NXT TakeOver WarGames 2019: Results, Highlights, and Grades

Men’s WarGames Match: The Undisputed Era (Adam Cole, Roderick Strong, Kyle O’Reilly, and Bobby Fish) vs. Team Ciampa (Tommaso Ciampa, Keith Lee, Dominik Dijakovic, and ???)

Undisputed Era are out first, really dragging out the “who joins Team Ciampa” thing as much as possible. Undisputed Era look so good draped in gold. Ciampa comes out in a really cool mask, one definitely worthy of an NXT TakeOver, and heads straight to the ring. The fourth and final member of Team Ciampa doesn’t come out, and Roderick Strong goes to the ring to start the match.

Ciampa gives Strong his crutch to start the match but Strong launches it over the cage. Ciampa drops Strong over the ropes and kicks him hard. Ciampa lands a big running knee to Strong in the corner. Mauro’s forced pop culture references really annoy me. Ciampa fails for the Fairytale Ending and Strong hits a wicked gutbuster.

Undisputed Era sends Kyle O’Reilly into the ring and he takes Ciampa down and starts swinging at him for all he’s worth. Undisputed Era’s coordinated green trunks look great. Keith Lee isn’t even in the match yet and the crowd are singing “ohh bask in his glory”. Strong delivers endless forearms to Ciampa while O’Reilly restrains him; O’Reilly then hits a flying knee from the top rope right onto Ciampa’s nose.

Ciampa’s first piece of help comes from Dominik Dijakovic, who levels both members of the UE in the ring, turning O’Reilly inside out with a clothesline. Dijakovic just fully launches O’Reilly into Strong. Strong tries to chop Dijakovic who just gets angry at it and lobs Strong everywhere. This has been a showcase for Dijakovic so far, and the crowd gets behind him with a loud “feast your eyes” chant. Dijakovic has O’Reilly between the rings and just keeps leveling him with forearms, O’Reilly bouncing back off the second ring ropes each time.

Bobby Fish is next into the fray, and he goes straight after Tommaso Ciampa. He takes Dijakovic down to the mat as well. Fish and O’Reilly hit the High-Low to Dijakovic with O’Reilly between the rings. They hit Chasing the Dragon on Ciampa. Undisputed Era make sure Dijakovic is out of action before focusing on Ciampa; Fish shouts “we run this, Keith Lee”. I’m sure that won’t come back to haunt you, Bobby pal.

Right on cue, Keith Lee is let into the match and he steams in and cleans house, leapfrogging both Fish and O’Reilly before wiping them both out completely with a crossbody. Lee is over as all hell. Lee goes for a sit-out powerbomb on Strong but Fish and O’Reilly take him out. Ciampa has recovered and is punching anyone that moves. Dijakovic is back up as well, flinging O’Reilly into the second ring.

Adam Cole is let out and enters the match, but not before bringing a table into the ring to a thunderous pop. Cole gets more and more tables. He leaves one set up opposite the cage door, which is a bad idea because Tommaso Ciampa launches him into it before Cole can get into the cage.

Undisputed Era cowers in one ring away from the babyfaces, who still have a numbers disadvantage. Keith Lee has O’Reilly up on his shoulders but Bobby Fish hits a nasty low blow.

The countdown to a new member starts. The fourth member of Team Ciampa is… KEVIN OWENS. KEVIN OWENS IS IN WAR GAMES. KEVIN OWENS IS AT NXT TAKEOVER. WHAT IS HAPPENING?! Adam Cole looks like he’s seen a ghost. Kevin Owens enters the cage and demolishes everyone, hitting a sleeper suplex on Kyle O’Reilly then powerbombing him into Bobby Fish. Owens tells Cole to suck it, drops him with a Stunner that Cole sells brilliantly, before Strong breaks up the pinfall. Dijakovic and Lee launch Strong through the ring ropes into the second ring.

Ciampa hits a draping DDT on O’Reilly. Tables are getting set up in both rings. Keith Lee hits a top rope crossbody onto everyone that isn’t Kyle O’Reilly, who locks in a submission on Lee. Dijakovic uses the second ring’s ropes to hit a springboard moonsault to break up the submission. Owens hits a Swanton bomb on Fish but Adam Cole breaks up the pinfall Ciampa attempts. Strong hits an avalanche Strong Slam and Fish & O’Reilly hit the High-Low on Lee, but the pinfall is broken up by Dijakovic.

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Owens chucks every UE member that isn’t Cole into the side of the cage, banters off O’Reilly, then teases a package piledriver twice before Cole superkicks him. Owens and Cole damage each other in a painful-looking Canadian Destroyer spot between the rings. Tommaso Ciampa is back up and hits Project Ciampa to O’Reilly, then demolishes Fish and Strong but gets superkicked by Cole. Ciampa and Cole struggle for dominance in the corner with two tables placed precariously behind them.

Cole and Ciampa both go to the top of the cage while Keith Lee is double-teamed until Dominik Dijakovic chokeslams Strong through a table. O’Reilly has Dijakovic in a triangle on the table but Owens frog splashes O’Reilly through it. Keith Lee then powerbombs Bobby Fish through another table. Tommaso Ciampa and Adam Cole are still on top of the cage, and Tommaso Ciampa hits an avalanche Air Raid Crash on Cole, from the top of the cage, through two tables, for the pinfall victory to a crowd almost silent through shock.

Result: Tommaso Ciampa, Keith Lee, Dominik Dijakovic and Kevin Owens def. The Undisputed Era

Grade: ***** (5 stars)

That was an absolutely outstanding way to end NXT TakeOver: WarGames. The match was paced really well, the massive surprise with the returning Kevin Owens completely unglued the crowd, and the final stretch was some of the most captivating wrestling you could ever hope to see. The match-winning Air Raid Crash from the top of the cage through two tables was terrifying. The most impressive competitor of the match, though, was Dominik Dijakovic, who put in a serious star-making performance. Brilliant work from everyone involved.

Overall PPV Grade: ****1/2 (4.5 stars)

NXT rarely ever disappoints with their NXT TakeOver spectaculars, and this was no different; NXT TakeOver: WarGames 2019 was outstanding viewing.

The women’s WarGames match was brilliant and included a genuine shock in Dakota Kai’s heel turn before a classic “babyfaces overcome the odds” story, the men’s equivalent was almost disturbingly violent and impossible to avert your eyes from, with a monstrous surprise entrant and a genuine star-making performance thrown in for good measure. The two matches in between were both thoroughly entertaining, and the triple threat sets up an interesting conundrum for Adam Cole tomorrow at Survivor Series.

Brilliant, brilliant PPV. NXT TakeOver does it again.