Three Stars makes a return after almost 18 months, and WWE NXT Takeover is the topic! Who stood out? Read and see!

WWE NXT brought us a Takeover card that was fantastic, man. On paper many panned it, but it really delivered in the end. I would go so far as to say it outshined the build, and it wasn’t even close. Sometimes the show saves the build, and that is exactly what happened here.

As is usual with NXT, everyone really works their asses off. That makes it hard to pinpoint three, but that is the job at hand! So let’s get to it…

The Third Star: Raquel Gonzalez

In my pick analysis of this match, I was highly critical of Raquel Gonzalez as NXT Women’s Champion. I said she wasn’t ready, and I totally stand by that statement. However, tonight was her best performance–ever–on the NXT roster. And that counts the big win she had over Rhea Ripley before becoming champion.

The winner was never in doubt, but this was the performance Raquel needed. She still acts too much like a babyface hero at times, but that will come with more experience. Tonight I became a believer, and that is saying a lot.

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The Second Star: Cameron Grimes

Now, I am totally biased on this one. Actually, I am double biased–I loved both performers in the Million Dollar Championship Ladder Match, Cameron Grimes and LA Knight. But ever since his return from injury, Cameron Grimes has skewed a little too far towards the comedy side. Tonight he reminded the world just who the fuck he is–CAMERON GRIMES!

The right guy won this match, as I expected. But Cameron Grimes really emerged, I guess he re-emerged honestly. I don’t know where Grimes goes from here, but he has to go somewhere. He’s too damn entertaining, and too damn good not to remain heavily involved.

Must Listen:
DWI Podcast: Total BS Vacation!

The First Star: Pete Dunne

As I tweeted after Takeover, I think NXT should be a little concerned with the fact that the best moments of the main event when the champion was nowhere to be found. And, in all sincerity, that is NOT a knock on Karrion Kross. The dude is perfect for WWE. WWE Raw, WWE Smackdown.

But in NXT, he is totally out of place. He simply doesn’t fit.

Adam Cole, Kyle O’Reilly, and Johnny Gargano all had amazing chances to shine during the In Your House main event, and each did just that–shine. But no one shined brighter than Pete Dunne. While I said Johnny Gargano should leave Takeover IYH as NXT Champion going into the show, I was left feeling Dunne was the man for the championship during the match itself. Everything he does is crisp, believable, and most of all it always seems to make 100% sense. In this day and age, that is hard to do.

So while Kross isn’t headed out of town just yet, hopefully the near win for Pete Dunne will lead to a one-on-one showdown at NXT Great American Bash, where the non-American could potentially leave as NXT Champion, clearing the way for Kross and Scarlett to go to the main roster, where they belong.

Who are your Three Stars of WWE NXT Takeover: In Your House 2021?
Comment on social media @ChairshotGreg, @theCHAIRSHOTcom,
and use the hashtag #UseYourHead!
Or email me at [email protected]!

In hockey, a game’s “Three Stars Of The Night” represent the top three performers of the night. For more clarification, I defer to this Pittsburgh Gazette explanation:

“The tradition dates to the 1936-37 season, when Imperial Oil became the principal sponsor of Hockey Night in Canada radio broadcasts and was seeking a way to promote one of its products, Three Star gasoline. The idea of doing so by selecting the top three performers in a particular game purportedly came from a Canadian advertising agency.

Many clubs do recognize the player with the most three-star selections with an award or trophy, usually in conjunction with a corporate sponsorship, at the end of the season (or sometimes, each month). All six Canadian franchises, for example, have an affiliation with a well-known brewery.

The NHL keeps track of its own Three Stars Of The Night selections, but that is done on a league-wide basis. The league employs a system that awards 30 points to a first star, 20 to a second star and 10 to a third – a running total can be found on the league’s website – but it does not present an award based on them.”

In hockey tradition, the first star represents the best of the three, but all three are considered to be receiving a high honor.