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NXT TakeOver: XXX was a fun night filled with intriguing matchups and entertaining moments. We saw a technical wrestling clinic, a high-risk ladder match, a surprise sleeper and big-time championship encounters throughout this two hours-plus event.
The NXT TakeOver name brings with it plenty of expectations. NXT TakeOver: XXX had a lot against it, but it wasn't surprising that they met those expectations. In fact, in a lot of ways, NXT probably even exceeded expectations.
Without a standout weak bout on the card, this event is difficult to assess in regards to the best matches on the night. In this article, we will rank every single match at NXT TakeOver: XXX from worst to best.
#5 Keith Lee vs. Karrion Kross for the NXT Championship
The most anticipated match for NXT TakeOver: XXX had to be the NXT Championship Match between champion Keith Lee and Karrion Kross. After a stellar buildup for the challenger and fantastic video package hyping this match, expectations were very high here. Although both men were ready to perform, a miscue early on in the match held this contest back.
Early on in the contest, Karrion Kross suffered an injury to his right shoulder. For the majority of this match, Kross was favoring his shoulder, which hurt the flow of this NXT Title match. While both Lee and Kross showed off their respective skills, the chemistry just seemed off from the onset due to the injury.
With that in mind, though, we did see a highly physical encounter for the NXT Championship. Keith Lee showed his power game and athletic ability throughout the match, while Karrion Kross's submission prowess and strength was on full display. The finish had to be the most impressive moment of this NXT Championship match, considering the condition Kross was in.
With only one arm at full strength, Karrion Kross delivered his signature Doomsday Saito Suplex from the second rope to gain the victory and become the new NXT Champion. The big story coming out of this contest was not who would be next for the new champion, but instead if Kross will be healthy enough to have the reign to reward the fantastic work in the buildup to his win.
Triple H announced on the post-NXT TakeOver: XXX conference call that the new NXT Champion Karrion Kross did, in fact, suffer a shoulder injury that will require an MRI. The results of the MRI will dictate how things will move forward for the new champion.
As for the former champion, it was announced on WWE SummerSlam that Keith Lee would debut on Monday Night RAW this week. It will be very interesting to follow the journey of both men moving forward.
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#4 Io Shirai vs. Dakota Kai for the NXT Women's Championship
Heading into NXT TakeOver: XXX, there was not a whole lot of talk or buzz surrounding the Women's Championship Match. Io Shirai and Dakota Kai had done solid jobs on promos in the lead up to this event. However, the challenger did not quite feel like she could overcome the champion who had just won the title at the last TakeOver event.
At TakeOver: In Your House, Io Shirai defeated the formidable competition of the two-time NXT Women's Champion Charlotte Flair and former champion Rhea Ripley in an exhilarating Triple Threat Match. Shirai had long been considered one of the best female wrestlers in the world, so her win felt like a justified reward for a fantastic performer. The build towards her first TakeOver title defense had lofty expectations to meet.
Although Dakota Kai has been a very good heel for the NXT brand since her turn back at TakeOver: WarGames, the shine on her character has been diminished in the months since. She had a solid feud with Tegan Nox, but many losses in the time span since then did not help to elevate her to a level close to Io Shirai. NXT had opportunities to create doubt in Shirai successfully defending, but it felt like they failed to do so.
This match had a slow build at first then went into second gear with Shirai's comeback. The NXT Women's Champion showed her brilliant high flying, selling, and technical ability throughout this encounter. Her challenger, Kai, was precise and deliberate with her attack on the champion's arm.
Kai's Armbar on Shirai was the most dramatic point of the contest. The struggle and selling on Shirai made you believe that she could lose the NXT Women's Title. The ref bump also allowed Shirai to have a visual pin after hitting her Over The Moonsault, which on occasion, will set up a cheap win for the heel challenger. With the referee down, Kai's backup, Raquel Gonzalez, interfered to further put the title in jeopardy. However, Shirai hit a moonsault to the outside on both Dakota and Raquel. Then back in the ring, the NXT Women's Champion hit a second Over The Moonsault for the win.
This was a solid enough NXT Women's Title match, but just fell short of the high standard of previous NXT TakeOver women's matches of the past. In the post-match, we saw a confrontation between Raquel Gonzalez and Rhea Ripley as well as a tease of Ripley going after Shirai's NXT Women's gold next.
#3 Finn Balor vs. Timothy Thatcher
Finn Balor vs. Timothy Thatcher was the NXT TakeOver: XXX match that had the least buildup. The two men were part of one of the Triple Threat qualifiers for the NXT North American Title Ladder Match along with Dexter Lumis. Thatcher locked Balor in a leg lock in the late stages of the contest, only for Lumis to swoop in and put on his Silencer submission on Thatcher for the win. After the match, "The Prince" hit his 1916 DDT on Thatcher. On the go-home show to NXT Takeover: XXX, Timothy Thatcher cost Finn Balor his Second Chance Match to qualify for the ladder match against Velveteen Dream to set up their TakeOver match.
This contest was of a very high quality, with both Superstars showing off their respective abilities to have an entertaining match. The ground game of both men during the first half was incredibly captivating. We saw many submissions traded back and forth, mostly from Timothy Thatcher. The way Thatcher transitioned from one submission to another was truly compelling. This had to be Thatcher's best performance yet since arriving on NXT.
Balor had to tap into his vast arsenal to avoid the technical mastery of Thatcher. "The Prince" used his speed and agility to evade the grasp of the submission specialist constantly. Both men then traded strikes to really pick up the intensity as they prepared for the final quarter of this match. Balor hit his signature comeback, culminating with the Coup De Grace and 1916 DDT to gain his 12th NXT TakeOver win.
Balor and Thatcher delivered an intense and physically demanding opener, which would have been even better with a few more minutes. Any match that leaves you wanting more definitely is what you want to give the fans. This set the tone for the entire NXT TakeOver: XXX card. This also gave us enough to leave the door open for more rematches down the road. The contest made both men look extremely strong and made you interested in what was next for the competitors moving forward on NXT.
#2 Adam Cole vs. Pat McAfee
The TakeOver: XXX feud between Adam Cole and Pat McAfee had to be the most polarizing NXT rivalry since the inception of the brand right from the start. The controversial episode of the Pat McAfee Show that kickstarted this feud was seen as a desperate attempt at presenting a shoot to some fans. However, to others, it was extremely intriguing.
Through the work of both men over the past month on WWE NXT, they created a compelling animosity that has been simmering for over two years. In the process of the buildup, the leader of the Undisputed Era and self-proclaimed king of NXT has gone from the cunning top heel of the brand to a confident babyface. A lot of the credit for that turn has to be given to the promo work of Pat McAfee.
The former Super Bowl Champion has been a revelation as a character and stellar with a mic in hand. He expresses himself with a cockiness that is truly annoying on purpose. Although McAfee has been great on the mic and been training in his own personal ring for a few years now, there was certainly a lot of doubt heading into his first official match on NXT.
This NXT TakeOver: XXX encounter exceeded all expectations to deliver one of the best celebrity matches of all time. Pat McAfee showed a level of agility, athleticism, and poise in the ring that made you believe this man was born to be a professional wrestler. McAfee's incredible senton dive on to a pile on the outside as well as flip off the top rope, then one jump leap into a Superplex were the highlights of an entertaining contest.
Adam Cole deserves plenty of credit for leading the way, like the true ring general he is. He led the less-experienced McAfee to a match that he could truly be proud of. His selling of McAfee's offense and athleticism left you believing that the former NFL punter could defeat the longest reigning NXT Champion of all time. This was highly entertaining and surprising to watch throughout.
Coming out of this NXT TakeOver: XXX match, you have to wonder if this was just some one-off match or the beginning of a career for Pat McAfee. One thing is for sure, McAfee put any doubt in regards to him in his rearview mirror with a fantastic performance.
#1 Bronson Reed vs. Damian Priest vs. Cameron Grimes vs. Johnny Gargano vs. Velveteen Dream in a Ladder Match for NXT North American Championship
This is the definition of a high-impact show-stealer. The Ladder Match for the NXT North American Championship got a considerable amount of hype heading into TakeOver: XXX. With the Triple Threat and Second Chance qualifiers, the build to the Ladder Match had been a highlight of the past month on WWE NXT. We have seen new Superstars highlighted as well as resurgence for others. The five participants each made a worthy case to become the next North American Champion.
However, with the lofty expectations set the Ladder Match back at NXT TakeOver: New Orleans that determined the first champion, many questioned if this match could be just as great. The short answer is yes. This high stakes, physical contest delivered in every possible way. For over 20 minutes, the five competitors were highlighted and each of them performed some fantastic sequences and spots that ramped up the intensity in every moment.
We saw Cameron Grimes show off his stellar charisma and comedy with a unique spot where he was forced to do a split between two ladders. We witnessed Bronson Reed's awesome agility for a man over 300 lbs. with a huge splash off the top of a ladder on to Johnny Wrestling with Johnny's wife, Candice LaRae, on his back. Johnny Gargano and Velveteen Dream both showed their heel characters with being conniving and sneaky throughout, while Damian Priest delivered some high impact strikes and offense in this one.
There was so much innovation in this NXT North American Title contest as well. The Tower of Doom in which Reed powerbombed Grimes while Cameron performed a German Suplex to Gargano, who gave Dream a Superplex, was one of many highlights of that in this epic. Another standout highlight had to be Gargano giving Grimes a sunset powerbomb onto a ladder bridge, which Cameron barely grazed. Every individual also showed their distinct characters and were elevated due to the performances in this match.
In the end, it looked as if Cameron Grimes would launch "to the moon" by winning, only for Johnny Wrestling to cut him off and knock him off the ladder. However, Gargano could not win a tug of war with Damian Priest, who nailed the former NXT Champion with a huge kick to knock him off the top. The Archer of Infamy then took down the gold to win his first singles title in NXT.
This Ladder Match delivered the best match on NXT TakeOver: XXX. It elevated each competitor, the NXT North American Championship and the entire event as a whole. That is quite the accomplishment for a match that had huge shoes to fill. Damian Priest is a worthy successor to former champion Keith Lee as well. As a character who has been chasing the North American Championship for some time now, Priest gives us a champion that has many feuds that would entertain and a young star who can elevate his game in the process.
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