5 surprising moments from NXT TakeOver: Portland

Why Johnny, why?

I had the absolute pleasure of seeing NXT TakeOver: Portland live in person. I have seen fifteen WWE shows at the Moda Center in Portland, but this was by far the best show to ever come to the Pacific Northwest.

NXT TakeOver: Portland was non-stop action for its entire run time, and it delivered some amazing athleticism and constant surprises. We had one of the best opening matches in NXT TakeOver history, a fun title change, and some shocking appearances. And NXT did it all in just over three hours. It was a bucket list item to see a TakeOver in person, I hope to have the experience again.

With all of this in mind and wondering when I can see my next TakeOver in person, I present my list of the top five most surprising moments of WWE NXT TakeOver: Portland.

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#5 The athleticism of Keith Lee and Dominik Dijakovic

We have seen glimpses of the unique chemistry between Keith Lee and Dominik Dijakovic on their NXT television matches, but I was told that they had produced even better matches in other promotions. That was proven to be true in their remarkable twenty-minute match at TakeOver: Portland. The “Fight Forever” chant we gave them was well deserved.

The match will be remembered mostly for the rare athleticism of wrestlers their size. Keith Lee is over 300 pounds and Dominik Dijakovic is 6 foot seven inches, how can they move this way?

Some of the highlights were Lee doing a Hurricanrana, Dijakovic doing a Corkscrew Moonsault, and a Springboard Somersault dive by Dominik Dijakovic onto Keith Lee on a chair. I have never seen anything like that.

Lee won the war, but Dijakovic got a star-making performance. We all need more Lee vs Dijakovic matches in our lives.

#4 Finn Balor beats Johnny Gargano clean

The first match in the WWE between Finn Balor and Johnny Gargano was certainly worth the long wait. These two wrestlers are among the best performers in the WWE and they have built up this great feud well as a real showcase of who could be the true leader of the NXT locker room.

I love they are selling the idea of a serious Balor again, as his return to NXT has made him look like a true star. I think having twenty-five-minute matches helps that too.

The match itself was about as even as one could be. It was filled with impressive technical wrestling, strikes, high-risk moves, and believable near falls. It was hard to see who would win before Balor hit his signature moves to pick up the clean victory. It was shocking to see Johnny Gargano lose another match clean, but it made more sense with events later in the night.

#3 Charlotte Flair attacks Rhea Ripley

Poor Bianca Belair. She is an afterthought on The Road to WrestleMania.

The match between Rhea Ripley and Bianca Belair was a solid affair between two homegrown WWE NXT talents. Ripley is so amazing at the young age of 23, and Belair constantly impresses with her unique athleticism and strength. It was certainly predictable to see Belair lose, but we can all hope she gets a chance to be the top star in the NXT women’s division very soon. She certainly deserves it.

The biggest moment was after the match. Charlotte Flair invaded NXT and attacked both Rhea Ripley and Bianca Belair. The fact we get to see the NXT Women’s Championship defended at WrestleMania 36 for the very first time is pretty historic, and I look forward to seeing NXT represented on the biggest show of the year more often. Ripley is going to be a true star in the women’s division for years to come.

#2 The Broserweights win the NXT Tag Team Championships

The question was never really answered. How much fish could Bobby Fish fry if Bobby Fish could fry fish? We may never really know. I doubt Fish is going to spill that secret either.

The only title change of the night was a lot of fun. Undisputed Era can always be counted on to produce an excellent tag match, and the unique combination of Pete Dunne and Matt Riddle is a lot of fun to watch.

Pete Dunne played the partner in peril well and the crowd was really behind Matt Riddle’s hot tags. The Broserweights almost cost themselves the match on multiple occasions but overcame the odds to win the NXT Tag Team Championships.

It was nice to see new Tag Team Champions, and it is surprising to see the serious nature of Pete Dunne with the joking persona of Matt Riddle work well so quickly. The NXT tag team division could use some fresh faces, bro.

#1 Johnny Gargano cost Tommaso Ciampa the NXT Championship

The never-ending feud between Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa is back! Adam Cole versus Ciampa was an outstanding main event for NXT TakeOver: Portland, and it is impressive to see The Blackheart getting over as a face. The Portland fans truly were behind the idea of him getting back the NXT Title he never lost.

The match started slow but the last ten minutes were quite impressive. Ciampa and Cole did a lot of high-risk moves that could have gone wrong with less gifted performers, and not many performers in the WWE could produce a thirty-minute plus performance like this, but they certainly did on Sunday night.

It looked like Ciampa would overcome the odds of fighting through all members of Undisputed Era and winning back the title after having to give it up over a year ago. However, Johnny Gargano showed up.

Seeing Johnny cost Ciampa the NXT Championship was pretty shocking. Sure these two have feuded before, but Johnny Wrestling has never been the heel in their feud. Why turn on The Blackheart now? Why do it before Tommaso won the title?

It is hard to answer these questions, but it provided another shocking moment in the best NXT feud of all time. Who else is ready for another match between these two at NXT TakeOver: Tampa?