Tag: takeover stand & deliver

WWE announces pre-show panelists for NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver

Posted on by Joseph Currier

WWE has revealed the pre-show panelists for NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver.

Both nights of TakeOver: Stand & Deliver will have a pre-show prior to the main card. Sam Roberts will host the pre-show both nights, with Mickie James, commentator and former MMA fighter Jimmy Smith, and former LA Times, ESPN, and Sports Illustrated writer Arash Markazi also appearing as panelists.

Wrestling Inc reported earlier this month that Smith had an announcing audition with WWE. He’s formerly done commentary for the UFC and Bellator.

Last month, Barstool Sports’ Brandon Walker was a panelist for the TakeOver: Vengeance Day pre-show. ESPN’s Ariel Helwani appeared on the TakeOver: WarGames pre-show in December.

Both TakeOver: Stand & Deliver pre-shows will begin at 7 p.m. Eastern time. The pre-shows will air on Peacock in the United States and the WWE Network everywhere else, along with airing on WWE’s social media platforms.

Night one of TakeOver: Stand & Deliver will air live on the USA Network 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. Here’s what’s been announced 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

Stipulation set for NXT TakeOver Cruiserweight title unification match

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Image: WWE

A stipulation has been added to Jordan Devlin and Santos Escobar’s title unification match at NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver.

Devlin vs. Escobar at TakeOver: Stand & Deliver will now be a ladder match to determine the undisputed NXT Cruiserweight Champion. The match will be part of the card for TakeOver: Stand & Deliver night two on Thursday, April 8.

Shawn Michaels made an appearance on NXT tonight to reveal that Devlin vs. Escobar will now be a ladder match. While Devlin and Escobar were going face-to-face, Michaels came down to the ring, got a ladder out, and slid it into the ring. Michaels then left without saying a word. 

At WrestleMania X in 1994, Razor Ramon defeated Michaels in a ladder match to determine an undisputed WWF Intercontinental Champion.

Devlin and Escobar are both considered NXT Cruiserweight Champions by WWE. Devlin won the NXT Cruiserweight Championship at Worlds Collide in January of last year. But with Devlin unable to defend the title due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a tournament was announced to crown an interim champion. The interim branding was then dropped from the tournament as it was going on. Escobar won his version of the NXT Cruiserweight Championship by defeating Drake Maverick in the tournament finals.

A confrontation between Devlin and Escobar on last week’s NXT ended with Devlin laying out Escobar with a headbutt and the Devlin Side suplex. Devlin was then in action on tonight’s NXT and defeated Kushida. Devlin got the win despite Legado Del Fantasma trying to cost him the match.

Here’s a look at the cards for both nights of TakeOver: Stand & Deliver:

TakeOver: Stand & Deliver night one (airing live on the USA Network on 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 (a 12-man battle royal on next week’s NXT will determine the six participants for the Gauntlet Eliminator match)

TakeOver: Stand & Deliver night two (airing live on Peacock in the United States/WWE Network everywhere else on 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

Adam Cole to face Kyle O’Reilly in NXT TakeOver unsanctioned match

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Former Undisputed Era stablemates Adam Cole and Kyle O’Reilly will clash in an unsanctioned match at NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver.

It was announced on tonight’s NXT that Cole will face O’Reilly in an unsanctioned match at TakeOver: Stand & Deliver night two. The match will be the co-main event of that night’s card.

Going into tonight’s NXT, it was announced that NXT general manager William Regal would address Cole and O’Reilly’s recent actions. Since Cole turned against O’Reilly at TakeOver: Vengeance Day last month, they’ve each attacked each other and have gotten into multiple altercations. There was an angle on last week’s NXT where police got involved after O’Reilly tried to run Cole off the road. WWE also uploaded video earlier this week of Cole confronting O’Reilly while O’Reilly was taking part in a jiu-jitsu training session.

Regal told Cole and O’Reilly tonight that things between them have gotten out of control. Regal said he’s not going to let them embarrass this company. Regal then presented them with a solution for the situation — a contract for an unsanctioned match at TakeOver: Stand & Deliver.

In storyline, the unsanctioned stipulation was needed due to O’Reilly still not being cleared to compete after Cole gave him a brainbuster on the steel steps last month. It was said that the match only became official when Cole and O’Reilly signed the contract and acknowledged that NXT isn’t responsible for anything that happens to them.

Tonight’s NXT ended with Cole and O’Reilly being kept apart by officials after they signed the contract for their unsanctioned match. Cole said he turned against Undisputed Era because he realized that the group was holding him back. Cole said that, deep down in his core, O’Reilly is nothing more than a lapdog. Cole said O’Reilly is comfortable sitting on the sidelines and being a sidekick. Cole called himself the greatest NXT Champion there’s ever been and said he’s nothing like O’Reilly.

Cole said Undisputed Era was never about friendship or a brotherhood — it was about being the best. Cole claimed that O’Reilly never would have made it to WWE without him.

O’Reilly said that while he’s grown up and has started to be accountable for his actions, Cole is still the same asshole that he was when Undisputed Era came to NXT. O’Reilly said he sold his soul for the Undisputed Era and now wants it back. O’Reilly said that, for the first time in four years, he’ll sleep like a baby after defeating Cole at TakeOver: Stand & Deliver.

Here are the updated cards for TakeOver:

TakeOver: Stand & Deliver night one (airing live on the USA Network on 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 (a 12-man battle royal on next week’s NXT will determine the six participants for the Gauntlet Eliminator match)

TakeOver: Stand & Deliver night two (airing live on Peacock in the United States/WWE Network everywhere else on 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

WALTER vs. Ciampa UK title match added to NXT TakeOver

Posted on by Joseph Currier

The NXT United Kingdom Championship will officially be on the line at TakeOver: Stand & Deliver.

WWE has announced that WALTER will defend his NXT United Kingdom Championship against Tommaso Ciampa at TakeOver: Stand & Deliver night one. The match was made official after a challenge that was issued by Ciampa on NXT tonight.

WALTER and Ciampa’s feud began when Ciampa mentioned WALTER on NXT two weeks ago. After Imperium invited Timothy Thatcher to join them and said that he could bring Ciampa along too, Ciampa told Thatcher that he’s not interested in joining Imperium. But Ciampa said he was interested in facing Imperium’s general. Ciampa said WALTER was sitting safely across the pond holding onto the NXT United Kingdom Championship while the rest of Imperium did his dirty work.

On last week’s NXT, WALTER returned to the show for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began. After Ciampa defeated Marcel Barthel, WALTER confronted Ciampa and then laid him out after Ciampa was attacked by Barthel and Fabian Aichner.

WALTER quickly defeated Drake Maverick by referee stoppage on NXT tonight. Ciampa then came to the ring and addressed WALTER. Ciampa said he misspoke when he said WALTER intrigues him. Ciampa said what actually intrigues him is WALTER’s NXT United Kingdom Championship. Ciampa challenged WALTER to a title match at TakeOver: Stand & Deliver, but WALTER initially dismissed him.

Ciampa then slapped WALTER as he was leaving the ring. Ciampa was held down by Barthel and Aichner but kept fighting back. The segment ended with WALTER chopping Ciampa and accepting his challenge for TakeOver.

Thatcher hasn’t appeared on NXT either of the past two weeks.

WALTER has been NXT United Kingdom Champion since April 2019. He also has a title defense against Rampage Brown that’s been announced for NXT UK: Prelude. That show will air the day after TakeOver: Stand & Deliver night one.

TakeOver: Stand & Deliver night one is airing live on the USA Network on Wednesday, April 7. On Thursday, April 8, 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 (a 12-man battle royal on next week’s NXT will determine the six participants for the Gauntlet Eliminator match)

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 winner of Gauntlet Eliminator match from night one

New NXT tag champs to be crowned at TakeOver: Stand & Deliver

Posted on by Joseph Currier

WWE has revealed how NXT’s next Tag Team Champions will be decided.

On tonight’s episode of NXT, it was announced that MSK (Wes Lee & Nash Carter), The Grizzled Young Veterans (Zack Gibson & James Drake), and Legado Del Fantasma (Raul Mendoza & Joaquin Wilde) will face off in a triple threat match at TakeOver: Stand & Deliver night one. The winning team will become the new NXT Tag Team Champions.

The NXT Tag Team titles were declared vacant after Danny Burch suffered a separated shoulder while teaming with Oney Lorcan against Finn Balor & Karrion Kross in the main event of last week’s NXT. It was said tonight that Burch is expected to be out of action for six months.

Lorcan & Burch had been NXT Tag Team Champions since winning the titles from Breezango in October of last year.

MSK defeated The Grizzled Young Veterans in the men’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic finals at TakeOver: Vengeance Day last month. MSK were supposed to challenge for Lorcan & Burch’s Tag Team titles on NXT three weeks ago, but that didn’t happen due to Lee suffering a broken hand. In storyline, the injury was blamed on an attack by The Grizzled Young Veterans.

Mendoza & Wilde defeated Breezango on NXT last week. 

Legado Del Fantasma’s Santos Escobar is also set for action at TakeOver: Stand & Deliver.  NXT Cruiserweight Champions Escobar and Jordan Devlin will face off in a title unification match at night two of the event.

TakeOver: Stand & Deliver night one will air live on the USA Network on Wednesday, April 7. Night two will be live on Peacock in the United States and live on the WWE Network everywhere else. Night one will be headlined by Io Shirai defending her NXT Women’s Championship against Raquel Gonzalez, while night two will be headlined by Balor defending his NXT Championship against Kross.

NXT title match to headline night two of TakeOver: Stand & Deliver

Posted on by Joseph Currier

WWE has now confirmed the main events for both nights of NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver.

It was announced today that Finn Balor vs. Karrion Kross for the NXT Championship will headline night two of TakeOver: Stand & Deliver. Night one is being headlined by Io Shirai defending the NXT Women’s Championship against Raquel Gonzalez.

Balor defending his NXT Championship against Kross at TakeOver: Stand & Deliver was made official last week. They had a confrontation on NXT but were interrupted by NXT Tag Team Champions Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch. That set up Balor & Kross challenging for Lorcan & Burch’s Tag Team titles later in the night. Kross attacked Balor during the match after Balor gave Lorcan a dropkick that knocked Lorcan into Scarlett.

Lorcan pinned Balor to win the Tag Team title match. Balor was then laid out by Kross in a post-match angle.

At TakeOver: Stand & Deliver, Kross is getting a shot to reclaim the title that he never lost. Kross defeated Keith Lee to win the NXT Championship at TakeOver XXX last August, but Kross suffered a separated shoulder during the match and had to relinquish the title. Balor defeated Adam Cole last September to win the vacant NXT Championship.

TakeOver: Stand & Deliver is taking place on Wednesday, April 7 and Thursday, April 8. Night one will air live on the USA Network. Night two will be live on Peacock in the United States and live on the WWE Network everywhere else. NXT Cruiserweight Champions Jordan Devlin and Santos Escobar facing off in a title unification match has also been confirmed for the event, but WWE hasn’t announced which night Devlin vs. Escobar will be taking place on.

Women’s title match to headline NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver night one

Posted on by Joseph Currier

A Women’s Championship match will headline the first night of NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver.

WWE has announced that Io Shirai will defend her NXT Women’s Championship against Raquel Gonzalez in the main event of TakeOver: Stand & Deliver night one. The two-night event is taking place on Wednesday, April 7 and Thursday, April 8. Night one will air live on the USA Network. Night two will be live on Peacock in the United States and live on the WWE Network everywhere else.

Shirai retained her NXT Women’s Championship against Toni Storm on NXT last week. Later in the night, Shirai confronted Gonzalez and declared that she wants to face Gonzalez next. Shirai then shoved a contract at Gonzalez on this week’s NXT and told her to sign it. Gonzalez posted a video today of her signing the contract for TakeOver: Stand & Deliver.

At NXT TakeOver: WarGames in December, Gonzalez pinned Shirai to get the win in the women’s WarGames match. Gonzalez was part of Team Candice with Candice LeRae, Dakota Kai & Storm, while Shirai was part of Team Shotzi with Shotzi Blackheart, Ember Moon & Rhea Ripley.

Shirai & Zoey Stark are facing Gonzalez & Kai in a tag team match on this coming Wednesday’s episode of NXT.

Shirai has been NXT Women’s Champion since defeating Charlotte Flair and Rhea Ripley in a triple threat match at TakeOver: In Your House in June of last year.

Shirai vs. Gonzalez is the third match that’s been made official for TakeOver: Stand & Deliver. The NXT Championship will be on the line at the event as Finn Balor defends against Karrion Kross. And NXT Cruiserweight Champions Jordan Devlin and Santos Escobar will face off in a title unification match. WWE hasn’t announced which night those matches will be taking place on.

Cruiserweight title unification match official for NXT TakeOver

Posted on by Joseph Currier

An undisputed NXT Cruiserweight Champion will be crowned at TakeOver: Stand & Deliver.

WWE has confirmed that NXT Cruiserweight Champions Jordan Devlin and Santos Escobar will face off in a title unification match at NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver. The announcement of the match was made on this week’s episode of 205 Live.

Devlin won the NXT Cruiserweight Championship at Worlds Collide in January of last year. But with Devlin unable to travel and defend his title due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a tournament to crown an interim champion was announced. WWE later dropped the interim branding from the tournament. Escobar won his version of the NXT Cruiserweight Championship by defeating Drake Maverick in the tournament finals.

On this week’s NXT, Devlin returned and confronted Escobar. Devlin told Escobar to take his “replica title” and throw it in the trash — because the real NXT Cruiserweight Champion is back. Escobar responded by saying he’s redefined what it means to be a cruiserweight and has made history as NXT Cruiserweight Champion. Escobar said Devlin only has his version of the title because everyone forgot about it. Escobar then challenged Devlin to face him at TakeOver: Stand & Deliver.

Devlin and Escobar’s confrontation ended with Devlin laying out Escobar with a headbutt.

In the main event of this week’s NXT UK, Devlin retained his NXT Cruiserweight Championship by defeating Trent Seven. Devlin has defended his title against Amir Jordan, Oliver Carter, Ben Carter, and Seven since NXT UK returned with new episodes last September.

TakeOver: Stand & Deliver is a two-night event that’s taking place on Wednesday, April 7 and Thursday, April 8. Night one will air live on the USA Network. Night two will be live on Peacock in the United States and live on the WWE Network everywhere else.

Devlin vs. Escobar is the second match that’s been officially announced for TakeOver: Stand & Deliver. Finn Balor defending his NXT Championship against Karrion Kross is also set for the show.

NXT Championship match official for TakeOver: Stand & Deliver

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Image: WWE

Karrion Kross is getting a shot to reclaim the title that he never lost.

WWE has officially announced that NXT Champion Finn Balor will defend his title against Kross (w/ Scarlett) at TakeOver: Stand & Deliver. The two-night event is taking place on Wednesday, April 7 and Thursday, April 8. The first night will air live on the USA Network. The second night will be live on Peacock in the United States and live on the WWE Network everywhere else.

Balor retained his NXT Championship against Adam Cole in the main event of last week’s NXT episode. After the match, Balor was confronted by Kross. As Balor was turning around, he realized Kross was in the ring and asked what took him so long. The two then went face-to-face as the episode went off the air.

Balor and Kross also had a confrontation at the start of tonight’s NXT episode, with both saying they deserve to be considered the real NXT Champion. They were interrupted by NXT Tag Team Champions Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch. Lorcan & Burch said that sooner or later Pete Dunne will be NXT Champion. Scarlett then got Lorcan & Burch to agree to put their NXT Tag Team titles on the line against Balor & Kross later tonight.

Kross won the NXT Championship by defeating Keith Lee at TakeOver XXX last August. But Kross suffered a separated shoulder during the match and had to relinquish the title. A four-way Iron Man match featuring Balor, Cole, Johnny Gargano, and Tommaso Ciampa was made to decide a new champion. After that match ended in a tie between Balor and Cole, Balor defeated Cole in a singles match in September to win the NXT Championship.

Balor vs. Kross is the first match that’s been announced for TakeOver: Stand & Deliver.

Two-night NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver set for WrestleMania week

Posted on by Joseph Currier

A two-night NXT TakeOver event will officially be part of WrestleMania 37 week.

It was announced tonight that NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver will take place on Wednesday, April 7 and Thursday, April 8. This will be the first two-night TakeOver special in NXT history.

The first night of NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver will air live on the USA Network. The second night will be live on Peacock in the United States and live on the WWE Network everywhere else.

WrestleMania 37 week will feature Raw taking place on Monday, the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony on Tuesday, NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver on Wednesday and Thursday, SmackDown on Friday, and WrestleMania 37 on Saturday and Sunday.

The announcement of TakeOver: Stand & Deliver was made by NXT general manager William Regal on tonight’s NXT episode. It was hyped going into the episode that Regal would be making two “game-changing announcements.” The other announcement was Regal introducing the NXT Women’s Tag Team titles and awarding them to Dakota Kai & Raquel Gonzalez.