NXT TakeOver Brooklyn III live results: Bobby Roode vs. Drew McIntyre
Preview by Joseph Currier
SummerSlam weekend officially kicks off at the Barclays Center tonight as NXT returns to Brooklyn for its annual summer TakeOver special. As always, all of NXT’s titles will be on the line, along with two more matches to complete the card.
In the NXT Championship match, Bobby Roode will defend against Drew McIntyre. It’s the biggest spot for McIntyre since he returned to WWE earlier this year. Asuka will also put her now-500+ day long NXT Women’s Championship reign on the line as she again faces off with Ember Moon.
To round out the card, SAnitY will challenge The Authors of Pain for their tag titles. Aleister Black will take on Hideo Itami, and Johnny Gargano gets his first singles match on a TakeOver special as he squares off with Andrade “Cien” Almas.
NXT alumni will be part of the pre-show, with WWE branding this TakeOver as a homecoming for the brand. Our live coverage of the main card starts at 8 p.m. ET
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The show began with Code Orange playing the NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn theme with NXT clips interspersed throughout.
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Andrade “Cien” Almas pinned Johnny Gargano
The finish saw Zelina Vega distract Gargano with a Tommaso Ciampa t-shirt, which allowed Almas to hit the Hammerlock DDT for the win.
These two work pretty well together and it made for an excellent opener. Almas got the heat by locking Gargano in his armbar in the ropes and worked the shoulder. Gargano came back with a series of clotheslines and his Spear from between the ropes. Almas did his spot where he lounges in the ropes, but Gargano hit a superkick, dropping Almas to the outside. Almas caught him on a second Spear and hit a Tornado Scorpion Death Drop, but Gargano kicked out of that.
Gargano blocked a superplex, but Almas flipped over on a sunset flip power bomb and hiptossed Gargano into the corner. After a series of reversals Gargano got on the Gargano Escape, but Almas rolled through and hit a deadlift power bomb into the turnbuckles. Almas took off from the opposite corner and hit his running double knees for the nearest of near falls.
Gargano hit two superkicks, a Lawn Dart into the corner and went for a running kick to finish things when the finish happened.
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Kurt Angle, Daniel Bryan, No Way Jose, Roderick Strong and The Iconic Duo were all hanging out in a skybox. Peyton Royce and Billie Kay were all over Bryan, who was laughing at the situation.
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Corey Graves joined the announce table for the next match.
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Alexander Wolfe & Eric Young of SAnitY defeated The Authors of Pain for the NXT Tag Team Championship
SAnitY ended the AOP’s undefeated streak and won the Tag Team Titles with a double team neckbreaker on Rezar.
This was another excellent match, but in a completely different way than the opener. Akam and Rezar stormed the ring for a 4-way brawl with Wolfe and Killian Dain before the match even began. They brawled to the outside and Eric Young pulled out a table, but it didn’t come into play until later as the brawl broke down into a tag team match.
SAnitY teased that it would be Wolfe and Killian Dain, as they were the two brawling with AOP early. However, Eric Young jumped onto the apron and since Killian Dain was never officially in the match, he tagged in to replace Dain as the official member in the match. AOP used an impressive move where Akam backdropped Young onto Rezar’s shoulder, who dropped EY with a Dominator.
Even though there were no official babyfaces, Young fought from underneath, which the crowd was into, but they didn’t seem to care as much for Wolfe’s hot tag. All four men looked good regardless. AOP has improved exponentially since debuting and Wolfe has never had much of a chance to show what he can do, but he was really good as well.
Young got tagged back in, which the crowd popped for. Akam went for an assisted power bomb/superplex to Young, but Nikki Cross held EY’s legs, so Rezar took a power bomb. That would have been the finish, but Akam just broke up the pinfall at the last second. Paul Ellering and Nikki Cross confronted each other, but Cross dove over the top rope onto Akam. However Akam caught her and was about to slam her down, but Killian Dain speared both of them through the table from earlier. Rezar was left with Wolfe and Young and that was it.
After the match Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly ran in through the crowd and assaulted everyone. They weren’t called reDRagon, but Mauro referenced their successes in ROH and New Japan. After laying out the other 4 men, they dropped Young with Chasing The Dragon (called by name). Fish and O’Reilly dropped the tag team titles on Young and left through the crowd.
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Neville was moodily sitting in the crowd by himself. Shinsuke Nakamura and Kalisto were sitting elsewhere.
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Jim Ross came out as the surprise guest commentator for the next match. Good to see he hasn’t retired since Cesaro & Sheamus had that confrontation with Dean Ambrose & Seth Rollins at the WWE 2K event yesterday.
PLUS Code Orange came back to play Aleister Black to the ring for the next match.
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Aleister Black pinned Hideo Itami
The finish saw Black block the Go To Sleep and hit the Black Mass while Itami screamed for everyone to show him respect. A good match, but not quite as good as the first two bouts.
You know what you were in for when the match began with both men kicking each other in the face multiple times. Itami hit the first big move of the match as he dropped Black on the top rope and used a jumping knee to the head. He may have caught him in the nose, since Black sprung a leak and is wearing the crimson mustache.
Itami face washed a down Black and mocked him by sitting cross legged on the mat. Black started his comeback and hit the Quebrada, but actually kicked Itami on the top of the head. Itami took him back down with a diving clothesline and a Fisherman Suplex. Itami hit a Falcon Arrow from the middle rope, but Black kicked out and stared down Itami.
Near the finish we get a flurry of strikes from both men. Kicks, punches, chops, slaps, knees, everything you can do to hit another man was thrown in one 60 second burst.
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Sasha Banks, Becky Lynch and Bayley were shown at ringside before the next match.
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Asuka submitted Ember Moon to retain the NXT Women’s Championship
Asuka will live to see Day 506 as NXT Women’s Champion as she submitted Ember Moon to the Asuka Lock. (Mauro kept calling it 504 days, but today is Day 505)
This match got off to a quick start with Ember attacking at the bell. Asuka rolled to the outside, but Ember used a flip dive off the middle rope onto Asuka. The champ took over by sending Ember first into the ring steps and then suplexed her onto the ramp. Back in the ring Asuka focused her offense on Ember’s shoulder that was injured several months ago, locking in a Fujiwara Armbar. Ember got out of it and hit a step-up enziguri for a 2 count.
Asuka went for the Asuka Lock, but Ember reversed it into one of her own, but Asuka reversed that and locked it on good, but Ember was able to flip over and almost pin her there. Ember kicked out of a Running Hip Attack and blocked a second before hitting a tornado suplex. Asuka booted Ember right in the face, but Ember slammed her to the mat. Ember trapped her in the tree of woe and hit the double foot stomp.
Ember finally hit The Eclipse…but Asuka kicked out. The crowd exploded for both the move and the kick out. Ember looked on the verge of tears. She went for a second one, but Asuka cheated by holding the ref in front of her. Then Asuka rolled through on a flying crossbody and had a handful of trunks, but the referee caught her. Ember got another super close near fall with a superkick, but she got caught on the kickout.
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Kevin Owens and Samoa Joe were both sitting ringside.
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Triple H will be on Facebook Live with Cathy Kelly after the show ends.
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Drew McIntyre pinned Bobby Roode to win the NXT Championship
The NYPD Pipe and Drum Band did a brief performance accompanying McIntyre on his entrance. In Bobby Roode’s continuing quest to have the longest entrance in pro wrestling his walk to the ring tonight clocked in at an even four minutes.
McIntyre won the title with his second Klaymore kick. Roode had the match won with his second Glorious DDT, but insisted on going for a third and that was his downfall. That was then followed by the debut of Adam Cole, teaming with Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly to lay out the new champion. An excellent main event, followed by a great post-match angle to cap off a great show.
The two men were evenly matched early, but Roode almost hit the Glorious DDT two minutes into the match and mockingly told Drew how close he was. McIntyre came back and used his suplex throw. Outside the ring Roode went for a dive off the apron, but he got caught and eventually Drew gave him a tilt a whirl slam on the ring apron (which is the hardest part of the ring).
Roode finally took over with a neckbreaker on the middle rope as McIntyre tried to get back in the ring. Roode used a Buff Blockbuster on the mats outside the ring and a neckbreaker inside the ring. At some point Roode got a pretty noticeable bruise outside his left leg.
Roode went for a running crossbody, but he got caught and Drew dropped him with a Celtic Cross for a 2 count. Drew went for a top rope superplex, but Roode tripped him and due to his height, Drew’s head smacked off the mat with a thud. While Roode played to the crowd, Drew sat up and heaved him across the ring.
McIntyre set up for the Klaymore, but Roode feigned being unconscious. McIntyre picked him up and almost hit Future Shock, but Roode hit a Back Stabber. Drew finally hit the Future Shock, which was his old finisher, but Roode got out at 2. Roode then hit a Running Liger Bomb for a 2 count. McIntyre hit the Klaymore, but Roode got his foot on the ropes on the pinfall attempt.
Roode rolled outside and Drew tried to go after him, but the referee manhandled him to prevent him from doing so. Drew then ignored him and did a running tope over the top and partly to Roode (but mostly to the mats). Roode avoided a second Klaymore and hit a Spinebuster and a Glorious DDT, but somehow, someway, McIntyre kicked out.
The title lineage now reads Seth Rollins, Big E, Bo Dallas, Neville, Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens, Finn Balor, Samoa Joe, Shinsuke Nakamura, Bobby Roode and Drew McIntyre. The King is dead, long live the new King!
After the credits rolled, Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly appeared on the ring apron to play distraction as Adam Cole ran in through the crowd and attacked the new champion! The three former ROH stars put the boots to Drew McIntyre and ended the show standing tall.
Good luck to SummerSlam on following this one.