NXT TakeOver WarGames 2019: Results, Highlights, and Grades

NXT Championship #1 Contender’s Triple Threat Match: Pete Dunne vs. Damian Priest vs Killian Dain

All three competitors try to land a big move to start, but all fail. Pete Dunne hits signature joint manipulation on Killian Dain then immediately gets leveled by Damian Priest. Dain hits a Michinoku Driver on Dunne, onto Priest’s head, for a two count.

That looked great and painful. Dain hits a combination fallaway slam to Dunne, Samoan drop to Priest. Dain being booked super strong early on. Dunne lands a snap suplex and a double stomp to both of Dain’s hands, but ends up getting double-powerbombed by both larger men.

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Dunne again double stomps on Dain’s fingers but Priest takes over briefly until all three competitors manage to hit each other with big kicks to level everybody. This is great, if slightly difficult to keep track of. Priest hits a Broken Arrow on Dunne onto Kain, then hits the South of Heaven onto Dunne for a close two count.

Priest hits the Razor’s Edge onto Dunne through an announce table, then Dain hits a tope and a cannonball to the barrier on Priest. The action takes a slight break, with Priest and Dain in the ring, until Damian priest hits a massive Razor’s Edge onto Dain, the pinfall interrupted by a Dunne who is somehow back from the dead. Dunne destroys Priest’s face with stomps and the two of them go at it.

Priest, who is six foot seven, leaps over the turnbuckle to take a stirring Dain out so Pete Dunne hits a moonsault to the outside on both of them. Back in the ring, Dunne and Priest go at it again, countering each other’s finishers until Dunne traps Priest in a submission in the center of the ring, so close to the win before Dain breaks it up and lands a CLOSE two count on Priest.

Dain puts Dunne in the tree of woe and launches Priest into him, then cannonballs into both of them. He hits the Vader Bomb onto Priest but Dunne interrupts the fall with a moonsault. Dunne hits the Bitter End on Dain but Priest somehow kicks Dunne off him while still on the floor. Priest hits an avalanche Frankensteiner on Dunne into Dain, then hits The Reckoning on Dunne but Dain breaks it up!

This is unreal. Dain chop blocks Dunne in the knee, dropkicks Priest off the apron, goes up to the top rope but Dunne hits an enziguri. Dunne snaps Priest’s fingers, making him fall to the outside from the top rope, before Superplexing Dain.

Dunne hits the Bitter End on Priest before Dain AGAIN breaks up the pin. Dunne gets a Sleeper on Dain who falls backwards, dropping him hard on Priest. Dunne thinks quickly and pins Priest while Dain is recovering for the 1-2-3 and the win.

Result: Pete Dunne def. Damian Priest and Killian Dain

Grade: **** (4 stars)

The match was great. The closing stretch was fantastically entertaining, and had at least five near falls that caught the crowd completely off guard, thinking it was over. Really, really good. Dunne now takes his NXT TakeOver win and heads to Survivor Series tomorrow night against NXT Champion Adam Cole.