NXT’s journey to TakeOver is moving through rough waters!

After last week’s chaos, the NXT Tag Team Championship have to be VACATED, and William Regal will determine the fate of Adam Cole and Kyle O’Reilly! What is TakeOver: Stand & Deliver going to look like now?

OFFICIAL RESULTS

• Io Shirai & Zoey Stark VS Dakota Kai & Raquel Gonzalez; Kai & Gonzalez win.
• LA Knight VS Bronson Reed; Reed wins.
• Oney Lorcan VS Karrion Kross w/ Scarlett Bordeaux; Kross wins.
• Walter VS Drake Maverick; Walter wins.
• NXT Women’s Tag Team Championships: Shotzi Blackheart & Ember Moon VS The Robert Stone Brand; Blackheart & Moon win and retain the titles.
• Jordan Devlin VS KUSHIDA; Devlin wins.

PLAY BY PLAY

Io Shirai & Zoey Stark VS Dakota Kai & Raquel Gonzalez!

The NXT Women’s Champion and #BigMamiCool will #Stand&Deliver on night one of TakeOver! But before then, Shirai teams with the impressive newcomer while Gonzalez has #CapKota by her side! Where will the momentum be going into that high stakes showdown?

The teams sort out and Stark steps up to Gonzalez. Fans rally as the two circle and tie up. Gonzalez shoves Stark away but Stark keeps her cool. They go again, and Stark manages to power Gonzalez back! Gonzalez gets mad and puts Stark in the corner. Stark comes back but Gonzalez gets her arm and wrenches. Gonzalez cording holds, cranks on Stark’s shoulder, but Stark handsprings through and wrenches back! Fans rally up as Stark yanks on the arm, kicks a leg, but Gonzalez pulls hair. Gonzalez whips, Stark RANAS! Fans fire up with Stark as she runs in to elbow Gonzalez! Stark goes corner to corner but is put on the apron. Stark counters the punch with a knee!

Stark slingshots in to KNEE, then runs, but Gonzalez CLOBBERS her! Tag to Kai and Gonzalez gives her a boost for the DOUBLE STOMPS! Cover, TWO! Kia brings Stark up to SLAP her! Stark just smirks and SLAPS Kai back! Stark eggs Kai on then hits a Thesz Press! Stark rains down fists, drags Kai up and bumps her off buckles. Tag to Shirai and she CHOPS and forearms Kai, repeat! Shirai scoops but Kai slips off to shove. Shira follows Kai, handsprings then goes Matrix to roll Kai! ONE, but Shirai basement dropkicks Kai down! Kai scrambles, Shirai stomps her in a corner, then sweeps the legs. Shirai digs her boots in, lets off then hits the METEORA!

Gonzalez gets in to argue with Shirai but Kai rolls Shirai up, TWO! Shirai sits on the cover, TWO! Kai ghost pins, TWO! Shirai steps to Magistrol, TWO! Kai waistlocks to an O’Conner Roll, TWO! Kai bumps into ropes, Shirai elbows her in the corner! Tag to Stark and Stark gets in to run side to side for a BIG uppercut! Stark pushes Kai down, runs and SLIDING LARIATS! Cover, TWO! Kai survives but Stark stays on her with a fireman’s carry. Kai fights out, throws Stark down by her hair and tags out to Gonzalez. Gonzalez whips Stark, Stark goes up but gets caught, only to headscissor Gonzalez to ropes! Stark KNEES, KICKS, but Gonzalez blocks!

Gonzalez ducks the enziguri, gets the legs but Stark boots her away! Stark runs, Gonzalez scoops and Kai tag sin! ASSISTED ENZIGURI! Cover, TWO!! Kai grows frustrated but NXT goes picture in picture.

Kai drags Stark up to club her down, then drags her in a chinlock to get the camel clutch! Stark endures, pries at the fingers, but Kai dribbles her off the mat! Cover, TWO! Kai grows further frustrated, but she brings Stark up. Stark fires off body shots, rolls Kai up, TWO! Kai BOOTS Stark down! Cover, TWO! Stark is still in this but Kai keeps her from Shirai. Kai bumps Stark off buckles, tags Gonzalez, and Gonzalez RAMS into Stark! She digs her shoulder in, lets off as the ref counts, but Stark kicks back! Gonzalez CLUBS Stark down, bumps her off buckles, and talks trash to Shirai before she stomps Stark. Stark shoves back but Gonzalez throws hands.

Gonzalez scoops Stark for a FALLING SLAM! Cover, TWO! Gonzalez is annoyed but she looms over Stark, drags her away, and tags in Kai. Gonzalez drags Stark up, whips her into the corner, and Kai goes corner to corner for the BOOT WASH! Cover, TWO! Kai stomps Stark down, taunts Shirai, but then puts Stark in the corner. Kai stomps away, the ref counts but Kai tags Gonzalez. Gonzalez gets in to drag Stark to a high stack cover, TWO! Gonzalez is on Stark with a chinlock and grinds her down. Stark fights up, Gonzalez knees low, and then reels her in to Canadian rack. Stark endures a backbreaker rack! But she fights out to sunset flip! Gonzalez stays up, drops an elbow, but Stark evades!

NXT returns to single picture as Gonzalez wants Stark’s leg again. Stark enziguris Gonzalez away! Hot tags to Kai and Shirai! Shirai rallies on Kai, dodges but Gonzalez tags in before the FLAPJACK! Shirai runs to victory roll and STMOP Gonzalez! Shirai blocks a kick to send it into Gonzalez, then SHOTEIS Kai! Gonzalez is in a corner, Shirai hits SHINKANSEN! Next stop, Kai! Shirai has Gonzalez in place, dials it up and hits a 619! Stark tags in as Shirai climbs up, and Shirai missile dropkicks Gonzalez down! Stark gets in with a springboard missile dropkick! Gonzalez and Kai end up on the outside, so Stark PLANCHAS! She only gets Gonzalez as Kai runs away!

Kai runs back in, Stark dodges the boot and POSTS Kai! Stark dodges Gonzalez and Gonzalez POSTS herself! Shirai is up top, and she ARIHARA MOONSAULTS Gonzalez down! Stark drags Gonzalez up and in as fans are fired up! Stark climbs up top again, and 450- No! Gonzalez dodges, gets Stark up, DESPERADO BOMB! Both women are down but Gonzalez is rising first. Gonzalez glares at Shirai and tells her this is what’s coming. Gonzalez drags Stark back up, sets her up again, and BOOTS Shirai before hitting ANOTHER DESPERADO BOMB! Cover, Gonzalez wins!

Winners: Raquel Gonzalez & Dakota Kai, by pinfall

That was a message to the champion and the entire Women’s Division! If Gonzalez can finish off a tag match like that, will she do even worse to Shirai 1v1? Shirai gets back up and returns the trash talk, but Kai slides in. Shirai DECKS Kai but Gonzalez BOOTS Shirai back down! And Gonzalez isn’t done there, she hauls Shirai right up, for a DESPERADO BOMB on the announce desk!! Is there no strategy the Evil Genius can come up with to deal with the sheer power of Gonzalez?

Things have only escalated between Adam Cole and Kyle O’Reilly!

While O’Reilly was training at the Gracie Barracks Brazilian Jiujitsu dojo, Cole stormed in and went right at him! But Cole was not ready for Kyle to tackle him and go after him! The other trainees had to break this up, and this only adds to why William Regal must come up with a solution!

Backstage interview with Kyle O’Reilly.

Things have gotten very intense, but what are his thoughts on Regal’s coming decision? Before Kyle can answer, Roderick Strong walks over. Roddy knows Kyle has a lot going on, but after everything Cole did to them, they both need to kick his ass. Kyle appreciates that, but there is no “us VS Cole,” this is just about Cole and Kyle. Strong gets upset at Kyle and says both he and Cole can go to hell. Does that answer the question? Kyle heads out, is he already past the point of no return?

NXT, let LA Knight talk to ya!

“Tonight’s~ the night~! Yeah~! Why is that? Because Bronson Reed decided, well, he wanted to go into my locker room, he wanted to invade my personal space and put his hands on my property.” Guess what? Knight’s hands will get on Reed and it won’t be pleasant! Whose game is it? L A Knight’s game! The Ruler is here, and Bronson will find out just like that! That’s not an insult, that’s just a fact of life, yeah!

Jordan Devlin speaks.

“I’m not sure why I’m even sitting in this chair right now, because I know my match tonight doesn’t need any promoting. I know this is one of the biggest matches in NXT television history. I mean, look at what you’re dealing with here. We’re talking about a world class professional athlete applying his trade around the world. Japan, Europe, America. Universally respected. And tonight, he’s going 1-on-1 with Kushida.” Devlin respects Kushida, maybe even likes him. But he’s in the wrong place at the wrong time, because he’s becoming an example to Santos Escobar right before Stand & Deliver. Is the Irish Ace going to trump the Super Junior tonight?

LA Knight VS Bronson Reed!

We heard “The Ruler” say his part, but now we’re going to see how he measures up to the Colossal! Will Reed rip up Knight easier than he did Knight’s favorite jacket?

The bell rings and Knight gets in Reed’s face. “You wanna be me? Well you gotta learn!” Knight is poking Reed in the forehead, so Reed CHOPS Knight, then CHOPS him again! Reed breaks through Knight’s clothesline and CLOBBERS him! Reed drags Knight up, whips then back drops Knight high and hard! Knight gets up to a corner, boots Reed back, then hops up to leap, into a POWERSLAM! Reed gives back those forehead pokes and clamps on a neck wrench, then shifts to a chinlock. Reed grinds Knight, Knight fights up, fights back and fights free. Knight runs but Reed CLOBBERS him again! Fans fire up for Reed as he headbutts Knight down!

Reed stalks Knight, throws an elbow into Knight’s head, then stands him against ropes. Reed CHOPS Knight, Knight is stinging as he goes to a corner, but Reed snapmares Knight into a motorcycle stretch. Knight endures the knee in his back and arms being pulled, so Reed clamps on a rear bearhug! Knight fights up, Reed CLUBS him on the back, then Reed brings Knight around to suplex. Knight flails free but Reed elbows him to the apron! Reed pursues, drags Knight up but Knight hotshots Reed! Knight slingshots to SHOULDER Reed down! Knight gets the legs, stomps Reed in the stomach and clubs away on him! Fans boo as Knight paces around.

Knight drops knees on Reed, sits him up and CLUBS him in the chest! “L! A! KNIGHT!” brags about himself again as NXT goes to break.

NXT returns and Knight grinds Reed down with a seated cobra twist. Reed endures, fans rally, and Reed fights up. Knight throws hands, rams into Reed in the corner over and over, but lets off as the ref counts. Knight smirks as he comes back but Reed shoves him away. Reed runs but Knight kicks the legs out! Knight runs to KNEE Reed down! Knight CLUBS Reed, chokes him on the ropes, but lets off as the ref counts. Knight runs to STRADDLE ATTACK! Reed flops, Knight is after him with big haymakers! Reed goes to a corner, Knight storms over but into elbows and forearms! Reed swings a chop but Knight dodges to stomp and JAB!

Knight brings Reed out of the corner to ROCK with a EuroUpper! Knight throws more hands, but Reed eggs him on! Reed then gets under Knight to RAM him into a corner, whip him corner to corner, but Knight dodges the corner splash to hit a NECKBREAKER! Cover, TWO! Knight is furious already but then he cools himself off. Fans fire up as Reed stands and Knight runs corner to corner, but Reed CLOBBERS him with another elbow! Knight flounders on ropes, Reed whips him but Knight kicks back! Reed just gets mad! Reed DECKS Knight with forearm after forearm, then brings him around to whip again. Reed BODY BLOCKS Knight and fans fire up!

Reed fires up, Knight goes to a corner, and Reed runs in to SPLASH! Reed choke grips, but Knight pops out to cravat, knee, but swing into a spin! Reed FALLING CHOKE SLAMS! Reed has Knight in a drop zone and fans fire up again! Reed goes to a corner, climbs up top, but Knight trips him up! Knight ROCKS Reed with a haymaker before climbing up top. Knight brings Reed up but Reed fights back. Reed headbutts Knight away! Knight comes back to leap right up, only for Reed to shove him right back down! Reed adjusts for the TSUNAMI SPLASH!! Cover, REED WINS!!

Winner: Bronson Reed, by pinfall

For all of Knight’s talk, he just got made to look a fool! The Colossal is a big first loss for Knight, will Knight ever recover?

The NXT Tag Team Championships are up in the air!

After last week’s NXT and the tag title match against Finn Balor & Karrion Kross, Danny Burch suffered a shoulder injury which turned out to be a separated shoulder. This will keep him out of action for roughly six months, and as such, he and Oney Lorcan must vacate the titles. We hope Burch has a speedy recovery, but now we must know who will be the new champions! As such…

BREAKING NEWS for Stand & Deliver!

On the first night of this year’s NXT TakeOver, the NXT Tag Team Championships will be on the line in a TRIPLE THREAT! MSK are getting their title shot, but joining them are Grizzled Young Veterans and El Legado Del Fantasma! Will Nash Carter & Wes Lee still get what they were owed from winning the 2021 Men’s Dusty Cup? Or will another team snipe that golden rite of passage from them?

Oney Lorcan VS Karrion Kross w/ Scarlett Bordeaux!

And speaking of Burch’s injury, it’s natural his tag partner would want revenge on the man responsible! Will the Boston Fury make Mr. Doomsday pay? Or will he just be a tune-up for Kross’ golden opportunity on night two of Stand & Deliver?

The bell rings and Oney fires off on Kross! Kross grabs Oney by his head and puts him in a corner, but Oney dodges to fire off more hands! Kross choke grips, throws Oney to a corner, but again Oney dodges to fire off hands! Kross throws Oney out of the ring hard! Oney steadies himself, Kross goes out and throws him right into Plexiglas boards! The ref starts the ring count, Kross stands Oney up to DECK him! Oney gets in at 5, Kross pursues at 7. Kross grins as he stomps Oney but Oney gets out. Kross pursues again but Oney kicks low! Oney tries to suplex but Kross snap suplexes instead! Kross looms over Oney, stomps him down, and the count is climbing again.

Kross puts Oney in at 7, follows at 8, Scarlett taunts Oney’s pain as Kross RAMS into Oney! Kross stalks Oney but Oney CHOPS him! Kross grits his teeth but Oney CHOPS again! But Kross throws Oney back out! Kross goes out after Oney but Oney RAMS him into the apron! Oney gets back in the ring, Kross pursues, but Oney comes back with a dropkick! Oney keeps moving, corner back elbow! Oney keeps going, but Kross CLOBBERS him! Cover, TWO! Kross is seething but NXT goes to break.

NXT returns and Kross grinds Oney with a headlock. Oney gets out to a corner but Kross RAMS into him again! Kross rams Oney more, lets off at the ref’s count then digs his boot into Oney’s head! The ref backs Kross off, he drags Oney up, and snap suplexes again! Cover, TWO! Oney is still in this but Kross wants the ARMBAR! Oney gets a leg on ropes, Kross lets go and runs in to clotheslines, elbow and clothesline again! Kross roars in Oney’s face then throws him with an EXPLODER! Fans fire up as Kross laughs and looms over Oney. Kross dares Oney to get up, and then drags him around to look at Scarlett. “About your boy, Danny? I don’t regret it. In fact, I loved it!”

Oney gets pissed and fires off EuroUppers! Kross shoves Oney to a corner, runs in but Oney moves and POSTS him! Scarlett gets worried now and Oney gets the arm for the ARMBAR DDT! Kross is furious that Oney is going after his arm! Oney CHOPS and CHOPS and CHOPS! Then he grabs Kross by his jaw to slap, slap, SLAP! Kross wings but Oney gets around to chop block! Oney runs to EuroUpper! And then another! Oney keeps moving but Kross dodges the blockbuster to BOOT Oney down! Kross drags Oney up, DOOMSDAY SAIDO! Kross is furious, and he hits the DOOMSDAY FOREARM! Cover, Kross wins!

Winner: Karrion Kross, by pinfall

Scarlett keeps Kross calm, but his body shows the marks of this fight with Oney. Will Kross have to do much more to again become NXT Champion against The Prince? Kross gets a mic and says, “I’d like to take a moment right now to address the actions of Mr. Balor from last week.” Kross tells Balor that his actions had malice and intention. Kross actually appreciates that. He was giving respect who didn’t appreciate it. Balor doesn’t deserve it. Despite the fact Balor is champion, when Kross held his little neck in his hands, “it felt just like anybody else’s.” You see, when the fuse is lit, there’s no stopping what’s coming next, which is- Balor interrupting Kross!

Balor has a mic of his own, but he looks down at Oney at the ramp first. “Last week, Kross, you took your best shot. And the Prince is still standing.” Balor literally steps over Oney to get to the ring. “But what you’d really done last week, was you showed me your weakness.” Balor steps into the ring now and says, “When a man’s young, he fights with emotion. Uncontrollable emotion. Some people call it demons, but really, it’s just emotion.” It wasn’t until Balor learned to control his emotions, and be cold, that he became untouchable. Kross still fights with emotion. Everything is a reaction. And in those moments, he’s sloppy. In those moments, he’s vulnerable.

At Stand & Deliver, Balor will push Kross to the point where he’ll only have two options: One, he surprises everyone and masters his emotions; or two, what Balor believes will happen is a repeat of last week, and Kross’ emotions control him. And when they do, Balor drags him into the cold, deep water. And with no emotion, Balor will drown Kross. Will TakeOver end with the Prince having conquered the apocalypse?

William Regal speaks.

He has decided who will face Johnny Gargano for the NXT North American Championship at Stand & Deliver! There is an incredibly talented line-up, so he wants to extended this opportunity to as many as possible. Therefore, there will be a 12 Man Battle Royal, and it will go until only six are left! Those six will then be in a Gauntlet Eliminator, but the battle royal will continue to determine order of entry in the gauntlet! In other words, the last man left will be in the best position to win! And whoever wins the Gauntlet Eliminator will face Gargano at TakeOver!

The 12 men chosen are: Leon Ruff, Austin Theory, Tyler Rust, Jake Atlas, Cameron Grimes, Kushida, Bronson Reed, LA Knight, Roderick Strong, Isaiah “Swerve” Scott, Dexter Lumis and Pete Dunne! Best wishes to them all in the battle royal!

Kushida speaks.

“Jordan Devlin, you’re an incredible competitor, and your performances on NXT UK have been very impressive.” Kushida even claps for Devlin. “That’s why I answered your open challenge.” For Kushida, it’s all about competition, and Devlin is one of the best. For the past year, he’s been taking down every NXT superstar that’s stepped in the ring with him. And now Devlin will find out what happens when he faces the best technical wrestler in NXT today! Kushida vows to break Devlin, but will he be the one to bust against the Irish Ace?

Walter w/ Imperium VS Drake Maverick!

After Imperium reached out to Killian Dain, the Belfast Beast hasn’t been seen or heard from, and Rockstar Spud confronted them about it! However, that only got him on the Ring General’s radar! Is the NXT UK Champion about to make Maverick into mashed potatoes tonight?

The bell rings and Maverick rushes right at Walter! But Walter scoops and SLAMS him down! Walter looms over Maverick, stalks him to ropes, brings him around and hits the WALTER BOMB! Then he puts on a HALF CRAB!! Maverick isn’t even conscious, the ref calls it!

Winner: Walter, by referee stoppage

Imperium stands over Maverick, but here comes Tommaso Ciampa! Ciampa’s own tag team partner, Timothy Thatcher, disappeared not too long after Imperium showed their interest in him. Ciampa storms up to the ring, unafraid of being outnumbered 3v1. Ciampa has a mic and says, “A couple of weeks ago, I said that you intrigue me. I misspoke. That intrigues me.” Ciampa points at Walter’s UK Championship! So to cut to the chase, Walter knows what Ciampa wants, the fans know what Ciampa wants, so what does Walter say? Walter VS Ciampa, TakeOver: Stand & Deliver, FOR the NXT UK Championship!!

Walter says no. Ciampa hasn’t earned it. So Ciampa CHOPS Walter! Aichner & Barthel go after Ciampa and mug him 2v1! Then they drag him up for Walter, and Walter snatches Ciampa’s necklace away! Ciampa goes after him to get it back, but Imperium mugs him again! Walter CHOPS Ciampa down! Fans boo but Ciampa gets the pendant back. Walter asks if it’s the title Ciampa wants, then he will see him at TakeOver! Is Ciampa going to be what ends Walter’s 720+ day reign? Or will he just be one in a long line of dominant defeats?

Pete Dunne speaks.

“Two weeks ago, I said I’m the best technical wrestler in the world and dared anybody step up and prove me wrong. Nobody did, so next week, I’ll show the locker room first hand.” Dunne vows to dominate the battle royal and then get gold again. At Stand & Deliver, the Bruiserweight becomes the NXT North American Champion! But will Dunne even make it to the end of the 12 Man Battle Royal?

Robert Stone tried to get an old client back.

He and Aliyah try to recruit Mercedes Martinez back into the group, offering her a shot at the NXT Women’s Tag Team Championships. Jessi Kamea got hurt, so Aliyah needs a partner. Mercedes can team with her tonight and make history! Alright, how much money are we talking, though? They hand over an envelope, and Mercedes says this is now just half. Get the other half after the match. Y-Yeah, perfect! Stone and Aliyah are happy about the partnership but he’s gonna be out of money! Will they at least get the gold to make some of that cash back?

Johnny Gargano visits Regal’s office.

But he hesitates a moment before barging in. He then asks what’s going on. Regal isn’t sure, and then asks Gargano back if he wears the title everywhere. Yes, of course! He’s the champion! He wears it everywhere! But please explain to him the situation. So there’s going to be a 12 Man battle royal? Yes. And then the final six guys go to a Gauntlet Eliminator on night one of Stand & Deliver? Yes. And then the winner of that faces Gargano on night two for the title? Yes. Gargano says with all due respect, is Regal cuckoo bananas?! You can’t do that to Gargano! He’ll only have 24 hours to prepare! He needs to game plan, strategize, watch tape! He can’t stay up all night cramming! Johnny TakeOver deserves better!

Well if he’s Johnny TakeOver, then this isn’t a problem. Between then and now, study all the competitors. But that’s like a million people! Gargano storms out and isn’t slamming the door just to stick it to Regal. But will the variables be too much for Gargano to figure out before Stand & Deliver?

NXT Women’s Tag Team Championships: Shotzi Blackheart & Ember Moon VS The Robert Stone Brand!

The wild child and evolved Shenom are only the second-ever team to hold these titles, but they got them off the original champions on night one! Will their reign end almost as quick now that mercenary Mercedes is on Stone’s limited payroll? Or will they be howling to the moon and all the way to TakeOver?

The introductions are made, the belts are raised, and we see if the champions can #TCB!

Ember and Mercedes start and they tie up. They go around, Mercedes sweeps the leg then stomps Ember down! Stone likes what he sees as Mercedes whips, but Ember dodges and redirects to tilt-o-whirl to a FACEBUSTER! Tag to Shotzi, Ember clubs Mercedes then feeds her to Shotzi’s hanging headscissor! Ember runs in to CLUB Mercedes down, then Shotzi goes up top and leaps for a SEATED SENTON! Fans fire up but Stone and Aliyah distract! Stone is throwing off his shoes and jacket, but that gives Mercedes time to BOOT Shotzi down! Mercedes drags Shotzi from Ember, ROCKS her with a right, then drags her away again.

Mercedes fireman’s carries, tags Aliyah, and they work together for a GUTBUSTER to BLOCKBUSTER! Cover, TWO! Aliyah is furious already but she brings Shotzi up to RAM her into the corner! Aliyah fires off, shrieks in anger, but Shotzi fires off forearms and elbows to get free! Shotzi hurries for her corner but Aliyah BOOTS Ember first! Aliyah then BOOTS Shotzi down, drags her over by her hair, and tags Mercedes in. Mercedes drags Shotzi into a wheelbarrow, and Aliyah adds a CUTTER! Cover, TWO!! Shotzi survives but Mercedes drags Shotzi back up. Shotzi hits a jawbreaker, but Aliyah tags in to drag Shotzi away! Shotzi boots Aliyah, and tags Ember!

Ember dodges Aliyah, DECKS Mercedes then rallies on Aliyah! SUPERKICK to front kick to ENZIGURI! Ember howls and fires up and fans are with her! Ember runs in to back body block then whip, to a pop-up BOMB! High stack but Mercedes KNEES Ember away! Mercedes gets Shotzi into a scoop, but Shotzi spins it to a DDT! Mercedes bails out, Ember puts Aliyah in, and tags! Ember goes up, for the ECLIPSE!! Cover, the champs win!

Winners: Shotzi Blackheart & Ember Moon, by pinfall (still NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions)

The Robert Stone Brand is going bankrupt fast as his mercenary doesn’t pay off! Will Shotzi & Ember continue to bring these titles along to Stand & Deliver and beyond?

Cameron Grimes talks with Roderick Strong backstage.

“Tough couple of weeks, man.” Grimes thinks he’s taking it just as bad as Strong is. The Undisputed Era did so much for the business, it’d be a shame for it to end. Y’know what? It doesn’t have to end! All the intellectual property the Era has, if Grimes buys that from him, he can take it to new heights! Think of it! The new shirts, the new logos, the new socks and armbands! Just think of this: Undisputed Grimes, to the moon! Strong DECKS Grimes and storms off. Grimes shouts, “That’s not how you do business, Roddy!!” Will Grimes make Strong pay for that in the battle royal?

Backstage interview with Shotzi & Ember.

How does it feel to successfully defend their titles? How do you think it feels? It feels GREAT! They totally #TCB thanks to Ember’s Law! But then The Way’s Indi Hartwell & Candice LeRae walk in, applauding the victory. Congratulations on a title defense. But maybe it was a bit easy since it was just Aliyah & Mercedes. If they want real competition against a real team, look this way. Shotzi laughs and Ember says what she’s trying to say is, they’ve done it before and they’ll do it again. This time, these two are going to show The Way the way to the FIREPIT! Candice says next time, things will go their way, on their time and on their stage. Oh is that how it is? Don’t be jelly~! But will Candice & Indi find a way to take over the NXT Women’s Tag Division?

NXT sets the Stand & Deliver schedule!

For night one, it will be: the NXT Women’s Championship, Shirai VS Gonzalez as the main event; the NXT UK Championship, Walter VS Ciampa; the NXT Tag Team Championship Triple Threat, MSK VS GYV VS Legado; and after we see which six last in the battle royal, it will be the NXT North American Championship #1 contender’s Gauntlet Eliminator!

For night two, that of course means it’ll be: THE NXT Championship, Balor VS Kross as the main event; the NXT Cruiserweight Championship Unification, Santos Escobar VS Jordan Devlin; and the North American Championship, Johnny Gargano VS the winner from night one!

Jordan Devlin VS KUSHIDA!

The Irish Ace defended his title successfully against the slimmer Trent Seven, and is ready to prove he’s been the rightful Cruiserweight Champion all along! But will the Time Splitter prove he should be in the conversation this close to TakeOver?

The bell rings and fans are fired up already as the two circle. They feel out the grapple, Kushida gets a leg and trips Devlin up to have a standing toehold. Devlin endures, rolls, and gets free. They circle, tie up again, and Devlin has the arm to whip. Kushida reverses, Devlin goes up and over and rolls to then dodge and get Kushida for an URENAGE and STANDING MOONSAULT! Cover, ONE!! Kushida gets up but Devlin wrenches and whips to elbow Kushida down! Devlin brings Kushida up as fans duel, and Kushida wrenches to headlock, Delvin powers out, things sped up, Kushida blocks a hip toss to hit a hip toss! Cartwheel and basement dropkick catches Devlin!

Kushida gets Devlin’s arm, hammerlocks it and TWISTS! Devlin clutches the arm, Kushida stalks him to a corner and KICKS him in the back! And KICKS him in the arm! Devlin sits down, Kushida brings him up and wrenches to an elbow breaker! Devlin hits a jawbreaker in return! Devlin scowls, runs but Kushida puts him on the apron! Kushida forearms, runs but Devlin jumps over to MOONSAULT and take Kushida down at the ramp! Fans are fired up as NXT goes picture in picture!

Both men are down on the outside and the ring count is climbing! Devlin gets up, drags Kushida up and JABS him! Kushida goes around the way, Devlin refreshes the count then RAMS Kushida into the apron! Devlin puts Kushida back in but Kushida CHOPS him! Kushida is after Devlin in a corner with more CHOPS, but Devlin turns it around, only for Kushida to dodge and CHOP! Devlin goes to another corner, Kushida CHOPS him again and again, and Devlin flops down! Kushida drags Devlin up, but Devlin claws Kushida’s eyes! The ref reprimands but the damage is done and Kushida clutches his face.

Devlin drags Kushida up, scoops and slams him, then runs to drop a leg, brother! Cover, TWO! Devlin gets annoyed, but he drags Kushida back up. Devlin snap suplexes, covers, TWO! Devlin stalks Kushida, clamps on with a chinlock and digs his knee in. NXT returns to single picture as fans rally and duel. Kushida endures, fans rally up, and Kushida fights up. Kushida fights back, Devlin CLUBS him, but Kushida forearms and enziguris! Both men are down, fans fire up and Kushida fires up, too! Kushida rises, Devlin follows, and Kushida fires a forearm! Devlin gives it back, they go back and forth, but Kushida gets the edge! Kushida whips, Devlin reverses, but Kushida handspring back elbows!

Kushida winds up, FAST BALL! PENALTY KICK to the arm! Kushida clamps on for an armbar BULLDOG! Fans fire up as Kushida takes aim. Devlin slowly rises, Kushida runs in and goes after the arm! Devlin gets the ropes to hold off the wristlock, but Kushida lets off to KICK the arm! Kushida reels Devlin in, hammerlocks, but Devlin blocks and spins out, only for Kushida to jump after the arm! Devlin makes the takedown a cover, TWO!! Kushida lets Devlin go, runs in but misses in the corner! Devlin slingshots in for a CUTTER! Cover, TWO!! Kushida survives and and Devlin is shocked! Devlin gets his bad arm going as fans rally and duel again.

Devlin drags Kushida up, gives a thumbs down, but the bad arm holds back the ripcord! Devlin storms after Kushida with forearms and then hoists him up top! Devlin forearms, climbs up top, but El Legado stands on the stage to distract him! Kushida slips away and HANDSPRING KICKS Devlin! Devlin sits on the top rope, Kushida climbs up, and hits a SUPERPLEX! But he rolls through for the FALCON ARROW to ARMBAR!! Devlin endures, reaches around, and gets the ropebreak with a foot! The ref counts, but Legado drags Devlin out of the ring! The ref is busy with Kushida, but then sees Wilde & Mendoza! He warns them to stand down but Escobar is also there. Devlin is surrounded, but he dodges to get back in! Kushida runs in but is sent into Legado! O’Conner roll and bridge, Devlin wins!!

Winner: Jordan Devlin, by pinfall

Kushida is upset so he goes after and FLIES onto Legado!! Kushida fires off hands on Wilde and Mendoza, then throw Mendoza into Wilde! Kushida gets space to build speed and FLY off the stage!! Down go Wilde and Mendoza, but Escobar is ready to pick Devlin’s bones by himself. Devlin knows Escobar is here to get at him before TakeOver, but wait! Is that HBK!? Shawn Michaels is here!! But why?! He makes it obvious by bringing out a ladder!! Just as HBK and Razor Ramon did for the Intercontinental Championship, it is clear what HBK is turning the Unification Match into!

Devlin and Escobar accept that and raise up their belts! But who will bring down both titles to be the one true Cruiserweight Champion?!

Adam Cole heads to gorilla position.

On his way there, he crosses paths with HBK, who is making his way back from the ring. HBK gives him a nod, is that a sign as to what to expect for Regal’s announcement?

NXT returns with Regal, Cole, Kyle, and security all on stage.

Regal presides over what will be a contract signing between the former Undisputed Era brothers-in-arms. “Gentlemen, thank you for joining me here tonight. Now it’s obvious that the situation between the two of you has got out of control, has reached a boiling point. In fact, it got the bloody police involved!” Regal will not have them embarrass this company that so many people have worked so hard to create! What Regal has here is a solution to the situation. This is a contract for Kyle O’Reilly VS Adam Cole in a co-main event of Stand & Deliver Night Two! Kyle is not medically cleared, so this match can only take place with both men have signed, and acknowledge that NXT is NOT liable for what happens! That’s right, it will be an UNSANCTIONED MATCH!!

Cole takes the contract first, takes the mic to say he wants to tell us a little story first. Cole wants us to imagine being born blind, and then one day you wake up and see everything! That’s called a revelation, and Cole had one. Cole realized he didn’t need the Era, the Era was holding him back! And what made him realize that was Kyle! Cole bought into the BS that maybe the Era was about brotherhood! But it was never about that. Cole sat back and watched Kyle challenge for the NXT Championship not once but twice, and fail both times! And then Kyle tries to befriend Balor?! He wanted Balor to join them!? Had Kyle lost his mind?!

But then it made sense. Deep down in Kyle’s core, he is nothing more than a lapdog! Kyle is a sidekick, a person comfortable being on the sidelines, and that is NOT Adam Cole! Cole is the “Greatest NXT Champion there has ever been,” and he is NOTHING like Kyle! Kyle lost sight of what this was and what the Era was. It was never about friendship or brotherhood, but about being the best! And you are lookin g at the best! Kyle should thank Cole for everything! Does Kyle think he would’ve made it to the WWE, let alone be successful in it, without Cole? Does he think the UE works without Cole?

COLE is the one who led the charge! COLE is the one who main-evented! COLE is the one with the legendary title run! COLE is the one who sold the merchandise! Without him, Kyle is NOTHING! Cole cannot wait to fight Kyle at TakeOver, and you wanna know why? Because Cole already knows who wins, and so does the world. The only one who doesn’t is “the pathetic lapdog sitting across this table.” Cole then signs his part, and passes the contract over to Kyle. Kyle gets his mic to respond. “We’ve known each other for a long time. At least I thought we did.” When they first go there, they didn’t care who they stepped on to succeed.

They were “four hungry pitbulls were taking spots at the top of the card where they belonged! You could say they shocked the system, but they were making a statement, and didn’t give a damn who was footing the bill. Cole does realize that the UE will forever have heat with the GM and locker room full of guys, right? Kyle grew up and started to take accountability. “You look a man in the eyes before you kick his teeth in. No more sneak attacks, no more 4v1 beatings or BS. But since coming to NXT, they’ve become better wrestlers, better fighters, champions and stars. But only one of them became a better person. But “Adam Cole is just the same asshole that walked into this place three and a half years ago!”

Kyle keeps forcing himself to really, truly believe that the last three and a half years meant nothing. That the Era meant nothing. Kyle is forcing himself to do that because if any part of him thinks for a second that they could be friends again, that they could go for a beer together, Kyle can’t do what is necessary to put Cole down for good! Kyle sold his soul to the Era but he wants it back! Cole is “an insecure prick that used his best friends, and that is so, so cold and somehow,” Kyle isn’t surprised. But Kyle tells Cole this: “Not one single person is going to be surprised-” LOOK AT HIM, COLE!!!

“Not one single person will be surprised after I beat you into a pulp, and for the first time in damn near four years, I sleep like a baby.” Kyle signs his part, and Cole says “attaboy.” Sign your death warrant. Kyle does, and says he just signed Coles, too! They go right at each other but the security keeps them apart!! Cole and Kyle vow to end the other, but just how will their final battle end?!

My Thoughts:

What a great episode! A lot of stuff set up for TakeOver: Stand & Deliver and it’s all going to be great. We’re getting a big set-up to a North American Championship match with a star-studded battle royal that then leads to an equally star-studded Gauntlet Eliminator at TakeOver, then the title match on night two. I have a feeling with Theory and Lumis in the Battle Royal, Lumis and Theory make it to the Eliminator, and they might be the last two so that it comes down to Lumis breaking through to Theory so that Theory joins him against Gargano. But there are also a lot of other rivalries in that Battle Royal, so the Eliminator will get them all out on TakeOver at the same time.

Knight VS Reed was a good match but the bigger shock was that Reed won! Knight gets his first loss out of the way, but I bet he gets revenge on Reed in the battle royal by eliminating him. Similarly, Grimes trying to buy the rights to the Undisputed Era IP and angering Strong will be hashed out in the battle royal. I’m surprised Dunne didn’t pick up on Kushida calling himself the best technical wrestler, but that can be part of the battle royal and beyond. With so little on Night 2 right now, I hope Kushida VS Dunne is a grudge match opener to it. Mercedes being a mercenary is a good way of reintroducing her, but of course Shotzi & Ember won the tag title match. Shotzi & Ember VS The Way is definitely happening for Night 2, as well, and could go either way.

The opening Women’s Tag was really good, but Gonzalez wins it for her team to get herself great momentum going towards the title match. That match could go either way but it’d be quite the moment for Gonzalez, winning the title in the main event of night one on USA Network. Oney VS Kross was pretty good because Oney still got to do some damage, but of course Kross wins to head strong for TakeOver. Kross and Balor had good promos, and Balor saying the word “demon” probably isn’t a tease about bringing Demon Balor back but more saying without saying it that he doesn’t need Demon Balor anymore. But still, skeleton pirate Demon Balor would be pretty awesome…

And while it sucks for Burch to get hurt legitimately and then lose the titles he and Oney waited so long to have, I like that we’re getting a big match for crowning new champions. MSK VS GYV VS Legado del Fantasma is going to be a strong match, really bringing the NXT Tag Division back to where it was just a couple years ago. At this point, it’s basically just Legado taking the pin so that we can later get MSK VS GYV properly. Walter VS Maverick went even more squash than expected, but that made it even better. I bet Thatcher and Dain being absent along with Wolfe is a sign that they’re being converted to Imperium.

Ciampa going after Walter, and then getting his title match for TakeOver is all great stuff, and that match is going to be about as close to Walter VS Dragunov as NXT USA can give us. But between Walter VS Rampage Brown at NXT UK Prelude, and then Walter VS Ciampa on TakeOver, Walter is going to look like the strongest champion ever, and he basically is. That reign is hitting the two year mark and going beyond until perhaps Ilja Dragunov rises back up. Devlin VS Kushida was great stuff, even with Legado interfering. Kushida taking out Wilde & Mendoza was awesome, I hope Kushida circles back to the Cruiserweight title chase.

HBK suggesting the ladder stipulation was awesome! That makes Escobar VS Devlin way better than before. I just hope it doesn’t help Escobar win because Legado can interfere without it being a disqualification. I get that there are (presumably) more fans that watch NXT USA than NXT UK, but Devlin is a better champion than Escobar. If Devlin can be back in the states, he should be allowed to have the belt and represent the division in both the US and UK and Escobar can do something else. And then, the stipulation for Cole VS Kyle was of course going to be Unsanctioned, but I was hoping they’d add “Loser Leaves NXT” to it. Their promos for the signing were great stuff, that match is going to be amazing, but I feel like it has to go to Kyle so that he can move past Cole and the Era to be a contender again.

My Score: 9.5/10