O’Reilly gets in the ring so Cole begs off but his low blow is blocked. O’Reilly shouts that Cole did this to him but referees break up the brainbuster onto the steps. The fight heads up the ramp and Balor is left in the ring….with Karrion Kross behind him. Kross asks what took him so long and the staredown ends the show.

Overall Rating: B+. If there is one thing that NXT knows how to do, it is turn on the jets and crank things up on the big stage. That is what they did here as this show was billed as a big deal and then wound up being a big deal. There were two major announcements, three title matches and a bunch of stuff set up for Takeover. That’s a heck of a way to use two hours and I had a great time with this. Awesome show and Takeover is looking great already.

Results

Io Shirai b. Toni Storm – Crossface

Pete Dunne b Jake Atlas – Armbar

Shotzi Blackheart/Ember Moon b. Raquel Gonzalez/Dakota Kai – Rollup to Kai

Xia Li b. Kayden Carter via DQ when Kacy Catanzaro interfered

Legado del Fantasma b. Grizzled Young Veterans – Sunset flip to Drake

Finn Balor b. Adam Cole – Coup de Grace

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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AND

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