Tonight, WWE NXT TakeOver WarGames will look to change the game with championship matches, including the highly-anticipated “WarGames” match.
WWE NXT TakeOver WarGames will feature an NXT Championship match between Drew McIntyre and Andrade “Cien” Almas (accompanied by manager Zelina Vega), a Fatal Four-Way for the NXT Women’s Championship, and a WarGames match for the tag titles that will be fought among three teams.
There’s no doubt that this TakeOver Special could be one of the best shows of the year, because NXT consistently knocks it out of the park. Just a few months ago before SummerSlam, NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III was one of the best shows of the year from top to bottom with impeccable matches.
Johnny Gargano and Almas put on a show, Asuka defeated Ember Moon in one of the greatest women’s matches of all-time, Aleister Black and Hideo Itami had a great match, and McIntyre closed out the show with a championship win over Bobby Roode that was interrupted in even more memorable fashion by Adam Cole’s NXT debut.
NXT TakeOver: WarGames has the opportunity to be even better. With Roderick Strong joining forces with the Authors of Pain, the potential for Strong’s heel turn to join the faction of Kyle O’Reilly, Bobby Fish, and Cole is there. Meanwhile, Sanity can make an even bigger imprint as tag champions by defending their titles successfully in this hellacious match, and that imprint could become truly remarkable if Nikki Cross is able to defeat Kairi Sane, Peyton Royce, and Moon for the NXT Women’s title.
Some fans are already predicting an upset for Almas over McIntyre, who has never defended his title at an NXT TakeOver special yet. But Almas is white-hot, and some feel that McIntyre could already be on his way to the main roster.
That remains to be seen, but what we do know is that the non-title matches will be just as good. Lars Sullivan is a monster and Kassius Ohno is a legendary worker who can put on a solid bout with anyone, so that match should hit the right note. Aleister Black and the Velveteen Dream don’t need a title to have the best-built match on the card, and this one could tell a perfect story that steals the show.
As you can tell, I’m excited for NXT TakeOver WarGames, and it’s another opportunity for NXT to give a huge “follow that” to the WWE roster when Survivor Series starts tomorrow.
Be sure to check back and follow along for live updates, highlights, grades, and analysis of the show.
Credit: WWE.com
Lars Sullivan vs. Kassius Ohno
Lars Sullivan Wins Via Pinfall
Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars
Kassius Ohno grew tired of watching Lars Sullivan plow through the NXT locker room in a sign of both power and blatant disrespect, as Ohno has kind of become a veteran police man of the locker room (based on his feud with Hideo Itami). Ohno isn’t going places at this stage of his career, whereas the WWE ostensibly has potentially big plans for Lars. So that pretty much tells you where the smart money is.
Overall, this was a solid match between the two competitors, and it went about as you would expect. Sullivan and Ohno had equal offense in this match and both came out the other end looking better, but Lars earned a necessary victory. He was just too strong and too tough for Ohno to take down, and he looked like a monster, especially when he no-sold strikes.
Ohno, as always, showed off his vicious strikes and insane athleticism, and he had a comeback sequence that added an awful lot to this match. Nobody expected this to be a showstopper, and it will likely go down as the “worst match” on the card. However, again, it was a quality match, and it certainly achieved its purpose whilst also being entertaining.
Credit: WWE.com
Velveteen Dream vs. Aleister Black
Result: Aleister Black Wins Via Pinfall
Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars
Perhaps the best feud in WWE right now, Velveteen Dream vs. Aleister Black may be the most intriguing match on the entire card, and that’s saying something given how stacked the WarGames card is. Many have speculated that Black and Dream could steal the show, as both are extremely talented and have been excellent in this feud. Their two styles and characters mesh well perfectly.
They were hyping up the advantage that Black has as a striker and grappler due to his experience, and it is also interesting to note that the match told the story of neither being a true heel or face. It was hard to pinpoint if one of them was working as a traditional heel or face, and both the Velveten Dream and Aleister Black were clearly feeling each other out in the early going. The crowd was behind Black during submission holds, which matches how both have been perceived on the mic in this feud.
The match then shifted into the mind games and psychology, with Black mocking some of the Velveteen Dream’s poses. This added a highly-anticipated – and necessary – layer to this match.
The Velveteen Dream had a great spot where he tied Black up in the ropes and begged him to say his name, and then the match started to heat up again in the ring after Black responded to the taunt with a kick to the face.
It was a real shock to see Black kick out of the “Death Valley Driver”, which was hit so smoothly after a sequence of moves, but the kick-out added so much to the match and aided that mystique Black has a special opponent in NXT.
As expected, Black won, and it was an awesome match that may have indeed stolen the show for some. And most importantly, Black said Velveteen Dream’s name. The result keeps Black’s mystique and gets “Dream” over both as a competitor and as a major player.
Credit: WWE.com
Fatal Four-Way For The NXT Women’s Championship
Result: Ember Moon pins Nikki Cross with The Eclipse
Rating: 3.75 out of 5 stars
Kairi Sane won the Mae Young Classic and doesn’t seem to need a win to legitimize her, since her biggest battle as a babyface will be connecting with the crowd. That seems to be more likely if she is “chasing”, so, going into the match, Sane is logically not a favorite to win.
Ember Moon seems to be the most deserving due to her feud with Asuka, but perhaps she could be called up to the main roster without ever wining a title. Peyton Royce and Nikki Cross are other likely candidates, and Royce’s breakout work this year could allow her to get any babyface over as a champion.
This match was worked at a frenetic pace, and it was exciting to see how many finishers and pin break-ups were used. This made sure that every finisher remained strong, as all four competitors have exciting maneuvers. In the end, Ember Moon hit a picture perfect “Double Eclipse”, covering Nikki Cross to score the pinfall, and we’ll likely see these two feuding together.
Moon definitely deserved this win, and it was awesome to see Asuka hand her the title in a show of respect. Those two put on incredible matches, so this was an important crowning moment for Moon, who is one of the best wrestlers in the company right now.
Credit: WWE.com
Drew McIntyre (c) vs. Andrade “Cien” Almas For The NXT Championship
Result: Almas Wins NXT Championship Via Pinfall (DDT Off Top Rope)
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Although it would be weird to see Drew McIntyre, who is one of the few wrestlers that is better when holding a championship, dropping the title in his first match at a TakeOver special, fans have been speculating that it could be Almas’s time right now. With Zelina Vegas as his manager, Almas is white-hot, and his matches with the likes of Johnny Gargano and Roderick Strong have been excellent.
Zelina Vega tried to intervene in the match as she did when “Cien” faced Roderick Strong on NXT television, but Drew McIntyre wasn’t having any of her headscissors takedown onto the steel steps. He countered the move and also countered a brief follow-up attack from Almas.
There were some beautiful moves and counters in this match, including McIntyre’s overhead release suplex after bouncing Almas off the ropes. Almas used his submission on the ropes to hurt McIntyre’s arm, which is a story they would use later in the match.
But nothing topped Almas countering a powerbomb into a headscissors that knocked McIntyre into the ring post, which was followed up with a gorgeous moonsault to the outside. Now that was the spot of the night thus far. And, of course, the crowd became insanely hot for this match after that spot.
Wait a second, that spot might have been topped by Almas moving to the outside after being frustrated by McIntyre’s kickout. He grabbed the title, hoisting it up in typically braggadocios fashion. Vega took advantage of the distraction to hit a headscissors on McIntyre, who was then hit by Almas’s “Hammerlock DDT”. It looked like the fan speculation would be proven correct, but McIntyre shocked everyone in attendance by kicking out.
McIntyre then hit Almas with a “Claymore”, but Vega placed Almas’s foot on the ropes. Almas then won the match with a shocking DDT off the top rope to finish what may have been the greatest match of the year in WWE and one of the most shocking finishes.
It is now the era of Almas, and it’s truly incredible. But what is next for McIntyre, who had a brief reign but already put together two instant classics on the NXT roster?
Credit: WWE.com
WarGames For The NXT Tag Team Championship
Sanity vs. Undisputed Era vs. Authors of Pain plus Roderick Strong
Result: Adam Cole pins Eric Young of Sanity after a Shining Wizard to a steel chair
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars and one of the most memorable matches of all-time
The vast majority of people are predicting a win for the Undisputed Era, because the trio of Adam Cole, Bobby Fish, and Kyle O’Reilly entered NXT with a lot of hype. More importantly, they have been involved in all the main event segments and in an intriguing storyline with Roderick Strong, who is randomly thrown together with the Authors of Pain after initially teasing a partnership with the Undisputed Era.
However, Sanity could easily retain the tag team championships. For the most part, the Authors of Pain seem likely to lose due to their alliance with Strong and the fact that they have little to prove; the AoP should be headed for the main roster shortly.
Eric Young, Adam Cole, and Roderick Strong started the match, and the early stories were Strong’s superiority in the ring and Cole’s possible desire to escape the match. Those quickly faded as things opened up and became more even, but they did hype up Cole’s in-ring IQ by isolating Strong and Young in separate rings. Cole then started to clean house.
I’m not even going to bother providing a length justification for yet another high match rating, because all that matters is the fact that this match kept me on the edge of my seat throughout. There was so much brilliant psychology and so many risky spots, that this match had something for everyone. It had the crowd popping, and it was total carnage.
The match delivered in every sense, and it was awesome seeing the story of Adam Cole’s ascension rise. Cole’s in-ring IQ and moxy were really displayed in this match, and he’s both over with the crowd and a breath of fresh air. He is as good as advertised, and this match was all about him.
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WarGames was a truly special pay per view, and the main event was the perfect way to finish it.