Ahead of tonight’s episode of NXT, Finn Balor posted an update on his condition following TakeOver 31.
“Broken jaw in two places. Still the CHAMPION. Full story tonight on @WWENXT @USA_Network @btsportwwe,” Balor tweeted.
Balor retained his NXT Championship against Kyle O’Reilly in the main event of TakeOver 31 on Sunday night. Paul “Triple H” Levesque said on his post-TakeOver 31 conference call that Balor was on his way to have his jaw X-rayed after the show. Levesque also said that O’Reilly was being evaluated.
The main event of NXT TakeOver 31 was a brutal, hard-hitting battle for the NXT Championship between Finn Bálor and Undisputed ERA’s Kyle O’Reilly. In the aftermath of the grueling main event, it has become evident that both Superstars are worse for wear.
O’Reilly has a number of broken teeth as a result of the fight with The Prince, WWE.com has learned. O’Reilly is also being evaluated for additional injuries.
WWE.com can also report that Bálor has been taken to a local medical facility for CAT scans to determine if he suffered potential facial fractures in his successful title defense.
Stick with WWE’s Digital and Social platforms for more information on Bálor and O’Reilly’s status as it becomes available.
Balor became NXT Champion by defeating Adam Cole for the then-vacant title at NXT Super Tuesday II last month. Karrion Kross defeated Keith Lee for the NXT Championship at TakeOver XXX but had to relinquish the title due to a separated shoulder that he suffered during the match. WWE announced a four-way Iron Man match to decide the new champion, but it ended in a two-way tie and set up the Balor vs. Cole title match for Super Tuesday II.
After making her return to the brand at TakeOver 31, Ember Moon will kick off tonight’s NXT. Kushida vs. Tommaso Ciampa has also been announced as the first match for the episode.
Following Sunday’s NXT TakeOver 31 event, Paul “HHH” Levesque spoke to the media for 30 minutes about the shwo and some of the various news coming out of it.
Click on the red button below to hear the full audio, but here were some of the highlights:
He said Finn Balor’s jaw is being examined while Kyle O’Reilly is also being medically evaluated.
The timing for Ember Moon to return just made sense and that it was hard for her to not smile as she was so happy to be back.
He said the new CWC setup inside the Performance Center changed the interior layout and will require some shifting for those training, but certain aspects for trainees will still remain. Trainees are in small groups and rotate through while meeting COVID protocols.
He said Ridge Holland is a great performer and highly regarded by the coaches. He discusses the near-miss in the Johnny Gargano match and the fine line between sports entertainment and things comes being very real. He said the Gargano accident was bad timing and not a Holland screw-up.
In an angle at the end of NXT TakeOver 31 tonight, it was revealed that Adam Cole had been laid out by an attacker.
Finn Balor retained his NXT Championship against Cole’s Undisputed Era stablemate Kyle O’Reilly in the main event of TakeOver 31 tonight. Balor helped O’Reilly up after the match and then they shook hands. As they were raising each other’s arms up and the broadcast was about to go off the air, Ridge Holland was shown carrying a laid out Cole over his shoulder. He then dumped Cole over the barricade and walked away.
O’Reilly checked on Cole and they were joined by fellow Undisputed Era members Roderick Strong and Bobby Fish. Strong asked where Holland went and called for medical attention. Strong and Fish also questioned Balor about what happened.
Cole, Strong, and Fish didn’t have matches at tonight’s TakeOver show. Strong & Fish are scheduled to face Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch in a number one contender’s match at some point, with the winning team getting a shot at Breezango’s NXT Tag Team titles.
Prior to TakeOver 31, Cole made an appearance during Triple H’s Q&A with McKenzie Mitchell earlier today. He called O’Reilly one of the best in the world and said O’Reilly has what it takes to be NXT Champion. Cole said he’s glad he gets to be there for O’Reilly tonight. When Triple H asked Cole what he’d do if O’Reilly walked into Wednesday’s NXT as champion, Cole said he’d be proud of O’Reilly, called him his brother, and said Wednesday night would be about O’Reilly. After Cole left, Triple H said he had a feeling Cole would be going after O’Reilly’s title if O’Reilly defeated Balor.
After more than two years away from NXT, Ember Moon made her return to the brand at TakeOver 31 tonight.
Moon appeared on tonight’s TakeOver event after NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai retained her title against Candice LeRae. Videos had aired over the past two weeks hyping that a former champion would be returning to NXT to take what’s theirs. Whether it was a man or woman returning wasn’t revealed until tonight.
Another video started to air after tonight’s NXT Women’s title match. The former champion was shown riding to the WWE Performance Center on a motorcycle and then entering the building. With Shirai in the ring, the former champion appeared and stood on the stage. They then took their helmet off, revealing that it was Moon. She smiled at Shirai but didn’t say anything.
Prior to Moon’s return tonight, former NXT UK Women’s Champion Toni Storm appeared on the video screen after Shirai vs. LeRae and announced that she’s coming to NXT. Storm said she’ll be seeing Shirai around.
Moon had been off WWE television since rupturing her Achilles tendon in September 2019. She said on an episode of WWE Backstage this May that she feared that it could be a career-ending injury.
Moon won the NXT Women’s Championship at TakeOver: WarGames in November 2017 and held the title until losing it at TakeOver: New Orleans in April 2018. She was called up to the main roster after dropping the title.
The WWE Performance Center’s newly remodeled television set makes its debut as NXT TakeOver 31 takes place at the Capitol Wrestling Center tonight.
Kyle O’Reilly will be going for singles gold as he challenges Finn Balor for the NXT Championship. O’Reilly became the number one contender to Balor’s title by defeating Cameron Grimes, Timothy Thatcher, Bronson Reed, and Kushida in a gauntlet eliminator match.
Candice LeRae and her husband Johnny Gargano are both set to challenge for titles tonight. The NXT Women’s Championship will be on the line as Io Shirai defends her title against LeRae, who won a number one contender’s battle royal to get the title shot. Damian Priest will also defend the NXT North American Championship against Gargano.
Isaiah “Swerve” Scott, who is the only person to pin Santos Escobar in WWE, will challenge for Escobar’s NXT Cruiserweight Championship tonight. Plus, Kushida will take on Velveteen Dream.
Tonight’s pre-show will begin at 6:30 p.m. Eastern time and will include an appearance by Rhea Ripley. TakeOver will then begin at 7 p.m. Eastern.
**********
The show opened with a montage featuring tons of old footage and stock photos of Capitol Wrestling. The promo showed a quote from Vince McMahon in 1977 putting over the quality of the WWWF product at the time. Once the vignette finished, a logo appeared onscreen for the CWC, or “Capitol Wrestling Center,” or what they’ve decided to call the venue. The CWC logo looks almost identical to the Cruiserweight Classic logo.
Damian Priest defeated Johnny Gargano to retain the NXT North American title
Gargano ran at Priest as the bell rang but stopped short before attacking. He looked scared. Priest through a spinkick and chased Gargano out of the ring. Gargano snuck back in and put a few boots to Priest until the North American champ responded with a spinning roundhouse kick. Impressive athleticism from Priest off the bat.
Gargano used an armdrag to whip Priest from the apron onto the floor; Priest did a front-flip and bumped hard onto the floor. It looked great. Gargano landed a tope suicida next, then worked Priest over more inside the ring.
Priest launched a comeback when he planted Gargano with a big modified flatliner. He later went for a Razor’s Edge, but Gargano reversed on the way down into a sunset bomb. Priest stuck a big superman punch, then missed a spinkick, which allowed Gargano to lariat Priest to the floor. Priest then used his high spinkick to knock Gargano from the apron. He topped it off with a Razor’s Edge onto the apron, then rolled Gargano back into the ring for two. The crowd outside started making lots of noise right here.
They traded high spots and nearfalls toward the end of this. Lots of instant replays. Gargano used Sliced Bread and a running lariat to the back of Priest’s head for another two. Gargano taunted Priest and shot an imaginary arrow at him before Priest was able to again shift momentum and land a beautiful-looking sitout chokeslam for two.
When Priest climbed to the top for the finish, Gargano rolled to the floor. Priest decided to do a tope con hiro over the corner, but Gargano dragged security into the line of fire, which led to Priest taking out two guards instead of Gargano. Gargano landed a low blow in the commotion, then slapped on Garga-no-escape until Priest stuck his ankle on the bottom rope for a break.
Gargano tried knocking Priest from the apron onto the steel steps, similar to the bump Priest took on one of the last TakeOvers, but Priest reversed it and kicked Gargano in the face instead. He then spiked Gargano with The Reckoning for the pin. Priest retains his title.
KUSHIDA defeated Velveteen Dream via submission
KUSHIDA went after Dream before the bell and went to town. This was KUSHIDA’s first match on an NXT TakeOver according to the announce team. He dominated the first few minutes of this and looked great. Dream landed a cheap shot early and shifted the pace, moving the match back to the floor. He used a Randy Savage-esque axhandle from the top to the floor, then rolled KUSHIDA into the ring or a two-count. Dream dyed his hair gray tonight and it looks reminiscent of Don King’s. He did a bronco buster to KUSHIDA next, then screamed “Boo me now!”
KUSHIDA did a really good job at making this feel like a fight. We saw some of his flashy offense, but most of what he did here was simply brawl and shout. Awesome. He did the same move he used a few weeks ago to Dream, where he dragged Dream’s arm into the ringpost. He did it so hard that Dream’s glove flew off the first time.
Dream caught KUSHIDA with a sharp superkick to the face next, but KUSHIDA responded with an armbar. Dream slid to the floor and escaped, then used a power bomb for two, but KUSHIDA transitioned into the same armbar from here. Dream used strikes to break the pressure, then used the Dream Valley Driver and Purple Rainmaker from the top rope, but Dream couldn’t make it to KUSHIDA soon enough for a pin; his hesitation cost him the three here. Dream climbed to the top again, but KUSHIDA dashed to the top and launched dream with an avalanche Hoverboard Lock but still couldn’t get the tap. Dream went for another Dream Valley Driver and landed it, but this time KUSHIDA heldonto the hoverboard lock/kimura and tapped Dream immediately from here. KUSHIDA wins.
After the match, KUSHIDA didn’t let up on Dream and kept striking him. He laid in hard palm strikes and elbows, then kept locking on arm submissions. This KUSHIDA is so much more interesting than who we saw in NJPW. Really good match all around.
**********
NXT aired a commercial for Halloween Havoc, which will air for the first time under the NXT banner on October 28. Check out the front page for more details on that.
Santos Escobar defeated Isaiah Scott to retain the NXT Cruiserweight title
All action from the get-go. Swerve landed a moonsault off the apron, then a corkscrew senton from the turnbuckle, then a Fosbury flop onto Escobar near the entrance. This was just a minute or two into the match, too. Swerevtastic, indeed.
Escobar was back in the match soon after and used a cool-looking tope through the ropes and crashed into the barricade and cage barrier set up at ringside.
Scott mounted his comeback after a few more minutes of punishment. After blocking a headbutt, Swerve unloaded, throwing body shots and a few kicks before he went on a string of high impact moves, including a rolling thunder flatliner.
Escobar returned the attack and did some sort of botched powerslam that was called a shoulderbreaker and got a two-count. Escobar’s stablemates ran down to the ring to distract Swerve but Ashante Adonis came out and made the save, landing a twisting asai moonsault from the bottom rope to the floor, taking the rest out of the match.
Escobar landed a Phantom Driver for two, but again Swerve picked up the momentum and ramped up the pace again. There were tons of false finishes towards the end of this in Swerve’s favor, the most noticeable after Swerve landed a 450 splash for two.
Before the finish, there was a spot where Escobar and Swerve fell onto the apron and Swerve hit his head against the ringpost. He sold like he was knocked silly. Escobar then landed a double-underhook GTS, slamming Swerve’s face into his knee, and scored the win. Isaiah Scott looked awesome here.
Io Shirai defeated Candace LeRae to retain the NXT Women’s championship
These two complement each other so well. From the bell, these two were exchanging everything from holds to aerial maneuvers, and all within the first couple minutes. Both did dives to the floor only minutes in. No hesitation from either of these two, either; they were working from the trenches all the way through this.
LeRae slowed the pace midway through and worked the champion over with a few submissions and hard stomps. Awesome heel work from LeRae, really mean and hard-hitting in the ring.
After a few minutes more of this, Shirai came back after LeRae missed a senton which allowed Shirai to keep LeRae down with a double-stomp.
LeRae later intercepted Shirai from the rope and power bombed her, but Shirai no-sold it and stuffed LeRae with meteora in the corner. Lots of back and forth from here. LeRae landed a Lionsault in the ring for two. Shirai locked on a LeBell Lock, but LeRae reversed it into the Garga-no-escape submission until Shirai broke the hold. LeRae broke the hold and accidentally took out the ref here. While he sold, Shirai landed an air raid crash, then went for a moonsault. LeRae blocked it with her knees, which Shirai ate. Shirai then bowled over the ref, who was still selling, and knocked him to the floor.
LeRae used a curbstomp and pinned Shirai next, but the ref was still selling on the floor. Johnny Gargano then ran out with a ref’s shirt and tried counting a fast three, but still Shirai kicked out. Gargano then rushed to the floor and grabbed the title belt. “It’s hers!” he shouted, pointing at his wife, LeRae. While he argued with the ref inside the ring–the ref had been revived by now–he slipped the championship belt to LeRae, who decked Shirai with the belt. LeRae pinned Shirai but, again, she kicked out. Moments later, Shirai was able to land a picture-perfect avalanche Spanish Fly, then landed moonsault for the win. Great stuff from both here, and match of the night so far.
Toni Storm appeared on the monitors next, where she said she’s back: “It always has, and always will be, Toni Time,” effectively calling Shirai out.
While Shirai was still in the ring, we saw another vignette on the screen. Someone drove to the Capitol Wrestling Center on a motorcycle, then came onto the entrance ramp. Former NXT Women’s champion, Ember Moon, made her return, looking slightly more Mad Max: Fury Road than before, with a new haircut and makeup. She didn’t say anything though she didn’t have to. Nice double surprise after this one.
We cut to a quick promo with Ashante Adonis talking about his “rich-ual” before the main event.
NXT Championship match: Finn Balor vs. Kyle O’Reilly
Compared with the rest of tonight’s card, this started off much slower. It was a deliberate choice and it instantly made this feel a little more special, a bit more of a “main event” feel from the beginning.
Balor controlled much of the earlier part of this match. He used a stiff basement dropkick on O’Reilly early. Later, Balor blasted him with chops in the corner until O’Reilly found an opening and unloaded strikes onto Balor, hard kicks and elbows, then used two rolling butterfly suplexes and a double-arm DDT to even the out odds.
Balor slowed things down again midway through this, once using a modified camel clutch and then a few hard kicks to O’Reilly’s body. O’Reilly as de facto babyface in this worked well.
O’Reilly bled from the mouth late in this. He took some very hard shots. Balor locked O’Reilly in a sharpshooter at one point and O’Reilly just barely made it to the ropes for a break.
After Balor landed a Pele kick, O’Reilly unleashed a desperation flurry of strikes and laid Balor out with a running lariat. He then locked out a realistic-looking guillotine choke, then eventually moved to an armlock, which Balor stomped his way out of. Really good tension from here.
Balor landed 1916 next, but O’Reilly kicked out after a two-count. When Balor went to the top for a diving double stomp, O’Reilly knocked him from the ropes and started using Dragon Screw legwhips on Balor, ripping his knees across the middle rope. Next, he transitioned from an achilles’ lock to a modified heel hook, then to another achilles’ lock. Very authentic grappling from O’Reilly here and it really added drama to this. Balor sold like his ACL or hamstrings were torn after he broke the hold.
Balor started acting like he couldn’t stand up, but he was faking, then took O’Reilly down with a quick takedown and a double stomp. After more quick back-and-forth, which saw O’Reilly use a brutal flying kneedrop, Balor was able to land one more double stomp, a huge one, and then put O’Reilly away with Coup de Grace from the top for the emphatic win.
NXT production caught a great shot of Balor after the match, his mouth now bloodier than O’Reilly’s. One of the best main event matches I’ve seen all year from any company. Awesome, hard-hitting pro wrestling, nothing more or less.
As Balor and O’Reilly celebrated in the ring together, Ridge Holland appeared in the crowd with Adam Cole draped over his shoulder. He stared at O’Reilly and the rest of Undisputed Era, who were ringside by now, then tossed Cole over the barrier onto the floor. Cole sold like he’d just been in a car wreck or something. Roderick Strong and Bobby Fish started yelling for people to come out and help Cole. Balor looked along from the ring, concerned, although he denied knowing what happened while Fish and Strong were yelling. The TakeOver broadcast ended here, the program fading to black before we found out anymore details.
Final thoughts:
This was one of the best TakeOver’s of the year so far, and felt closest to a “normal” TakeOver in 2020 than the others have in terms of quality and overall feel. The last two matches were the highlights, for sure, and it’d be wise if you’re a fan of the product to watch those two immediately if you haven’t done so already. Though that’s not to say the rest of the card was a bust. Everything was above-average on the undercard in some way, though KUSHIDA vs. Velveteen Dream was exceptional. “NEW-SHIDA” was really fun to watch, and I look forward to seeing more of what they do with his character going forward.
Ahead of NXT TakeOver 31 going on the air tonight, WWE shared a first look at its new Capitol Wrestling Center:
The Capitol Wrestling Center, which is named after the Capitol Wrestling Corporation that Jess McMahon founded in 1953, is the name for the newly remodeled television set at the WWE Performance Center. NXT is moving to the Capitol Wrestling Center starting with tonight’s TakeOver event, though Paul “Triple H” Levesque told Sports Illustrated that NXT’s relationship with Full Sail University remains strong and they’re looking forward to returning to Full Sail soon.
“It’s a historic callback to where this all began,” Levesque said about the Capitol Wrestling Center. “We gutted the Performance Center and it’s now rebuilt, so it feels like we’re going back to the beginning. To me, it feels like we’re going back to 1953. Just like then, we’re doing something different and new, taking the business to a whole new level.
“The Capitol Wrestling Center captures the feel and the vibe of NXT. We will have all the bells and whistles of the ThunderDome, but we’ll keep that NXT feel. It’s edgier, darker and raw — you’re walking into the ultimate heavy metal soundstage.”
There will be video walls with virtual fans at the Capitol Wrestling Center, along with a limited crowd of in-person attendees for tonight’s TakeOver show. The audience has been tested for COVID-19 and there are plexiglass pods with fans that are in groups.
NXT TakeOver 31 will feature Finn Balor vs. Kyle O’Reilly for the NXT Championship, Io Shirai vs. Candice LeRae for the NXT Women’s Championship, Damian Priest vs. Johnny Gargano for the NXT North American Championship, Kushida vs. Velveteen Dream, and Santos Escobar vs. Isaiah “Swerve” Scott for the NXT Cruiserweight Championship.
We’ve got a double issue this week of the Observer with the full rundown of Harold Meij being out in New Japan, WWE’s social media policy as it relates to talent, and extensive G-1 coverage.
Our lead story looks at the Harold Meij era of New Japan, how he got there, the turmoil behind-the-scenes, why he’s leaving, his last words to his fan club, why the guy who handled running a wrestling company during a pandemic is out while in the pandemic and a lot of behind-the-scenes stories regarding New Japan and AEW never making a deal, and whether this can change things, and what the key issues are. The changes he made to the company, the business record and issues in dealing with talent and others and the inherent issues of a non-Japanese person in charge of a major Japanese company. This is the most inside version of what happened there since 2018 and from people who know the situation the best.
Also in this issue:
WWE’s latest when it comes to talent and social media, WWE policy, Andrew Yang and why this could be the worst time to make these decisions.
WWE Clash of Champions, NXT Takeover, Hell in a Cell, the COVID issues in AEW & WWE and how they spread, plus match-by-match coverage with star ratings and poll results.
G1 Climax tournament, with standings, best matches, behind-the-scenes,why crowds aren’t quick to sell out, plus match-by-match coverage with star ratings and poll results of every show.
XFL start, changes in WWE tapings and why 205 Live will be taped with NXT ad not Smackdown, we look at declines in WWE interest and reasons why WWE draft dates, Reigns vs. Rock, Reigns talks C.M. Punk, new Dwayne Johnson TV show looked at, new WWE signings, update on WWE injuries, one of the top college wrestlers already publicly talking about going to WWE, more on TV ratings in U.S. and Canada, former TNA champion talks how close he came to joining WWE, Cena starring in new movie, Zayn talks politics, Rusev talks problems with WWE creative, update on Raw Underground, where tribal chief comes from, WWE market value and the most watched shows on WWE Network over the past week.
UFC 253, with business notes, the main themes of the show plus match-by-match coverage and poll results.
The treatment of women in pro wrestling with notes from a recent BBC article with thoughts from several women involved.
87th anniversary show of CMLL, and the plight of Lucha Libre with no fans.
Jerry Lawler 50th anniversary show.
2020 Hall of Fame ballot in each category, with the top candidate, last year’s highest that haven’t gotten in, as well as a list of those who have been elected in the past five years.
Smackdown and AEW ratings based on the same opposition, as well as network vs. cable when it comes to other sports.
Results of all the major pro wrestling events around the world over the past week.
ORDERING INFO: Order the print Wrestling Observer right now and get it delivered via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to [email protected] or by going to www.paypal.com directing funds to [email protected].
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SUNDAY NEWS UPDATE
Bryan and I will be back tonight for Wrestling Observer Radio talking Takeover, UFC, Impact and all kinds of other stuff. You can send questions to the show to [email protected]. Garrett Gonzalez and I did a show yesterday with Mike Tenay talking news and the Hall of Fame. This is probably the best received show we’ve done in a long time and as good a wrestling history show as you’ll hear anywhere. We will also have a second show that will be up this coming Friday.
Thanks to everyone who has ordered my new 1997 Wrestling Observer Yearbook. The success in week one has been such that I’d think it’s a lock there will be a second one released. Right now the book is No. 1 among wrestling books on Amazon as well as No. 1 for kindle on Amazon. You can get the physical book at amazon in the U.S.or the kindle version or physical book in the U.K. at www.WrestlingObserverBook.com
Notes on tonight’s NXT Takeover and odds are from www.BetOnline.ag The show will be from the Performance Center, now called the Capitol Wrestling Center. There will be 100 fans at the show. It will also be the first time an NXT show is on PPV, priced at $54.99, so they are pricing their show more expensively than AEW, ROH or Impact do, but less than UFC does..
We have polls up today for NXT Takeover, thumbs up, down or middle, best and worst match to [email protected] as well as for Thursday’s G-1 show in Niigata and tomorrow’s G-1 show.
Finn Balor vs. Kyle O’Reilly for the NXT title. This would not surprise me to be among the best WWE matches of the year given the talent involved and the nature of the show. Balor is listed as a -700 favorite.
Io Shirai vs. Candice LeRae for the women’s title. They are coming off a great match at a prior Takeover before Shirai was champion. Shirai is the -170 favorite to retain.
Damien Priest vs. Johnny Gargano for the North America title. This also looks like a great match on paper with Priest as a -160 favorite.
Santos Escobar defends the cruiserweight title against Isaiah Scott. Also looks good on paper with Escobar a -180 favorite.
Velveteen Dream vs. Kushida – Dream is listed as a -150 favorite.
This is a very strong show on paper. Not sure what the interest level will be for NXT on a standalone Sunday against the NFL, but that was the call they made.
Mikey Whipwreck noted that Tracy Smothers, who has been battling cancer for some time, is now hospitalized with heart related issues. Best of luck to Smothers. He was one of the real underrated wrestlers of the 90s.
Kento Miyahara vs. Zeus in the finals of the All Japan Champion Carnival tournament takes place tomorrow morning from Korakuen Hall in Tokyo.
Kaito Kiyomiya beat Go Shiozaki earlier today to advance to the finals of Pro Wrestling NOAH’s N-1 tournament which takes place on 10/11 in Osaka. He will face Katsuhiko Nakajima, who beat Naomichi Marufuji to win the B block. The winner of the Carnival will then face Go Shiozaki for the Triple Crown title.
WWE
With the Kansas City Chiefs vs. New England Patriots game airing tomorrow night on CBS along with ESPN’s Atlanta Falcon vs. Green Bay Packers game head-to-head, tomorrow will actually be even tougher competition for Raw than last week. There is also a New York Yankees vs. Tampa Bay Devil Rays baseball playoff game. There is no post-PPV bump. to rely on this week nor will anything short of Steve Austin, Undertaker, Brock Lesnar or Ronda Rousey be an effective hot shot after playing the big nostalgia card last week.
WWE pulled Big Show from the Cauliflower Alley Club’s virtual convention on FITE TV to raise money for wrestlers in need to sell the injuries from Monday. Which is notable with Shawn Michaels on Wednesday of this past week not selling them nor pulled. Mark Henry replaced him.
UFC
Alejandro Perez tested positive for COVID ad he’s out of his fight wth Thomas Almeida that was scheduled for 10/10. The UFC is looking for a new opponent for Almeida.
Muslim Salikhov has pulled out of his 10/17 fight with Claudio Silva. No reason was given. James Krause will now face Silva on that show.
MISCELLANEOUS
G-1 tomorrow morning at 6 a.m. on New Japan World from Takamatsu
Gabriel Kidd vs. Yuya Uemura
Shingo Takagi vs. Yujiro Takahashi
Jay White vs. Jeff Cobb
Kazuchika Okada vs. Minoru Suzuki
Tomohiro Ishii vs. Taichi
Will Ospreay vs. Kota Ibushi
A really great look at modern candidates, the WON Hall of Fame, and how people don’t get credit for their work in smaller promotions It also makes a case for where modern people should rank.
This was not a big week for mainstream interest in combat sports given everything with the president, NBA playoffs, football in general and such. The only thing all week that trended was Holly Holm yesterday off the UFC show with 200,000 for the No. 4 position on the day.
Stardom ran its big PPV show in Japan yesterday in Yokohama: AZM b Starlight Kid to keep the High Speed title, Mira Shirakawa b Hanan, Riho & Saya Iida b Sumire Natsu & Yuma Manase, Natsupoi (Natsumi Maki b Death Yama-San, Bea Priestley b Momo Watanabe to win the vacant SWA title, Saki Kashima & Natsuko Tora b Jungle Kyona & Konami meaning the Tokyo Cyber Squad must disband, Utami Hayashishita & Saya Kamitani b Maika & Himeka to keep the Goddesses of Stardom tag titles, Giulia b Tam Nakano to keep the Wonder of Stardom title, Mayu Iwatani b Syuri to keep the World of Stardom title (thanks to Shannon Walsh)
CWE from Friday night in Winnipeg: Shaun Martens b Cliff Corleone to keep the Grand championship, EZ Ryder b Mercury in a Tequila Sunrise match (both had to get wasted on tequila before the match started, which sounds perfectly responsible), Sammy Peppers b Scott Ripley, Bobby Schink b Chad Daniels, Roy Cheeks b Bryce Bentley, Mentallo b Danny Duggan, Johnny Malibu b Adam Knight, Mike Mission & Tyler James & Kevy Chevy b Dick Blood & Jude Dawkins & Adren Burton in a fan bring the weapons match, AJ Sanchez & Kevin O’Doyle b Bobby Collins & Rob Stardom in a no DQ match to win the CWE tag team titles. Next show is 10/17 in Glastone, Manitoba. CWE champion Vincent and jr. champion Jimmy Jacobs have both been stripped of their titles since they can’t get into the country due to COVID. They will get title shots to win them back when the situation changes. The CWE title will be decided in an eight-man tournament on 11/6 in Winnipeg. An announcement will be made in the future regarding how the jr. title vacancy will be filled.
The UWN’s PPV show on Tuesday night has D’Angelo Dinero & Watts vs. Zicky Dice and a mystery partner, Bryan Idol vs Levi Shapiro and Caster Show vs. Chris Dickinson.’
Grant Zwarych is selling his collection of Stampede Wrestling programs from the 80s that include stuff with Owen Hart, Jushin Liger (as Keiichi Yamada), Bret Hart, Chris Benoit, Hiroshi Hase, Dynamite Kid, Davey Boy Smith, Bran Pillman, The Stomper, Toshiaki Kawada, Shinya Hashimoto and many others at [email protected]
Tonight’s NXT TakeOver 31 pre-show will include an appearance by Rhea Ripley.
WWE has announced that Ripley will “join the pre-show to discuss her recent attack on Raquel Gonzalez and much more.” The pre-show begins at 6:30 p.m. Eastern time, with TakeOver then starting at 7 p.m. Eastern.
In a number one contender’s battle royal on NXT two weeks ago, Ripley and Gonzalez were both dominant until simultaneously eliminating each other. They then brawled after being eliminated.
Gonzalez interfered in Dakota Kai’s match against Shotzi Blackheart on NXT last week by tripping Blackheart up. Ripley then ran out and shoved Gonzalez. Kai missed a kick in the corner and Blackheart rolled Kai up to get the win.
There hasn’t been any in-ring action announced for the TakeOver 31 pre-show. Here’s the card for tonight’s event:
NXT Champion Finn Balor defends against Kyle O’Reilly
NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai defends against Candice LeRae
NXT North American Champion Damian Priest defends against Johnny Gargano
Kushida vs. Velveteen Dream
NXT Cruiserweight Champion Santos Escobar defends against Isaiah “Swerve” Scott
More details have been revealed about the setting for tonight’s NXT TakeOver 31 event.
It was announced via Sports Illustrated today that the “Capitol Wrestling Center” will be unveiled at tonight’s TakeOver show. The Capitol Wrestling Center is the name for the newly remodeled television set at the WWE Performance Center. The name pays tribute to the Capitol Wrestling Corporation that was founded by Jess McMahon in 1953.
“It’s a historic callback to where this all began,” Paul “Triple H” Levesque told Sports Illustrated. “We gutted the Performance Center and it’s now rebuilt, so it feels like we’re going back to the beginning. To me, it feels like we’re going back to 1953. Just like then, we’re doing something different and new, taking the business to a whole new level.
“The Capitol Wrestling Center captures the feel and the vibe of NXT. We will have all the bells and whistles of the ThunderDome, but we’ll keep that NXT feel. It’s edgier, darker and raw — you’re walking into the ultimate heavy metal soundstage.”
The Capitol Wrestling Center will have video walls with virtual fans, along with a limited live crowd of about 100 people for TakeOver 31. “There will be a contingent of fans in attendance, some of which will be talent, others will be friends and family and some will be fans,” Levesque said. “We will take every safety precaution that there is. All of this was signed off by our medical staff. Everybody that walks in the building will be PCR tested, take a questionnaire and be medically screened. There will be plexiglass pods with fans that are in groups, and the groups will vary in size. Everyone will wear masks, and each group will never be near anyone else.”
“We’re taking every single precaution we can, which needs to be done safely, and it’s important to us because fans are the lifeblood of what we do,” Levesque said. “The real core of this is the fans in those seats reacting to what we do. That gives us our energy and our drive. They dictate the story, and having them there makes all the difference in the world.”
Levesque said there was talk of NXT running at the Amway Center, but he was very resistant to that because making sure NXT has its own feel and vibe is one of his goals.
It was confirmed last week that NXT would be moving to the Performance Center starting with TakeOver 31. Levesque noted that NXT’s partnership will Full Sail University remains strong and they look forward to returning there soon. “We are not severing our relationship with Full Sail,” Levesque said. “I’m very proud of all we’ve done there. This move is the right decision for us from a tech standpoint, but I look forward to returning there soon and the partnership remains strong.”
TakeOver 31 will begin at 7 p.m. Eastern time tonight. There will also be a 30-minute pre-show leading into the event. Here’s the card for TakeOver:
NXT Champion Finn Balor defends against Kyle O’Reilly
NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai defends against Candice LeRae
NXT North American Champion Damian Priest defends against Johnny Gargano
Kushida vs. Velveteen Dream
NXT Cruiserweight Champion Santos Escobar defends against Isaiah “Swerve” Scott
Editor’s Note: The following is an opinion-based preview and reflects that of the writer.
NXT returns to our televisions and, more importantly, our hearts Sunday for the rare non-Saturday 31st edition of TakeOver.
This is both good for my relationship and bad for my couch cushion of choice because there really isn’t much reason to get off it on Sunday. This TakeOver is a nice little treat for the fans of the third brand as every match on the card looks good. There really isn’t a match you can point to as a dud.
Well, some of the performers are duds (or worse) but none of the matches are going to be bad. I know correlation doesn’t equal causation, but I can’t help but notice that there is no Bronson Reed on the card…
The biggest stories for Sunday are the two deserved title matches for both Candice LeRae and Kyle O’Reilly. Two incredible performers are getting some shine high up on the card and we really do just love to see it. Both have had success everywhere they have ve been, including NXT in some respect. That’s nice, but matches against Io Shirai and Finn Balor at a standalone TakeOver are much, much nicer. I’m so excited! Let’s run through the card match-by0match and see if we can make sense of it all.
Kushida vs. Velveteen Dream
In light of the allegations against Dream, it is, frankly, shocking and inappropriate for him to be on NXT at all, let alone a TakeOver. No amount of talent should ever excuse behavior. Instead of that, I’ll use this space to just talk about Kushida and who the returning NXT Champion might be.
Kushida has been great, is great, and will continue to be great. But, it’s wild how unimportant he has felt in NXT and it’s hard to separate that from his injury history with the brand. His talents are unquestionable and his bonafides are as good as it gets. He’s just never felt like one of the best junior heavyweights in the world of NXT which actually made me sad typing that out. The new edge he has been showing is more than welcome, and I hope that continues on Sunday. Hopefully, he gets something after this with a person who deserves to be on national television.
So, who is coming back to NXT? If it’s someone who was the actual NXT Champion,, the pickings are, well, slim. Here’s a short list of former champs who don’t have much else going on:
Bo Dallas
Samoa Joe (kind of)
Bobby Roode
Ember Moon
That’s it and that’s all. Everyone else is either too big of a name or too busy with something else. It would be great if it was Joe, but if he can return to the ring, Monday nights need him far more than Wednesday. Moon would be the dream here, but is she close to healthy? What I’m saying is that it’s Dallas, the fourth longest reigning NXT champ of all time (great stat, Mike). I was not as into NXT during his run at the top as I am now and there’s a reason for that: Bo Dallas. I never got it and I don’t think I ever will. I feel the same way I do about Bob Roode. Who cares about either of them? Oh, well. Returns are usually fun, at least.
NXT North American Champion Damian Priest vs. Johnny Gargano
The best part of the Gargano heel experience continues to be a Mike DellaCamera sized wrestling heel against these absolute monsters. Heeling it up against Keith Lee? Godspeed, pal. Planning to wear down the 6’5” Priest? Have a ball. This is where the whole suspension of disbelief thing comes in and folks, guess what? I know that. I have watched a whole bunch of wrestling for a whole bunch of years.
One of the starkest differences between NXT and the ‘Main Roster’ ™ is that there is a definitive end to NXT. You reach a point where there just isn’t anything left to do, there are no more talking points, and your character arc has essentially completed. Once that happens, it’s onward and upward, right? Well, maybe not. At least not anymore. With NXT very much it’s own thing, is it time to start really considering different paths and progressions for the wrestlers? We aren’t used to someone losing the title and shuffling down the card, but maybe it’s time we do that.
So what about this match? I’ve been very vocal about not getting Priest. He’s fine, he’s alright, and he’s a replaceable big guy pushing 40. My thoughts, however, don’t seem to mesh with the big boys who run NXT. And that’s okay as not everything is for everyone! It is fun to see wrestlers go against their very natural alignments. Gargano is much better as a heel than I ever thought he would be. I can see myself enjoying a delusional Gargano talking about how he’s the best thing going but is losing matches to Leon Ruff or whoever. Anyway, this is too early for Priest to drop the belt, so The Archer of Infamy retains.
NXT Cruiserweight Champion Santos Escobar vs. Isaiah “Swerve” Scott
This is the one match where there’s at least a whiff of a possible title change. That whiff is more about Escobar being an all-caps STAR than Scott being good (which he is!). Man, Escobar is just the goods, right? He’s an A+ can’t miss star that can do it all. He can speak two languages, can work, can be good looking, probably smells incredible — he’s got it all. He’s got so much that I can’t help but wonder if there are bigger plans for him. The Cruiserweight Title is nice, but that shouldn’t be his ceiling. His ceiling is the top of the card, one that could use an injection of fresh blood.
This program has worked because Scott has been up to the task. “Swerve” has started to find his footing in this feud. His whole gimmick is about being confident, and for the first time in his NXT run, it’s really starting to feel that way. It’s kind of weird to say that because he’s legitimately the coolest dude alive, which speaks more toward how he’s been presented than anything else. The video package this week was nice and was a great TL;DR for people that haven’t quite been keeping up with NXT. “Swerve” is the only guy to pin Escobar in NXT and his losses to him haven’t exactly been clean ones. The simplest things are often the best.
I think this is the one title change on the card. Escobar can move onward and upward while a title will do wonders for Scott’s legitimacy.
NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai vs. Candice LeRae
Depending on your tastes, this is probably the best match on the card. Of course, by taste, I mean “Do you have good taste?” because if you do, you are looking forward to this match more than anything else. It has the two people who are the closest to the very top of their profession and one of them happens to be “the best in the world at what she does.” These two complete performers, either at or close to their athletic peaks, will put on an absolute banger of a title match.
There is no limit to the amount of Shirai praise that can exist. Her greatness is effortless. But, LeRae is incredible in her own right. She has been deserving of a title for a long time. Much like her husband, she is going against the complete opposite of her natural alignment. Even more so than the man she shares a last name with, she is thriving. She’s taken to her new persona so smoothly that it’s a wonder she hasn’t been doing more of this. Then you remember how good she is as a babyface. There are just no holes in her game. It’s just too bad that she’s sandwiched in between the Rhea Ripley/Shirai reign at the top of NXT, because in any other era, she’d be the top star.
The (good) problem, as always, is Io and the inevitability of another victory for her. The best thing going remains the best thing going. As good as Candice is, Shirai is a step ahead, a level above, and the ultimate final boss.
So few people can claim to be the best at something, but Shirai is truly peerless. She keeps her title.
NXT Champion Finn Bálor vs. Kyle O’Reilly
What an unexpected, delightful surprise: the koolest vs. the coolest of NXT. I have spent a fair bit of Internet pixels expounding on the perfection of O’Reilly. His reactions and eminently GIFable moments kind of take away from the fact that O’Reilly the wrestler is excellent. A multiple time NXT Tag Team champion, a former ROH World Champion and Tag Team champion and a guy who has had multiple matches at Wrestle Kingdom, demands more of our, and even my, respect.
Lately, he has been taking on a far more serious role than what he had previously. Even when he was a tag champ, he was still irreverent and not super serious outside the ring. That’s been different recently. He even got the full on babyface video package with the Explosions In the Sky adjacent music this wee. Heck, I think he turned the entire Undisputed Era babyface by association. This was some beautiful stuff for a great dude. He’s been grinding his entire career and deserves his flowers.
Unfortunately, much like the women’s title match, the outcome of this one shouldn’t be in doubt. Even when Adam Cole was still the champion, Balor’s gravity was too strong. Everything was starting to revolve around him. Now that he has the belt, it’s even more true. There’s going to be an egregious amount of sweat in this match, one that will end with Finn Balor’s hand raised high.
Sunday’s NXT TakeOver 31 event won’t be taking place at Full Sail Live.
Post Wrestling’s John Pollock reported on Thursday night that “beginning this Sunday with TakeOver, WWE will be moving its NXT broadcasts from Full Sail University over to the WWE Performance Center.” Pollock wrote that sources tell them NXT will be making the move to the Performance Center for the foreseeable future. 205 Live will also be running out of the Performance Center starting next week.
The report has been confirmed by our Dave Meltzer.
Paul “Triple H” Levesque said on his pre-TakeOver media call this week that TakeOver 31 will have “a very unique look and feel, something totally different that hasn’t been done so far.” Levesque said we’ll find out more on Sunday and he hopes it will be game-changing for them.
TakeOver 31 will feature Finn Balor vs. Kyle O’Reilly for the NXT Championship, Io Shirai vs. Candice LeRae for the NXT Women’s Championship, Damian Priest vs. Johnny Gargano for the NXT North American Championship, Santos Escobar vs. Isaiah “Swerve” Scott for the NXT Cruiserweight Championship, and Kushida vs. Velveteen Dream. WWE is also hyping that a wrestler will be returning to NXT at the event.
Scott is the only person to pin Escobar in WWE. He defeated Escobar in a group match during NXT’s Cruiserweight Championship tournament and also pinned him during a six-man tag street fight on NXT earlier this month.
Scott unsuccessfully challenged for Escobar’s Cruiserweight title on the August 26 episode of NXT, but the finish of that match was Escobar using a mask that was loaded with a weapon to headbutt Scott. In a video on NXT last week, Scott said he’s not content with just having two wins over Escobar. Scott said he’s the better competitor and challenged Escobar to face him again — this time with no Legado del Fantasma or manipulated lucha masks. Scott vowed to become NXT Cruiserweight Champion the next time he faces Escobar.
WWE noted that we’ll hear from both Escobar and Scott on this Wednesday’s TakeOver 31 go-home episode of NXT.
Here’s the updated card for TakeOver 31:
NXT Champion Finn Balor defends against Kyle O’Reilly
NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai defends against Candice LeRae
NXT North American Champion Damian Priest defends against Johnny Gargano
Kushida vs. Velveteen Dream
NXT Cruiserweight Champion Santos Escobar defends against Isaiah “Swerve” Scott
The card for NXT TakeOver 31 is now up to four announced matches.
WWE announced today that Kushida vs. Velveteen Dream will take place at TakeOver 31. Interference by Dream led to Kushida being eliminated from the gauntlet eliminator match on this week’s episode of NXT.
Dream returned to NXT television last month as part of a triple threat qualifying match for the North American title ladder match at TakeOver XXX. Cameron Grimes won that qualifier by hitting his Cave In double stomp on Kushida as Kushida had Dream in the Hoverboard Lock. Dream then attacked Kushida after the match.
Earlier this month, Kushida returned to NXT TV and attacked Dream. Kushida also defeated Austin Theory on NXT last week.
This will be the first TakeOver match that Kushida has ever had. It will be the second TakeOver match Dream has had since returning to NXT TV last month. Triple H said Dream’s absence was because of a car accident that he was involved in and wasn’t due to allegations made against him during the #SpeakingOut movement.
TakeOver 31 is taking place on Sunday, October 4. Here’s the updated lineup for the show:
NXT Champion Finn Balor defends against Kyle O’Reilly
NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai defends against Candice LeRae
NXT North American Champion Damian Priest defends against Johnny Gargano
A “mysterious warning” aired on tonight’s episode of NXT, teasing something for TakeOver 31:
The night vision video featured an unidentified person smashing a case with NXT title belts in it. A robotic voice said during the video: “I’m not sure what happened. I helped create something out of my own blood. Years and years of dedication — only to be taken over by paper champions. These NXT championships have been in isolation for far too long. Now I’ve come back to take what is mine.”
“10.4.20,” which is the date for TakeOver 31, appeared at the end of the video.
WWE’s YouTube description for the video said: “An unknown insurgent declares they’re coming back to the black-and-gold brand to take what’s theirs.”
Three title matches have been announced for TakeOver 31. Finn Balor will defend his NXT Championship against Kyle O’Reilly, Io Shirai will defend her NXT Women’s Championship against Candice LeRae, and Damian Priest will defend his NXT North American Championship against Johnny Gargano.
