KARRION KROSS VS. LIAM GRAY
Looks like we are opening up with Kross and his old lady. Still not sold on the entrance yet as I think Scarlett is a little over the top.
You have to be psyched out when the match starts with the ring filled with smoke.
Quickly over with Kross getting the submission win.
Great timing on the Ciampa’s music hitting. Have to love how calculated he is being by slowly approaching and not just going for the revenge attack.
Tommaso sounds like a heel when cutting a promo without an audience cheering him.
Nice having Scarlett actually go hold the ropes to let Ciampa in showing Kross is not scared of him and wants this.
Ciampa and Kross at Takeover. No physicality here. Well done.
Getting a great quick recap of the Round Robin to date including Nese attacking Swerve last week.
EL HIJO DEL FANTASMA VS. AKIRA TOZAWA – INTERIM CRUISERWEIGHT TOURNAMENT MATCH
LOVE Fantasma’s mask with the punisher face mask, almost as much as I love Akira Tozawa’s entrance music.
Great to get the mention of Jordan Devlin, the Cruiserweight Champion, during this match.
Great fast paced, classic Cruiserweight match to start.
Nice spot to have Tozawa lead to the predictable spot only to change up to punch Fantasma instead of the chop.
Tozawa looked like he missed Fantasma and hit nothing but guardrail.
Great move on to the torso of Tozawa by Fantasma on the hardest part of the ring only helped by the scream of Akira Tozawa selling it perfectly.
I really don’t like spots where the hurt opponent rolls PERFECTLY into place for a spot. Means so much more when a wrestler has to place his opponent in place.
Fantasma gets the pinfall and Tozawa falls to 2-1 and looks like Fantasma gets to advance based on the graphic they show. They say he has secured his spot.
Time for a recap of Imperium winning the Tag Team Championships after the breakdown between Thatcher and Riddle.
Time to hear from Thatcher in a video segment to challenge Riddle in a Submission match.
Now it is a Shotzi Blackheart promo video on a massive tank. They talk about her Punk Rock background and how it blends to her wrestling.
She uses a tank to demonstrate how she is going to destory the women’s division.
This was to continue a program with Dakota and Raquel but also talking about the other heel ladies.
MIA YIM VS. SANTANA GARRETT
When did Santana Garrett get a new gimmick?
So Bianca Belair is referred to as an NXT alumn now just so soon after telling Charlotte Flair, the current NXT Champion, she doesn’t go here. Now we know who doesn’t actually go here.
Mia Yim gets the quick Pinfall Victory.
Here comes Johnny and Candice to continue the Candice and Mia feud. Remind me never to attend Karaoke at the Garagno house.
Johnny gets a boot from Mia when trying to enter the ring but the Gargano’s get the advantage leading to Keith Lee coming for the save to chase them off.
Recap time of Grimes getting the win over Balor last week thanks to the Damien Priest interference revealing himself as the attacker of Balor 3 weeks earlier.
Now it leads to Grimes cutting a promo outside somewhere acting cocky over his win over Balor.
Back to interview with Drake Maverick about all the cliches but talks about how great Kushida is and even mentions how he is not Bret Hart. Talks about nothing anyone says matters as the only thing that matters is he wins.
RODERICK STRONG VS. DEXTER LUMIS
Adam Cole says to the camera that they are going to have a 1 year as champion celebration next week before He and Fish leave Strong and head to the back.
Dexter Lumis has one of the most fitting entrances for their character in wrestling today.
Strong is not happy about the eye contact from Dexter Lumis pre match.
Great spot having Roderick Strong trying to get a cheap shot in only to have Dexter turn back and Roddy to get out of the ring as quick as possible.
Roderick is doing an amazing job at putting over Dexter’s character with his reaction to the stares and showing how it unnerves him.
How freaked out does one get when the dude turns his head and looks at you while trying to choke him out?
Dexter Lumis almost got the pinfall win after hitting the Tully Blanchard Suplex Springing off the Top Rope.
Great job so far at getting Lumis’ character over but not happy with Strong getting the surprise roll up win even with getting Lumis over. Putting the hold on Strong after the match helped.
Adam Cole and Bobby Fish come to save Strong but their kicks couldn’t get him to let the hold go. Dream comes to take out Fish and Cole.
Interesting edit having Dream drop a top turnbuckle elbow on Cole on the concrete.
Great ending showing Lumis stroking Roddy’s head with Dream doing his pose in pain behind them.
You had to know the guys were going to show up once we saw Fantasma outside.
ONEY LORCAN & DANNY BURCH VS. EVER-RISE (MATT MARTEL & CHASE PARKER)
Great references to Quebec wrestling to help put over Ever-Rise.
All Lorcan and Burch at this point with even Burch yelling encouragements to Lorcan.
Oney Lorcan gets the submission win without letting Ever-Rise even get any offense in.
Wow! What a message post match with Lorcan and Burch doing the Imperium pose.
Do we really need a recap of the Gargano’s attacking Yim earlier just to go to the Keith Lee interview backstage?
Has Keith Lee never been on the internet? A LOT of people record themselves eating.
Lee was challenging Gargano to a match at Takeover.
A look at Io Shirai backstage as she prepares for her match against Rhea Ripley.
Over to Matt Riddle to answer Thatcher’s challenge from earlier for a no pinfall match. He wants it to be inside a cage.
KUSHIDA VS. DRAKE MAVERICK – INTERIM CRUISERWEIGHT TOURNAMENT MATCH
They put over that Kushida, Drake and Jake Atlas would all be tied at 2-1 if Drake wins.
Good back and forth and feeling each other out to start with both trying to get the advantage.
Please don’t have this match end with Drake having to submit knowing it would be the end of his run.
Jake Atlas has come to ringside but in the barricaded off area.
Atlas and Maverick seem to be leading somewhere for sure with Atlas out there cheering Maverick on.
Kushida keeps working on the arm of Maverick to lead to the submission later on.
Kushida seems to be getting aggrevated as the match goes on and more vicious as Maverick hangs on.
This is just making me feel uncomfortable with the thought of Drake quitting.
THey are starting to have Kushida doing more Heel stuff with putting the hold on even when it is illegal.
Great Pinfall win out of nowhere while in the arm bar to give Drake Maverick the 2-1 record for the three way tie.
Here is Byron to announce how the tie break will work between the three. Looks like we are having a triple threat match with the winner facing Fantasma for the Championship.
Time for a terrible promo from Damien Priest. Damien Priest is the only guy that makes Baron Corbin sound like the Rock.
IO SHIRAI VS. RHEA RIPLEY
I hope this is all leading to a I don’t Give a Damn attitude for Rhea Ripley.
Jim Ross won’t be happy about Io doing the back scratch spot if he sees it but he will like that Rhea no sold it.
Io and Rhea seem to just be unsure what the other is doing at points.
Just back and forth hard hitting match. So far nothing special.
Charlotte Flair coming out could be the best way to stop either from getting a clean win over the other.
Looks like they are possibly leading to a Triple Threat with these three.
Nice DDT by Io Shirai with Rhea selling it like Sammy Guevara.
Charlotte interferes and takes out both women.
#WWE #NXT #WWENXT #Wrestling #NXTCruiserweight
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