WWE NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver – Night 2 aired live on Peacock from Orlando, Florida at the Capitol Wrestling Center.
WWE NXT Results
- Santos Escobar def. Jordan Devlin to become Undisputed Cruiserweight Champion
- WWE NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions Ember Moon and Shotzi Blackheart def. Candice LeRae and Indie Heartwell to retain
- WWE NXT North American Champion Johnny Gargano def. Bronson Reed to retain
- Karrion Kross def. Finn Balor to win WWE NXT Title
- Kyle O’Reilly def. Adam Cole in Unsanctioned Match
Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:
WWE Cruiserweight Title Unification Ladder Match
When WWE booked Santos Escobar vs. Jordan Devlin in WWE Cruiserweight Title Unification Ladder Match, fans knew it was going to be something special. This was the battle to find out the true Cruiserweight Champion. Thus, it was no better than to put them in such a contest.
This was the opening contest. Early on in the match, Devlin hit a springboard moonsault off the middle rope to the floor. Devlin later hit a moonsault off the top of a ladder.
At one point, Legado Del Fantasma members ran out and pushed Devlin off a ladder then rushed to the backstage area. Devlin recovered. Another impressive move was Devlin hitting a Spanish fly off a ladder. In the end, Escobar pushed Devlin off a ladder and crashed him through another.
Unsanctioned Match
Adam Cole vs. Kyle O’Reilly in an Unsanctioned Match was one of the highlights of this show. It also served as the main event. O’Reilly got a new generic rock theme song. The same goes for Cole.
The rivalry between these two stars was so intense that this contest was only fitting to settle the score. WWE changed the ropes to black and the referee didn’t have a typical referee shirt on, but rather all in black.
Cole hit a neck breaker on a chair for a near fall. Cole was placed in a chair at ringside so he could dive off the ring apron with a drop kick. Kyle used a chain around his knee and bashed in the face of Cole. Also, Cole locked in a figure four leg lock and it was broken when they clashed heads. Cole even used the chain as a clothesline. O’Reilly hit a suplex to Cole onto the announce table. Cole hit Kyle in the ear with pliers. A brutal moment came when Kyle had him in a triangle choke, but Cole hit him in the ribs with a tire iron.
Cole took out the referee then hit a Canadian destroyer off the middle rope and then got upset that the referee wouldn’t get up. Kyle put him in a guillotine choke, which led to Cole sending them flying through the ramp. O’Reilly hit a running knee strike to the back of the head of Cole for a near fall towards the end of the match.
Finally, O’Reilly put a chair on the throat of Cole then wrapped a chain around his knee and hit a knee drop off the middle rope for the win. Post-match, Cole was carried out on a stretcher.
Gargano vs. Reed
WWE NXT North American Champion Johnny Gargano vs. Bronson Reed was exactly what it needed to be.
Reed earned this title match opportunity by winning a Battle Royal the previous night when he outlasted Leon Ruff (first participant), Isaiah “Swerve” Scott (second participant), Cameron Grimes (fourth participant), Dexter Lumis (fifth participant) and LA Knight (final participant). He entered the match third.
Reed got the early advantage. Gargano worked over the ribs of Reed after sending him into the corner of the announce table. At one point, Reed went for a suplex off the middle rope, but, Gargano reversed it and hit a backbreaker.
There was a nice spot where Reed hit Razor’s Edge from the entrance ramp into the ring. They did a cool near fall spot where Reed missed a splash off the top rope and Gargano caught him with a superkick for a near fall. Reed hit a powerbomb and went for the cover, but Theory put Gargano’s foot on the bottom rope.
Finally, Reed missed a moonsault off the top rope, which allowed Gargano to hit his spring board DDT finisher for the win.
Tag Team Titles
WWE NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions Ember Moon and Shotzi Blackheart vs. Candice LeRae and Indie Heartwell took place.
The build to this match had been a bit lackluster and it was positioned as just another one on the card. These ladies worked hard throughout the match. They did a tower of doom spot in the corner. The heels dominated the majority of the bout.
There was a spot where Shotzi dove through the middle rope to take out the heels and landed badly. Moon did a dive off the turnbuckle to the floor.
There was a nice double-team move for a near fall by Moon and Blackheart. The finish saw Moon hit a double eclipse then Shotzi with a backsplash off the top rope for the win.
Co-Main Event
WWE NXT Champion Finn Balor vs. Karrion Kross was the co-main event of this show and rightfully so. It was an interesting choice as WWE previously announced this would be the headliner, but for whatever reason, the decision was changed.
It was a slow start to the match. Kross did miss a spear and ate the ring post, which allowed Balor to get a short lived advantage, but Kross took over.
The story of the match was how Balor would get some offense and work over the left shoulder of Kross, but was cut down by Kross. In the middle of the match, there was a span of several minutes where Kross sold. Kross did a series of moves that resulted in a powerbomb for a near fall. Balor also worked over the ribs of Kross.
Finally, Kross made a comeback with a series of moves including a suplex. A nice near fall saw Balor hit his finisher. The downfall of Balor came when Kross mounted him and landed a series of strikes. Kross hit his signature moves and then finisher for the win.