WWE NXT TakeOver New York Results, Grades, and Review

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The Velveteen Dream (c) vs. Matt Riddle for the North American Championship

Result: The Velveteen Dream retains

Grade: A

This match has so much show-stealing potential, and it honestly has the opportunity to tell the best story of any singles match in NXT history since The Velveteen Dream and Aleister Black tore the roof off the place at the first TakeOver: WarGames.

Matt Riddle has made such an impact in WWE that Mauro Ranallo referenced Zion Williamson and Public Enemy when he made his introduction, and let’s just say that I’m OK with that; Riddle is good enough.

But that didn’t hold a candle to The Dream’s “Statue of Liberty” and “America The Beautiful” entrance, complete with smoke and blinding lighting. This is literally one of the best wrestling entrances of all-time. Eat your heart out Triple H.

This man truly is the North American Champion, and we certainly got to see him in a crown at WWE NXT TakeOver New York. The only question is, can he defeat the formidable Riddle?

Riddle started trying to play mindgames with The Dream by playing to the crowd, and he then offered his first for a “bro bump”. Dream gave him the finger wag, rejecting the bump as he started to size up Riddle, who kept him at bay with some well-timed kicks to the shin. The MMA aspect of this match’s psychology is quickly playing a role here.

Dream tried to start grappling with Riddle, and he paid for it dearly. It didn’t take long for Riddle to tease a Kimura, and Dream found it incredibly difficult to get any sort of momentum going against the experienced technician.

After stopping to adjust his hair, Dream went back for a “test of strength” with Riddle, which seemed to be headed for a stalemate. However, Riddle used his mat wrestling knowledge to use Dream’s momentum against him, and nearly ended up using an armbar to his advantage.

Riddle and Dream started trading big moves as the match picked up in speed, and we even saw Dream do the Ravishing Rick Rude taunt and use Riddle’s own lack of shoes against him. Dream started to use his quickness to keep Riddle off-balance, preventing the latter from getting any offense for a brief stretch. I emphasize “brief”, because Riddle countered a top-rope move from the champion into a SICKENING suplex on the outside that Dream sold effusively.

Back inside the ring, Riddle hit some nasty chops on Dream as he started to dominate the match again. As expected, he was clearly winning a battle of strikes. And Riddle started to show off his own agility, as Dream’s breathing started to become increasingly more labored.

Dream desperately fought off another submission attempt, barely getting his leg on the bottom rope to break up the hold. Feeding off the crowd’s “Bro” chants, Riddle started to close in on Dream as he slowed the pace of the match to his advantage.

The match nearly came to a close when Riddle followed up a vicious knee strike with a bridging German, but The Velveteen Dream is far too resilient to go down there. Frustrated, Riddle started to pick at the bones of The Dream, lighting him up with kicks, much to the displeasure of the crowd; they knew Riddle was berating an essentially defenseless opponent.

But Dream wouldn’t go down. He started to power up and hit a flurry of strikes on Riddle, beating him all over the ring before getting a nearfall with a Famouser. Dream hit another nearfall with a Codebreaker, but Riddle kicked out strongly. When he got up as Dream ascended the top rope, Dream let a “MF’r” slip. The frustration proved costly, as he was strapped in an Ankle Lock that he needed to desperately counter, arms flailing.

Though he hit a Dream DDT, it wasn’t over yet. Velveteen picked him up for a rolling DVD. But he missed the Purple Rainmaker that was promptly countered into the Bromission! But Dream countered it to save his championship!

Better yet, Riddle had some more big moves cooked up! He hit a jaw-dropping German from the second rope before following it up with the Floating Bro, which Dream kicked out of! Despite being beaten down and winded, Dream started begging for more, and he ended up barely kicking out of another knee strike before being placed in the Bromission.

But Dream countered and rolled him up! Dream is STILL the North American Champion, as an exhausted Riddle sat there incensed. He could not believe that he lost this match, but while he had the grappling and striking advantage, he just couldn’t match Velveteen Dream’s savvy and guile. Dream and Riddle should have a rematch, though, because they could build off of so many of the awesome spots, including Riddle’s German off the second rope.

Riddle offered his fist as a show of respect, and Dream teased walking away from it before feeling compelled to give The Bro his due. That was an awesome layer to his character.