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The first night of WWE NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver was eventful. But it was no match for the action that took place on the second night of the show. A ladder match between Jordan Devlin and Santos Escobar kicked the night off to a strong start.
Before the main show, Drake Maverick and Killian Dain defeated Breezango to become the #1 contenders to MSK's NXT Tag Team Championships.
Ember Moon and Shotzi Blackheart made history by defending the NXT Women’s Tag Team Championships for the first time at a TakeOver event. Finn Balor came across his toughest competitor in Karrion Kross.
Johnny Gargano reluctantly defended his NXT North American Championship against Bronson Reed. The final match of the event saw Adam Cole and Kyle O’Reilly tear each other apart.
Let’s take a look at the five things NXT got right on the final night of TakeOver: Stand & Deliver.
#5 NXT unified the two Cruiserweight Championships at TakeOver: Stand & Deliver
Santos Escobar and Jordan Devlin were in a WWE NXT Cruiserweight Championship unification match for TakeOver: Stand & Deliver. This was expected to be one of the most exciting matches of the event.
Escobar and Devlin went after each other early and tried to lock in submission holds. Devlin was the first to introduce a ladder into the match. However, Escobar used the ladder as a weapon throughout the match.
At one point, it looked like both men simply wanted to hurt each other more than climb up the ladder to pull down the NXT Cruiserweight Championships. Devlin hit an impressive Spanish Fly followed by a Springboard Spinning Cutter before climbing the ladder.
The Irish Ace made jaws drop with a beautiful moonsault off a ladder. While Devlin was close to victory, Raul Mendoza and Joaquin Wilde ran down to attack Devlin. After doing what Escobar wanted them to do, they headed backstage again.
Devlin recovered to hit another Spanish Fly off the ladder for another great spot. Both men tried to climb to the top, and Escobar headbutted Devlin off the ladder through another ladder to seal the victory.
Escobar is now the undisputed NXT Cruiserweight Champion. He will look to extend his reign further after humiliating The Irish Ace who flew from the United Kingdom to prove that he should be the only NXT Cruiserweight Champion. The victory will allow Legado del Fantasma to build itself as the premier faction in NXT.
#4 Johnny Gargano retained his North American Championship at WWE NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver
Bonson Reed outlasted five other men in a Gauntlet Match on the first night of WWE NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver. The Colossal was awarded a shot at Johnny Gargano’s NXT North American Championship tonight.
Reed was dominant in the contest and looked to roll over Gargano early. Every time Johnny TakeOver tried to take him down, Reed countered with a takedown of his own.
Gargano then targeted the challenger's ribs, which were battered and bruised following his match the previous night.
Reed hit a Jagged Edge for a two-count. Gargano hit a Poisonrana soon after and trapped Reed in the Gargano Escape. The Colossal managed to escape and mounted a comeback.
Austin Theory helped Gargano a few times and even put his mentor’s foot on the bottom rope to break a pinfall.
Johnny TakeOver avoided a moonsault from Reed and hit One Final Beat twice to pick up the victory and retain the title. The match went on for a bit longer than it should have, but it served its purpose.
Reed has been on the rise in WWE, but he doesn’t seem like the perfect man to dethrone Gargano. Dexter Lumis already has an ongoing rivalry with Theory and Gargano, and he could step up to the challenge next.
Allowing Gargano to retain the NXT North American Championship with Theory’s help was the right call to make.
#3 Shotzi Blackheart and Ember Moon made history at WWE NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver
Indi Hartwell and Candice LeRae of The Way challenged Ember Moon and Shotzi Blackheart for the WWE NXT Women’s Tag Team Championships at TakeOver: Stand & Deliver. This was the first time the NXT Women’s Tag Team titles were being defended at TakeOver.
The Way started off strong and worked over Blackheart in the initial phase of the match. Moon then got the hot tag, and fans witnessed a big Tower of Doom soon after her arrival. The champions took back control of the match and delivered some high-flying moves to show their dominance.
A double Eclipse from Moon allowed Blackheart to hit a senton bomb from the top rope on Hartwell to pick up the victory and retain the titles. Blackheart and Moon celebrated their first successful NXT Women’s Tag Team Championships title defense.
The match was thrilling although it wasn’t fancy. Hartwell has significantly improved as an in-ring performer, and it looks like her pairing with LeRae is doing her a world of good. NXT should keep the titles on Blackheart and Moon for some time before awarding them to some other team.
#2 Karrion Kross became WWE NXT Champion at TakeOver: Stand & Deliver
Finn Balor thought he had Karrion Kross all figured out before WWE NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver. However, The Prince got a bitter dose of reality during the penultimate match of the event.
Balor put his NXT Championship on the line against a man who never lost it. He goaded Kross into losing his temper, and that worked well. The Herald of Doomsday charged at Balor and went shoulder-first into the steel post.
The Prince tried to lock in an armbar, but he was no match for Kross’s strength. Balor kept targeting Kross’s injured arm, but was unable to keep him down for long. The Prince hit a Slingblade but ran right into a big clothesline while attempting a running dropkick.
Balor fought back into the match with a Pele Kick and set up the Coup de Grace. However, The Herald of Doomsday turned the pinfall into the Kross Jacket. Never one to tap out, Balor escaped and trapped his challenger in the Rings of Saturn.
Scarlett talked Kross into a comeback, and he battered the NXT Champion with some big strikes. A Doomsday Suplex followed by an elbow to the back of the neck allowed Kross to maintain his perfect record.
This match allowed both men to shine. Balor wasn’t as great as he usually is, but did well at selling Kross’s power. The Herald of Doomsday finally has the NXT Championship back around his waist. It will be interesting to see who steps up to the man who is still undefeated in a singles competition.
#1 Adam Cole and Kyle O’Reilly lived up to expectations at WWE NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver
The match between Adam Cole and Kyle O’Reilly was arguably the most anticipated match of WWE NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver. The two men have a lot of history, and this match would hopefully put an end to the rivalry.
Cole and O’Reilly went after each other from the opening bell. It did not take long for the match to spill outside the NXT ring. Both men used any weapon they could lay their hands.
Cole used a steel chair painted with the Undisputed Era logo to gain the upper hand. It was utter chaos from thereon as neither man knew where to stop. While NXT ensured that the contest remained bloodless, the brutality was extreme.
They tried to weaken each other with submission holds, and O’Reilly delivered a Brainbuster to Cole on the announce table. Chains were brought into the match as KOR tried to lock Cole into a triangle choke.
Cole delivered a low blow to O’Reilly and took out the referee soon after. This did not work in his favor as he could not put away KOR even after hitting the Panama Sunrise.
After a few more crazy spots, Cole planted O’Reilly with a Brainbuster on the steel steps. The Martial Artist still managed to get his shoulder up just in time to survive the three-count.
O’Reilly delivered a low blow to Cole. Then he wrapped a steel chain around his knee and hit Cole with the knee through a steel chair to finally pick up the victory.
The match was great, and both men delivered. They deserved to main-event NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver. O’Reilly showed once again that he is ready to go big as a singles competitor, while Cole was flawless as usual. As a heel, he's unparalleled in WWE.
Cole and O’Reilly went to the extremes to ensure that fans understood just how much this meant to them. It’ll be interesting to see where both men head following TakeOver.
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