After 36 events over the span of seven years, we have apparently lost the “Takeover” name for the brand’s special events. It’s a small change, obviously… it’s NXT War Games instead of NXT Takeover: War Games… but it is yet another sign that this isn’t your older brother’s NXT anymore.
We have ourselves an interesting card tonight. Take that however you want.
Let’s make this happen, folks.
I’m ready.
Are you ready?
If I’m ready and you’re ready, then you know what to do next. Say it with me…
LESS DEW EET!!!
(0:00) In typical WWE fashion, the pre-show ends with the announcement of what match starts the main card. Looks like we’re getting things started with the women’s War Games match. Raquel Gonzalez, Io Shirai, Kay Lee Ray & Cora Jade vs Mandy Rose, Gigi Dolin, Jacy Jayne & Dakota Kai. This one promises to be wild.
(0:04) I’ve said this before, but I absolutely hate the way NXT Ring Announcer Alicia Taylor does her job. Nothing about the way she speaks sounds natural, and it comes across as someone pretending to do the job and sound “tougher” than they are.
(0:08) It looks like Kay Lee Ray is going to be the first one in for her squad.
(0:09) Dakota Kai and all of her new personalities will be starting things off for her team. KLR has a baseball bat, while Dakota has brought several kendo sticks into the ring.
(0:10) It’s a very interesting set up for this show. As usual, the ring is in the middle of the arena and the entrance area is to the left of the screen. The shark cages holding the other members of the War Games matches are on the hard camera side of the arena, on an elevated set behind the fans. Are we getting Shield-like entrances for them? Sure looks like it.
(0:12) Dakota’s light pink crimped hairstyle makes her look like the lead singer of an 80’s metal band. Actually, she looks like she’s doing a Dee Snider tribute.
(0:15) Wrestling fans continue to prove that they are unable to count down from ten to one. Sad. Cora Jade is the next entrant in, giving her team a brief two-on-one advantage. Of course, she brings her skateboard into the ring. Lots of plunder in there. Sure enough, the entrants leave the shark cage and walk down to the ring through the crowd.
(0:16) “You can’t skate” chants break out pretty much as soon as Cora Jade enters the ring. Well, that’s just not nice.
(0:18) Solid boos for KLR and Cora Jade after some double-team offense, followed by “we want Gigi” chants from the crowd. Looks like we know where they stand.
(0:18) Conveniently enough, Gigi Dolin is the next person in the match. She brings a trash can into the ring, as well as a duffle bag with mystery contents.
(0:20) Looks like a little bit of awkward offense from Dolin and Jade. Dolin seemed to almost call for Jade to start a spot, but it was followed by some slow movement from both women. It’s bound to happen. I’m pretty sure Cora Jade is, like, 12 years old, and it’s not like Gigi Dolin is a grizzled veteran, either.
(0:22) Io Shirai time! Now things are going to pick up. Because we have to keep the tradition going, Io grabs a steel chair and hands it to KLR before bringing another trash can into the ring.
(0:25) There’s a whole lot of nothing going on, but Jacy Jayne is now entering the match. She pulls a table out from under the ring. Of course she does.
(0:26) I’m terrified for Jacy here. On multiple occasions during her brief time in NXT, she has botched a spot and nearly fucking killed herself. Those happened in regular matches. Putting her in War Games with a bunch of weapons involved? This could get ugly.
(0:28) We finally get some wildness, as Io has all three members of the opposing team down in the corners and she runs back and forth nailing them with knee strikes.
(0:29) Cora Jade with a huuuuuge Swanton from the top of the cage, driving Jacy Jayne through a table. Well, it started as a Swanton, but she rotated a bit to the side, turning it into a normal Senton. Cora was a couple inches away from an ugly landing there.
(0:31) Jade is selling a shoulder injury, but Io prevents the medical staff from entering the cage. She grabs Cora’s arm and we’re supposed to believe that she placed her shoulder back into socket, but it didn’t even come close to looking like an actual placement. I’ve seen those things in football enough to know what they look like. Io pretty much just stomped and Cora Jade sat up and poorly acted like she was in a ton of pain.
(0:32) Raquel Gonzalez is now in the ring, completing things for her team. She grabs multiple trash cans, multiple chairs and all sorts of other plunder.
(0:32) Cameras catch an ugly botch, where KLR goes to hit Dakota Kai with a chair, but she just stops short and stands there for a second before Dolin hits her from behind. Yikes.
(0:34) Raquel stuffs Dakota into a garbage can, and then swings the can around, whirlybird-style, using it as a weapon. That was pretty clever, and a good way to showcase Raquel’s strength.
(0:36) With Mandy Rose’s entrance into the match, we have all of our competitors in the cage, and the match really begins.
(0:37) Props to this Performance Center crowd. They have been hot, hot, hot from the beginning of this, and they haven’t slowed down a bit.
(0:39) There has been a lot of “do one spot, pose for the camera, walk around” going on so far. Lots of weird, awkward moments because of it.
(0:41) Cora Jade is still selling the shoulder, pretty much taking herself out of the match for the last several minutes.
(0:41) As I fucking type that, she sees everyone else in the match down and out, so she shimmies over and pins Jacy Jayne to get the win for her team. That was a dumb ending, if we’re being honest with each other. The match itself had its moments, but they were countered by too many awkward spots and botches shown on-camera.
(0:47) Back-to-back-to-back vignettes for NXT wrestlers who aren’t on the card, followed by a commercial for NXT, followed by another vignette for NXT wrestlers that aren’t on the card. Wow.
(0:50) Our next match is for the NXT Tag Team Titles, with Fabian Aichner and Marcel Barthel defending against Kyle O’Reilly and the worst promo in the business today, Von Wagner. The news that we’ve seen may very well spoil the result of this one, as O’Reilly will apparently have his WWE contract expire in a few days.
(0:53) The crowd isn’t nearly as excited for this match as they were for the show opener.
(0:56) Von Wagner comes into the ring and goes on offense… and is met by boos. This crowd is not playing tonight. I thought the show was taking place in Orlando, but apparently it’s Attitude Era Toronto.
(0:59) I’m a really big fan of the in-ring work that Barthel and Aichner bring to NXT. If they had any sort of personalities to match, they could be huge for the company. Unfortunately, they don’t, so they aren’t. I saw multiple posts on social media this afternoon that mentioned not even knowing who the NXT Tag Team Champions are. That’s not ideal.
(1:03) Beautiful double-jump Moonsault off the ring ropes by Aichner to break up a KOR submission. That looked tremendous.
(1:05) The action has really picked up in the last few minutes. We’re having some fun now!
(1:06) Aichner is a crazy man!!! He tags into the match, jumps up to the top rope and dives out of the ring to take out Wagner, who was at ringside.
(1:07) Barthel gets the pin on O’Reilly to retain the titles. That match was a lot of fun. Aichner and Barthel looked fantastic, O’Reilly got to shine with his submission work, and Wagner looked good, too.
(1:09) In the post-match, the crowd is chanting for KOR, and Wagner looks like a fucking moron for botching an attack that didn’t work, anyway. He crouches down, ready to strike, but he does it too early, so he has to stand back up, wait a moment, and then do it again. It didn’t matter, as O’Reilly countered the attack and beat Wagner’s ass. That was dumb.
(1:11) You know what we needed? More vignettes for people who aren’t on the card. Two vignettes, back-to-back, followed by a commercial for THE COCK, followed by a backstage promo from people who were involved in one of the vignettes. The company really, really, really wants you to know who everyone on the roster is. Judging by the sad ratings that NXT has been getting, that might actually be a good idea.
(1:15) Looks like we’re getting a Hair vs Hair Match up next. Cameron Grimes and Duke Hudson. As is always the case when Grimes is mentioned, I am legally and contractually obligated to mention the fact that he nearly broke my leg at an independent wrestling show a few years ago.
(1:17) Can we be open about how stupid Duke Hudson’s gimmick is? We should be open about how stupid Duke Hudson’s gimmick is. Duke Hudson’s gimmick is really fucking stupid.
(1:23) Things are off to a bit of a slow start. That’s not really a bad thing. Hudson is doing his thing on offense, and the crowd is loud in their dislike of him.
(1:27) Even with the War Games stipulations, this show just doesn’t have anywhere the same vibe as a lot of the Takeover events that we’ve seen in the last couple years. That makes me sad.
(1:30) Grimes with a roll-up for the pin and the win. The match was decent. Nothing special. Seemed like more of a television match than anything else.
(1:32) Hudson tries to avoid the post-match stipulation, but Grimes puts him in the chair and starts shaving his head, anyway. After a couple times through, Hudson escapes with an incomplete haircut. Okay then.
(1:35) Another commercial, followed by more vignettes for wrestlers that aren’t on tonight’s card. We’re up to three straight vignettes now. Pretty sure we’re going to see everyone on the NXT roster before the night is over.
(1:38) It’s now time for the Cruiserweight Title to be defended. Champion Roderick Strong, along with the rest of The Diamond Mine, takes on Joe Gacy. Weight limits for the match have been lifted, as Gacy is listed as 245 pounds. With the rumors that the company is doing away with the Cruiserweight Title, what will happen here?
(1:41) Accompanying Gacy to the ring, of course, is Harland. Almost everyone in Harland’s NXT signing class has already debuted in the ring, with a couple of them already winning titles in NXT. I’m wondering when we’re going to see him make his debut. For now, we’ll wonder just what his relationship with Gacy is.
(1:45) Bit of a roller coaster ride with this crowd. They’re back to being quiet for this, probably because they understand how dumb the build has been.
(1:48) I just can’t find myself caring about this Joe Gacy gimmick.
(1:51) Strong gets the win, successfully defending the title. Another match that probably should’ve been on television instead of “pay-per-view” in any sort of showcase.
(1:54) More vignettes and commercials. We even got our second Ikemen Jiro vignette, this time involving him pigging out on ice cream, hot dogs, pizza and all kinds of food. Where does it end? With him in the bathroom, complete with a bunch of fart noises. Oh. Okay then.
(1:56) In a backstage interview, Kyle O’Reilly challenges Von Wagner to a Steel Cage Match on Tuesday night. Well… there’s your send-off, I guess.
(1:56) Main event time. Tommaso Ciampa, Johnny Gargano, Pete Dunne & LA Knight vs Bron Breakker, Carmelo Hayes, Grayson Waller & Tony D’Angelo. War Games. Team Black & Gold vs Team 2.0. Past vs Present. It’s a tale as old as time.
(2:02) NXT North American Champion Carmelo Hayes is starting the match for his squad.
(2:03) In a nice touch, Ciampa clutches “Goldie” tight, even though the title isn’t on the line here. It simply makes sense for his character to do something like that.
(2:05) Johnny Gargano is starting things for his team, and he comes out to a huge ovation. Gargano looks like he’s fighting back emotion as he stands in the entranceway and soaks in the pop. As you’ve probably read by now, this might be Gargano’s final show with the company, as his contract is rumored to expire after the event.
(2:07) Continuing the roller coaster ride, the crowd is back to being red hot. Not a surprise here.
(2:12) Beautiful Sunset Flip Powerbomb from the top rope by Gargano.
(2:12) Grayson Waller is in next, giving Team 2.0 the two-on-one advantage for three minutes.
(2:14) Trick Williams throws a steel chair into the cage, nearly impaling one of the legs through Waller’s skull as he was on the mat. That was almost a disaster.
(2:15) Gargano is bleeding. Our first blood of the night.
(2:15) Pete Dunne is now in the match, and my fingers are already hurting as I anticipate the joint manipulation that is sure to come.
(2:16) It took Dunne all of like 12 seconds to start bending Waller’s fingers back. Ouch.
(2:19) Tony D’Angelo is in the ring now. Trick Williams slides some kendo sticks into the ring, and then hands multiple tables in the ring. This is stupid. One, they’re completely wasting the advantage by standing there and passing weapons into the ring. Two, there is WAY too much focus on the weapons in the War Games matches tonight.
(2:20) As Trick is back under the ring, he is met by Dexter Lumis, who scares him off and then gives Gargano a thumbs up.
(2:22) LA Knight is set to be the next man in the match, but D’Angelo has locked the cage door. It was such a good strategy… that Knight just walked to the other ring and climbed into the match. Sigh.
(2:24) A national crisis has been averted as the Referees have found bolt cutters and are going to unlock the cage door. THANK GOD.
(2:26) El. Oh. El. The Refs couldn’t get the chain cut, so Bron Breakker, fresh into the match, gives it a shot… and fails. Everyone stands around for a few seconds while he continues to try before he finally breaks the chain and enters the match. Awwwwwkkkkkkwarrrrrddddd.
(2:27) Bron is literally and figuratively throwing the opposing team around. The entire mood changed when he walked into the cage.
(2:29) Tommaso Ciampa has now entered the cage, and things are really and truly underway now.
(2:30) Ciampa destroys everybody, then sits on top of a trash can to give himself a hand. Well deserved.
(2:32) Is it too early to say that I want Bron Breakker to be an entrant in the Royal Rumble? Not to win, but to get a Keith Lee-like spot where he gets to stomp with the big dogs and look like a million bucks for a bit.
(2:34) Team Black & Gold is on a roll right now. They’re stomping mud holes in Team 2.0 and walking them dry.
(2:36) LA Knight launches Waller off the top rope with a Kurt Angle-like Suplex, sending Waller crashing through a table. That was a pretty looking spot.
(2:39) Ciampa hits Breakker with an Air Raid Crash from the top rope and onto a trash can, but it only gets a two-count! Another pretty looking spot.
(2:40) Waller hits a MONSTER elbow from the top of the cage, driving LA Knight through a table. The table exploded on contract. Say it with me… another pretty looking spot.
(2:43) This is such a wildly hectic match. There’s no rests. Spot after spot after spot. Great stuff.
(2:45) After sending Ciampa through a table with a Spear, Bron Breakker pins the NXT Champion to pick up the win for his team. What a match. Insanity from start to finish. Smartly put together, too. The veterans did most of the heavy lifting, allowing the young guys to do what they do.
(2:48) We go off the air with Team 2.0 celebrating their victory in the ring.
Match Ratings That Some People Will Surely Bitch About Even Though Wrestling Is Subjective And This Is My Column So I Can Do What I Want
Women’s War Games: 3 stars
Imperium vs O’Reilly & Wagner: 4.25 stars
Grimes vs Hudson: 2.5 stars
Strong vs Gacy: 2.5 stars
Men’s War Games: 4.5 stars