Following another strong NXT TakeOver show from Phoenix, WWE COO Paul “HHH” Levesque talked to the media about the show, answering questions about the show itself and other related matters, the audio of which is available below.
Among the topics he discussed:
What are the chances of NXT women’s tag titles and if the WWE women’s tag titles will be “floating” titles
The depth of the NXT tag team division
The additions of Sonjay Dutt and Abyss
The order of the matches with respect to title matches
If they have reached the point where fans don’t associate title losses with call-ups…and more.
Royal Rumble weekend begins tonight as the Talking Stick Resort Arena hosts NXT TakeOver: Phoenix.
Tommaso Ciampa will defend his NXT Championship against Aleister Black, while Johnny Gargano is set to challenge for Ricochet’s North American title. On the go-home show for TakeOver, Ciampa and Gargano laid out their respective TakeOver opponents. Ciampa then offered Gargano a handshake, but Candice LeRae ran out to stop him from accepting.
The NXT Women’s Championship will be on the line as Bianca Belair challenges Shayna Baszler. NXT Tag Team Champions The Undisputed Era (Kyle O’Reilly & Roderick Strong) defend their titles against War Raiders.
In the only non-title match on the show, Matt Riddle and Kassius Ohno face off for the second straight time on a TakeOver special. Riddle defeated Ohno in six seconds during their matchup over Survivor Series weekend.
There will be a one-hour pre-show starting at 6 p.m. Eastern time. It will feature the unveiling of the winners of the 2018 NXT year-end awards.
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Here are the NXT Awards, announced during the Kickoff show.
Overall Competitor of the Year – Kairi Sane
Rivalry of the Year – Johnny Gargano vs. Tommaso Ciampa
Male Competitor of the Year – Tommaso Ciampa
Breakout Star of the Year – Ricochet
Female Competitor of the Year – Kairi Sane
Match of the Year – Andrade vs. Johnny Gargano – NXT Championship Match (TakeOver: Philadelphia)
Tag Team of the Year – The Undisputed ERA
Future Star of NXT – Io Shirai
TakeOver of the Year – TakeOver: New Orleans
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Undisputed Era vs War Raiders for the NXT Tag Team Titles opens the show
War Raiders got a fancy, medeival-style entrance coming out. War Raiders won the titles with the Fallout on Kyle O’Reilly in an excellent opener. The story of this match was War Raiders used their superior strength, which Strong & O’Reilly had to use their wrestling skill to combat.
War Raiders ran wild early, with the highlight being Rowe bodyslamming Hanson off the ring apron and onto Strong and O’Reilly on the floor. Rowe picked up O’Reilly in a gutwrench and power bombed him into Strong. Hanson went for a Suicide Dive, but Strong & O’Reilly moved out of the way, sending him crashing to the floor. That led to the champs getting the heat on Rowe, since he had no one to tag. When Hanson finally got to the apron, Strong & O’Reilly used every old school tag team heel trick to prevent the tag.
O’Reilly and Rowe stood mid-ring and exchanged kicks, which Hanson eventually got the best of with a knee strike, which allowed Rowe the chance to make the hot tag. Hanson got the crowd jumping when he did a cartwheel to avoid a strike by O’Reilly. A mis-direction spot saw O’Reilly give a running corner kick to Strong on accident. A 4-way brawl broke out, with War Raiders getting the best of it, laying O’Reilly out with a Pop-Up Running Powerslam and Strong got knocked to the outside. Hanson later kicked out of a combination superplex/top rope knee drop, which everyone bought as the finish. Hanson also kicked out of a High/Low, becoming the first person to do it.
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Pete Dunne and Toni Storm were shown at ringside.
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Matt Riddle vs Kassius Ohno
Well it lasted longer than their first match. Riddle won this one by tap out due to elbows. The story was Ohno had not only lost the first two matches to Riddle, but had also lost all 4 TakeOver matches he’s had, so he was pulling out all the stops. A step down from the opener, but a good match in it’s own rights.
Riddle exploded at the bell, with Ohno running around and trying to avoid him, but Riddle followed and continued beating on him. Riddle went for a sunset flip power bomb to the outside, but Ohno blocked it, covered his face with the ring apron and stomped down on it. Ohno “accidentally” hit Riddle with a back elbow at one point and almost won. Riddle briefly fired back when Ohno yelled that he was a bum, but that didn’t last long. Ohno sent Riddle crashing into the ring post and steps, harkening back to an angle on NXT in December.
Riddle went for a German Suplex, but Ohno was too heavy for him and Ohno stomped his foot. Riddle summoned that power seconds later as he hit the German on the second attempt. Ohno blocked a kick and began biting Riddle’s toes before hitting a Liger Bomb for a near fall. Riddle kicked out of an Ohno Moonsault and got on the Bro-mission, but Ohno got the ropes. Ohno asked Riddle for a fist bump near the finish, but Riddle didn’t fall for it.
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Ricochet vs Johnny Gargano for the North American Championship
This was a must-see 20+ minute classic. A series of innovative and creative spots, unbelievable athleticism and story telling that can’t be duplicated by many in WWE. Gargano became the third North American Champion with a Slingshot DDT, which followed a brainbuster on the exposed floor.
An impressive series of moves and reversals and counters opened the match, leading to a stand off and a chant of “NXT”. Ricochet asked Gargano which Johnny we were going to get, so Gargano used a cheap shot. They fought to the outside where Ricochet stepped from the apron to the middle rope and hit a moonsault to the floor in one fluid motion. In the ring Ricochet went for a top rope Hurricarana, but he played to the ground and Gargano was able to slip out and drop Ricochet on the top rope.
Gargano used an laying down Abdominal Stretch and a chop to the throat, which just looked nasty. Ricochet side-stepped a Slingshot Spear and used a moonsault to the kneeling Gargano. Minutes later Gargano went for a Slingshot Suplex, but Ricochet caught him and threw him out of the ring and Gargano crashed rib-first onto the ring apron. Richochet broke out the Fosbury Flop outside the ring and a second rope Moonsault inside the ring for a near fall.
Gargano went for his own top-rope Hurricarana, but Ricochet landed on his feet. Gargano hit a Superkick, but Ricochet hit a Pele and went for a Handspring Move, but Gargano ducked it and locked on the Gargano Escape. Ricochet stood up and threw Gargano over his head, crashing into the turnbuckles. Ricochet went for the 630, but Gargano rolled to the other side of the ring and out of it. Ricochet saw that…and did a running tope over the ring post to the floor. Gargano got his knees up on a Shooting Star Press and used an Inside Cradle for a 2 count.
Ricochet literally caught Gargano on a Suicide Dive, but Gargano turned that into a reverse Hurricarana. He immediately hit a Slingshot DDT in the ring for the nearest of near falls. Gargano nearly snapped and went to do a Draping DDT onto the exposed concrete floor, but had a change of conscience, which the fans booed, but they immediately got back into the match. Ricochet locked on his own version of the Gargano Escape, but Gargano got the ropes. They ended up on the apron and Gargano shoved Ricochet into the ring post, which led to the finish.
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Shayna Baszler vs Bianca Belair for the NXT Women’s Championship
It should be noted that during the Kickoff Show, Sam Roberts openly questioned why this match was happening, stating Bianca Belair had no chance and didn’t deserve to be wrestling on TakeOver.
Baszler retained the title with the Kirifuda Clutch after rolling out of the way of a 450 Splash. Belair fought it and got to her feet, but couldn’t get out of the Clutch and finally passed out. The match was better than expected, but it was insanely difficult after following the previous match.
A super creative spot early on, as they fought outside, Baszler threw Belair around the ring post, but kept hold of Belair’s long braid and yanked her into the ring post. Belair crowed that she was undefeated and Baszler fired back, calling her overrated. Baszler stomped down on Belair’s elbow in a similar fashion that she did to Dakota Kai in early-2018. Baszler used a series of armbars until Belair started her comeback with a huge slap to the face. Belair did a good job of selling her shoulder even when on offense, so that’s already a step up on a lot of people. Belair kept going for punches, but missed by several feet, so finally she used her hair to whip Shayna, which actually caused a cut on Baszler’s ribs. Belair got sent into the referee, knocking her out and then she got a visual pinfall on Baszler after the KOD.
Marina Shafir and Jessamyn Duke ran in, but Belair got the best of both of them. Belair got out of the Kirifuda Clutch on the first attempt, but not the second.
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Velveteen Dream was shown sitting at ringside watching the main event.
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Tommaso Ciampa vs Aleister Black for the NXT Championship
Ciampa retained after 4 Fairy Tale Endings. Black got out of the third one and went for Black Mass, but his knee, which was worked on the entire match, gave out. This was a very good main event and it was very well worked, but the fans didn’t get into it until the finish.
The most intense collar and elbow tie up you’ve ever seen started the match. Ciampa played dirty early, using a standing armbar and standing on Black’s hair while doing it. Ciampa sat on the mat when Black went for a Roundhouse Kick, so Black sat down across from him, but Ciampa booted him right in the face. The match was all about Ciampa working on the knee of Black. Outside the ring Ciampa sent Black knee-first into the ring steps and then used a suplex onto the steps. Ciampa tied Black’s leg up in the ropes and did a running knee to the leg. Black used a running kick to Ciampa, which caused them both to topple over the top rope to the floor.
Both men blocked and/or ducked multiple attempts to hit their respective finishers. Black used a Bridging German Suplex, but only drove with one leg, since the other was hurt. Both used a Single-Legged Crab with little success. Ciampa broke up a Moonsault attempt and hit a Tower Of London on the ring apron, which is the hardest part of the ring. Black did a great job selling his knee, including running the ropes by hopping on one leg. He did finally hit his corner Moonsault, but slipped on some water outside the ring. Ciampa hit the Fairy Tale Ending (Angel’s Wings) for a 2 count.
Ciampa pulled up the black mats outside the ring, ala Johnny Gargano earlier tonight. However Black came off the apron with a knee strike and then hit Black Mass in the ring…but it took him too long to make the cover and Ciampa had rolled over. Black kicked out of a second Fairy Tale Ending, which was following Ciampa pulling the referee in front of Black Mass (which Black stopped mid kick).
After the match, Johnny Gargano came out and raised his title in the air. Ciampa seemed to take it as meaning they were together as a team, while Gargano kept looking from his title to Ciampa’s.
Overall another very good TakeOver and good luck to the Royal Rumble on topping this one!
Welcome to NXT: PWG where every male competitor has wrestled at American Legion Hall Post 308 in beautiful Reseda, California.
It’s long been said that developmental isn’t really developmental, and it’s never been more true than it is now. The real developmental is the Florida house show loop and the portion of NXT that tours, but NXT proper is just a finishing school at this point. It’s where you go to get the last 10% of what you need to succeed on the main roster…before going up to the main roster and either being overexposed or underutilized.
This current generation of NXT is completely ready. With the exception of Bianca Belair and maybe Matt Riddle, everyone else on this show is more than ready to transition ‘up’ to the main roster. So ready, in fact, that it’s worth wondering if this isn’t the beginning of the end for Gargano, Ciampa, Black, Baszler, etc. They have done all they really can do in NXT. Maybe Gargano never wins the title and that’s his story. With or without the title, his and Ciampa’s story has ran for years, and is also the deepest and most layered story that any group within WWE has told in years.
Black has been an ancillary part of that story and has already won the top prize, plus I’m super sick of typing Aleister wrong a million times and everything is all about me anyway. Baszler is the first two-time women’s champ and could maybe fill a portion of the Ronda Rousey sized hole on the main roster that might exist after WrestleMania.
But, say all of them are done after Wrestlemania week. Look at who is still left on the roster:
Matt Riddle
Keith Lee
Ricochet
Adam Cole
O’Reilly/Fish/Strong
Bianca Belair
Kairi Sane
Io Shirai
Marina Shafir
Jessamyn Duke
Danny Burch/Oney Lorcan
Marcel Barthel/Fabian Aichner
Yeah, I think they’ll be fine. That doesn’t even mention the talents who should be starting soon like Trevor Lee, ACH, and god damn KUSHIDA. I’m looking at this as the last chapter for this generation of NXT, and it was for sure my favorite generation. There was more top-to-bottom talent than any other generation, and it will be sad to see them go. But between now and then, there is another TakeOver! So like we always do at this time, lets run through the card.
Matt Riddle vs. Kassius Ohno
This is a match that has already happened a couple times on the award winning WWE Network ™. However, for those who have only seen those versions of this match, you could be in for an absolute treat. Their trilogy of matches in EVOLVE during 2016 did a ton to establish Riddle as a bonafide star on the independent scene. Seeing how this match compares to those, both in style and performance, will be interesting.
There will be plenty of time to talk about Riddle later and, well, forever. I want to take a second to talk about Ohno. Some people are disappointed with his booking in NXT, and I can certainly see why. The former Chris Hero has a legitimate case to be considered the best independent wrestler of all time. He is a genius, a true prodigy, and someone that has achieved a tremendous amount of success all over the world. His ability to work any style of match with opponents of any size is actually incredible.
This is very much a “62 year old sportswriter” thing to say, but you have to believe that the difference he is making behind the scenes as a pseudo player-coach is tremendous. The greatest thing a genius can do is be generous with their time, their mind, and their knowledge. Acting as the gatekeeper of NXT, Ohno seems to be doing just that: getting the new talent ready and making them look good in the process.
Riddle vs. Ohno is the wrestling prodigy vs. the wrestling genius, the can’t miss kid vs. the best that never was. the future vs. the trailblazer. Those are only a few of the threads that make up the story between these two, and there are many, many more. If it’s anything like their previous matches, this will range from good to great, although how much time they get will impact things. Look for Riddle to go over here and there’s really no reason for him to lose. Expect great performances by both of these guys.
NXT North American Champion Richochet vs. Johnny Gargano
The best worker in the company vs the best flyer in the…world? A match between two athletes of this caliber does not need much in the way of previews. I know this match is going to be off the charts, you know this match is going to be off the charts, we all know this match is going to be off the charts. The only question is how much will it resonate? This match certainly doesn’t have the emotional stakes that any of the Gargano/Ciampa matches had or even the stakes of his match with Aleister Black at TakeOver: War Games. It’s going to be interesting to see how much this one hits home with the fans outside of the spectacular spots.
Ricochet’s main connection to the fans has been through his unmatched athleticism and moveset, very similar to his run on the indies where it was fair to wonder if he could make the audience care enough to reach the stratosphere reserved for those who could make the audience truly feel something. Until his body fails him, we will always be in awe of Ricochet, but will we ever be completely invested in his successes and failures? This goes back to the finishing school comparison I made during the introduction to this column. The 10% he is missing, that hopefully he can gain in NXT, is how to form that meaningful connection with the audience.
I said in my last column that Gargano is the best NXT superstar of all time. Nothing that has happened since then has made me even reconsider that statement, let alone change my mind. While he doesn’t have the jaw-dropping set of moves that Ricochet has (and really, who does), he connects to the audience tremendously. It isn’t peak levels of Daniel Bryan (again, who does), but it’s more than any current main roster superstar with the possible exception of Seth Rollins. It remains to be seen if that type of connection can carry over outside of NXT, but at this point I am not willing to bet against it.
The fascinating thing about Gargano’s heel turn is that he’s wrestling almost the exact same as he did when he was a babyface. Most of the moves are the same, but slightly tweaked and a bit more vicious. If you compare that to Bryan’s recent turn, the differences are stark. He is wrestling a completely different style, one that is full of brutal submissions and strikes. This is one of the things that makes me love wrestling so much. Watching two master storytellers create entirely different layered takes on an old trope is fantastic.
Probably time to predict the outcome, yeah? It feels way too early for Ricochet to drop the title here, especially considering this is his first title defense at a TakeOver. Johnny also feels too big for a midcard title as there are bigger things planned for him. The only belt that should matter to him is the NXT Championship, which is held by the only person who really matters to him, Tommaso Ciampa. This match is going to rule, and should end with Ricochet retaining.
NXT Tag Team Champions The Undisputed Era (Kyle O’Reilly and Roderick Strong) vs. War Raiders (Hanson and Rowe)
I’ve come to realize that no matter what, the War Raiders just aren’t for me. I suppose there is a subset of fans that enjoy the viking/warrior/big beard gimmick thing, but that’s just not me and it never will be me. Predicting success on the main roster seems to be an almost fruitless endeavor considering just how few NXT stars have had any kind of real sustained success. Their whole vibe just reeks of mid-card roster filler which isn’t a bad thing. That is something that is sorely needed in the tag team division, especially on Raw. But if a gimmick doesn’t hit home, and it’s hard to see any kind of real ceiling, I’m just out.
Ray Rowe does seem like a really great dude, and everyone should watch the video WWE made of his wedding to Sarah Logan. I’m a huge sucker any time they pull back the curtain and give glimpses into the real lives of the wrestlers. Humanizing these sensational characters we see on our TV is never a bad thing, WWE. It lets us connect more with the wrestlers, and lets us get way more emotionally invested in the actual people.
Since I put on my prognostication cap in the last paragraph with the War Raiders, it’s only fair I do the same thing for my precious sweet princes of the Undisputed Era. My love for them is well documented and knows no bounds, so this next sentence is going to be really tough. My guys Kyle and Roddy probably will cap out at the same level as the War Raiders. I genuinely hope I’m wrong, but let’s look at this objectively. Both of these guys are smaller tag team wrestlers that wrestle a ‘indie’ a style of match as there is. Kyle remains the most internet friendly champion in the entire company, but that weido charm probably isn’t enough to take them to the absolute top. Could they have a few runs with the tag titles on Raw or Smackdown at some point? Sure, why not? Is a more likely scenario them being used to fill out triple threat and fatal four way matches? Most likely.
Truthfully, the build to this feud hasn’t been great. I can’t even tell you one memorable thing about it. The Undisputed Era’s whole thing is that 2019 is the year they get all the gold, something that would make me happier than I want to admit on the internet. There is NOTHING I love more than a stable having a collection of belts. If all the other champions retain like I think they will, look for War Raiders to take the gold here.
Also, the tag match from the week’s NXT absolutely slapped. I would be very much into Burch/Lorcan and/or Barthel/Aichner getting this spot.
NXT Women’s Champion Shayna Baszler vs. Bianca Belair
The Future is what Bianca Belair represents. I have been wanting to write about her for a while, and I’m so glad I can finally do it. There is no one on the NXT roster, or in WWE period, that has what she has. Her upside, with apologies to the also great Keith Lee, is seemingly limitless. There is nothing in wrestling that she is not physically capable of doing and excelling at. This is the star the company has been searching for. This is the African-American performer the company needs to hitch their wagons to and let her go. It’s all there: the looks, the athletic ability, the charisma, the confidence, all of it. It all exists in the -est of NXT.
I think we take for granted just how good Charlotte Flair is. There is an argument to be made that she will be looked back on as the gold standard for the modern WWE superstar. She is an all-time great (minus her inability to connect on a moonsault) who lives up to the incredibly weight of her last name. I bring her up because that is Belair’s ceiling. There is no other comparable superstar of any gender. She has the chance to be a transcendent star, and her career is just starting. The future of WWE is, most certainly, female.
Baszler is no slouch herself. The only two-time NXT Women’s champion deserves a rightful place when you mention the top female stars to have come through the Performance Center. She just continues to improve and add layers to her character. Often times when a heel is given stablemates, it can make them seem weak and can make them seem like they can’t do it themselves. That isn’t the case with the Queen of Spades. Have you ever once thought this shoot badass needing help to win? Sure, some help makes things easier, but she is perfectly capable of getting there on her own.
There is no doubting the talent in this match and there is no reason to doubt how well it meshes together. As good as Shayna is, and as good as Bianca will be, neither of them have been doing this all that long. Neither of them have ever really had to carry someone to a good match and have always had very capable dance partners. It remains to be seen what these two can do when tasked with leading a match from start to finish.
NXT is an interesting space because it’s both about the present and the future. Belair is a future champion multiple times over at every level of the company. But the present? It still is probably a little too soon for someone who hasn’t been wrestling all that long and is in their first serious televised program. Shayna forever, and ever.
NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa vs. Aleister Black
Aleister is just an afterthought. Not only is that the working title for my debut novel about an angsty, goth teen, it also applies to this title match. It just feels like a placeholder. This doesn’t mean I’m not interested, it just means I know there are bigger things ahead. Black’s injury was the best non-marrying Zelina Vega thing that ever happened to him. He came back fresh, new, and exciting again. He looks incredible and seems to be performing at full speed for the first time since coming to WWE.
It’s kind of like when you take the governor off a golf cart. With the governor on, the cart will still get you from hole to hole, but it’s not operating at full capacity. With it off, you can go fast. You can have fun. That’s what Black is doing now: full tilt, full time, and looking incredible doing it. This is the Aleister Black that WWE signed and the one that has a ceiling as a future WWE champion. Who knew all it would take was an injury…umm…below the belt to get here?
I have really enjoyed Ciampa’s transition into the Great Value version of Triple H. He’s got the beard instead of long hair and has a modified version of the pedigree as his finisher. I’m very into it. He even works a similar, methodical style to NXT’s proud papa. I’m curious to see what this match brings. Ciampa’s first TakeOver title defense was against Velveteen Dream, a man for whom my love knows no bounds. But his matches are an experience, and extremely character based. This is by no means a bad thing, but is for sure something. This seems like it will be a more standard match, and brother, I am here for it.
Black’s anger against Ciampa’s puppet master tactics should be on full display. He really laid into Ciampa during the brawl that closed NXT TV this week. Imagine 15-20 minutes of that to close a TakeOver? *kisses fingers*
It’s weird to say, but the outcome of this match doesn’t matter as much as you would expect it to. Could Black win the title back? Sure! But he doesn’t feel like the type of guy to get the belt twice. A more likely outcome involves Gargano getting involved in some way, either costing Ciampa the belt or helping him keep it. Regardless of where that falls, all roads lead to Ciampa/Gargano one more time with the everything on the line. Hook that to my veins.
Check out our live coverage of NXT TakeOver tonight and an audio recap of the show on Wrestling Observer Radio.
