What’s going on everyone it’s your boy Walsh here and I’ve got you covered with everything that went down at WWE NXT Takeover: In Your House. The In Your house theme is perfect for the current times as we are all just starting to get out of quarantine. It was a staple of the WWE back in the 90’s and has finally made it’s return here in 2020.
Now I’ll be honest, I used to be so much more invested in the WWE but it has gotten tough to watch. NXT is always a bright spot though and I usually pay more attention to the black and yellow brand than I do Raw and Smackdown. We had a lot of great matches on the card so lets take a look at what went down…
Mia Yim, Tegan Nox & Shots Blackheart vs Candice LeRae, Dakota Kai & Raquel Gonzalez:
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A six-women tag team match kicked the night off as six of the best women in the division faced off. This got off to a fast start with a lot of action early on with quite a few pinball attempts. One of the early highlights was when we had a sequence of suicide dives to the outside finished off by a flying moonsault by Tegan Nox taking out the other five women. The action didn’t stop as the match went along as the fast paced action continued throughout. The team of Nox, Blackheart, and Yim worked well together and in the end it was the great team work that led to Nox taking out Dakota Kai and picking up the pinfall victory. Overall a pretty solid match to kick off the PPV as the action kept you interested throughout and really showcased the talent of the NXT women’s division.
Result: Tegan Nox, Shotzi Blackheart & Mia Yim win
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Finn Balor vs Damian Priest:
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Next up we had in my opinion one of the best wrestlers in the world in action as Finn Balor took on Damian Priest. Balor wasted little time as he went right after Priest before the bell even rang. This one quickly spilled to the outside as the physicality picked up and it definitely favored Priest early on. The bigger Priest really used his size and strength to his advantage throughout the match but you knew Balor wasn’t going to back down. This match also had a very fast pace to it as these two put on a show. Damian Priest was very impressive and he’s got a bright future in NXT. In the end it would be the resiliency of Finn Balor that would pay off. As Priest went for Razors edge on Balor it looked like he was about to throw him onto the steel steps. Balor would counter and brought Priest back into the ring where he would hit the Coup De Grace twice to pick up the win. Very fun match to watch as both of these guys put on a show and it was one of the highlights of the night for sure.
Result: Finn Balor Wins
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Tommaso Ciampa vs Karrion Kross:
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The Takeover debut of Karrion Kross (FKA Killer Kross) as he went up against former NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa. To start things off Kross entrance was absolutely awesome and Scarlett Bordeaux is a SMOKESHOW I mean my god…Ciampa’s entrance song still slaps though too he just doesn’t have a Scarlett with him…Onto the match now…First things first Kross is going to be a fucking star and its gonna happen sooner rather than later. Ciampa tried to get off to a quick start but Kross wasn’t having any of it. I mean he was just bullying Ciampa all over the ring and thats not easy to do. We knew Ciampa wouldn’t go down without a fight and he came storming back hitting Kross with a fury of fist and eventually hitting his patented widows peak. It wouldn’t be enough though as Kross was able to kick out. After fending off Ciampa’s best effort Kross would come back and lock in a submission to pick up the win as Ciampa was put to sleep. Like I said, Kross is going to be a star and he put on a great beatdown on Ciampa.
Result: Karrion Kross wins
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NXT North American Championship: Keith Lee(c) vs Johnny Gargano:
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This heated rivalry came to a head Sunday with the North American Championship on the line. Johnny Gargano who always puts on a great show especially at the Takeover events didn’t disappoint. Champion Keith Lee would need to dig deep in order to keep his title as Gargano resorted to some nasty tactics to try and come away with the win. During the build up to this match Gargano was able to injure the eye and the hand of Lee and he did everything he could to try and take advantage of those injuries. We had a sweet spot where Gargano was on the outside along with Lee and Lee trucked Gargano through one of the plexiglass panels into the crowd. We though the match was over after Gargano pulled out a key and hit Lee in the eye then nailed him with a DDT. Lee was able to kick out and Gargano then tried to hit him with a super kick and again Lee would kick out. Lee would then hit two power bombs and then his finishing slam to pick up the win. Overall a decent match, wasn’t all that spectacular but still very good.
Result: Keith Lee Retains the North American Championship
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NXT Women’s Championship: Rhea Ripley vs IO Shirai vs Charlotte(c):
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The main even of the night and it showcased the NXT women’s division. The top three women in NXT going head to head and they delivered in every way. This was the most exciting match of the night as the action just never stopped. All three of these women gave it everything they had and each made their case for why they should be the champion. I’m not the biggest fan of Charlotte Flair but you can’t knock her in ring ability as she puts on a clinic every time she steps in the ring. IO Shirai I think is one of the more underrated women on the roster and she proved in this match she belongs in the spotlight. Rhea Ripley being the former champion, continues to prove that she is the present and future of the WWE. The holy shit moment of the match came when Shirai jumped off the top of the roof of the house(You can see it here) onto both Ripley and Flair. In the end Charlotte would have the figure four locked in on Ripley and out of nowhere IO Shirai would hit her signature moonsault and picked up the win to become the new NXT Women’s Champion.
Result: IO Shirai wins the NXT Women’s Championship
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NXT Championship: Adam Cole(c) vs Velveteen Dream (Backlot Brawl):
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Gotta say I was pretty shocked that this wasn’t the main event as this was a pretty big match. This was another one of those pre recorded cinematic matches and I’m starting to become a really big fan of these. It was really cool the way they had it setup with a ring outside surrounded by cars. There was a pretty funny spot early on as a random mini fan pulled up and asked if anyone called for an Uber. The action was all over the place as both guys were really trying to use the environment to their advantage. Of course, it was only a matter of time before the rest of the Undisputed Era got involved. As Dream was going to hit the purple rainmaker on Adam Cole on top of a car, Bobby Fish and Rodrick Strong pulled up in a car to distract Dream. It only lasted a brief moment as Dream was able to fend off Cole and push him off the ladder and through the car windshield. Cole was all bloody on his back and shoulders from the glass and as Fish and Strong tried to take out Dream, from under the ring came Dexter Lumis who took them both out and put Fish and Strong in the trunk of a car and drove off. Before they were taken out, Strong and Fish threw a bunch of chairs into the ring that would benefit Dream as he hit a purple rainmaker on Adam Cole as he was propped up on a chair. As Dream was prepared to end it, Cole would hit him with a low blow and then the Panama City Sunrise onto the chairs in the ring and was able to pick up the win. Adam Cole Bay Baayyyy once again wins and keeps his year long NXT Championship reign going strong. I think this was my favorite match of the night and it’s not just because I’m a huge Adam Cole fan. The cinematic matches have been great and I really hope we get to see more of these in the future.
Result: Adam Cole retain NXT Championship
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Overall, a solid night of action as once again NXT delivers a great show. If only Raw and Smackdown could do that every week I’d be more inclined to tune in. Well, hope you guys enjoyed the recap and let me know what you thought of the show.
-Walsh
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