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Finn Balor vs. Damian Priest – NXT Takeover: In Your House Results

Welcome to Bleeding Cool's ongoing live coverage of NXT Takeover: In Your House. I'm still recovering from the sonic assault of the live music that opened the show. Was it a live band? Was it an SNL skit? You gotta warn us about that sort of thing in the future, WWE. What if I was trying to eat?

Moving on, how about that six-women tag we just saw? I like a match where every competitor utilizes a unique hair color. Makes it easier to keep track of things. I'm Jude Terror. I was right about everything in the comics industry, and now that it's gone and imploded on itself, I'm leaving it behind for my first love: pro wrestling. Next up on the NXT Takeover: In Your House card tonight is Finn Balor vs. Damian Priest.

WWE aired a commercial for its Ice Cream bars that are a pale imitation of the originals before the match.  Then we saw Rhea Ripley sitting angrily backstage. She'll take on Charlotte Flair and Io Shirai later tonight.

NXT Takeover: In Your House – Finn Balor vs. Damian Priest

Damian Priest came out first. His satanic entrance looks pretty good on the In Your House set. Another thing I'm digging about the set is they've blocked off part of the arena with black curtains. Finn Balor was next. Is the face in this match? It's not entirely clear, but based on the way the announcers are talking about him, it seems like it.

Balor attacked Priest before the match began, dropkicking him out of the ring. Priest got back in but Balor remained in control, stomping Priest's leg a little bit. But when they brawled outside, Priest tossed Balor into the steel ring steps, which Balor sold like Kairi Sane during a Nia Jax match.

Priest went through all the trouble of moving around the ring steps only to use them to stand on while slamming Balor onto the ring apron instead of slamming Balor into the steps themselves. Inside the ring, Priest beat Balor down, hit him with a flatliner, and mounted him for some punches.

Priest beat on Balor some more and tried a cover, but Balor kicked out in less than one. Don't you know he was the first Universal Champion? Well, if you didn't, the announcers will remind you over and over again tonight. Priest worked Balor's shoulder injury that Balor is still milking years later.

Balor started to build a comeback. After hitting some of his offenses, Priest rolled out to the apron for a breather. Balor dropkicked him down to ringside and followed to stomp a mudhole next to the railing. Balor climbed back in to get ready for a running dive, but Priest was right in after him and hit a clothesline.

They exchanged some offense and Balor got a two-count off a Pele kick. Take that, rookie! Balor got another two-count off a rollup and dumped Priest outside again, but this time Priest jumped right back up to the apron, kicked Balor, and pulled him outside. Priest hit a Razor's Edge on the ring apron, causing Mauro Ranallo to have a conniption. That one got a two-count.

Priest hit a pair of big elbows in the corner, but when he got greedy and went for a third, Balor hit the slingblade. Priest hit some kicks but Balor hit a Scorpion Death Drop and another dropkick. Balor went to the top for the finish, but Priest goozled him and hit a chokeslam from the top rope for another two-count.

The cameras focused on the ring steps still set up at ringside. Are the cameramen psychic? Because Priest noticed them too and tried to give Balor the Razor's Edge from the Apron to the stairs, but Balor slipped out and kicked Priest down onto the stairs. Okay, that's continuity. Checkov's stairs.

Balor hit a Coup de Gras on the back of Priest's head and then went back up for one more. He hit it and got the three count. After the match, Mauro Ranallo said Balor has the new record for Takeover wins with eleven victories.

A lot of people were sleeping on this match, but it was pretty good. It also wasn't overly long, or at least didn't feel that way. So far, NXT Takeover: In Your House is living up to the promise of the series of PPVs from which it takes its name. I'll turn this over to Jeremy for the next match.  Follow along with Bleeding Cool's live match-by-match coverage of NXT Takeover: In Your House at our hub page.

Dedicated to Chris Hyatte.

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