WWE NXT TakeOver New York features a card that is as loaded any TakeOver Special in recent memory, and it even includes a bout between two of NXT UK’s best in United Kingdom Champion Pete Dunne and the recently-signed WALTER. Though Tommaso Ciampa’s heart-breaking neck injury threw a wrench in NXT‘s plans, the two-out-of-three falls match between Johnny Gargano and Adam Cole for the NXT Championship still feels incredibly special. Whether that match or the women’s Fatal Four-Way main events WWE NXT TakeOver New York is unclear, but what is clear is that the Barclays Center will play host to another very special show. Gargano vs. Cole is a prime example of how adept NXT is at creating storylines on the fly, as the NXT Universe is fully invested in this championship match despite there only being weeks of build. Everyone understands who Gargano and Cole fundamentally are as performers and characters, and their verbal sparring on NXT TV two weeks ago featured some of the best promo work we’ve seen from these two superstars. We also know that both men are more than capable of delivering in the ring, as Gargano is arguably the best wrestler in the world right now. Shayna Baszler’s title defense against Io Shirai, Kairi Sane, and Bianca Belair has the crowd just has hyped, and the closing moments of NXT’s go-home show were dedicated to hyping this match up. Baszler, once again, ruined a great match between Sane and Belair, and the latter really should win this match. Though Shayna has been a huge star in NXT over the past year, it’s time for the only two-time NXT Women’s Champion to make her way to the main roster. Plus, Belair would have had Baszler beat at TakeOver: Phoenix if it weren’t for a referee bump, and it’s about damn time one of NXT’s best homegrown talents ascended to the top of the show. Belair’s crowning moment following what should be an amazing match (Kairi and Io are two of the absolute best in the world, too) should be in consideration as the show’s main event. Another potential show-stealer pits The Velveteen Dream and Matt Riddle against each other. The Dream is accustomed to stealing (being?) the show, and Riddle’s WrestleMania Week heroics have been well-documented. The build to this match has arguably been the best of any of the matches on this card, and we should be headed for some more special story-telling from The Dream, who has “superstar” written all over him. Pete Dunne is in the same bracket in terms of star power, seeing as how he’s the longest-reigning champion in the modern era. But he will face his toughest test on Friday night against WALTER, who made his debut to stare down Dunne in the closing moments of NXT UK TakeOver Blackpool, the first Pay Per View event for WWE’s newest brand. While Dunne remains the favorite, don’t be surprised if WALTER is the one to dethrone Dunne, especially on a stage as big as the TakeOver before WrestleMania at the Barclays Center. Don’t sleep on the NXT Tag Team Championships match between War Raiders and Aleister Black and Ricochet. Though a newly-formed team thanks to their main roster call-ups and Ciampa’s injury, Black and Ricochet have two title opportunities this week for a reason; they have quickly become one of the best tag teams in the world. I mean, their chemistry is just amazing already! That said, Hanson and Rowe have been the cream of the crop for quite some time, and they dazzled the NXT Universe at TakeOver: Phoenix in January. With five matches on the WWE NXT TakeOver New York card, the Black and Yellow brand has once again gone for quality over quantity. And the quality is just oozing off the page. This will be another special night for wrestling fans, and I sincerely hope everyone in attendance has the time of their life this evening. WWE NXT TakeOver: New York kicks off at 6:00 p.m. ET, and the actual show will begin at 7:00 p.m. ET. Check back here for live results, grades, and review commentary during the main card. The show, like all TakeOver Specials, can only be watched on the WWE Network.<doc-sep>I love pro wrestling. If you ever feel your fandom waning, simply watch an NXT TakeOver and your mood will change considerably for the better. This show had five wonderful to truly excellent matches. It had a beautiful mix of different paces and styles. All the matches were really given time to shine and did so on this fantastic Friday night. It was a very hot crowd that was rewarded with one of the best TakeOvers ever. With all of this in mind after another fun and a truly thrilling NXT night, I present my list of the top five most surprising moments of WWE TakeOver: New York. #5 The Athleticism of the NXT Tag Title Match One of the many painful moments of the amazing tag team match. I send a fond farewell to Ricochet and Aleister Black. They ended their amazing NXT careers with a bang. Their final match with the War Raiders was one of the better tag teams matches you will ever see. NXT always does a fantastic job with its hot opener and this was the perfect choice. What surprised me the most was the pace of the match. It never allowed you to catch your breath. You also had unbelievable moments. You had Hanson match Ricochet with flips, Ricochet showing his strength and catching Hanson in mid-air, and all four wrestlers flying out of the ring in athletic and impressive ways. It was a match of impressive pacing that was surprising to see for a nearly twenty-minute match. I hope this leads to better things for War Raiders. They needed a strong showing like this. I think they showed their impressive talent on this day. 1 / 5 NEXT<doc-sep>Well, it’s finally here! I’m Scott Hammond and this is NXT TakeOver: New York! NXT Tag Team Title Championship Match: The War Raiders (c) vs Aleister Black & Ricochet The War Raiders had another great Viking style entrance. The crowd was hot and ready to go. Black and Rowe started the match. They exchanged some great chain wrestling to start. There were a few respect spots between the two before both men tagged in their respective partners. Ricochet with the head scissors into a kip up dropkick by Ricochet on Hanson. All four men entered the ring and Black hit Rowe with a running knee to the stomach as Ricochet hit a seated dropkick. Great teamwork here. The Raiders recovered and Hanson hit a scoop slam with Rowe onto Ricochet. Black tagged in and Hanson began to slow the pace of the match down. Ricochet managed a quick tag and hit a hurricanrana into a springboard forearm on Rowe. He followed that up with a standing shooting star press for a two count. He then tagged in Black who took down Rowe with a strike. Black then applied a seated abdominal stretch on Rowe to slow the pace again. Black hit foot strikes on Rowe in the corner, but Rowe recovered and hit a knee strike and managed to tag Hanson. Ricochet tagged in as well and Hanson hit running lariats on both Black and Ricochet. Then, in a moment of madness, Rowe was caught by Ricochet in the corner, and he performed a crazy fallaway slam! Unreal. Rowe and Black tagged back in and began a striking exchange followed by knees strikes. Ricochet and Hanson were now in and Ricochet went for his signature handspring elbow but missed, and Hanson followed up with a handspring elbow of his own for a two count. Hanson then ascended to the top rope but was caught by Ricochet. but Rowe entered the ring and the Raiders hit a double team German suplex into a middle rope springboard clothesline for a two count that was broken up by Black with a foot stomp. Black eliminated Hanson to the outside and hit him with a springboard moonsault to the outside, but this was quickly followed by Rowe hitting Black with a Tope Suicida. Ricochet then hit a flying corkscrew tiger drop onto Rowe. Hanson then ascended to the top rope and hit a cannonball onto all three men. Unbelievable. Ricochet and Rowe were then in, and Ricochet hit a knee to the face. Black then hit Black Mass on Rowe followed by a shooting star press by Ricochet but only got a two count! Ricochet then missed a 630, and Black missed a springboard moonsault to the outside. The War Raiders then hit the floor cannon on Ricochet followed by Fallout for the pinfall victory. Both teams then shook hands and hugged it out. The Raiders then bowed to Ricochet and Black. Winners and still NXT Tag Team Champions: War Raiders Black and Ricochet stayed in the ring to a standing ovation. Both men got very emotional. Incredible moment for both of these tremendous athletes. They will be very missed in NXT. NXT North American Championship Match: Velveteen Dream (c) vs Matt Riddle Dream’s entrance was something else. He stood on a podium as the Statue of Liberty and was carried to the ring. Fantastic stuff here for the character of Dream. Both men talked at the beginning of the match. Riddle hit a few foot strikes to start. Riddle applied an armbar but Dream quickly got out of the hold. Dream stepped on Riddle’s foot, and Dream took advantage with a collection of near falls. Riddle recovered and hit two gut wrench suplexes but Dream reversed and hit a dropkick. Riddle moved to the outside, and Dream attempted an axe handle from the top, but Riddle caught him and hit a deadlift German suplex. Riddle then got Dream back into the ring and hit a senton, followed by palm strikes. Riddle then hit an exploder suplex. Dream recovered long enough to hit a German suplex of his own, but Riddle no sold the move and hit a knee strike to the face followed by a fisherman’s buster for a two count. Riddle hit yet another senton (apparently called a Bro-Ton, I don’t like it), but Dream applied a sleeper hold. This was quickly reversed by Riddle into a hanging armbar, which he then turned into a short arm knee strike, followed by a GTS (am I allowed to call it that anymore? ), followed by a bridged German suplex for a two count. Riddle looked angry at this point. Riddle then hit kicks to the chest of Dream, but he began Hulking up. Dream hit punches to the head, followed by a big boot, and then into a knee strike to the head of Riddle. Dream then hit his double axe handle to the outside, followed by a Fame-Asser in the ring for a two count. Dream hit a Codebreaker for a two count, and then went for a knee strike but Riddle countered into a single leg crab. Dream recovered and hit a Dream DDT, followed by the Dream Valley Driver. Dream then went to the top rope and went for a Purple Rainmaker elbow but Riddle caught him and put him into the Bro-Mission! Dream fought out and went to the apron but Riddle caught him, and standing on the middle rope, hit an overhead German suplex turning Dream inside out! Riddle hit the Floating Bro for a two count. This is a brilliant wrestling match. Powerbomb by Riddle followed by a Bro-Mission, but Dream rolled through and managed the surprise pinfall. Riddle looked very frustrated as Dream celebrated with his title. Both men fist bumped to finish the segment. Winner and still NXT North American Champion: Velveteen Dream NXT United Kingdom Championship Match: Pete Dunne (c) vs WALTER Before my match run down, below is a report from SteelChair Mag’s amazing NXT UK correspondent John Dinsdale: This may have been the best match in NXT UK history. It was the David and Goliath fight cranked up to the max. It was brute strength vs agility and cunning. Dunne would continuously target the fingers of WALTER in an attempt to set up the Arm Bar/Finger lock but it would never quite work. WALTER kicked out of the Bitter End too just to really rub in the fact that he was a monster. He brutalised Dunne with chops, nearly took his head off with Big Boots and practically Powerbombed him out of his boots at one point. it was a grizzly matched, buoyed by amazing storytelling as the long-standing king of NXT UK refused to give up his thrown. Dunne would kick out of multiple pin attempts and would deliver shocking moves to WALTER. One of the most memorable was a Coup de Grace (basically) to the outside. It symbolised the lengths Dunne was willing to do to stop WALTER winning. Ultimately it wouldn’t be enough though as after a gruelling fight, Dunne fell victim to a top rope Powerbomb and was finished with a Splash off the top. Dunne is no longer the champion but he went down swinging. It took WALTER everything to pry the belt from him. Now whenever the UK Champion is called out the bars of Dvorak’s New World Symphony will play instead of the Bruiserweight’s iconic theme. We are in a new era for NXT UK. As far as I’m concerned, this was the match I’d been waiting for. Yes, I’m biased. Dunne has had the UK title now for 685 days. An incredible feat in this day and age. The size difference here made it a very ‘David vs Goliath’ match. Dunne started by trying an ankle twist, but WALTER fought out quickly. Dunne tried to manipulate the fingers of WALTER early but again they both gave each other respect and backed off one another. Dunne then managed to avoid the big chop from WALTER. Dunne hit a forearm but was hit by a huge chop from WALTER. Slow start here.<doc-sep>
This brand keeps delivering again and again. NXT TakeOver: New York on Saturday night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn came through with yet another exciting show from top to bottom, setting quite the tone for the weekend of WWE action. Join DAZN and watch more than 100 fight nights a year Here are five takeaways from NXT TakeOver: New York. 1. NXT sets a high bar — again Good luck topping that WrestleMania. While Sunday night’s show at MetLife Stadium is the biggest show of the year, it’s going to have a tough time putting on better bell-to-bell, in-ring action. That speaks to the incredible matches on this card, which has become a tradition for the special TakeOver events. The brand makes it their mission to put on amazing performances the night before big WWE events in a game of “try beating that.” And many times it’s NXT that steals the weekend. Sure, WrestleMania 35 will provide moments and plenty of sports entertainment, but when it comes to wrestling, the show is going to have a tough time surpassing TakeOver. And if they do, then WWE fans will have had one fantastic weekend. 2. Gargano finally gets his moment It’s been a long road for Gargano to get here after getting close so many times before. Even on this night, it looked like it might not happen with Adam Cole firing on all cylinders in what turned out to be a sensational match. Cole hit Gargano with everything in his arsenal, even getting help from the other members of Undisputed Era, but Gargano would not be denied. In the end, Cole was trapped in the Gargano Lock and had to tap out, giving Gargano the win and the NXT title that has eluded him for so long. It’s a shame that Cole didn’t win the title from his partner-turned-nemesis Tommaso Ciampa following their excellent feud but that’s not possible with Ciampa undergoing neck surgery. Regardless, it was time for Gargano to finally get the big, emotional win that was he was able to share with his father and his on-screen nemesis Ciampa who are close friends in real life. The NXT cupboard is full with plenty of contenders including Cole, Kyle O’Reilly, Velveteen Dream, Matt Riddle, Pete Dunne, and former NJPW star Kushida who recently signed with the company. 3. Matt Riddle has just scratched the surface on his potential The former UFC star has not disappointed since he debuted last year and the signs are there for him to get even better. He dominated the majority of the offense on Velveteen Dream and even had the Bromission on late when Dream rolled over and scored a surprise in a great way to end a fantastic match that had the crowd roaring. Riddle showcased a variety of slick moves and counters using his MMA and amateur wrestling background that is so different from anyone else on the NXT roster. As his personality and emotional connection with the audience grows — including showing a bit of a nasty side against Dream — he’s only going to get better for someone who is on track to be a massive star. 4. Shayna Baszler has outgrown NXT Baszler has been dominating the division since winning the title a year ago, only losing it once for a short time to Kairi Sane. She’s used that time to improve across the board from her in-ring skills to her personality and the way she carries herself in front of the crowd as a smug, bruising champion. But the time has come for her to take on a new crop of competition and that’s on the WWE main roster. She has simply outgrown NXT at this point and needs to be on the bigger stage, mixing it up with the top stars there. The fatal four-way match felt like the perfect place to drop the title without having to take a pin, but instead, she scored yet another victory. Just because she has the title doesn’t mean a move won’t happen but it’s high time for Baszler to get called up. 5. Aleister Black and Ricochet get their emotional sendoff It felt like a mismatch when Black and Ricochet were paired together as they made their way to the main roster. However, they quickly became a well-oiled tag team and had a thrilling opening match against War Raiders.