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NXT TakeOver XXX truly brought out all the stops, and there were some great matches on the card. We had two title changes - one in the ladder match for the NXT North American Championship, and also in the main event, with Keith Lee losing the NXT Championship.
NXT Women's Champion Io Shirai managed to keep hold of her title at NXT TakeOver XXX, defeating Dakota Kai despite interferences from Raquel Gonzalez. On the pre-show, Breezango was victorious over Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan and Legado del Fantasma to become number one contenders for the NXT Tag Team Championship and will go on the face Imperium in the future.
Finn Balor defeated Timothy Thatcher in an intense match up, setting the mood for the night. Overall, NXT TakeOver XXX was a night of top-quality competition for the stars of the Black and Gold Brand. Here are the five performers who stood out on the night.
#5 Breezango
In a triple threat tag team match on the preshow of NXT TakeOver XXX, Breezango was able to show fans just how well they work as a team. Both performers are excellent at what they do but have been previously unlucky when it comes to timing and injuries.
The duo used their fantastic teamwork to overcome the teams of Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan and Legado del Fantasma to become number one contenders for the NXT Tag Team Championship.
For a while, Breezango has been overlooked somewhat compared to other stars in NXT who have a more serious persona. Breezango shined against their rivals in the pre-show match, and it will be exciting to see what the pair bring to their championship feud with Imperium, especially following their stellar NXT TakeOver XXX performance.
#4 Finn Balor
Finn Balor should be renamed Mr. TakeOver. The Superstar scored his twelfth TakeOver victory at NXT TakeOver XXX in an intense bout against Timothy Thatcher.
The pair's in-ring styles was a great match, and they displayed a high level of chemistry as rivals. The pair went back and forth in the ring, and Thatcher captured Balor in some truly painful looking submission holds, which he managed to work his way out of. At the start of the match, Thatcher targetted Balor's knee, which The Prince powered through.
Eventually, Balor emerged victorious after hitting Thatcher with the Coup de Grace followed by the 1916. The battle between the pair was a great showcase of their in-ring ability and solidified Balor's position as a dominant force of NXT.
The pair worked well together to set the tone for the night, and it will be interesting to see where Balor goes from here. He hasn't had a title run since he moved from RAW to NXT last summer; could this be the next step for him?
Following the events of the rest of the night at NXT TakeOver XXX, we have two new men's champions of the Black and Gold Brand, and Finn Balor would be a worthy rival for either Karrion Kross or Damian Priest.
#3 Pat McAfee
The caliber of Pat McAfee's performance at NXT TakeOver XXX was possibly one of the biggest surprises of the night. The former NFL star had been engaging in a rivalry against Adam Cole after he insulted the Undisputed Era leader on his podcast.
McAfee was then invited to NXT by Triple H. McAfee and Cole argued again, and a match was set for the pair of them at NXT TakeOver XXX. Some fans were skeptical about how well McAfee would fare against Cole, but the newbie was able to prove his doubters wrong.
Before the match, McAfee cut a hilarious promo backstage, leaving former NXT Champion Cole waiting in the ring. When he eventually made it to the ring, he immediately got stuck into the action. When McAfee's men began arguing with Undisputed Era at ringside, the star surprised everyone by taking them all out from the top rope.
Throughout the bout, McAfee continued to get in great offense against Cole. In a tremendous sequence, McAfee landed a perfect backflip off the top rope, before jumping back up and hitting Cole with a superplex.
McAfee eventually lost to Cole, but considering that he had only two weeks to prepare for this battle at NXT TakeOver XXX, he put in a highly impressive showing. It is uncertain which direction Pat McAfee will take next, but it would be fantastic to see him compete in WWE again.
#2 Damian Priest
Over the past few weeks of programming on the Black and Gold brand, Superstars have been battling it out to earn a place in a ladder match at NXT TakeOver XXX. Damian Priest won a spot in the ladder match and he faced Bronson Reed, Velveteen Dream, Johnny Gargano, and Cameron Grimes to fight for the NXT North American Championship which was vacated by Keith Lee.
The match was a true standout. Priest was portrayed as a threat through the match, with smaller competitors continuously teaming up to try and take him down. The Archer of Infamy was part of a huge moment of the match. Priest propped up a ladder on the ropes and used it as a springboard to run up and flip off, taking out his rivals.
As the match was coming to its climax, Priest and Gargano were both at the top of the ladder, slugging it out to grab the vacant belt. The duo had a short back and forth, with Gargano being the one to release the belt, but in the end, it was Priest who managed to snatch the win.
The Superstar later celebrated his win in true rockstar style with two bikini-clad women and a few bottles of champagne in a hot tub. Priest isn't short of rivals in NXT, and it will be exciting to see who will be the first to challenge him.
#1 Karrion Kross
Karrion Kross has been a focal point of NXT programming since his debut with Scarlett, and his showing at NXT TakeOver XXX was no exception. Since Keith Lee won the NXT Championship against Adam Cole at NXT TakeOver: In Your House, Kross and Scarlett have been watching over Lee's every move.
The pair upped the ante when Kross signed the contract for the match. Scarlett tampered with the document and when Lee reopened it, he was hit in the face with fire, which resulted in him needing medical attention.
During the much-anticipated match between the champion and the challenger at NXT TakeOver XXX, Kross was hellbent on causing as much destruction as he could to Lee's arms, locking his rival in submissions time and again.
Lee fought valiantly, but could just not put Kross away. Kross stopped Lee from reaching the top rope and hit him with a Doomsday Saito before pinning his foe to become the new NXT Champion.
Kross has both the character and in-ring skills to be a huge star in WWE, and in his short time in NXT, he has already become the top guy of the brand. However, the Superstar reportedly suffered an injury during the match, so the future of Kross seems somewhat unclear at the present.
