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The first night of WWE NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver was set to be a big one. The NXT UK Championship and the NXT Women’s Championship were defended on Wednesday night.
A Triple Threat Tag Team Match was also scheduled to crown the new NXT Tag Team Champions after Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch were forced to relinquish the titles due to an injury suffered by the latter.
Zoey Stark and Toni Storm competed in a good match on the pre-show of TakeOver. Stark impressed once again and surprised everyone by picking up the victory over the former NXT UK Women’s Champion.
A six-man Gauntlet Match helped NXT pick Johnny Gargano’s challenger for Night Two of TakeOver. Will NXT have a new North American Champion at the end of the second night of TakeOver?
With so many big matches taking place on night one of TakeOver, let’s take a look at the five things NXT got right on Wednesday night.
#5 KUSHIDA and Pete Dunne put on a masterclass at NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver
KUSHIDA and Pete Dunne geared up for the first match on the main show of NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver. The rivalry between the two men did not have too much build, but they were ready to give it their all on the big stage.
Both superstars showed their technical prowess early on, and The Bruiserweight managed to get the upper hand.
The fight spilled over to the ramp where KUSHIDA hit Dunne with a good running knee. Dunne worked over KUSHIDA’s smaller joints and snapped his fingers before attempting a Bitter End. KUSHIDA fought out and hit a Fisherman Suplex.
The Japanese Superstar continued to counter Dunne’s aggression with some great offense. However, Dunne kept targeting KUSHIDA’s fingers to punish him and stay in the match.
A kick to the head followed by the Bitter End helped The Bruiserweight pick up an impressive victory. Dunne has been trying to prove that he is the best technical wrestler in the world, and it was good to watch him back up his words with another impressive performance.
KUSHIDA has had a tough time in NXT even though he has gotten many big opportunities. It’s time for creative to give him a title to defend before fans lose interest in him. Dunne will likely come face to face with a major challenger who will look to put an end to The Bruiserweight’s claims.
#4 The Gauntlet Match served its purpose at NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver
WWE NXT booked a Gauntlet Match to determine who’d challenge Johnny Gargano for the North American Championship on the second night of TakeOver: Stand & Deliver.
Isaiah "Swerve" Scott attacked Leon Ruff backstage before the match could start. The two continued to battle around the ring and exchanged a series of impressive moves before Bronson Reed arrived.
Reed showed his superior strength and threw the two superstars around with ease. Cameron Grimes came in next and bought the assistance of Swerve with a bundle of cash. Dexter Lumis arrived while Swerve covered Ruff for the pin to eliminate him from the match.
Scott and Grimes continued their partnership while The Tortured Artist tried to take both men out. LA Knight came out last and mocked the other competitors before being thrown into the ring by Reed.
Lumis locked Grimes in the Silence, and Knight pinned Lumis to eliminate him. Reed got the better of Knight soon after. Grimes tried to roll up Swerve for the pin, but he reversed it to eliminate The Technical Savage.
The Colossal Reed went after Scott and soon hit the Tsunami to earn the victory. Johnny Gargano came out after the match to taunt his opponent for the second night of TakeOver.
NXT booked this match well, and all the superstars managed to deliver. While it was surprising that Lumis did not end up winning, Reed seems like the perfect man to become the next NXT North American Champion.
Swerve was outstanding in the match, while Ruff did well early on. Their rivalry will only get better from here on. Grimes’ character worked in this match, and it will be good to watch him rise up the ranks in NXT.
#3 MSK become the new NXT Tag Team Champions at TakeOver: Stand & Deliver
MSK, Grizzled Young Veterans and Legado del Fantasma went to war with the WWE NXT Tag Team Championships on the line at TakeOver: Stand & Deliver. All three teams delivered some fine moves early on in the contest to make it interesting.
Raul Mendoza and Joaquin Wilde put their bodies on the line to pick up the pace in the match. Wes Lee and Nash Carter continued to deliver some jaw-dropping moves throughout the contest.
MSK nearly picked up the victory halfway into the match by pinning James Drake, but Zack Gibson arrived to save his partner just in time. GYV went to work on Lee’s injured hand and punished him for some time.
Gibson locked in the Shankly Gates, but Carter helped his partner from tapping out. Legado del Fantasma also went after Lee and worked on him in an attempt to pick up the victory.
MSK turned the tides around and took out Legado del Fantasma before Carter reversed the Ticker to Mayhem into a springboard double cutter. The Dusty Rhodes Classic winners hit an elevated Blockbuster to pick up the victory.
The match was very good and gave each team a chance to shine. MSK deserved to win the NXT Tag Team titles after impressing early in their careers. Hopefully, NXT will give them a long reign with regular title defenses.
#2 WALTER chopped his way to victory at NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver
WALTER has manhandled many men in WWE NXT during his title reign. However, he’d never come across a man like Tommaso Ciampa before Wednesday night. Ciampa looked to counter WALTER’s strength with his speed.
The NXT UK Champion delivered a few chops to Ciampa to make an impact early on in the match. WALTER injured his hand, and Ciampa tried to take advantage of the injury throughout the match.
The former NXT Champion kept trying to find ways to fight back into the match and hit the Fairy Tale Ending. However, he could not put The Ring General away.
WALTER was clearly shaken up, but he continued to fight on. The two men fought to the top rope from which Ciampa delivered a crazy-looking Air Raid Crash for a near-fall. The two superstars traded some chops before The Ring General went to work on Ciampa’s surgically repaired neck.
A couple of Powerbombs followed by a big chop helped WALTER retain his NXT UK Championship. This was arguably the finest match of the night.
WALTER has delivered great matches time and time again, while Ciampa proved to be the perfect opponent for him. Even though The Blackheart lost the match, he managed to show that he’s by far one of the best competitors in WWE today.
#1 Raquel Gonzalez became the new NXT Women’s Champion at TakeOver: Stand & Deliver
Arguably the most anticipated match of WWE NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver saw Io Shirai defend her NXT Women’s Championship against Raquel Gonzalez. Shirai had handpicked Gonzalez as her opponent, and many believed that The Genius of the Sky had made a mistake.
Shirai tried to match Gonzalez’s power with her speed, but she could not keep the powerhouse down for long. Dakota Kai tried to attack Shirai early in the contest and the referee was forced to eject her from ringside.
Shirai tried to stay on top for long and locked in the Crossface. Gonzalez managed to escape and get out of the ring, but Shirai followed her with a moonsault on the ramp followed by running double knees into the stage.
The Genius of the Sky outdid Kevin Owens’ WrestleMania moment by climbing the 20-foot Skull on the stage and delivering a jaw-dropping flying crossbody. Gonzalez came back into the match with a single-arm powerbomb on the floor. Another single-arm powerbomb was enough for Gonzalez to put Shirai away and win the NXT Women’s Championship.
The match was great and showed why Shirai is known as one of the best wrestlers in WWE. Gonzalez, on the other hand, got her big moments and finally managed to defeat Shirai.
The Genius of the Sky seems ready to move to the main roster, while Gonzalez can lead the NXT Women’s division in the months to come.
