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NXT TakeOver 36 looked to match the quality of WWE SummerSlam on Sunday. With several big championship matches set for the night, it wasn’t difficult for the creative team to book a good event.
Adam Cole and Kyle O’Reilly were set for the Undisputed Finale at TakeOver 36. The two men were scheduled to compete in a 2-out-of-3 Falls Match to determine who was the better NXT Superstar.
Karrion Kross put his NXT Championship on the line against Samoa Joe on Sunday night. Meanwhile, Raquel Gonzalez and Dakota Kai were set to battle for the NXT Women’s Championship.
LA Knight and Cameron Grimes met in the ring with the Million Dollar Championship on the line. WALTER arrived in the arena to defend his NXT UK Championship for the second time against Ilja Dragunov.
Ridge Holland defeated Trey Baxter on the pre-show before sending a cold message to Timothy Thatcher.
Take a look at the five things WWE NXT got right at TakeOver 36 on Sunday.
#5 Cameron Grimes won his first championship at WWE NXT TakeOver 36
The match between LA Knight and Cameron Grimes for the Million Dollar Championship at WWE NXT Takeover 36 kicked off the main show. Grimes scrapped his butler attire before the match.
The Technical Savage unloaded on LA Knight early and took him down with a big dropkick. The Million Dollar Champion answered with some big strikes of his own to put Grimes on the backfoot.
Knight impressed the fans with some good moves at TakeOver 36. He hit a standing Spanish Fly to Grimes for a near fall. Late in the match, Grimes locked Knight in the Million Dollar Dream. Ted DiBiase distracted the referee and then took a shot of his own at LA Knight.
The angle allowed Grimes to hit the Cave In to pick up his first championship victory in NXT. It was good to see DiBiase and Grimes working together against the heel.
LA Knight was much better in the ring this time around and gave The Technical Savage a fight to remember.
The brand could look to do much more with the Million Dollar Championship in the months to come. Several NXT Superstars will have Grimes in their crosshairs following his win.
#4. Raquel Gonzalez defended her title before meeting her next challenger at WWE NXT TakeOver 36
Dakota Kai was looking to score her first WWE NXT title at TakeOver 36. She took on Raquel Gonzalez for the NXT Women’s Championship and went for the Kaio Kick early in the contest.
Gonzalez countered with a lariat and took control of the contest from there on. Big Mami Cool looked to vent her frustration at her former best friend in this contest and delivered some big moves to punish her early.
A Kaio Kick from Kai knocked Gonzalez outside the ring, only to get her back in the ring for a two-count. The action was fast-paced and both superstars continued to hit their signature offense. The NXT Women’s Champion felt much more natural and confident in the contest and did not mess up her moves too much.
Late in the contest, The Captain of Team Kick tripped Gonzalez and set up the Kaio Kick. However, Big Mami Cool caught her running and hit a thunderous single-arm powerbomb off the second rope for the win.
The match was great and solidified Gonzalez as the top champion in NXT. However, it was heartbreaking to watch Kai lose in another title match.
After the contest, Kay Lee Ray made her way out to a big pop from the NXT Universe. The former NXT UK Women’s Champion stared down Gonzalez to make her intentions very clear.
The two women will have a great rivalry for the title on NXT. Ray has proven to be one of the best in-ring workers in WWE over the past couple of years.
#3. Kyle O’Reilly silenced Adam Cole at WWE NXT TakeOver 36
The Undisputed Finale was set to end the rivalry between Adam Cole and Kyle O’Reilly at WWE NXT TakeOver 36. Both men ran at each other from the opening bell and looked to do as much damage as possible.
Cole looked to end things early by going for the steel steps. KOR countered and took matters back inside the ring. Cole hit a Superkick in the ring and went for a Panama Sunrise, only to be caught in a surprise roll-up for the three-count.
The Street Fight kicked off from there on and both men immediately went for some weapons. They punished each other with steel chairs. A big spot on the stage allowed Cole to hit KOR with the Last Shot for his first fall of the match.
NXT Officials were concerned for KOR as Cole continued to batter him before the Steel Cage could be lowered for the final fall. The final part of the match was the best as both men hit each other with everything they’d left in the tank in hopes of picking up a win.
O’Reilly countered the Last Shot by hitting one of his own but could not put Cole away. Later on, Cole hit the Panama Sunrise, but KOR refused to stay down as the NXT Universe cheered on.
The former leader of the Undisputed ERA brought in a pair of handcuffs and cuffed KOR to the top role. Instead of escaping, Cole taunted his opponent. O’Reilly caught Cole in a kneebar and forced him to tap out to pick up the biggest victory of his career.
Many fans were aware of Adam Cole’s NXT contract status before the contest. However, he still gave it his all in the ring to give KOR a great rub. It’ll be interesting to see what’s next for both the superstars.
#2. Samoa Joe made history after defeating Karrion Kross at WWE NXT TakeOver 36
Samoa Joe returned to the WWE NXT ring for a match against Karrion Kross at TakeOver 36. The main event saw Karrion Kross finally meet his match in WWE.
Joe took down his opponent with some technical offense to gain the upper hand in the contest. He slowed down the NXT Champion with some submission holds before Kross made a comeback.
A running elbow nearly leveled the Samoan Submission Machine early in the contest. However, Joe did not stay down for some and caught Kross with an atomic drop and a big boot.
The former United States Champion outmatched Kross in every way possible in the ring. He did not show much ring rust and stayed on top of the competition for most of the contest.
The NXT Champion locked in the Kross Jacket but Joe fought through. Even an elbow to the back of the head could not put him away.
Finally, Joe brought back the Muscle Buster to level Karrion Kross and win the NXT Championship for the third time in his career.
Both men showed their strengths in the ring and it was the right call to have Joe win the contest. Karrion Kross can now move to the main roster for good while the NXT Universe can look forward to Joe leading the roster.
#1. Ilja Dragunov defeated WALTER at WWE NXT TakeOver 36
Ilja Dragunov got his hands on WALTER once again at WWE NXT TakeOver 36 in what could be termed the best match of the night. The Mad Russian had a plan from the outset as he unloaded on The Ring General early.
He targeted the NXT UK Champion’s leg and looked to weaken him early. The 22-minute contest saw both men take each other to the limits. They traded strikes and chops early before moving on to more destructive moves.
A couple of lariats nearly sealed the deal for WALTER before Dragunov made a comeback with a Dragon Suplex. WALTER caught The Mad Russian for a sleeper in the middle of the ring to slow him down for some time.
The Austrian Anomaly hit Dragunov with a big powerbomb before climbing to the top rope for a diving splash. Dragunov still managed to kick-out in one of the nearest falls of the decade.
A late rally allowed Dragunov to lock WALTER in his signature sleeper hold. The once-unbeatable Ring General h no choice but to tap out.
The match was fantastic from start to finish. It was arguably the best match of the year as both men gave it their all in the ring. Dragunov’s celebration showed exactly what the victory meant to the entire NXT UK Universe. He made the invincible man from Austria tap out in the biggest match of his career.
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