AJ’s NXT TakeOver 36 Results & Review

Alright, we got SummerSlam out of the way and they had two really good matches in my personal opinion but now we are on to the typical workhorse of WWE with the TakeOvers from NXT. WE have a ton of new and old rivalries to happen this night so we shall see how it all comes to be. Knight against Grimes, Cole and O’Reilly and Ilja with Walter with the old bouts along with Joe being provoked by Kross and Dakota turning on Raquel. This should shape up to be one hell of a night.

Results:

• Cameron Grimes (w/ Ted DiBiase) vs LA Knight (c) for the Million Dollar Championship: Cameron Grimes wins via Cave In – *** ¼ – TITLE CHANGE!!!
• Dakota Kai vs Raquel Gonzalez (c) for the NXT Women’s Championship – Raquel wins via Chingona Bomb – *** ¼  – TITLE DEFENSE!!
• Ilja Dragunov vs WALTER (c) for the NXT UK Championship – Ilja Dragunov wins via Sleeper Hold – ****** – TITLE CHANGE!!!!!!! (And yes. That is Six Stars)
• Two Out Of Three Falls: Adam Cole vs Kyle O’Reilly – Kyle O’Reilly wins via Heel Hook – *** ¾
• Samoa Joe vs Karrion Kross (c) – Samoa Joe wins via Muscle Buster – *** ½ – TITLE CHANGE!!!

Review:

Cameron Grimes vs LA Knight-

They start it off with the collar and elbow and Knight puts Grimes in the corner to taunt him but Grimes gets fired up and hits LA Knight with a slap and goes all out, almost putting the Million Dollar Dream on Knight but Knight escapes. Of course, the quicker of the two in Cameron Grimes makes haste and takes the fight to the outside, even DiBiase aiding Grimes a little bit here and whips Grimes into Knight for double boots. As they make it to the ring again, Knight gets the advantage again after chopping Grimes down from the top rope and now stomping Grimes down, using some old school wrestling moves too like the bottom rope decapitator to slow Grimes down but Grimes comes back quickly with high speed offense. Knight gets things going more and more again however, blocking a Frankensteiner into a powerbomb and gets his hubris started again and loses the momentum quickly as Cameron Grimes does everything to take Knight down.

Once again, LA Knight gets more and more offense going but it’s never enough, even landing a Burning Hammer to put Grimes away but it’s still a kick out. Now, each person gets offense going but Cameron Grimes comes back and gets a hit with the midair slam and goes to take it to LA Knight but Knight shortly gets a reversal and props Grimes on the top rope, hoping to get a Avalanche Back Suplex but Grimes fights Knight off for a moment until Knight comes in to run and do an avalanche German Suplex instead.

Knight goes to hit the Blunt Force Trauma but Grimes counters it into a Million Dollar Dream but tries to kick it off the ropes for a pinfall, Grimes rolls in to keep the Million Dollar Dream in but LA Knight charges to the corner and Lawn Darts Cameron Grimes off his back. He rolls out after the fact to grab the Million Dollar Championship but the ref stops him. Ref was distracted by Grimes as Ted DiBiase hits a punch on LA Knight and some of the Million Dollar Dream before putting LA Knight back in the ring and gets Caved In to Cameron Grimes’ feet.

Dakota Kai vs Raquel Gonzalez-

The two just stare each other down, not making a move since before the bell rang until Dakota slaps Raquel and gets her angry and uses her strength to get a slight advantage until Kai uses he agility to escape. Every time Raquel gets a slight form of an advantage, Dakota goes something quickly with a kick and powder out until it got too redundant and over powers Dakota for this momentum change. After a quick pinfall, Dakota gets a small chance to get a momentum change and lands a hard Yakuza Kick that sends Raquel outside and for a quick pin but Raquel comes back with the power instead and keeps it. Every small move that Dakota uses stalls Raquel but Raquel continues with the power, blocking kicks and over moves with Powerbombs and evening the momentum with an Ally-Oop Bomb.

As Dakota rolls back in and they lock eyes but Dakota uses her kciks again to get the advantage, even landing a Kai-ropractor but Raquel kicks out of the pinfall and now on the defensive for a good amount of time until she catches Dakota and puts her to the top but it’s not enough to stun Kai. Kai gets some cheeky nandos started but as she goes for a second Yakuza Kick, Raquel stops it and lands a Super Chingona Bomb to keep the title on her shoulder.
(Aftermath: Music starts playing and Kay Lee Ray walks out to stare down Raquel, setting up Gonzalez’s next opponent.)

WALTER vs Ilja Dragunov-

(I’m not going to lie. More pissed off that this has a way better story than any of the other matches and this is the middle match. Ah… I’ll live I guess.)

The two are trying to find an opening quickly but even though Walter puts ilja in the ropes, Ilja uses his speed to dodge Walter’s Chops and does his own before they go into a headlock challenge against each other and Walter now gets the advantage, grounding Ilja. Ilja, ever resilent, tries to cut down Walter with the Leg picks and pure anger to get his advantage and actually taking it to Walter. Walter rips the bandage off of Ilja and tires to use the stitching he has to get an advantage and no matter what Walter does, Ilja keeps the headlock in until Walter goes into the corner to break it and the start to slug it out instead. Walter goes for another Chop but Ilja captures it and tries to stun that arm but Walter lift Dragunov to the top rope to break the arm bar and lands the first Chop to Dragunov into the outside as he punishes Ilja, doing and Apron Powerbomb before coming back to the ring. Walter now, putting the Sleeper on but Dragunov blocks it and goes for the rope break, which Walter obliges, only to do a German Suplex to send Ilja back into the corner. Walter now gets a Boston Crab on to stun Ilja and transitions it into a Crossface, stopping any form of Ilja to get a comeback. As things get back to a somewhat vertical, they go into a striking match and even though Ilja now gets a burst of offense going, Walter slams Ilja down, stopping the Constantine Special.

After a nearfall, Walter stomps and kicks Ilja, no matter how many times Dragunov gets up, Walter lands another Chop once Ilja stands and even a heavy Big Boot. Even then, Ilja gets some offense going, slapping and striking Walter and gets him down on the mat for a submission that Walter starts blocking, turning it into a strike fest with kicks, slaps, chops and finally stuns the big man down with a knee strike. Ilja takes too much time though after as he goes for a leaping move, caught by a palm down to the ground and a Western Lariat to fall back to the ground for another nearfall. As both men get up, Walter Chops Ilja’s back and that fires Dragunov down and takes Walter down and returns to sender, Chopping Walter’s back and now the Chop are having no effect anymore as Dragunov actually outpowers the Champion for yet another nearfall. Ilja now goes to the top and lands a dropkick on Walter, going to the other stide to do a Senton to Walter and tries to charge over to Walter but is caught in a Sleep Slam. Dragunov pops up quickly and lands his Torpedo Moskau twice to take Walter down for another nearfall.

Ilja now gets chops of his own going now and Walter Chops Ilja this time, still to no effect as he continues the fight to Walter, no matter how hard he gets hit, Ilja gets up and fights more. Walter though halts it with a missile dropkick and Powerbomb but Ilja continues to kcik out. Walter now two heavy chops and a knee to ready a powerbomb and even a big Splash to Ilja but yet again, another near fall, trying to the win now with the Sleeper but Ilja keeps getting up and blocking the Sleeper as he keeps taking down and even putting the Sleeper on Walter this time but Walter is too big and strong as Walter goes to the top with Dragunov on his back and falls to break it but Ilja goes back to put the Sleeper back on Walter, like a scrappy dog. Walter tries to get up again and drop Ilja to break the hold again but Ilja keeps it on, breaking it himself to beat down Walter with kicks and forearms and reapplies the Sleeper to make… Walter… tap.

(If this match doesn’t win actual match of the year, I’m done with wrestling. That was FUCKING BRILLIANT)

Kyle O’Reilly vs Adam Cole –

(First Match – Traditional Match)
Both of them go for a kick and just go into a slug fest with the kicks but Kyle gets the advantage and starts taking it to Adam Cole on the outside, ping ponging Cole between the steps and barricade until Adam Cole goes to get a little bit of a fight, setting the Brainbuster spot from before until it’s stopped and Kyle O’Reilly comes back with more strikes of his own and now getting a armbreaker attempt, rolling it into an Ankle Lock and Adam Cole comes back and hits a stepup knee strike and both men go back to outdo each other each move, countering each other move until Kyle catches the Panama Sunrise into a roll up for the first pin.

• O’Reilly – 1
• Cole – 0

(Second Match – Street Fight)
We are now in a street fight as the weapons are coming from the two and Kyle actually comes out and takes the advantage early to land a hard knee strike with a trash can and stuns Cole. Adam Cole gets into the ring and since O’Reilly takes too much time and Cole kicks him down and Kyle lands ribs first and now Adam Cole has a target as they return to the ring and targets Kyle with a chair to the ribs, digging and driving it into O’Reilly’s ribs. Now Kyle is too damaged to continue as Cole props a chair in the corner and whips O’Reilly into them but Kyle tries to dodge and hits his ribs on the post instead as Kyle and keeps hitting Kyle’s ribs. Cole grabs a Kendo Stick and beats Kyle down, faking a Last Shot with a Backstabber with the Kendo to assist and hooks the Lockjaw (aww how cute. He used Britt Baker’s move) as he keeps the fight going to Kyle and telling him to stay down but Kyle refuses and takes the offense to Cole, trying to damage the knee now but Kyle’s ribs are hurting him more, running into the corner with the chair to hit the ribs more and they take each other down.

They roll out after and it’s targeting on Adam Cole to grab a chain to get an advantage but Kyle has one too, going to the Hockey Fight spot and Adam Cole gets the superkick to get an advantage but only a near fall this time. Adam Cole crawls away to the ramp to bait Kyle but O’Reilly stuns Cole with a chokehold and tosses Adam into the barrier below to get a new momentum swing, trying his own Brainbuster to the steel steps but Adam Cole lands a DDT on the outside to prevent that from happening and puts Kyle back in the ring. Adam Cole returns to the ring and has the steel chairs in the ring back to back but Kyle counters it and lands an Ushgeroshi to stop him.  Kyle goes to the top to drop the knee but Adam catches Kyle, lands Kyle on the chairs and hits the Last Shot for the tie.

• O’Reilly – 1
• Cole – 1

(Third Match – Steel Cage)

As the cage lowers, medics come in to talk to Kyle O’Reilly but Cole does more damage to Kyle to get more of an advantage. Kyle still unable to move after a powerbomb to the announce table as the personnel latches the cage together.

They get the cage together and Adam Cole just tosses O’Reilly all around the cage but as the trash talk continues, Kyle gets angry and takes it to Adam Cole, between the cage and ropes as he lands the knee the first time, missing the second and Adam Cole tries to land the Last Shot again but mises and Kyle hits one of his own for a nearfall. Kyle tries to get an advantage but Adam hits a low blow and climbs the cage. Kyle tries to stop him but gets thrown off and Adam Cole stops climbing and hits the Panama Sunrise for a nearfall. Adam Cole now grabs a bag and it’s handcuffs Kyle to the ropes as he trash talks more, superkicking him but Kyle catches the last one and O’Reilly applies a one handed Heel Hook and Adam Cole taps out.

• O’Reilly – 2
• Cole – 1

(The crowd is chanting bullshit even though the writing is Adam Cole is going somewhere else… so… in the words of Daniel Bryan. Fickle…)

Samoa Joe vs Karrion Kross –

The crowd solely chanting for Joe and Kross is annoyed by it, just kicking Joe by the feet a little bit before Joe finally cracks and gets a flurry of strikes started, even landing his Enziigiri and keeps the attack going, soccer kicks and elbows as Kross tries to get a head of steam but gets caught in a Coquina Clutch for a short moment until Karrion switches out and does the Doomsday Seito and gets the advantage with his forearm strike. Karrion keeps the offense going on the outside momentarily and both men go back to even, not giving the other a moment to breathe, Joe taking Kross back outside and does his Suicide Forearm Dive to take Kross down. That however, makes Joe winded as he does it and Kross takes advantage. Kross flips off the crowd to get to rush Joe but gets caught in a Scoop Slam and Joe takes the control again. Joe gets a powerbomb off and he breaks it into an STF instead of the Crab he usually does and turns it into a Crossface but only for a rope break. Kross goes ruthless again and hits hard on Joe, basically looking like he expected more as he takes Joe down with a DDT and pins Joe for another nearfall. Karrion starting the trash talk and it provokes Joe a little more and takes Kross down to go back to even.

Kross tries to strike Joe to the corner but Joe comes in and gets a comeback started, striking back and now getting the steam going; Senton Drops, Big Boot, kicks and after a near fall, he puts another Coquina Clutch in and drops Kross to the ground and Kross rolls out of the Clutch, into a Kross Jacket and Joe looks to fade until he gets a rush of adrenaline to get up but Kross makes sure Joe is still down, readying the Forearm Stirke to the back of the head but getting it scouted into a Uronagi. Kross tries to go to the top but Joe hits an Enziguri and lands the Muscle Buster on Karrion Kross to become the first Three Time NXT Champion.

Final Thoughts

Well, as expected, Takeover was better than SummerSlam but that’s not saying much when NXT doesn’t have Alexa Bliss and a Doll going against Eva Marie and Doudrop since Piper Nivens isn’t allowed to shine. Anyway, how to dissect this night? Cameron Grimes won which, as much of an LA Knight fan I am, that was correct in my opinion and a given. Joe winning, they already positioned Kross to be on RAW so again, a given. Raquel beat Dakota which was expected but I also was hoping that they would do more with that like until WarGames or something. Kay Lee Ray is still amazing to show up but, I was kind of expecting more to come out of this boiling point. We hopefully for the time being don’t have to go through the Independent Equivalent of Randy Orton and John Cena so, there’s that… Um… what else?

Oh yes. The absolute marvelous performance of Ilja Dragunov and Big Van Valter where it showed that even Walter is still human and fell to the resilience and persistence of Ilja to give us something that shows that hard work, never giving up and wanting to get things done and succeeding, will make sure you get what you rightfully deserved. That was match of the year for me, I don’t care what anyone says. I broke that damn star system, if Dave can, AJ will and that was your God damn match of the year.