WWE NXT TakeOver: XXX
August 22, 2020
Full Sail University
Orlando, Florida
We are live with WWE NXT TakeOver: XXX coverage. As always, we will post updates several times throughout the show. Please refresh this page for updates or click here if you are having trouble seeing updates after every match.
Pre-Show
They showed footage of Pat McAfee arriving at Full Sail. William Regal told McAfee that he and Cole must wrestle without backup at ringside.
Triple Threat Match to determine #1 contenders for NXT Tag Team Championship
Breezango vs. Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch vs. Legado del Fantasma
Fandango’s shoulder is still bothering him because he had Kinesio tape on it. The match spilled to the outside for the first few minutes. There was a twisting dive off the top rope to the outside by Raul Mendoza. Lorcan almost had the match won when he hit Joaquin Wilde with an uppercut but Breeze came out with a superkick to Lorcan for the win. Breezango are the number 1 contenders for the NXT Tag Team Titles.
They showed Timothy Thatcher warming up backstage. Thatcher vs. Balor will kick off the main show.
Main Card
The broadcast team consists of Vic Joseph, Corey Graves and Beth Phoenix. Beth was calling the action from home.
Finn Balor vs. Timothy Thatcher
Vic noted that Finn is looking for his 12th-ever Takeover win, the most ever for anyone. Finn attacked as soon as the bell rang with punches to the body in the corner of the ring but Thatcher turned things around with some open hand strikes. There was some nice grappling match in the first few minutes. Solid meat and potatoes match. Finn won with the coup de grace.
NXT North American Championship – Ladder Match
Bronson Reed vs. Damian Priest vs. Cameron Grimes vs. Johnny Gargano vs. Velveteen Dream
Priest wasted no time by attacking Dream before the bell. It was regular wrestling for a few minutes until the first ladder was brought into the match.
Gargano was the first to attempt to set up the ladder in the ring but he was cut off by Priest and then Bronson Reed did a fallway slam on Priest. Reed charged at Dream but he went over the top. Grimes was the first to climb and he had to ladders but that was cut short by Dream and Priest.
There was a Tower of Doom spot in this match with 4 of the 5 guys part of the spot. Gargano was about to climb the ladder but he was cut off by Reed. Dream also tried to climb the ladder but Priest did a springboard off the ropes into a kick to Dream’s leg to knock him off the ladder. This match had everything you would expect and was hard to keep up with because there was so much going on.
At one point, Candice LeRae got in the ring and then attacked Cameron Grimes. Gargano got up and hit Grimes in the head with a ladder and LeRae did a hurricanrana on Grimes off the ring apron. Reed climbed the ladder and was about to grab the title but Candice climbed up behind him. Reed jumped off the ladder with Candice on his back and splashed Gargano in a crazy spot.
Moments later, Dream was close to grabbing the title but he was knocked off by Priest. Priest was pulled off the ladder by Reed but Priest chokeslammed Reed onto a ladder that was sitting in the corner of the ring. There was a really scary powerbomb spot off a ladder and onto a ladder bridge that looked like Grimes landed in a bad way. Dream executed a Death Valley Driver on Gargano onto Priest who was layin gon a ladder but the ladder didn’t break. Moments later, Dream was knocked off a ladder and over the top and over the barricade in another crazy spot.
Grimes and Gargano fought on top of the ladder and Gargano was about to grab the title but Priest caught up to him. They both grabbed the title but Gargano fell off and Priest won the match.
Adam Cole vs. Pat McAfee
McAfee cut a promo from the backstage area as he walked towards the ring. McAfee said this would end quickly via a kick to the head.
Several minutes into the match, there was a brawl between TUE members and the NFL players at ringside and McAfee did a dive off the top rope on all of them. McAfee clearly worked hard because he looked fine for someone having his first match.
At one point, both men were on the top rope and McAfee shoved off and did a moonsault and landed on his feet. Then he leaped up to the top rope to deliver a nice looking superplex into a near fall. McAfee then tried to punt Cole at ringside but Cole moved and McAfee hurt his foot on the steel steps.
Cole ended up winning the match with the Panama Sunrise. This was actually a good match and McAfee looked good.
NXT Women’s Championship
Io Shirai (Champion) vs. Dakota Kai
This was a fast-paced match and several near falls, as is usually the case with Takeover matches. Late in the match, Shirai hit a double stomp off the top rope on Kai, who was hanging by her feet on the ropes but Kai was able to kick out of the pin attempt.
Kai was able to lock in an armbar submission and it looked like Shirai was about to tap out but the hold had to be broken when Shirai got her foot on the bottom rope. Shirai took over on offense after Kai accidentally kicked the ref in the head. Shirai hit a moonsault but the ref was knocked out to make the count.
Raquel Gonzalez got in the ring and she slammed Shirai in the center of the ring. Gonzalez woke up the ref so he could make the count but Shirai kicked out. Shirai was able to reverse thins on Kai into a crossface as the groggy ref began to get up. Shirai then hit a moonsault onto Gonzalez and Kai at ringside. Shirai followed up with a moonsault in the ring on Kai and that was enough for the pin and the win.
Gonzalez attacked Shirai after the match but then Rhea Ripley came out and then there was a staredown. Gonzalez backed off as Shirai’s music played.
It was announced that NXT UK would be returning on September 17. Tommaso Ciampa returns to NXT this Wednesday night. They showed Cesaro in the crowd.
McKenzie Mitchell tried to get a comment from North American Champ Damian Priest but he was too busy celebrating in a jacuzzi with a couple of women.
NXT Championship
Keith Lee (Champion) vs. Karrion Kross
Lee got the upper hand in the opening seconds with clubbing blows to the body. He followed up with a running cross-body. Lee hurt his arm on a spot at ringside when his arm was rammed into the barricade thanks to a kick from Kross. Kross continued to work on that arm during the match.
At one point, Kross had a triangle armbar locked in but Lee was able to power out by lifting and slamming Kross but Lee’s arm was clearly banged up. Lee hit Kross with some shots to the head and a powerslam before trying for the pin. Kross kicked out of the pin attempt at the last second.
Kross was able to fight his way back with kicks to the head and a DDT. Lee fought back and executed a suplex and a pin attempt that Kross kicked out of. Kross and Lee traded punches to the head and body but Kross got the best of the exchange but as Kross ran the ropes, Lee caught him with a hard clothesline. Kross fought back and he hit the Doomsday Saito Suplex but Lee barely kicked out. Kross locked in the Kross Jacket chokehold submission but Lee was able to crawl to the bottom rope so the hold had to be broken.
Lee got up on his feet and hit a headbutt on Kross, followed by the Spirit Bomb but Kross kicked out. Lee went for a moonsault off the top but Kross caught up with him and they traded blows on the ropes. Kross hit a Saito suplex off the second rope and Kross pinned Lee to win the title.
