Posted in: Sports, TV, WWE | Tagged: NXT, NXT Recap, NXT Takeover, Stand & Deliver, wrestling, wwe

NXT Recap – NXT Takeover: Stand & Deliver Is Taking Shape

Hey gang!  So as we continue on the road to NXT Takeover: Stand & Deliver, NXT Commissioner William Regal has demanded that both Adam Cole and Kyle O'Reilly show up tonight so that he can confront them both and figure out how to settle this war between them.  Will they show up?  How does Regal plan on getting them in line?  Let's find out!

We open with Adam Cole arriving at the CWC, surrounded by security.

NXT Women's Champion Io Shirai and Zoey Stark vs. Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzalez

Stark and Gonzalez start it off with Gonzalez showing her strength advantage by throwing Stark out of a couple of lock-ups.  She then forces Stark into a wristlock before Stark responds with her speed by hitting her with some kicks and a running head scissors. Gonzalez recovers with a clothesline and tags in Kai.  It's a more even match-up now as the two exchange fists and Stark tags in Shirai, who immediately takes it to Kai.  Kai tries some offense, but the champ is able to dodge or reverse it all.  She gets Kai in the corner and hits her with a double stomp. Gonzalez distracts Shirai, leading to a pin attempt by Kai, which is then reversed, followed by a series of pin reversals.  Stark tags back in and gets some shots in on Kai, but Kai escapes and tags Gonzalez back in, who again overpowers Stark over and over with slams.  Kai tags back in, and they hit a double-team military press into an enziguri for a two-count.  Kai keeps up the offense and keeps trying pin attempts to no avail.  She gets Stark into her corner and tags Gonzalez back in, who proceeds to shoulder thrust Stark into the turnbuckle. Gonzalez drags Stark all over the ring, pounding her along the way, before hitting her with a powerslam for a near-fall.  Kai tags back in and hits a running boot to Stark in the corner for another two-count. Gonzalez tags in and gets Stark in a rear-naked choke before getting her up into a submission attempt, which Stark gets out of and enziguris Gonzalez.  She tags in Shirai, and the champ takes it to both Kai and Gonzalez with kicks.  Kai accidentally kicks her partner into the corner, and Shirai hits both with running knees.  She then hits a missile dropkick from the top rope on Gonzalez, who rolls out of the ring.  Stark fights both opponents outside, and Shirai hits a flying moonsault to the outside on Gonzalez.  Back in the ring, Stark tries a top rope move, but Gonzalez catches her for a chokeslam.  She then boots Shirai off the apron before hitting another chokeslam on Stark for the pinfall.

Winners: Raquel Gonzalez and Dakota Kai

After the match, Gonzalez and Shirai face off in the ring before Kai enters and gets clotheslined by the champ, who then gets hit by Gonzalez.  She then takes Shirai out of the ring and chokeslams her onto the announce table, and Shirai screams in pain.

We now see security camera footage from yesterday when Adam Cole attacked Kyle O'Reilly at a gym.

Backstage, O'Reilly arrives surrounded by security and is interrupted by Roderick Strong, who tells O'Reilly they need to team up and kick Cole's ass together.  O'Reilly declines and says this is between him and Cole.  Strong says they both can go to hell.

We then get a backstage promo from LA Knight, who talks some premium shit to Bronson Reed before their match, which we're told is up next!

Jordan Devlin cuts a backstage promo listing his personal accomplishments before his match with Kushida tonight.  He says he respects and likes Kushida, but he's using tonight's match to send a message to Santos Escobar.

Bronson Reed vs. LA Knight

The two start by getting in each other's face and jaw-jacking, but Reed slaps Knight in the chest and begins throwing him all over the ring and hits him with a back body drop.  Knight tries a top rope strike, but Reed catches him for a powerslam.  He then locks Knight in a headlock, but Knight punches his way out and tries a running move, but again Reed just strikes him down.  Reed gets him on the ropes and hits him with a hard knife-edge chop.  Reed gets Knight on the mat and stretches him out.  He tries a vertical suplex, but Knight gets out of it and goes to the apron, where he drops Reed onto his throat on the top rope.  Knight gets the advantage now and hits a grounded Reed with knees to the head.  Knight stretches Reed out with an armlock on the mat, but Reed gets to his feet and into the corner, where Knight follows him and hits him with shoulders.  Reed bursts out, but Knight responds with a dropkick to the knees, again grounding him, before a running knee to the jaw of Reed.  Knight arrogantly slaps Reed in the face and punches him, but Reed rallies.  Knight cuts this off, though, and gets him with an uppercut.  Reed is on his knees while Knight punches him, but Reed again tries tackling Knight.  Knight reverses into a neckbreaker, though.  Knight tries a running strike, but Reed gets a hard elbow in on Knight.  Reed takes control now and begins knocking Knight down all over the place.  Reed hits a running splash onto Knight in the corner and then a chokeslam, but Knight reverses, but then Reed reverses and hits the chokeslam.  Reed goes to the top rope, but Knight crotches him.  Knight tries a superplex, but Reed refuses and knocks him from the top rope.  Knight then runs to the top rope again to meet him, but again Reed knocks him off before hitting him with the Tsunami for the pinfall.

Winner: Bronson Reed

I'll be honest. I didn't think they'd have Knight lose clean this early, but oh well.

The commentators discuss Danny Burch's injury and how they were forced to vacate the NXT tag titles.

It is now announced that on night one of Stand & Deliver, it'll be MSK vs. Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Legado Del Fantasma for the NXT Tag Team Championship.

Oney Lorcan vs. Karrion Kross with Scarlett

Lorcan goes right after Kross with punches, but the much stronger Kross just tosses him out of the ring.  He then slams Lorcan face-first into the crowd barrier, and Lorcan crawls back into the ring before crawling out as Kross follows.  Outside the ring, Lorcan tries to suplex Kross, but it's reversed, and he eats the suplex.  Back in the ring, Kross shoulders Lorcan in the corner before Lorcan strikes back with some chops to the chest.  Lorcan dropkicks Kross into the corner but eats a clothesline.  Kross controls Lorcan and manhandles him into the corner, where he shoulders him and then chokes him with his foot before the ref breaks it up.  Kross then hits the armbar, but Lorcan gets to the ropes quickly.  Kross hits a big Saito suplex and taunts Lorcan before telling him he doesn't regret what he did to Burch last week and that he liked it.  This fires up Lorcan, who rallies against Kross.  Kross tries a running strike to Lorcan in the corner, but he dodges, and Kross hits the turnbuckle before being hit with a single-arm DDT by Lorcan.  Lorcan gets revved up now and hits Kross with a series of chops and kicks.  Kross finally reverses and hits him with another Saito suplex, followed by a punch to the back for the pinfall.

Winner: Karrion Kross

After the match, Kross cuts a promo on Finn Balor in the ring.  He says what Balor did last week had malice and intention, and he appreciates that.  Balor interrupts him and appears on the stage.  Balor says that Kross took his best shot last week, but the Prince is still standing.  But what he really did was show Balor his weakness.  Balor enters the ring to go face to face.  He tells Kross that young men fight with just emotions and that Balor learned to be cold and in control.  He says Kross is still all emotion and is sloppy and vulnerable.  He tells Kross that he's going to push him to where he only has two options: to master his emotions or let his emotions master him.  And when he does that, Balor will drag him into the water, and with no emotion, he will drown him.  Really good promo from Balor here and really intense stuff from the two!

Backstage, William Regal announces that next week there will be a 12-man battle royal, and the final six will enter a gauntlet eliminator on night one of Stand & Deliver, and the winner of that will face Johnny Gargano for the NXT North American title at night two of Stand & Deliver.

Kushida cuts a backstage promo where he says he's all about competition, and tonight Devlin will see what happens when he faces the best technical wrestler in NXT.

NXT UK Champion WALTER vs. Drake Maverick

Maverick runs at Walter and tries some punching, but Walter throws him off, hits him with a powerbomb, then a single leg crab before the ref stops it.  Even quicker than I thought.

Winner: Walter

After the match, Tommaso Ciampa hits the ring.  He gets in Walter's face and challenges him for the NXT UK title at Stand & Deliver.  Walter declines, and Ciampa hits him.  Imperium jumps Ciampa and holds him up.  Walter rips Ciampa's necklace off before giving him some hard slaps to the chest, knocking him down and kneeling on his neck, telling him he'll see him at Takeover.

We get a FaceTime promo from Pete Dunne where he guarantees he'll win the Battle Royal next week and become NXT North American Champion.

We see earlier in the day, where Robert Stone and Aliyah pay Mercedes Martinez to team up with her to challenge for the tag titles tonight.  No one ever pays me to wrestle…though I could think of a few reasons why…

Backstage, Johnny Gargano bursts into Regal's office demanding to know what he's thinking by booking the matches to challenge for his title?  He says it's not fair that he won't have enough time to prepare for his opponent.  Regal tells him to chill and get out.

Ember Moon and Shotzi Blackheart vs. Aliyah and Mercedes Martinez – NXT Women's Tag Team Championship

Martinez and Moon lock up to start. Martinez overpowers her at first, but Moon reverses and tags in Blackheart, who gets a hold on Martinez on the ropes.  She then goes up top for a diving Lou Thesz press.  Stone interferes, which gives Martinez her opening, and she pounces on Blackheart.  She gets her up on her shoulders and tags in Aliyah before slamming her.  Aliyah hits Blackheart with a running neckbreaker before tossing her into the corner.  Blackheart rallies, but Aliyah hits a big boot on Moon, knocking her from the apron and tags in Martinez.  They a double team slam for a two count.  Aliyah tries to grab Blackheart, but she's able to get Moon with the hot tag, and Moon nails both Alyah and Martinez with a series of kicks before hitting Aliyah with a powerbomb for a two count as Martinez breaks up the count.  Blackheart hits Martinez with a turnaround DDT, and Moon hits Alyah with the Eclipse for the pinfall.

Winners and still champions: Moon and Blackheart

In the locker room, Cameron Grimes tries talking to Roderick Strong, telling him he should sell the Undisputed Era IP to him so he can sell merchandise.  Strong punches Grimes out and leaves as Grimes throws a tantrum on the floor.

Backstage, Moon and Blackheart celebrate their win before they're interrupted by Indi Hartwell and Candice LeRae, who say they should be the Tag Team champions.  Moon and Blackheart say they're ready for the challenge, but Hartwell and LeRae say they'll do it on their own stage.

NXT Cruiserweight Champion Jordan Devlin vs. Kushida

They feel each other out early, with lots of reversals and running attempts.  Devlin takes over with a slam, followed by a standing moonsault.  Kushida gets back in with a hip toss reversal, followed by a series of strikes, working Devlin into the corner. Kushida is focusing on Devlin's shoulder with holds. Kushida slides to the outside, but Devlin hits him with an apron moonsault to the outside.  Once to their feet, Devlin shoulder thrusts Kushida into the ring before rolling him back in. Kushida responds with chops before getting Devlin into the corner and hitting him with strikes.  Devlin counters with an eye rake, grounding Kushida.  He then hits him with a scoop slam and a running leg drop.  Once on their feet, Devlin hits a snap suplex into a pin attempt that Kushida kicks out of.  He then gets Kushida with a chinlock, but Kushida works out of it and hits Devlin with a dropkick.  He hits Devlin with a springboard back elbow and an arm bulldog before trying to get an armbar on, but Devlin grabs the ropes.  He then tries a triangle choke, but Devlin turns it into a pin for a two count.  Devlin hits a springboard cutter but again only gets two.  Devlin lifts Kushida to the top rope of the turnbuckle and goes for a move, but Legado Del Fantasma is on the stage and distracts him, allowing Kushida to reverse it and hit him with the armbreaker and an armbar.  Devlin grabs the ropes before exiting the ring and facing Escobar on the ramp.  He avoids Wilde and Mendoza and gets back to the ring, where they follow him. Kushida double clotheslines them, but Devlin rolls him up with a bridge for the three count and the win.

Winner: Jordan Devlin

Afterward, Kushida is pissed and dives out onto Wilde and Mendoza.  He chases them to the side of the stage, where he then hits them with a flipping splash from the stage.  Back in the ring, Escobar faces off with Devlin in the ring, and they talk shit until…."OH OH SHAWN!!!!"  HBK's music hits, and out comes Shawn Michaels to the ring, who then reaches under the ring, grabs a ladder, and throws it into the ring, implying they should have a ladder match to see who's the real champion.  Shades of his iconic Wrestlemania X Intercontinental Title match with Razor Ramon!

Backstage, Adam Cole is making his way to the entrance but first has a staredown with HBK.  Oh, to dream…

It's confrontation time, as we find Kyle O'Reilly and Adam Cole on opposite sides of a table on the stage, surrounded by Regal and security.  Regal tells them enough is enough, and they will not destroy the company that so many have worked to build.  He presents a contract for a match between the two at Night Two of Stand & Deliver to settle everything.  He reminds O'Reilly that he's still not cleared from injury, and if he signs, he is releasing NXT from all responsibility for what might happen.  Adam Cole signs first but then grabs the mic and says how O'Reilly betrayed him by challenging for the NXT title twice and by befriending Finn Balor and trying to get him into the Undisputed Era.  He says O'Reilly is a lapdog on the sidelines, and that is not who he is, and he's nothing like him.  He tells him the Undisputed Era was about being the best, and he is the best, and it doesn't work without Adam Cole.  He then says how he was everything, and O'Reilly is nothing.  He says he can't wait to fight him because he already knows he wins.  O'Reilly is about to sign but then grabs the mic and says when they first got there, they were making a statement, and it didn't matter who they beat.  He says they'll always have heat for what they did, but he has now grown up and realized you look a man in the eye before a fight.  He says they've now become stars, but only he has become a better person.  He says Cole is the same asshole who walked into NXT three years ago.  He says he won't allow himself to think they'll get over all this because then he won't be able to put him down like he has to.  He calls Cole an insecure prick who used his friends and that not one person will be surprised after he beats him into a pulp, and for the first time in four years, he'll sleep like a baby.  He then signs on as Cole tells him to sign his death warrant.  O'Reilly throws the pen at Cole, and they explode on each other, being held apart by security screaming at each other as NXT goes off the air.

Really intense stuff here, and boy, oh boy, can you always tell a good non-scripted promo in wrestling.  NXT Takeover: Stand & Deliver had some major developments tonight, and now it might be the must-see show of Wrestlemania week!

Till next time friends!

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