WWE NXT live results: TakeOver Stand & Deliver build continues

The build to TakeOver: Stand & Deliver continues on tonight’s episode of NXT.

Last week, WWE announced that NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver will take place over two nights on Wednesday, April 7 and Thursday, April 8. The first night will air live on the USA Network. The second night will be live on Peacock in the United States and live on the WWE Network everywhere else.

New challengers for NXT Champion Finn Balor and NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai appeared to emerge after their successful title defenses last week. Balor retained his NXT Championship against Adam Cole but was confronted by Karrion Kross after the match. Shirai retained her NXT Women’s Championship against Toni Storm and later told Raquel Gonzalez that she wants to face her next.

Kyle O’Reilly also returned last week and beat down Cole.

How NXT’s COVID-19 outbreak will affect tonight’s show remains to be seen. Dexter Lumis vs. Austin Theory, LA Knight’s NXT in-ring debut, Zoey Stark vs. Dakota Kai, Breezango vs. Legado Del Fantasma’s Raul Mendoza & Joaquin Wilde, and an appearance by NXT Cruiserweight Champion Jordan Devlin are listed on the preview for the show. Tommaso Ciampa & Timothy Thatcher vs. Imperium’s Marcel Barthel & Fabian Aichner and Leon Ruff vs. Isaiah “Swerve” Scott were announced for tonight’s show last week but aren’t currently listed on the preview.

Our live coverage begins at 8 p.m. Eastern time.

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The show opened with NXT Champion Finn Balor in the ring for a promo. He ran through the list of everyone he defeated to retain the title. Balor said Kross was up, and he said Kross’ time was up. That brought out Karrion Kross and Scarlett to confront Balor.

Kross said some stuff, and then he says everybody needs to know who the real champion really is around here. Of course, Kross never lost the NXT title, but he had to vacate the championship. Balor responded by saying everyone wants to be the champ until the real champion walks in the room.

Balor had something to say he said nobody had the balls to tell Kross. Balor is the champion, and he said Kross does not have what it takes.

Kross said Balor will know what it feels like when Kross chokes him out. Balor told Kross he would be in the main event of TakeOver, and he would choke.

Scarlett then said she has already seen this battle in the cards. Two champions both draped in gold, and the world in awe. It all happens for a reason, she explained. Whatever that means.

NXT Tag Team Champions Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan interrupted everyone in the ring. They cut a promo on Balor and Kross, saying their stablemate, Pete Dunne, could easily beat the champion and the challenger. 

Scarlett challenged Burch & Lorcan to put their tag titles on the line against Balor & Kross. She went on to try and seduce them into accepting the challenge. Scarlett basically questioned their manhood, so they of course agreed to the tag title match later on to prove her wrong. Match is set for the tag team titles tonight on NXT.

Dexter Lumis defeated Austin Theory

Lumis put Theory to sleep to win the match. Theory was by himself tonight. Johnny Gargano and the rest of The Way were not there. They were video chatting with Theory as he was going to the ring. Gargano said he could do this on his own.

They did this match way to soon in my opinion, but a lot of the roster was not there tonight. So they had to do something to fill a show. This was what they did.

There is a whole convoluted backstory, but short story is Theory does not like Lumis anymore. The match was good until they began to play into that convoluted backstory.

Lot of fire from Theory in the early portion of the match. He battled with Lumis through a picture-in-picture commercial break. Lumis made a comeback after the break. Theory bumped and fed into the comeback. Lumis with a slingshot slupex. I thought Tully was on the other show?

Lumis climbed the turnbuckles, and he went for a dounle stomp. He rolled through when Theory moved. Thoery then fired up, leading to him delivering an ushigoroshi. Lumis began to fight back, and he dropped Theory with a lariat.

Theory was down on the hand when Lumis offered him a hand to get to his feet. Then Theory hugged him, but Lumis snapped at him. Lumis went for his finisher, but Theory escaped. Lumis countered him again to lock in his vice sleeper. Theory was put to sleep.

Tommaso Ciampa said Timothy Thatcher was not here tonight. Ciampa blamed Imperium, and he said this time they really messed up.

Cole & O’Reilly on a collison course

Adam Cole is in the ring for a promo. Cole said he was never mad at Kyle O’Reilly. He just didn’t need him anymore, but that was before O’Reilly cost Cole the NXT title. Cole called him a “little punk” before saying O’Reilly knows deep down in his heart he is jealous of Cole. 

Cole said O’Reilly has signed his death warrant. Cole doesn’t care if O’Reilly is medically cleared, he wants him in this ring so Cole can finish. Out comes William Regal to tell Cole that O’Reilly wasn’t even cleared to be here last week. Furthermore, O’Reilly injured his neck even more, delaying his return even more.

Regal said O’Reilly was banned from the CWC for tonight. At least in person he was banned, but he was there on the video screen. O’Reilly popped up to cut a virtual promo on Cole. O’Reilly mocked and taunted Cole. 

O’Reilly said he will not rest until ends Cole. They were firends for 11 years, and Cole tried to end his career. O’Reilly is willing to do whatever he was to in order to end Cole. An angry Cole said he would find him first.

Legado del Fantasma (Raul Mendoza & Joaquin Wilde with NXT Cruiserweight Champion Santos Escobar) defeated Breezango (Tyler Breeze & Fandango)

Mendoza pinned Breeze to win a good match.

They went through a commercial break before a hot tag. Breeze tagged in to clean house on Legado del Fantasma. Breeze eventually locked in a single leg crap on Wilde, and they transitioned into Wilde getting catapulted over the ropes.

Blind tag by the rudos, and Breese was unaware. The rudos double-teamed the tecnico with a leg sweep/flying kick combo, and Mendoza covered Breeze for the pinfall.

Escobar after the match was at the announce desk asked where was Jordan Devlin at since he arrived at the building. Out marched Devlin to confront Escobar.

Will the real Cruiserweight champ please step up?

Devlin has his own version of the Cruiserweight title belt, which he never actually lost. Devlin was back in NXT to call out Escobar, who confronted Devlin in the ring. 

Devlin told Escoabr that the ace is back in town. Thrown that replica belt in the trash, because the real champ is back according to Devlin. Escobar answered back saying he redefined what it means to be a cruiserweight. He said everyone forgot Devlin even had his title.

Escobar told Devlin to wrap up his business in the U.K., and come back to face him. Escobar challenged Devlin to a title match at TakeOver: Stand and Deliver. Escobar said they settle it once and or all. They were face-to-face when Devlin headbutted Escobar. 

Devlin left the ring, and Escobar sold big with seemingly fake blood coming out his mouth. Great segment overall.

Dakota Kai (with Raquel Gonzalez) defeated Zoey Stark

Kai pinned Stark in a good match. Psychology was odd at one point, but that was playing into a commercial break.

Stark was mostly in control until Kai cut her off. The tide turned from there as Kai went to work over Stark. Just before a commercial break, Stark fired up, and she bounded over the ropes with a plancha. Somehow, Kai was getting heat on Stark when the show returned from the break. Go figure.

Stark fired up again. This time it was a true comeback. She even got a near fall on Kai. Stark was tripped up by Kai, and they fought on the apron. Stark springboarded back into the ring, but Kai cut her down with a superkick. They would trade near falls.

Back-and-forth in the closing moments. Rolling fireman’s carry by Stark, but she was tripped on the turnbuckles. Kai executed the Go To Kick, and she covered Stark for a pinfall.

NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai stormed the ring with contract in hand. At first it seemed she was there for Kai, but she walked past her to hand the contract off to Gonzalez. Shirai defending the title against Gonzalez in very near future seems highly likely at this point.

MSK were featured in a video package. After that aired on the show, Grizzled Young Veterans in a pre-tape promo. MSK fooled them last week, and Grizzled Young Veterans are very angry about it.

Tommaso Ciampa defeated Marcel Barthel (with Fabian Aichner)

Ciampa pinned Barthel. NXT UK Champion WALTER appeared in the building after the match to confront Ciampa.

During Imperium’s entrance, Ciampa attacked Aichner with a chair. Ciampa also jumped Marthel, and the match was on. From the start, this was more of a brawk than a wrestling match. Barthel turned it into more of a wrestling bout, but Ciampa was there to brawl. Aichner interfered at one point, allowing Barthel to work over Ciampa.

Ciampa came back with several running knee strikes on Barthel. One knee strike even knocked Aichner off the apron. Ciampa with a German suplex, and then he executed the Widow’s Bell. From there, Ciampa covered Barthel for a pinfall.

WALTER returns!

The light went dark and WALTER entered the scene. He marched to the ring where he confronted Ciampa. Barthel & Aichner in a sneak attack jumped Ciampa. He tried to fight them off, but he was no match for the numbers game. Outnumbered, Ciampa suffered a beating at the hands of Imperium. 

WALTER chopped down Ciampa, and WALTER powerbombed him. Imperium then stood over Ciampa.

LA Knight was headed to the ring, but he stopped to cut a promo beforehand. Behind him was Bronson Reed entering Knight’s locker room.

Johnny Gargano & Candice LeRae in an advertising tie-in cut promos basically putting over each other in the name of Dairy Queen, or something like that. They talked about their happy place while at a table with some DQ products. Entertaining, but kind of odd too.

LA Knight defeated August Grey

Knight pinned Grey, but not before Reed caused a distraction that really angered Knight.

Knight was beating Grey like he was enhancement talent, until Bronson Reed caused a distraction. Reed appeared on stage holding one of Knight’s custom made leather jackets. Reed tried to put on the jacket, but it was too small. The gaga here was Reed ripping up the jacket while Knight pitched a fit in the ring.

August got a two count with a schoolboy, but Knight soon finished the match with a headlock DDT.  

Next week on NXT is a tag team with Kai & Gonzalez vs. Shirai & Stark. Kai revealed the news in a backstage interview. Also, Regal says he was a solution for the Cole-O’Reilly situation. He will tell us next week. I bet one hundred dollars that it’s some sort of match.

NXT Tag Team Champions Danny Burch & Oney Lorcan defeated NXT Champion Finn Balor & Karrion Kross (with Scarlett) to retain the tag team titles

Lorcan pinned Balor after Kross turned on Balor. If a shorthanded crew tonight wasn’t bad enough, Burch left this match after possibly suffering an injury. The champs still retained their titles.

Kross looked strong from the outset as he dominated the early portion of the match. Burch appeared to suffer an injury. The match basically froze with Kross standing in a corner with Balor. The referee was checking on Burch as the show cut to commercial.

Balor tagged himself into the match during a picture-in-picture commercial break. Lorcan was eventually able to turn the tide in his favor. Heat on Balor as he worked him over. Lorcan was alone at this point while Burch was being examined by a medical professional. Burch would never return to the match.

Balor with a Pele kick to drop Lorcan in his tracks, and Balor launches into a full comeback. Lorcan was sent outside, and Balor gave him a slingblade on the floor. Balor shot Lorcan with finger pistols, and then he delivered a shotgun dropkick.

When Balor dropkicked Lorcan, it caused Lorcan to crash into Scarlett. She took a bump on the floor. Balor seemed almost as remorseful as Hulk Hogan was towards Elizabeth just before the Mega Powers explode.

Kross sees Scarlett down, and Balor is near her. In a fit of rage, Kross attacked Balor. He rammed him into the barricade, and Kross rolled Balor back into the ring. Lorcan with a running uppercut leveled Balor, and Lorcan covered him for a pinfall.

Kross attacks again

An angry Kross attacked Lorcan after the match was over. Lorcan took a few Saito suplexes, and he was laid out. Kross jumped Balor once again, and Kross was choking out Balor with a sleeper. Scarlett stopped Kross, and she helped Balor to his feet. Kross then laid out Balor with a blow to the back of his head. 

Scarlett placed the NXT title belt on Balor’s chest, and she whispered to him that everything happens for a reason. Scarlett and Kross stood over a fallen Balor as the show faded to black.