We’ll have live coverage of NXT TakeOver: XXX tonight. If you want to get caught up on the storylines and the matches for the show, check out Chris Aiken’s preview of the event. We’ll be back when the main show begins.
No Mauro tonight.
Mauro Ranallo is back home with family in Canada – he won't be calling tonight's TakeOver card.
— John Pollock (@iamjohnpollock) August 22, 2020
Finn Bálor Vs Timothy Thatcher
Bálor comes out hot and goes on the offensive. He went down to the mat with Thatcher, but to his disadvantage. Really good ground work, as you’d expect. Some really excellent reversals too. This is a style that Bálor is good at as well, but Thatcher is the king.
There was a great rollup with Bálor having Thatcher in an abdominal stretch first. Thatcher had Bálor in leg locks, including an angle lock and a single leg crab. He put the single leg crab on after Bálor missed the Coup de grâce. Bálor made a comeback, hit a double stomp, then the Coup de grâce, and the 1916 for a clean victory.
Winner: Finn Bálor
Damian Preist Vs Johnny Gargano Vs Bronson Reed Vs Cameron Grimes Vs Velveteen Dream
First stunt of the match is Grimes climbing up two ladders. Priest and Dream split them and Grimes was doing the splits in the air.
Pain #NXTTakeOver pic.twitter.com/57SmLgh7Xj
— Two Jabronis with a Wrestling Podcast (@TwoJabronisPod) August 22, 2020
Second big stunt was the four men who weren’t Bronson Reed were in the corner with Dream sitting on the top turnbuckle and ladders perched between them. Reed then big splashed the entire pile.
BAM! BAM! 🔥@bronsonreedwwe quickly turning this #LadderMatch into a DEMOLITION DERBY! #NXTTakeOver pic.twitter.com/XwZFs6eCr4
— WWE (@WWE) August 22, 2020
Gargano ran into Grimes and Grimes turned him inside out with a flip powerslam. Nuts. Reed did a dive through the ropes.
Priest perched the ladder against the top rope and did a running dive outside. These guys are nuts.
Grimes was the lone person inside the ring and started climbing the ladder. Candice played Lita and interfered. Gargano helped her hurricanrana Grimes to the outside. Reed was near the top of the ladder and Candice interfered again. She was on Reed’s back. And Reed jumped off the ladder with Candice on his back and splashed Gargano. Grimes and Priest were on top together.
Dream was on the top and playing dumb person who doesn’t know how to grab the belt. Priest showed up in a scary way. Grimes took him out. He and Gargano were on the ladder and Gargano jumped and powerbombed him on the side of the ladder which was perched already. I’m not sure it was supposed to happen that way.
Stuff is happening so fast, the cameras are having a hard time keeping up. Dream was on the ladder and was pushed off and flew. Then Reed was bounced to the ground and the ring shook. Gargano was about the win, acted like an idiot, and was chokeslammed by Priest. Priest wins.
Winner: Damian Priest
Adam Cole Vs Pat McAfee
McAfee is working the basics as an amateur. Side headlock, shoulder block, running the ropes. McAfee goaded Cole to the outside. Pat’s teammates bowed up and out came the rest of the Undisputed Era. McAfee snuck in the ring and did a swanton from the top rope to the floor.
Vince have to show him how to do this? https://t.co/iQVX8JPJ9g
— Fight Game Media (@fightgamemedia) August 23, 2020
McAfee got the upper hand after the swanton. Cole came back and started to hit some of his bigger moves and when McAfee kicked out, he’d look surprised. McAfee was on the top, reading to give Cole a superplex. Cole pushed him back and he did a backflip. Cole was surprised. McAfee then jumped to the top rope from the mat and hit a sweet superplex. The dude is a real athlete.
McAfee went to the outside and he wanted to punt Cole who was leaning out. He missed and hit the steps, hurting his strong leg. It wasn’t super clean. Cole then put the figure four on him. McAfee should’ve immediately tapped, but he didn’t. He booted Cole low and then set him up for a punt. Cole kicked out at two.
Finally, Cole won with the Panama City Sunrise.
Winner: Adam Cole
Dakota Kai Vs Io Shirai
The real question with this match is whether or not Kai’s wrestling can match her character. Her character is an A+ and as a heel, her wrestling doesn’t necessarily have to be A+, but she does need to be able to have good matches in this position.
She was on the offensive early, and the match was a bit boring. Even with Io got her comeback, it didn’t really pick up.
But it did get much better at the end. Kai worked on her injured arm and was trying to get an arm bar. She previously did this thing where she twisted her arm and used the twisted arm into some sort of back breaker.
The ref was booted by Kai. Io hit the moonsault, but there was no referee. Raquel González came in and gave Io a huge chokeslam. Then she woke up referee Tom Castor and put Kai on top of Shirai. She got a two count. Shirai got her in a cross face and then hit a sweet knee lift. She went to the top rope and did a moonsault off the top rope to González and Kai. She then hit a moonsault on Kai to win the match.
Winner: Io Shirai
González attacked Io after the match and Rhea Ripley came out and went nose to nose with Raquel.
Karrion Kross Vs Keith Lee
If you thought this was going to be a sprint of big moves and high spots, you’d be wrong. So far, some slow stuff, heavy striking, though not great striking. The guys aren’t completely on the same page just yet. Lee hurt his arm in the plexiglass when they were outside. Second match in a row where the focus is on the arm.
Kross is looking for an armbar, just like Kai looked for one on Shirai. Kross couldn’t get Lee to unlock his hands and Lee picked him up and broke the arm bar attempt that way.
Kross was on the offensive, trying to beat the champ. He hit a great clothesline for a nearfall. They both hit the ropes and Lee hit a clothesline of his own. Kross put on his rear naked and Lee barely reached the ropes. Lee hit his double overhand strike and then the Spirit Bomb for a two. Kross did a Saito suplex from the second rope to win the match. Win kind of came out of nowhere.
Winner: Karrion Kross
