After his first title reign ended abruptly due to injury, Karrion Kross has regained the NXT Championship.
At TakeOver: Stand & Deliver night two tonight, Kross (w/ Scarlett) defeated Finn Balor to win the NXT Championship. The finish of the match saw Kross pin Balor after hitting two forearm strikes to the back of the head.
Balor tried to frustrate Kross and force him to make a mistake during tonight’s match. Balor also focused on Kross’ midsection and hit the Coup de Grace at one point, but Kross kicked out and transitioned to the Kross Jacket. Kross later broke out of a submission attempt by Balor. He then pummeled Balor with strikes, hit a German suplex, a Doomsday Saito, and connected with two strikes to the back of the head to get the win.
In defeating Balor, Kross won back the title that he never lost. Kross defeated Keith Lee to win the NXT Championship at TakeOver XXX last August, but he had to vacate the title just days later due to a separated shoulder. Balor won the vacant title in September of last year.
Kross was able to avoid having to undergo surgery for his separated shoulder. He made his return to NXT in December.
An undisputed NXT Cruiserweight Champion was crowned at TakeOver: Stand & Deliver night two tonight.
Santos Escobar defeated Jordan Devlin in a title unification ladder match to become the undisputed NXT Cruiserweight Champion. As they were fighting while on a ladder near the end of the match, Escobar headbutted Devlin and sent him crashing through a ladder that was set up in the corner. Escobar then retrieved both Cruiserweight title belts that were hanging above the ring.
Going into tonight’s unification match, Escobar and Devlin had both claimed to be the rightful NXT Cruiserweight Champion. Devlin won the NXT Cruiserweight Championship at Worlds Collide in January 2020. But with him unable to travel and defend the title due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a tournament was announced to crown an interim champion. The interim label was later dropped from the tournament. Escobar won his version of the NXT Cruiserweight Championship by defeating Drake Maverick in the tournament finals last June.
There was a point in tonight’s ladder match where Devlin looked like he was about to retrieve the title belts, but Escobar’s Legado Del Fantasma stablemates Raul Mendoza and Joaquin Wilde ran down and attacked Devlin. After defeating Devlin, Escobar celebrated on the stage with his nine-year-old son, Mendoza, and Wilde.
NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver concludes tonight with a double main event.
NXT Champion Finn Balor will put his title on the line against Karrion Kross. Kross, who had to vacate the NXT Championship due to injury just days after winning it last year, is getting the chance to reclaim the title that he never lost.
Former Undisputed Era stablemates Adam Cole and Kyle O’Reilly will look to settle their issues in an unsanctioned match. In storyline, NXT can’t be held liable for anything Cole and O’Reilly do to each other.
An undisputed NXT Cruiserweight Champion will also be determined as Jordan Devlin and Santos Escobar face off in a ladder match, Johnny Gargano will defend his NXT North American Championship against Bronson Reed, and NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions Shotzi Blackheart & Ember Moon will put their titles on the line against Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell.
Tonight’s main card will air live on Peacock in the United States and the WWE Network everywhere else starting at 8 p.m. Eastern time. There will also be a pre-show starting at 7 p.m. Eastern. On the pre-show, Breezango and Drake Maverick & Killian Dain will face off in a tag team number one contender’s match.
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The pre-show featured the standard mix of promos, video packages, and talking head segments. The hosts were Sam Roberts and Jimmy Smith. Smith was excellent, adding a ton of legitimacy and excitement to the broadcast.
Mickie James joined commentary for the pre-show match.
Killian Dain & Drake Maverick defeated Breezango (Tyler Breeze & Fandango) to become the #1 contenders to the NXT Tag Team Championships
Breezango came to the ring dressed like pirates, matching the theme of this week’s Wrestlemania. Maverick frustrated Fandango by imitating his dancing gimmick, so Dain forcefully tagged himself in, downing Fandango before tagging Maverick back in by tossing him into his opponent. Fandango then took control with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker, leading to a long beatdown where Breezango isolated Maverick in their corner.
Maverick flipped out of a suplex and used evasive maneuvers to reach Dain for the hot tag. Dain ran wild on both opponents, taking down Fandango with a running crossbody and a uranage. He followed it up with a slingshot senton before performing a Samoan drop / fallaway slam combination in a cool power spot.
Dain and Maverick set up for a big tag team move, but Breeze ran in to save his partner and dispatch Maverick. Dain fought off the attack and tagged in Maverick, who hit a top-rope hurricanrana on Breeze. Dain then came in and powerbombed his partner onto Breeze for the win.
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Rock artist Poppy performed to open the show.
Santos Escobar (c) defeated Jordan Devlin (c) in a ladder match to become the undisputed NXT Cruiserweight Champion
This was a fun stunt show with some cool stuff, although the story was odd. The fact that both men are heels made it difficult to get into, and Devlin isn’t the type of person who should be working as a scrappy underdog at this point.
Both men were billed as the “NXT Cruiserweight Champion.” They performed a choreographed chain wrestling sequence to start until Devlin planted Escobar with a uranage and a standing moonsault. An Asai moonsault followed, with Devlin inadvertently banging his head on the announce desk on the landing. Devlin pulled out a ladder and smacked Escobar with it.
An early attempt at climbing the ladder from Devlin was foiled by Escobar. Escobar whipped Devlin into a propped-up ladder in the corner, sending Devlin crashing to the floor. He followed it up with a running knee on the outside. Escobar produced another ladder and propped it up against the fencing around the barricade. After re-entering the ring and dispatching Devlin by dropkicking a ladder into him, Escobar kept up the attack with repeated ladder shots.
Escobar climbed for the titles, but Devlin tried to stop him, so Escobar beat him down with repeated stomps. He set up a ladder over the turnbuckle, but Devlin reversed a whip into it with a whip of his own. Escobar popped up and downed his opponent with a dropkick. He tried to launch Devlin into the ladder, but Devling hopped up and almost reached the titles. Escobar pulled Devlin down, which Devlin turned into a DDT.
The propped-up ladder on the floor came into play when a dive from Escobar thrust Devlin into it. Escobar taunted Devlin until Devlin countered a suplex by dropping Escobar onto a ladder. They had a strike exchange, where Escobar temporarily gained the advantage after a rising knee. Devlin countered the follow-up into a Spanish Fly and a slingshot cutter.
Devlin set up a ladder near the corner, which both men climbed. They traded strikes, with a right hand from Devlin sending Escobar to the mat. Devlin climbed to the top of the ladder and landed a high moonsault on Escobar in a great spot. Devlin nearly reached the championships, but Legado del Fantasma ran out and pushed Devlin off the ladder to the floor before tossing him into the steel steps.
Escobar sent Mendoza and Wilde to the back before climbing to the titles. Devlin stopped the climb by just tossing a ladder into his opponent before setting up the ladder right next to Escobar’s. After a struggle, Devlin hit a Spanish Fly from halfway up the ladder. Devlin nearly reached the titles, but Escobar climbed up and sent Devlin crashing through a ladder to the canvas with a headbutt, which allowed Escobar enough time to grab the titles and retain.
– After the match, Escobar celebrated with his son and Legado del Fantasma.
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MSK were interviewed backstage about their tag title victory from night one. They were excited about the championships and said they were ready for Killian Dain and Drake Maverick, who will be their first challengers. They then disagreed on who would win tonight’s two main event matches.
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Shotzi Blackheart & Ember Moon (c) defeated The Way (Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell) to retain the NXT Women’s Tag Team Championships
This was a nice, compact match that didn’t overstay its welcome. Hartwell looked strong in there with some really good workers.
Hartwell & LeRae attacked before the bell, and a step-up senton from LeRae got a quick two count. The challengers worked over Blackheart with frequent tags and double team moves. Occasionally Blackheart would get a hope spot, but she’d get cut off every time by The Way.
An enziguiri finally bought Blackheart enough time to reach Moon for her first tag of the match, five minutes in. She laid in strikes on LeRae, downing her with a strong right hand. Moon set up for the Eclipse, but a distraction from Hartwell allowed LeRae to push Moon down. The Way tried to hit a double team superplex, but that was foiled by Blackheart, leading to a tower of doom spot that got Hartwell a two count on Moon.
The Way continued to work over Moon until she fought off a double team to tag in Blackheart, who entered the match with a crossbody on both opponents. A tiger suplex sent LeRae rolling to the floor, where Blackheart attempted a suicide dive. Blackheart wasn’t caught at all — looked like she went face first into the barricade and the floor. Scary moment.
Moon took out The Way with a dive before tagging in Blackheart for a tandem maneuver for two. LeRae rolled up Blackheart for two and sent Moon to the floor, tagging in Hartwell for a tandem maneuver of their own for two. Blackheart fought out with an enziguiri and hit a double Eclipse on both opponents. The diving senton from Blackheart followed to win and retain.
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NCAA champion and Olympic amateur wrestler Gable Steveson was shown in the crowd.
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Johnny Gargano (c) (w/ Austin Theory) defeated Bronson Reed to retain the NXT North American Championship
This was a perfect midcard match for TakeOver, stuffed with great in-ring work, a compelling babyface vs. heel dynamic, and some close near falls.
Reed surprised Gargano early on by matching his athleticism before overpowering him with an overhead press into a fallaway slam. Gargano stretched Reed’s arm over the rope and went for a slingshot spear, but it wasn’t enough to take Reed down. Reed chopped Gargano down to the mat before Gargano came back with a chop block and a running forearm.
Gargano sent Reed to the floor and tried to follow it up with a plancha, but Reed caught him out of midair. Gargano escaped the grip of the challenger and thrust him into the corner of the announce desk. In the ring, Reed went for his seated splash, but Gargano rolled out of the way and landed a diving crossbody, which only got a one count.
The ribs of Reed were the target of Gargano during his beatdown. Reed started his comeback by turning a Gargano dive into a powerslam. He hit repeated forearms and a corner splash before planting Gargano with a chokeslam. Reed had a nice power spot where he went for a vertical suplex, Gargano tried to knee his way out of it, but Reed maintained control to turn it into a Death Valley driver.
Gargano managed to tie Reed up in the corner, taking control with an enziguiri and a backstabber. He landed a thrust kick on Reed’s midsection, but Reed countered the follow-up into a vertical suplex. Reed hoisted Gargano up into the electric chair, which Gargano turned into a reverse hurricanrana. Gargano then applied the Garga-No Escape.
Eventually, Reed reached the ropes to break the hold. Gargano attempted the One Final Beat, but Reed caught him and tossed Gargano back into the ring with a huge Splash Mountain. Gargano rolled out of the way of the Bullfrog Splash and landed his half of #DIY for two. He tried it again, but Reed caught the kick and fought back with a headbutt and a short-arm lariat.
Reed climbed the ropes for the Bullfrog Splash, but Theory distracted him, giving Gargano the chance to stop the dive. Gargano then attempted a top-rope hurricanrana, which didn’t come together correctly — it looked like Reed was supposed to catch Gargano, but he slipped. Reed hit a powerbomb, but when he went for the cover, Theory put Gargano’s foot on the ropes.
Out on the floor, Reed got in Theory’s face before catching a Gargano dive and sending him into Theory. Theory then took a bullet for Gargano as Reed hit a suicide dive. Back in the ring, Reed countered the One Final Beat into a slam for two. He tried to follow it up with a powerbomb, but Gargano rolled out of it and landed repeated thrust kicks. Reed came back with a kick of his own, but missed a top-rope moonsault.
Gargano hit a One Final Beat and then a second to retain the championship.
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Karrion Kross (w/ Scarlett) defeated Finn Bálor (c) to win the NXT Championship
Despite starting a bit slow, this built to a nice finish and was Kross’s best performance yet in NXT.
Neither man established an advantage for the first few minutes. Kross fired up with power moves until Bálor moved out of the way of a corner attack, forcing Kross shoulder-first into the ring post. Bálor then made Kross’s injured shoulder and arm the target of his attack.
Kross tried to power his way out of an armbar, but Bálor turned it into almost an arm-trap flatliner. Forcing Kross into the corner, the champion nailed Kross with a heel kick. Kross collapsed from the pain, in a clear callback to Bálor’s match with Kyle O’Reilly.
After that, Bálor altered his strategy, instead opting to target Kross’s midsection. Kross fired up and called for his finisher, but Bálor countered it with repeated shotgun dropkicks. Bálor went to the top rope and hit the Coup de Grace, but Kross kicked out at two, Kross then immediately applied a rear naked choke, which Bálor rolled out of with a stomp for good measure.
The champion applied a grounded abdominal stretch. Scarlett implored Kross to reach the ropes, and he finally did, crushing Bálor with a second Doomsday Saito. Two running forearm smashes were enough for Kross to pin Bálor and win the championship.
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Santos Escobar, flanked by Legado del Fantasma, was interviewed about his title win. He said LDF are family and called himself the emperor of lucha libre.
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The ring was filled with security ahead of the main event, trying to keep the two apart.
Kyle O’Reilly defeated Adam Cole in an Unsanctioned Match
This match went 40 minutes. Some will say that’s too long or that it jumped the shark, but I loved the wacky melodrama. These two absolutely killed each other in one of the most brutal WWE matches in history.
Right off the bat they traded strikes. O’Reilly sent Cole to the floor then immediately followed it up with a plancha. He applied an armbar at ringside, which Cole fought out of. O’Reilly downed Cole with a double-leg and sent him face-first into the barricade. He propped Cole up on a chair and laid in kicks, but Cole went for a piledriver, which O’Reilly fought out of.
Back in the ring, O’Reilly used the ropes to assist on a guillotine, but Cole shoved O’Reilly onto the apron and back to the floor. Cole produced a half-dozen chairs and attacked O’Reilly with one. He targeted O’Reilly’s back, hitting a neckbreaker onto a chair. O’Reilly eventually fought back, going for a kimura, but Cole countered with a ushigoroshi for two.
Cole continued his beatdown until a knee lift from O’Reilly bought him some time. O’Reilly went for a knee bar, but Cole was able to roll to the floor. As Cole regrouped on a chair, O’Reilly landed a diving dropkick. O’Reilly chucked a chair into Cole’s face for two before grabbing a chain. Cole stopped whatever O’Reilly was planning to use the chain for with a draping neckbreaker for two.
The chain that O’Reilly brought into the match was tied around the top rope by Cole. The two fought over the chain, with O’Reilly winning the battle with a forearm. O’Reilly landed chain-assisted Kawada kicks, but Cole countered with a chain-assisted figure four leglock. O’Reilly reversed the pressure, then they landed simultaneous knockout strikes for the double down.
They exchanged more strikes, but Cole countered running offense with a clothesline using the chain. Cole then hit a chain-assisted backstabber for two before propping up two chairs. They each tried to send each other into the chairs, with Cole attacking with a German suplex and a shining wizard for two.
Cole moved to the floor and tried to suplex O’Reilly onto the steel steps. O’Reilly countered and applied a guillotine before crushing Cole with a knee strike. It looked as if O’Reilly was about to suplex Cole into the steps, but he hesitated as the announcers discussed his inner turmoil. Cole tried to take advantage of the hesitation, but O’Reilly had it scouted.
They exchanged forearms on the announce table until O’Reilly crushed Cole with a brainbuster. The table did not even buckle. Cole retreated to the broadcast area and smashed a monitor over O’Reilly’s head. He searched under the ring and found a toolbox, removing a wrench from the box. Cole appeared to try to stab O’Reilly with it, but O’Reilly fought him off. Cole then grabbed a tire iron, but O’Reilly took him out and hit a rebound lariat.
O’Reilly used the chain to apply an armbar and then a triangle choke. Cole rapidly faded, but grabbed the tire iron and struck O’Reilly across the ribs with it to break the hold. The two then set up chairs in the middle of the ring and exchanged strikes. O’Reilly looked to gain the advantage until a low blow sent him to the mat. Cole followed it up with a great superkick for two.
Cole grabbed a chair and wrapped it around O’Reilly’s head. He was about to Pillmanize O’Reilly until a referee implored him to stop. Cole crushed the official with a right hand and then hit Panama Sunrise, but the official couldn’t make the count. Cole berated the unconscious official as O’Reilly rolled to the ramp, where Cole threw another chair into his face.
O’Reilly rolled to the floor, where Cole repeatedly sent him into the ringside fencing. It looked like Cole was setting up for something dastardly, but O’Reilly locked on a jumping guillotine. Cole drove O’Reilly into the stage, sending them crashing through it. He then kicked out the side of the stage, pulling O’Reilly through it.
Both men were bloodied from the bump through the stage, Cole on his hand and O’Reilly on his back. Cole crushed O’Reilly with a brainbuster onto the steel steps. He rolled O’Reilly into the ring and covered, but O’Reilly barely got his shoulder up at two.
Cole pulled down the knee pad and went for the Last Shot, but O’Reilly collapsed to the mat before he could hit it. O’Reilly avoided another try and locked on a kneebar on both legs, but Cole fought out of it with a right hand using a chain. Cole went for Panama Sunrise, but O’Reilly countered into a Death Valley driver and a soccer kick. O’Reilly then hit a Last Shot of his own for a fantastic near fall.
O’Reilly wrapped a chair around Cole’s ankle and set up for a diving stomp, but Cole popped up and smacked him with the chair. Cole propped O’Reilly in the corner and berated him by saying he was always better than him, so O’Reilly sent him to the mat with a low blow. O’Reilly then wrapped a chain around his knee and hit a diving knee drop to finally pick up the win.
A number one contender’s match is set for tonight’s NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver pre-show.
WWE has announced that Breezango (Tyler Breeze & Fandango) vs. Drake Maverick & Killian Dain will take place on tonight’s TakeOver: Stand & Deliver night two pre-show. The winner will get a shot at the NXT Tag Team titles, but WWE hasn’t revealed when that title match will be taking place.
At night one of TakeOver: Stand & Deliver, MSK (Wes Lee & Nash Carter) defeated The Grizzled Young Veterans (Zack Gibson & James Drake) and Legado Del Fantasma (Raul Mendoza & Joaquin Wilde) in a triple threat match to win the NXT Tag Team titles. The NXT Tag Team titles were vacant going into that match. Danny Burch & Oney Lorcan had to relinquish the titles last month after Burch suffered a separated shoulder.
On their way to winning this year’s men’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, MSK defeated Maverick & Dain in the second round of the tournament.
The TakeOver: Stand & Deliver night two pre-show will begin at 7 p.m. Eastern time tonight. The pre-show will air live on Peacock in the United States and the WWE Network everywhere else, along with airing on WWE’s social media platforms. Tonight’s main card is airing live on Peacock in the U.S. and the WWE Network elsewhere. It will begin at 8 p.m. Eastern.
Here’s the updated card for tonight’s show:
NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver night two —
NXT Champion Finn Balor defends against Karrion Kross
Unsanctioned match: Adam Cole vs. Kyle O’Reilly
Ladder match to determine undisputed NXT Cruiserweight Champion: Jordan Devlin vs. Santos Escobar
NXT North American Champion Johnny Gargano defends against Bronson Reed
NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions Shotzi Blackheart & Ember Moon defend against Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell
Tag team number one contender’s match: Breezango vs. Drake Maverick & Killian Dain (pre-show)
NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver kicked off with two new champions being crowned on night one.
In the main event, Raquel Gonzalez defeated Io Shirai to become NXT Women’s Champion and end Shirai’s 300-plus day title reign. MSK (Wes Lee & Nash Carter) also defeated The Grizzled Young Veterans (Zack Gibson & James Drake) and Legado Del Fantasma (Raul Mendoza & Joaquin Wilde) in a triple threat match last night to win the NXT Tag Team titles. The tag titles had been declared vacant after Danny Burch suffered a separated shoulder last month.
WALTER retained the NXT United Kingdom Championship by defeating Tommaso Ciampa in a violent battle, Pete Dunne staked his claim as the best technical wrestler by defeating Kushida, and Bronson Reed won a Gauntlet Eliminator match to become the number one contender to Johnny Gargano’s NXT North American Championship. Reed will challenge for Gargano’s title at TakeOver: Stand & Deliver night two tonight.
Less than three months after making their debut, MSK are NXT Tag Team Champions.
At NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver night one tonight, MSK (Wes Lee & Nash Carter) defeated The Grizzled Young Veterans (Zack Gibson & James Drake) and Legado Del Fantasma (Raul Mendoza & Joaquin Wilde) in a triple threat match to win the NXT Tag Team titles. Lee pinned Gibson after MSK hit a double-team corkscrew blockbuster with Lee jumping from the second rope.
The NXT Tag Team titles were declared vacant last month after Danny Burch suffered a separated shoulder. Before having to relinquish the titles, Burch & Oney Lorcan had been the NXT Tag Team Champions since October of last year.
MSK (former Rascalz Dezmond Xavier & Zachary Wentz) made their NXT debut as entrants in this year’s men’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. They won the tournament, defeating Isaiah “Swerve” Scott & Jake Atlas, Drake Maverick & Killian Dain, Legado Del Fantasma, and The Grizzled Young Veterans along the way.
Tonight was the first time MSK have wrestled since Lee suffered a broken hand while facing The Grizzled Young Veterans in the Dusty Classic finals this February. In storyline, Lee’s injury was blamed on an attack by The Grizzled Young Veterans. MSK were supposed to challenge Burch & Lorcan for the NXT Tag Team titles last month, but that was delayed due to Lee’s injury. Burch & Lorcan vs. MSK then never happened due to Burch separating his shoulder.
NXT North American Champion Johnny Gargano has his challenger for TakeOver: Stand & Deliver night two.
Gargano will defend his North American title against Bronson Reed at TakeOver: Stand & Deliver night two tomorrow (Thursday, April 8). Reed challenging for Gargano’s title was confirmed when he won the number one contender’s Gauntlet Eliminator match at TakeOver: Stand & Deliver night one tonight.
Reed won the Gauntlet Eliminator match by last eliminating Isaiah “Swerve” Scott. Cameron Grimes, LA Knight, Dexter Lumis, and Leon Ruff were the other participants in the gauntlet. Reed also eliminated Knight during the match.
After the Gauntlet Eliminator match, Gargano came out to the stage and exchanged words with Reed.
Gargano is a three-time NXT North American Champion. His current reign with the title began when he defeated Ruff and Damian Priest in a triple threat match at TakeOver; WarGames last December.
TakeOver: Stand & Deliver night two is airing live on Peacock in the United States and the WWE Network elsewhere. The main card will begin at 8 p.m. Eastern time. There will also be a pre-show starting at 7 p.m. Eastern.
Here’s the updated lineup for night two of TakeOver: Stand & Deliver:
NXT Champion Finn Balor defends against Karrion Kross
Unsanctioned match: Adam Cole vs. Kyle O’Reilly
Ladder match to determine undisputed NXT Cruiserweight Champion: Jordan Devlin vs. Santos Escobar
NXT North American Champion Johnny Gargano defends against Bronson Reed
NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions Shotzi Blackheart & Ember Moon defend against Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell
NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver kicks off tonight with night one airing live on the USA Network and Peacock in the United States, and the WWE Network internationally.
In the main event, Io Shirai will put her NXT Women’s Championship on the line against Raquel Gonzalez. Shirai, who has been NXT Women’s Champion for more than 300 days, was last pinned by Gonzalez in WarGames this past December.
The NXT United Kingdom Championship will also be up for grabs as WALTER defends against Tommaso Ciampa tonight. WALTER’s reign as champion recently reached the two-year mark.
New NXT Tag Team Champions will be crowned as MSK (Wes Lee & Nash Carter), The Grizzled Young Veterans (Zach Gibson & James Drake), and Legado Del Fantasma (Raul Mendoza & Joaquin Wilde) face off in a triple threat match. The NXT Tag Team titles were declared vacant last month after Danny Burch suffered a separated shoulder.
A Gauntlet Eliminator match on tonight’s show will decide NXT North American Champion Johnny Gargano’s challenger for TakeOver: Stand & Deliver night two. The Gauntlet Eliminator participants and their order of entry were decided by a battle royal last week. Leon Ruff will enter first, followed by Isaiah “Swerve” Scott, Bronson Reed, Cameron Grimes, Dexter Lumis, and LA Knight.
The Gauntlet Eliminator will begin with Ruff and Scott in the ring, then a new entrant will be added every three minutes. Eliminations can occur via pinfall or submission.
Pete Dunne vs. Kushida in a match to prove who’s the superior technical wrestler rounds out the main card. On the pre-show, Toni Storm will face Zoey Stark. The pre-show begins at 7 p.m. Eastern time and will air on Peacock in the U.S. and the WWE Network elsewhere, along with WWE’s social media platforms.
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Media personality Sam Roberts and MMA commentator Jimmy Smith welcomes viewers to the pre-show. Smith reportedly had a recent audition with WWE. Now he is hosting the pre-show alongside Roberts.
Sports media journalist Arash Markazi joined the show via a virtual link. He offered his thoughts on the show.
The pre-show so far has separate sit-down interviews conducted by Samoa Joe with both WALTER and Tommaso Ciampa. LA Knight cut a promo during a backstage interview with McKenzie Mitchell. Lots of hard sell too, of course.
Mickie James and Vic Joseph are on commentary for the pre-show match that is up next.
Zoey Stark defeated Toni Storm
Stark upset Storm via pinfall in a good match. This was not your average WWE pre-show match. They worked really hard, and the live crowd in the CWC helped to make it more dramatic.
They started with grappling where they traded headlocks. Stark on offense and Storm was reeling, until she cut off Stark. Storm grounded Stark, and Strorm began working her over. Stark was able to superplex Storm, and the tide began to turn.
Trading strikes, and they trade counters. Stark with a suplex and a running knee for a near fall. Storm answered back with a sit-out facebuster for a two count. Stark countered Storm’s finisher, and she leveled Storm with a kick.
Storm with German suplexes, and she went for Storm Zero. Stark then countered into an inside cradle, and she pinned Storm for the upset.
Samoa Joe did interviews with Raquel Gonzalez and NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai ahead of their title match later on.
By the way, there is ramp leading to the ring like Clash of the Champions back in the day.
The main card opened with Nita Strauss playing an instrumental version of the “Star Spangled Banner” on electric guitar.
Pete Dunne defeated Kushida
Dunne pinned Kushida in a great opener. This was quite possibly Kushida’s best match in NXT. More matches between these two, please.
They started by each trying to catch the other in a submission hold. The grappling continued as they fought for control. Dunne with joint manipulation, and he tripped up Kushida on an attempted handspring. Dunne gave Kushda the X-plex on the apron.
A slugfest developed, and the fight spilled onto the ramp. Great sequences as they went back-and-forth. Dunne snapped Kushida’s fingers, but Kushida answered back with a fisherman’s buster into a small package. On USA the show went to a picture-in-picture commercial break, but Peacock stayed on full screen with the match.
They both went for cross-armbreakers, and they traded lots of strikes. Awesome stuff so far, and it was only getting better. They fought on the turnbuckles, and Kushida with a flip off the top into a Hoverboard Lock. Dunne escaped, but Kushida tied up Dunne in another hold.
Kushida with a flying knee drop on Dunne’s elbow. Back to the Hoverbaord Lock. Dunne escaped again, and he targeted the fingers. Kushida went for his big punch, but he sold his own hand. Dunne a moment later executed the Bitter End, and he covered Kushida for a pinfall.
Bronson Reed won the Gauntlet Eliminator
Reed with the win earned a title shot at NXT North American Champion Johnny Gargano. The match overall was good and action-packed.
Leon Ruff during his entrance crawled onto the ramp. Isaiah “Swerve” Scott was close behind, and he had apparently attacked Ruff before the match. Ruff fired up and they brawled around ringside before getting into the ring. All of this took place during a commercial break on USA, but it aired live on Peacock. After the break, the match began in the ring.
Scott with heat on Ruff, but Ruff came back by springing off the announce desk into a cutter on the floor. Scott soon cut off Ruff. They fought on the turnbuckles, and Ruff sent Scott flying with a Super Frankensteiner.
Bronson Reed entered the match. Ruff went for a flying crossbody on Reed, but Reed caught him. Reed then flung him into the ring. Reed proceeded to clean house. Power moves by Reed, and then he sat on Ruff. Triple German spot with Reed suplexing Scott while Scott also suplexed Ruff.
Cameron Grimes strolled down the ramp as the next entrant. Grimes moonsaulted into the ring, landing on Reed. After Reed was sent outside, Grimes bribed Scott with a fistfull of cash money. Scott then teamed up to help Grimes.
Ruff was taking all kinds of big bumps, including an exploder into a corner. Good grief. He was also the first eliminated.
Dexter Lumis joined the match as the next entrant. Lumis cleared the ring, and then he faced off with Reed. Everybody was sent out of the ring just before the newest entrant.
LA Knight came out cutting a promo. He kicked a downed Reed on his way to the ring. Reed interrupted Knight’s promo to begin kicking his butt. Reed made a comeback on everybody.
Lumis was eliminated when Knight cradled him for a pinfall. Reed then eliminated Knight via pinfall. Lumis grabbed Knight, and he put him to sleep. Great three-way dance develolped between Reed, Grimes and Scott.
Scott eliminated Grimes after reversing an O’Connor roll with a handfull of tights. That left Scott and Reed as the final two.
Reed took a Death Valley Driver on the apron. It looked very painful. Scott with a 450 splash for a near fall. Reed kicked out after another two count moments later.
Reed powerbombed Scott, and he also planted Scott with a Air Raid Crash. Reed finished the match with the Tsunami off the top to score the deciding pinfall.
NXT United Kingdom Champion WALTER defeated Tommaso Ciampa to retain his title
WALTER pinned Ciampa to retain in a slobberknocker. Great bout. Highly recommend. They beat the heck out of each other.
Ciampa was notably back in trunks instead of his more recent gear. He has also shaved his head again.
Just when Ciampa thought he was in control, the monster inside WALTER awoke. WALTER struck down Ciampa, and WALTER pummeled him at ringside. Ciampa ducked a chop, and WALTER almsot chopped the anounce desk in half. That is no exaggeration.
Ciampa in the ring blocked another chop, but he could not lift WALTER. Ciampa targeted a hand, but WALTER mowed him down with a big boot to the face.
WALTER grounded Ciampa on the mat, and WALTER again booted him the face. WALTER punished Ciampa, but WALTER kept selling his hand. Ciampa fought back with lariats, yet he was unable to knock WALTER off his feet. Ciampa kept hitting WALTER countless times with lariats before finally knocking WALTER off his feet. Ciampa followed with an Air Raid Crash for a near fall.
WALTER with a backdrop for a two count, but Ciampa answered back with Devil’s Wings for another near fall. WALTER caught Ciampa in a sleeper, and Ciampa used the injured hand to break the hold. Suplex by WALTER, and the he hit Ciampa with a lariat from hell. Ciampa somehow kicked out.
Ciampa countered WALTER to apply a Fujiwara armbar. WALTER looked to be in trouble as Ciampa stomped on him. WALTER with a counter, and he clubbed Ciampa with his good hand. They fought on the top turnbuckle, and Ciampa gave WALTER an avalanche Air Raid Crash.
They traded vicious chops. WALTER targeted the neck, and twice powerbombed Ciampa. Nonetheless, Ciampa managed to kick out. Sleep suplex by WALTER, and he followed with a hard knife edge chop before covering Ciampa with a pinfall.
MSK (Wes Lee & Nash Carter) defeated Grizzled Young Veterans (James Drake & Zack Gibson) and Legado del Fantasma (Joaquin Wilde & Raul Mendoza) in a triple threat match to win the vacant NXT Tag Team Championship
MSK won the three-way to become the new champs. This was pretty dang good. Sometimes there was so much action it was hard to keep up with it all, but everybody worked extremely hard.
So three wrestlers are legal at a time, and their partners can tag in from the apron. Lots of action at the start, and too much to name. The Vets slowed things down, but MSK fired up into a flying comeback. Wilde himself also did a dive to the outside. Legado del Fantasma with stereo coast-to-coast flying dropkicks.
Legado del Fantasma in control throughout a commercial break with heat on Carter. Hot tag to Lee, and he ran wild with high flying offense. Lot of action with everybody involved.
The Vets smashed Lee’s hand in a turnbuckle, and Lee was trapped in an arm bar by Gibson. Carter went to make a save, but he was put to sleep by Drake. Legado del Fantasma rushed into the ring to hit several double team moves.
MSK takes out Legado del Fantasma with double team moves. The match comes down to MSK against the Vets. They all four face off heading into the finish. Carter with a double cutter on the Vers. MSK then execute a Doomsday Blockbuster, and Gibson took the pinfall.
Raquel Gonzalez defeated NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai to win the title
Gonzalez pinned Shirai to win the championship. They match was really good, and it felt like a special match. Maybe not the best match on the show, but it was still good nonetheless. Gonzalez looked like a powerhouse, and Shirai looked tough as nails.
Shirai used quickness to outwit Gonzalez during the early portion of the match. Shiari eventually flew trough the ropes with a dive to the outside.
Dakota Kai was in the corner of Gonzalez, but Kai was ejected from ringside mere minutes into the match. Kai interfered, and the referee ejected her. The distraction did allow Gonzalez to cut off Shirai. Gonzalez with power moves, but Shirai kept kicking out at two.
Gonzalez worked over Shirai, and Gonzalez applied a modified Gory Special. Shirai escaped to mount a comeback. Shirai came back with a Tiger Feint Kick and a springboard missile dropkick, which led to a near fall.
Shirai countered a power move to catch Gonzalez in a crossface. Shirai off the top turnbuckle with a moonsault on the ramp, and she followed that by hitting Gonzalez with double running knee strikes. There was a huge skull on the ramp as part of the set, and Shirai climbed on top of it. Shirai leapt off the skull into super plancha on the ramp. She did it better than when Sabu jumped off the “R” on Raw back in the day. It was impressive like an Aerostar dive.
Shirai with her signature moonsault press, but Gonzalez kicked out. Gonzalex soon cut off Shirai’s momentum, and she talked trash to Shirai. That fired up Shirai for one final flurry, but Gonzalez was too powerful. She lifted Shirai with a one-arm powerbomb, and then Gonzalez covered Shirai for a pinfall.
A second musical performance has been announced for NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver.
It was announced via Billboard today that Grammy-nominated pop-rock and nu-metal artist Poppy will perform and debut a new song at NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver night two this Thursday. Night one of TakeOver: Stand & Deliver on Wednesday will begin with rock musician Nita Strauss performing the national anthem.
Poppy has performed on NXT programming multiple times in the past, most recently appearing at NXT Halloween Havoc in October of last year.
“Music has always been such a big part of WWE,” Paul “Triple H” Levesque told Billboard. “Music adds so much to the emotion of what it is we do and that connection has been there since the very beginning when you had the rock and wrestling connection with Cyndi Lauper as part of the WWE.”
In response to a question from Billboard about Bad Bunny’s involvement in WrestleMania 37, Levesque noted that Poppy has told him she’s interested in getting into the ring: “Bunny finds himself at a place in his career where he can just say I want to be in the WWE and that’s amazing to me. He got a place in Orlando and he’s been training three times a week for the past three months. He has taken it so seriously. I love those collaborations. And Poppy is like Bunny in the way that every time I see her, she wants to get in the ring and wrestle and start training.”
TakeOver: Stand & Deliver night one will air live on the USA Network and will also be simulcast on Peacock in the United States and the WWE Network everywhere else. Night two of TakeOver: Stand & Deliver will air live on Peacock in the U.S. and the WWE Network everywhere else.
Here are the cards for both nights of TakeOver: Stand & Deliver:
TakeOver: Stand & Deliver night one (Wednesday, April 7) —
NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai defends against Raquel Gonzalez
NXT United Kingdom Champion WALTER defends against Tommaso Ciampa
Triple threat match for the vacant NXT Tag Team titles: MSK (Wes Lee & Nash Carter) vs, The Grizzled Young Veterans (Zack Gibson & James Drake) vs. Legado Del Fantasma (Raul Mendoza & Joaquin Wilde)
Gauntlet Eliminator match to determine NXT North American Champion Johnny Gargano’s challenger for TakeOver: Stand & Deliver night two (Leon Ruff, Isaiah “Swerve” Scott, Bronson Reed, Cameron Grimes, Dexter Lumis, and LA Knight are the Gauntlet Eliminator participants)
Pete Dunne vs. Kushida
TakeOver: Stand & Deliver night two (Thursday, April 8) —
NXT Champion Finn Balor defends against Karrion Kross
Unsanctioned match: Adam Cole vs. Kyle O’Reilly
Ladder match to determine undisputed NXT Cruiserweight Champion: Jordan Devlin vs. Santos Escobar
NXT North American Champion Johnny Gargano defends against the winner of the Gauntlet Eliminator match from night one
NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions Shotzi Blackheart & Ember Moon defend against Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell
Editor’s Note: The following is an opinion-based preview and reflects that of the writer.
The Wednesday night war was over before it really began, but don’t tell that to NXT.
After announcing their obvious AEW driven move to Tuesday nights, NXT is putting on their biggest and most ambitious TakeOver card to date with ten matches over two nights, all on a new live streaming service. It’s almost like they are trying to run a card so big it distracts from being “bullied” out of “their” time slot! Curious!
This is not a results focused column (even though I predict the result of every match), but if the results lead to ten midweek bangers that set up the next few months of NXT, I’m willing to slightly overlook the process.
With the move to Peacock, it’s fair to wonder if this is the end for a lot of the current NXT mainstays. With the Undisputed Era breaking up, is this Adam Cole’s last “Bay Bay” at the Performance Center? Is Karrion Kross, a main roster act masquerading as an NXT one, moving up already? That doesn’t even mention Io Shirai, who warrants her own full section, possibly being ready to move on. Or, do the new Peacock overlords want established stars at the top? Who knows? Let’s find out! If it’s time for some mainstays to move on, I’m with it. I’ll be as proud as Jaime Escalante was after his students passed that calculus test.
Kushida vs. Pete Dunne
A crazy thing: this match might open night one meaning arguably the two best pure wrestlers in NXT are gonna jerk the damn curtain. I refuse to sell this match, because everyone should already be at full blood flow just thinking about it. I am frothing at the mouth for it. As soon as Dunne made the claim to being the best technical wrestler in the world, my brain, and just about everyone’s brain, went to Kushida. I’m just glad to be right for once.
Two guys who are great at this getting the chance to be great at this together is a beautiful thing. Dunne’s last TakeOver match with Finn Balor was great, but Kushida’s last TakeOver match was even better. It was easily his best match since he came to NXT and it’s curious that they haven’t pulled the trigger with him yet. Maybe they never will. Who knows? Wrestling is weird!
Kushida’s momentum has been stopped and started so many times that I can’t let myself get excited for another aborted push. He’s yet to get that defining win that really spurns him forward and he isn’t getting it Wednesday. Dunne takes this one.
MSK vs. Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Legado Del Fantasma triple threat for the vacant NXT Tag Team titles
God, this is going to be so good.
Unfortunate injury notwithstanding, the rollout of MSK (Wes Lee and Nash Carter) in NXT has been a masterclass in how to rocket an exciting new team to the top of the card. They were an established brand prior to NXT and once there, they didn’t get a weird rebrand; they kept their identity in and out of the ring. Legado Del Fantasma (Raul Mendoza and Joaquin Wilde) is a bit slept on, but you can absolutely count on them to show out when they get time in the ring. Wilde has been doing this for a long time and Mendoza is one of the more underrated talents in NXT.
Both these teams go a thousand miles an hour at all times and Grizzled Young Veterans (James Drake and Zack Gibson) are the perfect foils for them. In any triple threat, there always needs to be one person or team that holds everything together and that’s exactly what GYV is great at doing. They will gladly let the other four ping pong around the ring while they keep the action grounded.
AEW has done a lot in a year, but no one does tag matches like NXT. Whether it’s multi-team sprints or a standard tag affair, NXT is the gold standard in pro wrestling. The list of tag champs is a veritable who’s who in tag team wrestling over the past eight years or so: The Wyatt Family, The Undisputed Era, DIY, The Revival, I could go on forever, baby. All three of these teams have the skills and bonafides that wouldn’t be out of place on that list.
This will be the spotfest of the first night. In all likelihood, MSK was winning the belts right after the Dusty Cup, but Lee’s injury delayed those plans. Their coronation happens during WrestleMania week.
Leon Ruff vs. Isaiah “Swerve” Scott vs. Bronson Reed vs. Cameron Grimes vs. Dexter Lumis vs. LA Knight: Six-man gauntlet eliminator match to determine who challenges NXT North American Champion Johnny Gargano on night two
I’m all for getting as many people on the card as possible, but there had to have been a less convoluted way to get here. I needed some Alex Jones recommended brain supplements to make sense of Wednesday’s qualifying match. (Please don’t buy those or even try to Google them. Oh god, why did I leave this lame joke in wow I really didn’t have much to say here!)
I have like 4000 words to write so I’m dropping some bullets here. People who I would like to see win this match, ranked:
Cameron Grimes: One day we’ll all wake up and Cameron Grimes will rule the world.
Swerve Scott: The new character is working and the in-ring has always worked. His time is coming.
Dexter Lumis: Makes all the storyline sense in the world. Been floating around the North American title scene for awhile now.
Leon Ruff: No real strong feelings here.
LA Knight: Him yelling ‘Yeah’ always pops me. Him in the ring never pops me.
Bronson Reed: Nope!
As much as I want Grimes to win this and every match, sadly, I don’t see it happening. The only real story with meat on its bones involves Lumis. Not having Lumis win here would just be weird. He’s been involved with the Garaganos for months now and will move on to night two.
NXT UK Champion WALTER vs. Tommaso Ciampa
There will be nothing pretty about this: a giant baby vs. the oldest looking 35-year-old in history. It’s gonna be painful and it’s gonna be kind of gross, but all of WALTER’s matches are kind of gross. They are all these beautifully violent spectacles that are entirely his own. WWE is a whole bunch of (largely terrible) things, but they are becoming more and more homogenous by the day.
Who is truly unique? Who stands out for having their own individual style? The answer, folks, is not many of them. Even in NXT, every color is a similar shade. WALTER is one of the unique ones — a stark contrast to the Diet-PWG style of NXT as a whole. And, WALTER’s gonna kill you.
When Ciampa looks at WALTER, he sees himself. He sees himself as the biggest, toughest dog in the yard; the man who intimidates everyone. That’s fine, I guess, but there is a big ol’ reality check coming, one with frying pan hands. This should be disgustingly hard hitting. I’m not anticipating it being at the level of WALTER’s match with Ilja Dragunov, but there’s a decent chance it’s in the same ballpark. Very few matches even approach that level of brutality. If you haven’t yet, find it on the Network and just push play.
I would take it as a betrayal if Ciampa actually beat WALTER for the belt here, a personal affront that I simply could not stand for. It would make no sense. WALTER’s reign continues and should last for as long as he wants it to.
NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai vs. Raquel Gonzalez
I have written about every match Shirai has ever had at a TakeOver. Part of that is because I will never log off, but a bigger reason is her transcendence. She’s one of my favorite wrestlers and is, in my opinion, one of the two or three best wrestlers in the world. She’s also the best non-Asuka Women’s champion in the history of the company.
I write a lot about how the most important thing for a wrestler to do is matter, how we should feel something when they are on the screen, how they should leave an impression on us, and how they should require our attention. For almost three years, Shirai has demanded our attention. She is a flawless, peerless performer — one that came in with high expectations and has exceeded them. Whatever we have done to deserve her, surely it isn’t enough.
There’s never a bad time to be effusive with praise for Shirai, but I’m doing it here because I think this is the end of her run on NXT. She’s done it all time and again and with WrestleMania kind of being the unofficial season finale in WWE, it would make total sense for her to drop the belt and move on. It doesn’t matter which brand she moves to as stars that bright shine regardless.
Raquel Gonzalez is ready now to be at the top of the women’s division for as long as she wants. It’s the first time where it really feels right for someone to take the belt. If this really is Shirai’s last match in NXT, you know she’s going to do everything she can to make it memorable.
If she does move on, the women’s division is in more than capable hands with Gonzalez. She can be the dominant champ that a very talented, very capable women’s division can come after. It’s time for Big Mami Cool to get a run at the top.
WWE has announced musical performances for both WrestleMania 37 and NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver.
WrestleMania 37 night one this Saturday (April 10) will begin with Grammy-nominated singer Bebe Rexha performing “America the Beautiful.” The main cards for both nights of WrestleMania 37 will begin at 8 p.m. Eastern time. They’re airing live on Peacock in the United States and live on the WWE Network everywhere else.
“I’m excited to sing ‘America the Beautiful’ at this year’s WrestleMania,” Rexha said. “Being part of WWE’s biggest event of the year is an honor and I look forward to performing for fans around the world.”
At WrestleMania 37 night two on Sunday (April 11), Ash Costello will perform Rhea Ripley’s theme song “Brutality” live. Ripley is challenging for Asuka’s Raw Women’s Championship at night two of WrestleMania.
NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver is taking place over two nights this Wednesday (April 7) and Thursday (April 8). To kick off night one, rock musician Nita Strauss will perform the national anthem. Night one of TakeOver: Stand & Deliver will air live on the USA Network, with there also being a simulcast on Peacock in the U.S. and the WWE Network everywhere else. Night two will be live on Peacock in the U.S. and the WWE Network everywhere else.
“I know what it takes to create a spectacle with @WWE. I’m excited to have our very own @hurricanenita open #NXTTakeOver Stand & Deliver Night 1 with our National Anthem,” Alice Cooper tweeted. “Play it proud, play it #NXTLOUD!”
Peacock’s simulcast of NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver night one won’t have commercial breaks.
On Friday’s pre-TakeOver: Stand & Deliver media call, Paul “Triple H” Levesque was asked about the logistics of producing a two-night event that’s airing on multiple platforms. Levesque said during his answer that there won’t be commercial breaks on Peacock’s feed for the live simulcast of TakeOver: Stand & Deliver night one. Night one of the event is taking place next Wednesday (April 7) and will be simulcast live on the USA Network and Peacock in the United States. Night two will be live on Peacock in the U.S. next Thursday (April 8). Outside of the U.S., both nights will be live on the WWE Network.
“In essence it’s almost like two TakeOvers happening within two days of each other,” Levesque said. “One being on USA — again, with potential commercial breaks. And also simulcast at the same point in time on Peacock where there won’t be those breaks. So you have to approach it differently,”
Levesque said the logistics with the night one simulcast is a process they’re working through and it will likely be a mild work in progress up until the start of the show.
Both nights of TakeOver: Stand & Deliver will have a pre-show starting at 7 p.m. Eastern time. The pre-shows will air on Peacock in the U.S. and the WWE Network everywhere else, along with airing on WWE’s social media platforms. The main cards will then start at 8 p.m. Eastern.
Here are the lineups for both nights of TakeOver: Stand & Deliver:
TakeOver: Stand & Deliver night one —
NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai defends against Raquel Gonzalez
NXT United Kingdom Champion WALTER defends against Tommaso Ciampa
Triple threat match for the vacant NXT Tag Team titles: MSK (Wes Lee & Nash Carter) vs, The Grizzled Young Veterans (Zack Gibson & James Drake) vs. Legado Del Fantasma (Raul Mendoza & Joaquin Wilde)
Gauntlet Eliminator match to determine NXT North American Champion Johnny Gargano’s challenger for TakeOver: Stand & Deliver night two (Leon Ruff, Isaiah “Swerve” Scott, Bronson Reed, Cameron Grimes, Dexter Lumis, and LA Knight are the Gauntlet Eliminator participants)
Pete Dunne vs. Kushida
TakeOver: Stand & Deliver night two —
NXT Champion Finn Balor defends against Karrion Kross
Unsanctioned match: Adam Cole vs. Kyle O’Reilly
Ladder match to determine undisputed NXT Cruiserweight Champion: Jordan Devlin vs. Santos Escobar
NXT North American Champion Johnny Gargano defends against the winner of the Gauntlet Eliminator match from night one
NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions Shotzi Blackheart & Ember Moon defend against Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell
We now know the six wrestlers who will be taking part in the Gauntlet Eliminator match at NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver.
LA Knight, Dexter Lumis, Cameron Grimes, Bronson Reed, Isaiah “Swerve” Scott, and Leon Ruff will face off in the Gauntlet Eliminator match at night one of TakeOver: Stand & Deliver. The winner of that match will challenge for Johnny Gargano’s NXT North American Championship at TakeOver: Stand & Deliver night two.
An 11-man battle royal on tonight’s NXT determined which six wrestlers would advance to the Gauntlet Eliminator match. Knight won the battle royal and will enter the Gauntlet Eliminator last. Ruff will enter the Gauntlet Eliminator first, followed by Scott, Reed, Grimes, Lumis, and Knight.
The Gauntlet Eliminator match will begin with Ruff and Scott in the ring. Every three minutes, a new entrant will be added. Eliminations can occur via pinfall or submission.
Tonight’s battle royal was originally supposed to feature 12 wrestlers, but there was a storyline where Roderick Strong left the building after losing to Grimes earlier in the night. Jake Atlas, Tyler Rust, Austin Theory, Pete Dunne, and Kushida also took part in tonight’s battle royal and were the first five wrestlers eliminated. Dunne and Kushida will face off in a singles match at TakeOver: Stand & Deliver night one.
Night one of TakeOver: Stand & Deliver is taking place on Wednesday, April 7. It will air live on the USA Network and will also be simulcast live on Peacock in the United States and on the WWE Network everywhere else. Night two is taking place on Thursday, April 8 and will be live on Peacock in the United States and live on the WWE Network everywhere else.
Here are the updated cards for TakeOver: Stand & Deliver:
TakeOver: Stand & Deliver night one —
NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai defends against Raquel Gonzalez
NXT United Kingdom Champion WALTER defends against Tommaso Ciampa
Triple threat match for the vacant NXT Tag Team titles: MSK (Wes Lee & Nash Carter) vs, The Grizzled Young Veterans (Zack Gibson & James Drake) vs. Legado Del Fantasma (Raul Mendoza & Joaquin Wilde)
Gauntlet Eliminator match to determine NXT North American Champion Johnny Gargano’s challenger for TakeOver: Stand & Deliver night two (Leon Ruff, Isaiah “Swerve” Scott, Bronson Reed, Cameron Grimes, Dexter Lumis, and LA Knight are the Gauntlet Eliminator participants)
Pete Dunne vs. Kushida
TakeOver: Stand & Deliver night two —
NXT Champion Finn Balor defends against Karrion Kross
Unsanctioned match: Adam Cole vs. Kyle O’Reilly
Ladder match to determine undisputed NXT Cruiserweight Champion: Jordan Devlin vs. Santos Escobar
NXT North American Champion Johnny Gargano defends against the winner of the Gauntlet Eliminator match from night one
NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions Shotzi Blackheart & Ember Moon defend against Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell
WWE has announced a couple of new additions to the lineup for NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver.
Pete Dunne vs. Kushida has been announced for TakeOver: Stand & Deliver night one. At TakeOver: Stand & Deliver night two, NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions Shotzi Blackheart & Ember Moon will defend their titles against Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell.
In the main event of tonight’s NXT, Dunne and Kushida simultaneously eliminated each other from the battle royal to determine the participants for the Gauntlet Eliminator match at TakeOver: Stand & Deliver night one. Kushida then refused to let go of a Hoverboard Lock that he had Dunne locked in.
There had been a segment earlier on tonight’s NXT where Dunne interrupted an interview with Kushida. Dunne took exception to Kushida calling himself the best technical wrestler in the world last week. Dunne said he already holds that crown and dared Kushida to answer his challenge and try to prove him wrong.
The NXT Women’s Tag Team title match was announced for TakeOver: Stand & Deliver after a challenge that was issued by LeRae & Hartwell tonight. LeRae & Hartwell defeated Gigi Dolin & the debuting Zayda Ramier (formerly known as AQA) on tonight’s show and then challenged Blackheart & Moon to an NXT Women’s Tag Team title match at TakeOver. Blackheart & Moon came out in Blackheart’s tank and accepted the challenge.
Blackheart & Moon defeated LeRae & Hartwell in the semifinals of the women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic last month. In the finals, Blackheart & Moon lost to Dakota Kai & Raquel Gonzalez. Kai & Gonzalez later became the inaugural NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions when they were awarded the titles, but Blackheart & Moon defeated them to win the titles that same night.
TakeOver: Stand & Deliver is taking place on Wednesday, April 7 and Thursday, April 8. Night one will air live on the USA Network and will also simulcast live on Peacock in the United States and on the WWE Network everywhere else. Night two will be live on Peacock in the United States and live on the WWE Network everywhere else. Here are the updated cards for the event:
TakeOver: Stand & Deliver night one —
NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai defends against Raquel Gonzalez
NXT United Kingdom Champion WALTER defends against Tommaso Ciampa
Triple threat match for the vacant NXT Tag Team titles: MSK (Wes Lee & Nash Carter) vs, The Grizzled Young Veterans (Zack Gibson & James Drake) vs. Legado Del Fantasma (Raul Mendoza & Joaquin Wilde)
Gauntlet Eliminator match to determine NXT North American Champion Johnny Gargano’s challenger for TakeOver: Stand & Deliver night two (Leon Ruff, Isaiah “Swerve” Scott, Bronson Reed, Cameron Grimes, Dexter Lumis, and LA Knight are the Gauntlet Eliminator participants)
Pete Dunne vs. Kushida
TakeOver: Stand & Deliver night two —
NXT Champion Finn Balor defends against Karrion Kross
Unsanctioned match: Adam Cole vs. Kyle O’Reilly
Ladder match to determine undisputed NXT Cruiserweight Champion: Jordan Devlin vs. Santos Escobar
NXT North American Champion Johnny Gargano defends against the winner of the Gauntlet Eliminator match from night one
NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions Shotzi Blackheart & Ember Moon defend against Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell
WWE has announced an additional way to watch NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver night one.
During tonight’s episode of NXT, it was announced that night one of TakeOver: Stand & Deliver will be simulcast live on Peacock in the United States and on the WWE Network everywhere else at the same time as it’s airing on the USA Network. Night one of TakeOver: Stand & Deliver is taking place on Wednesday, April 7. Night two is taking place on Thursday, April 8 and will be live on Peacock in the United States and live on the WWE Network everywhere else.
Following TakeOver: Stand & Deliver, NXT will move to airing on Tuesday nights live on the USA Network starting on April 13. Episodes will be uploaded to Peacock the day after they premiere.
Night one of TakeOver: Stand & Deliver will be headlined by Io Shirai defending her NXT Women’s Championship against Raquel Gonzalez. Here are the announced cards for both nights:
TakeOver: Stand & Deliver night one —
NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai defends against Raquel Gonzalez
NXT United Kingdom Champion WALTER defends against Tommaso Ciampa
Triple threat match for the vacant NXT Tag Team titles: MSK (Wes Lee & Nash Carter) vs, The Grizzled Young Veterans (Zack Gibson & James Drake) vs. Legado Del Fantasma (Raul Mendoza & Joaquin Wilde)
Gauntlet Eliminator match to determine NXT North American Champion Johnny Gargano’s challenger for TakeOver: Stand & Deliver night two (Leon Ruff, Isaiah “Swerve” Scott, Bronson Reed, Cameron Grimes, Dexter Lumis, and LA Knight are the Gauntlet Eliminator participants)
Pete Dunne vs. Kushida
TakeOver: Stand & Deliver night two —
NXT Champion Finn Balor defends against Karrion Kross
Unsanctioned match: Adam Cole vs. Kyle O’Reilly
Ladder match to determine undisputed NXT Cruiserweight Champion: Jordan Devlin vs. Santos Escobar
NXT North American Champion Johnny Gargano defends against the winner of the Gauntlet Eliminator match from night one
NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions Shotzi Blackheart & Ember Moon defend against Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell
