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NXT TakeOver 36 is in the history books, and what an event it was. NXT airing from the Capitol Wrestling Center concluded a jam-packed wrestling weekend full of returns and surprises presenting NXT TakeOver 36.
There was plenty of action for the WWE Universe to sink their teeth into. Samoa Joe, challenging Karrion Kross for the NXT Title, was set as the main event. Joe returned to in-ring competition on NXT following his surprise release just a few months ago.
That being said, let's take a look at five jaw-dropping moments from NXT TakeOver 36.
#5. WWE Hall of Famer Ted DiBiase gets physical to help Cameron Grimes at NXT TakeOver 36
It's not easy being the 'Million Dollar Man,' especially when LA Knight tries to corner you to be his butler. The bout was contested for the Million Dollar Championship. If Grimes were to lose the match, WWE Hall of Famer Ted DiBiase, now managing him, would be forced to be LA Knight's butler.
Towards the latter stages of the match, the Million Dollar Champion was outside the ring and was greeted by the WWE Hall of Famer himself. DiBiase clocked him with a right hand and locked him in the famous Million Dollar Dream to weaken him.
The 'Million Dollar Man' immediately rolled LA Knight back into the ring, where Grimes hit his finisher to pin the former champion. Cameron Grimes is now the brand new Million Dollar Champion.
In July 2021, DiBiase spoke to Bullet Cast about his run on NXT this year:
"I’ve had fun with it. The Cameron Grimes storyline, he apparently got rich overnight when Gamestop went through the roof and he was trying to do my schtick and apparently not doing it well, then I came back on the scene. We’ve had some fun with it.", said DiBiase. (h/t 411 Mania)
The moment marked the first time the 67-year old had got physical on WWE programming in years. DiBiase has been full-time on NXT since late April, and it seems we've now seen the pay-off to a four-month rivalry at NXT TakeOver.
What is next for DiBiase Sr. and the Million Dollar Championship following NXT TakeOver remains to be seen.
#4 Kay Lee Ray surprises Raquel Gonzalez following her NXT TakeOver victory
Former NXT UK Women's Champion, Kay Lee Ray, made her presence felt at NXT TakeOver. Ray made her appearance after Raquel Gonzalez's successful NXT Women's Title defense against her former friend Dakota Kai.
Kay Lee Ray remained on the stage at NXT TakeOver, taunting Gonzalez and signifying that she was next in line to challenge her for the NXT Women's Championship. Ray was last seen on NXT UK on June 10th, where she lost her NXT Women's Championship.
It appears that the 29-year old will now officially be a part of the NXT roster moving forward, leaving NXT UK behind. She is undoubtedly talented and could pose a massive threat to Gonzalez when they step into the ring together. Where and when they will collide remains open, but sooner or later, we will get to see the two of them go at it inside the NXT ring.
#3 Adam Cole loses at NXT TakeOver; could be his final match
Rumours have suggested that Adam Cole's contract is up and that he will be walking away from WWE after NXT TakeOver 36.
If this was Adam Cole's last match in NXT, he has tasted defeat on the way out. Kyle O'Reilly defeated Cole for the first fall in a standard match, Cole claimed the second fall in a Street Fight, and O'Reilly claimed the final in a Steel Cage. O'Reilly ultimately made the NXT Triple Crown Champion tap-out bringing the curtain down on the era of the Undisputed ERA.
Cole made some interesting choices during the match at NXT TakeOver. At one point, he had O'Reilly in the Lockjaw, a move used by his partner Britt Baker in AEW. Could he be signifying his move over to AEW? We shall see what the next few weeks and months bring.
#2 Samoa Joe defeats Karrion Kross to become NXT Champion at NXT TakeOver: 36
What a few weeks it has been leading up to NXT TakeOver: 36 for Samoa Joe. After being re-hired, Joe was brought back on to NXT programming as an enforcer for General Manager William Regal, on the condition that he would not get physical unless provoked.
Of course, the former WWE United States Champion was eventually provoked by NXT Champion Karrion Kross, which ignited a war that led us to NXT TakeOver: 36. The slugfest was won by Samoa Joe, who became the NXT Champion for a third time, becoming the only superstar to win the NXT Championship on three occasions.
NXT now has an experienced superstar leading them into the next few weeks and months. For Karrion Kross, it is likely he will now move to Monday Night RAW full-time following his appearances there over the last few weeks. It'll be interesting to see who steps up to challenge Joe.
#1 Ilja Dragunov ends WALTER's 870 day reign as NXT UK Champion at NXT TakeOver: 36
This war will go down as one of the best matches we've ever witnessed at an NXT TakeOver event. It certainly lived up to the hype after their 2020 bout, which was one of the best matches of the year.
'The Mad Russian' finally found WALTER's number and did all he could to slay the big man. Eventually, he found a way. Using the same submission hold that WALTER used to beat him in 2020, 'The Ring General' had no choice but to submit to Dragunov.
Ilja lifted his newly won NXT UK Championship high after the match and signified the ushering in of a new era. WALTER's 870 days reign as champion is over.
The match itself is one of those matches you just have to go out of your way to see. The intensity and the brutality was just on a different level, and rightly this moment stole the show at NXT TakeOver: 36 in the Capitol Wrestling Center.
