WWE NXT TakeOver: Phoenix Results, Highlights, And Grades

WWE NXT TakeOver: Phoenix promises to be a stellar show, just like every other TakeOver Special, with matches like Bianca Belair vs. Shayna Baszler and Johnny Gargano vs. Ricochet on the card.

Although Sunday’s Royal Rumble card looks absolutely fantastic, tonight’s WWE NXT TakeOver: Phoenix show is very much tuning into. Beyond the fact that the show will almost certainly deliver in a big way, some of the wrestlers competing on this card could make a surprise Rumble appearance, including NXT Women’s Champion Shayna Baszler.

After defeating Kairi Sane at TakeOver: WarGames 2 thanks to interference from stablemates Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir, Baszler is running high as the first two-time NXT Women’s Champion. She puts that on the line against Bianca Belair tonight, and odds are that Belair will walk away from TakeOver: Phoenix *still* undefeated and with her first championship. Defeating Baszler is no easy task, but Belair has been on another level over the past several months.

The North American Championship match between Ricochet and Johnny Gargano is another potential show-stealer that will blow our minds. Ricochet’s amazing superkick spot against Adam Cole at TakeOver: Brooklyn IV is still fresh in our minds, as are his and Gargano’s excellent performances at TakeOver: WarGames 2. Gargano and Ricochet have been two of the world’s finest in-ring performers for years, and they’ll get a chance to show their brilliance on a big stage this weekend.

Since Roderick Strong betrayed Pete Dunne at TakeOver: New Orleans to join the Undisputed Era after months of being courted by Cole and Co, he and Kyle O’Reilly have formed one of wrestling’s most captivating tag teams. With amazing matches against the likes of Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan and Moustache Mountain, Strong and O’Reilly have pulled the division as NXT Tag Team Champions. Those titles will be on the line against the insanely athletic War Raiders, who are just itching to get their first taste of gold in NXT after being one of the most acclaimed tandems in the world.

At TakeOver: WarGames 2, Matt Riddle and Kassius Ohno had a surprise match that truly shocked the WWE NXT Universe, as Riddle squashed Ohno in seconds. Though Ohno has saved face since then, defeating Riddle’s friend and future NXT Champion Keith Lee in a recent singles match, he’s the heavy underdog in Phoenix following his stunning November loss. Riddle is ticketed for huge things, but how will he respond to a pissed-off Knockout Artist who is willing to do the dirty work to remind fans that he’s still a threat in NXT?

And finally, the main event of the show will pit Tommaso Ciampa and Aleister Black against each other for the NXT Championship. Ciampa has brought even more dignity to the NXT Championship since winning the title off of Black, thanks to Gargano’s interference, but this may prove to be an even tougher test for Ciampa, who barely survived the potentially main roster-bound Velveteen Dream at TakeOver: WarGames. It’s all on the line here, and expect an absolutely brutal match between two driven, gifted men who have nothing but contempt for each other.

NXT TakeOver: Phoenix’s loaded card has something for every wrestling fan, and all eyes are on Belair as she attempts to capture gold and become an even bigger star in 2019. Meanwhile, Ciampa’s dark days as NXT Champion could end at the hands of a man who absolved Gargano of his sins…by kicking his head off.

Check back here at 7 p.m. ET for live results, highlights, grades, and analysis for the show. TakeOver: Phoenix’s pre-show begins at 6 p.m. ET on the WWE Network, but the main card and the live updates will begin at 7.