NXT TakeOver Stand & Deliver night two live results: Cole vs. O’Reilly
NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver concludes tonight with a double main event.
NXT Champion Finn Balor will put his title on the line against Karrion Kross. Kross, who had to vacate the NXT Championship due to injury just days after winning it last year, is getting the chance to reclaim the title that he never lost.
Former Undisputed Era stablemates Adam Cole and Kyle O’Reilly will look to settle their issues in an unsanctioned match. In storyline, NXT can’t be held liable for anything Cole and O’Reilly do to each other.
An undisputed NXT Cruiserweight Champion will also be determined as Jordan Devlin and Santos Escobar face off in a ladder match, Johnny Gargano will defend his NXT North American Championship against Bronson Reed, and NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions Shotzi Blackheart & Ember Moon will put their titles on the line against Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell.
Tonight’s main card will air live on Peacock in the United States and the WWE Network everywhere else starting at 8 p.m. Eastern time. There will also be a pre-show starting at 7 p.m. Eastern. On the pre-show, Breezango and Drake Maverick & Killian Dain will face off in a tag team number one contender’s match.
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The pre-show featured the standard mix of promos, video packages, and talking head segments. The hosts were Sam Roberts and Jimmy Smith. Smith was excellent, adding a ton of legitimacy and excitement to the broadcast.
Mickie James joined commentary for the pre-show match.
Killian Dain & Drake Maverick defeated Breezango (Tyler Breeze & Fandango) to become the #1 contenders to the NXT Tag Team Championships
Breezango came to the ring dressed like pirates, matching the theme of this week’s Wrestlemania. Maverick frustrated Fandango by imitating his dancing gimmick, so Dain forcefully tagged himself in, downing Fandango before tagging Maverick back in by tossing him into his opponent. Fandango then took control with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker, leading to a long beatdown where Breezango isolated Maverick in their corner.
Maverick flipped out of a suplex and used evasive maneuvers to reach Dain for the hot tag. Dain ran wild on both opponents, taking down Fandango with a running crossbody and a uranage. He followed it up with a slingshot senton before performing a Samoan drop / fallaway slam combination in a cool power spot.
Dain and Maverick set up for a big tag team move, but Breeze ran in to save his partner and dispatch Maverick. Dain fought off the attack and tagged in Maverick, who hit a top-rope hurricanrana on Breeze. Dain then came in and powerbombed his partner onto Breeze for the win.
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Rock artist Poppy performed to open the show.
Santos Escobar (c) defeated Jordan Devlin (c) in a ladder match to become the undisputed NXT Cruiserweight Champion
This was a fun stunt show with some cool stuff, although the story was odd. The fact that both men are heels made it difficult to get into, and Devlin isn’t the type of person who should be working as a scrappy underdog at this point.
Both men were billed as the “NXT Cruiserweight Champion.” They performed a choreographed chain wrestling sequence to start until Devlin planted Escobar with a uranage and a standing moonsault. An Asai moonsault followed, with Devlin inadvertently banging his head on the announce desk on the landing. Devlin pulled out a ladder and smacked Escobar with it.
An early attempt at climbing the ladder from Devlin was foiled by Escobar. Escobar whipped Devlin into a propped-up ladder in the corner, sending Devlin crashing to the floor. He followed it up with a running knee on the outside. Escobar produced another ladder and propped it up against the fencing around the barricade. After re-entering the ring and dispatching Devlin by dropkicking a ladder into him, Escobar kept up the attack with repeated ladder shots.
Escobar climbed for the titles, but Devlin tried to stop him, so Escobar beat him down with repeated stomps. He set up a ladder over the turnbuckle, but Devlin reversed a whip into it with a whip of his own. Escobar popped up and downed his opponent with a dropkick. He tried to launch Devlin into the ladder, but Devling hopped up and almost reached the titles. Escobar pulled Devlin down, which Devlin turned into a DDT.
The propped-up ladder on the floor came into play when a dive from Escobar thrust Devlin into it. Escobar taunted Devlin until Devlin countered a suplex by dropping Escobar onto a ladder. They had a strike exchange, where Escobar temporarily gained the advantage after a rising knee. Devlin countered the follow-up into a Spanish Fly and a slingshot cutter.
Devlin set up a ladder near the corner, which both men climbed. They traded strikes, with a right hand from Devlin sending Escobar to the mat. Devlin climbed to the top of the ladder and landed a high moonsault on Escobar in a great spot. Devlin nearly reached the championships, but Legado del Fantasma ran out and pushed Devlin off the ladder to the floor before tossing him into the steel steps.
Escobar sent Mendoza and Wilde to the back before climbing to the titles. Devlin stopped the climb by just tossing a ladder into his opponent before setting up the ladder right next to Escobar’s. After a struggle, Devlin hit a Spanish Fly from halfway up the ladder. Devlin nearly reached the titles, but Escobar climbed up and sent Devlin crashing through a ladder to the canvas with a headbutt, which allowed Escobar enough time to grab the titles and retain.
– After the match, Escobar celebrated with his son and Legado del Fantasma.
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MSK were interviewed backstage about their tag title victory from night one. They were excited about the championships and said they were ready for Killian Dain and Drake Maverick, who will be their first challengers. They then disagreed on who would win tonight’s two main event matches.
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Shotzi Blackheart & Ember Moon (c) defeated The Way (Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell) to retain the NXT Women’s Tag Team Championships
This was a nice, compact match that didn’t overstay its welcome. Hartwell looked strong in there with some really good workers.
Hartwell & LeRae attacked before the bell, and a step-up senton from LeRae got a quick two count. The challengers worked over Blackheart with frequent tags and double team moves. Occasionally Blackheart would get a hope spot, but she’d get cut off every time by The Way.
An enziguiri finally bought Blackheart enough time to reach Moon for her first tag of the match, five minutes in. She laid in strikes on LeRae, downing her with a strong right hand. Moon set up for the Eclipse, but a distraction from Hartwell allowed LeRae to push Moon down. The Way tried to hit a double team superplex, but that was foiled by Blackheart, leading to a tower of doom spot that got Hartwell a two count on Moon.
The Way continued to work over Moon until she fought off a double team to tag in Blackheart, who entered the match with a crossbody on both opponents. A tiger suplex sent LeRae rolling to the floor, where Blackheart attempted a suicide dive. Blackheart wasn’t caught at all — looked like she went face first into the barricade and the floor. Scary moment.
Moon took out The Way with a dive before tagging in Blackheart for a tandem maneuver for two. LeRae rolled up Blackheart for two and sent Moon to the floor, tagging in Hartwell for a tandem maneuver of their own for two. Blackheart fought out with an enziguiri and hit a double Eclipse on both opponents. The diving senton from Blackheart followed to win and retain.
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NCAA champion and Olympic amateur wrestler Gable Steveson was shown in the crowd.
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Johnny Gargano (c) (w/ Austin Theory) defeated Bronson Reed to retain the NXT North American Championship
This was a perfect midcard match for TakeOver, stuffed with great in-ring work, a compelling babyface vs. heel dynamic, and some close near falls.
Reed surprised Gargano early on by matching his athleticism before overpowering him with an overhead press into a fallaway slam. Gargano stretched Reed’s arm over the rope and went for a slingshot spear, but it wasn’t enough to take Reed down. Reed chopped Gargano down to the mat before Gargano came back with a chop block and a running forearm.
Gargano sent Reed to the floor and tried to follow it up with a plancha, but Reed caught him out of midair. Gargano escaped the grip of the challenger and thrust him into the corner of the announce desk. In the ring, Reed went for his seated splash, but Gargano rolled out of the way and landed a diving crossbody, which only got a one count.
The ribs of Reed were the target of Gargano during his beatdown. Reed started his comeback by turning a Gargano dive into a powerslam. He hit repeated forearms and a corner splash before planting Gargano with a chokeslam. Reed had a nice power spot where he went for a vertical suplex, Gargano tried to knee his way out of it, but Reed maintained control to turn it into a Death Valley driver.
Gargano managed to tie Reed up in the corner, taking control with an enziguiri and a backstabber. He landed a thrust kick on Reed’s midsection, but Reed countered the follow-up into a vertical suplex. Reed hoisted Gargano up into the electric chair, which Gargano turned into a reverse hurricanrana. Gargano then applied the Garga-No Escape.
Eventually, Reed reached the ropes to break the hold. Gargano attempted the One Final Beat, but Reed caught him and tossed Gargano back into the ring with a huge Splash Mountain. Gargano rolled out of the way of the Bullfrog Splash and landed his half of #DIY for two. He tried it again, but Reed caught the kick and fought back with a headbutt and a short-arm lariat.
Reed climbed the ropes for the Bullfrog Splash, but Theory distracted him, giving Gargano the chance to stop the dive. Gargano then attempted a top-rope hurricanrana, which didn’t come together correctly — it looked like Reed was supposed to catch Gargano, but he slipped. Reed hit a powerbomb, but when he went for the cover, Theory put Gargano’s foot on the ropes.
Out on the floor, Reed got in Theory’s face before catching a Gargano dive and sending him into Theory. Theory then took a bullet for Gargano as Reed hit a suicide dive. Back in the ring, Reed countered the One Final Beat into a slam for two. He tried to follow it up with a powerbomb, but Gargano rolled out of it and landed repeated thrust kicks. Reed came back with a kick of his own, but missed a top-rope moonsault.
Gargano hit a One Final Beat and then a second to retain the championship.
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Karrion Kross (w/ Scarlett) defeated Finn Bálor (c) to win the NXT Championship
Despite starting a bit slow, this built to a nice finish and was Kross’s best performance yet in NXT.
Neither man established an advantage for the first few minutes. Kross fired up with power moves until Bálor moved out of the way of a corner attack, forcing Kross shoulder-first into the ring post. Bálor then made Kross’s injured shoulder and arm the target of his attack.
Kross tried to power his way out of an armbar, but Bálor turned it into almost an arm-trap flatliner. Forcing Kross into the corner, the champion nailed Kross with a heel kick. Kross collapsed from the pain, in a clear callback to Bálor’s match with Kyle O’Reilly.
After that, Bálor altered his strategy, instead opting to target Kross’s midsection. Kross fired up and called for his finisher, but Bálor countered it with repeated shotgun dropkicks. Bálor went to the top rope and hit the Coup de Grace, but Kross kicked out at two, Kross then immediately applied a rear naked choke, which Bálor rolled out of with a stomp for good measure.
The champion applied a grounded abdominal stretch. Scarlett implored Kross to reach the ropes, and he finally did, crushing Bálor with a second Doomsday Saito. Two running forearm smashes were enough for Kross to pin Bálor and win the championship.
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Santos Escobar, flanked by Legado del Fantasma, was interviewed about his title win. He said LDF are family and called himself the emperor of lucha libre.
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The ring was filled with security ahead of the main event, trying to keep the two apart.
Kyle O’Reilly defeated Adam Cole in an Unsanctioned Match
This match went 40 minutes. Some will say that’s too long or that it jumped the shark, but I loved the wacky melodrama. These two absolutely killed each other in one of the most brutal WWE matches in history.
Right off the bat they traded strikes. O’Reilly sent Cole to the floor then immediately followed it up with a plancha. He applied an armbar at ringside, which Cole fought out of. O’Reilly downed Cole with a double-leg and sent him face-first into the barricade. He propped Cole up on a chair and laid in kicks, but Cole went for a piledriver, which O’Reilly fought out of.
Back in the ring, O’Reilly used the ropes to assist on a guillotine, but Cole shoved O’Reilly onto the apron and back to the floor. Cole produced a half-dozen chairs and attacked O’Reilly with one. He targeted O’Reilly’s back, hitting a neckbreaker onto a chair. O’Reilly eventually fought back, going for a kimura, but Cole countered with a ushigoroshi for two.
Cole continued his beatdown until a knee lift from O’Reilly bought him some time. O’Reilly went for a knee bar, but Cole was able to roll to the floor. As Cole regrouped on a chair, O’Reilly landed a diving dropkick. O’Reilly chucked a chair into Cole’s face for two before grabbing a chain. Cole stopped whatever O’Reilly was planning to use the chain for with a draping neckbreaker for two.
The chain that O’Reilly brought into the match was tied around the top rope by Cole. The two fought over the chain, with O’Reilly winning the battle with a forearm. O’Reilly landed chain-assisted Kawada kicks, but Cole countered with a chain-assisted figure four leglock. O’Reilly reversed the pressure, then they landed simultaneous knockout strikes for the double down.
They exchanged more strikes, but Cole countered running offense with a clothesline using the chain. Cole then hit a chain-assisted backstabber for two before propping up two chairs. They each tried to send each other into the chairs, with Cole attacking with a German suplex and a shining wizard for two.
Cole moved to the floor and tried to suplex O’Reilly onto the steel steps. O’Reilly countered and applied a guillotine before crushing Cole with a knee strike. It looked as if O’Reilly was about to suplex Cole into the steps, but he hesitated as the announcers discussed his inner turmoil. Cole tried to take advantage of the hesitation, but O’Reilly had it scouted.
They exchanged forearms on the announce table until O’Reilly crushed Cole with a brainbuster. The table did not even buckle. Cole retreated to the broadcast area and smashed a monitor over O’Reilly’s head. He searched under the ring and found a toolbox, removing a wrench from the box. Cole appeared to try to stab O’Reilly with it, but O’Reilly fought him off. Cole then grabbed a tire iron, but O’Reilly took him out and hit a rebound lariat.
O’Reilly used the chain to apply an armbar and then a triangle choke. Cole rapidly faded, but grabbed the tire iron and struck O’Reilly across the ribs with it to break the hold. The two then set up chairs in the middle of the ring and exchanged strikes. O’Reilly looked to gain the advantage until a low blow sent him to the mat. Cole followed it up with a great superkick for two.
Cole grabbed a chair and wrapped it around O’Reilly’s head. He was about to Pillmanize O’Reilly until a referee implored him to stop. Cole crushed the official with a right hand and then hit Panama Sunrise, but the official couldn’t make the count. Cole berated the unconscious official as O’Reilly rolled to the ramp, where Cole threw another chair into his face.
O’Reilly rolled to the floor, where Cole repeatedly sent him into the ringside fencing. It looked like Cole was setting up for something dastardly, but O’Reilly locked on a jumping guillotine. Cole drove O’Reilly into the stage, sending them crashing through it. He then kicked out the side of the stage, pulling O’Reilly through it.
Both men were bloodied from the bump through the stage, Cole on his hand and O’Reilly on his back. Cole crushed O’Reilly with a brainbuster onto the steel steps. He rolled O’Reilly into the ring and covered, but O’Reilly barely got his shoulder up at two.
Cole pulled down the knee pad and went for the Last Shot, but O’Reilly collapsed to the mat before he could hit it. O’Reilly avoided another try and locked on a kneebar on both legs, but Cole fought out of it with a right hand using a chain. Cole went for Panama Sunrise, but O’Reilly countered into a Death Valley driver and a soccer kick. O’Reilly then hit a Last Shot of his own for a fantastic near fall.
O’Reilly wrapped a chair around Cole’s ankle and set up for a diving stomp, but Cole popped up and smacked him with the chair. Cole propped O’Reilly in the corner and berated him by saying he was always better than him, so O’Reilly sent him to the mat with a low blow. O’Reilly then wrapped a chain around his knee and hit a diving knee drop to finally pick up the win.
– Cole was stretchered off after the match.