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5 Takeaways From NXT TakeOver: Phoenix

By Robert Lentini
takeover NXT phoenix image
Photo Credit: WWE.com

NXT TakeOver: Phoenix aired live from the Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, AZ. Here are 5 takeaways from the event:

War Raiders Won The NXT Tag Team Championships

Undisputed Era (Kyle O’Reilly & Roderick Strong) defended their NXT Tag Team Championships against War Raiders (Hanson & Rowe) to kick off NXT TakeOver: Phoenix. Undisputed Era started off the match in control and isolated Hanson in the corner of the ring.

Hanson finally was able to escape to tag in Rowe. Hanson went for a Suicide Dive but Strong got out of the way and Hanson crashed to the floor. Strong and O’Reilly then went to work on Rowe in the ring. Hanson eventually made his way up to the apron and pleaded for a tag. Rowe connected with an Exploder Suplex that sent O’Reilly flying into Strong on the apron.

Hanson tagged back in, cartwheeled across the ring and took out O’Reilly with a massive Clothesline. Hanson connected with a giant Splash off the top rope on O’Reilly but Strong broke up the cover. Strong then hit Hanson with a Superplex and O’Reilly followed it up with a knee to the face off the top rope for a near fall as the crowd shouted: “this is awesome!”.

Undisputed Era then connected with the High/Low but Hanson somehow was able to kick out at the last second. Hanson hit a handspring double elbow and then tagged Rowe in. Rowe lifted O’Reilly up onto his shoulders and Hanson connected with a Leg Drop. Rowe then covered O’Reilly and the War Raiders captured the NXT Tag Team Championships.

Undisputed Era and War Raiders put on a hell of a match to start off NXT TakeOver: Phoenix. Hanson is unbelievably athletic for a man of his size. The best part of this match was the crowd. They responded to every move and made the match that much more exciting.

Matt Riddle Beat Kassius Ohno Into Submission

Kassius Ohno and Matt Riddle once again battled tonight at NXT TakeOver: Phoenix. Riddle started off the match in dominant fashion but Ohno battled back. Riddle went for a Sunset Flip Powerbomb off the apron but Ohno held onto the ropes. Kassius then draped the ring skirt over Riddle’s face and stomped on him.

Ohno controlled the next few minutes of the match but couldn’t put Riddle away. Kassius kept taunting Riddle by calling him a “bum” and then booted him out of the ring. Kassius bashed Riddle’s face into the steel ring post and then sent him soaring into the steps.

Back in the ring, Ohno went for a Suplex but Riddle escaped. Kassius stomped on the bare foot of Riddle but Matt fought through the pain and hit a German Suplex for a near fall. Ohno then bit Riddle’s toes and followed it up with a Powerbomb for a two count. Kassius hit a Moonsault off the top rope but once again Riddle powered out at two.

Riddle fought back and Ohno pleaded for mercy while on his knees. Kassius extended his hand for a fist bump but Riddle opted to knee him in the face. Riddle then unloaded a flurry of punches to Ohno’s face and Kassius tapped out.

This match effectively showed off Matt Riddle’s strength and how desperate Ohno was for a win. I mean, he resorted to biting Riddle’s toes during the match. Towards the end of the bout, Riddle hit a Sleeper Hold Suplex and it looked like Kassius smacked his head off the canvas on the way down. Other than that spot, this match was solid and served its purpose by building up Matt Riddle.

Johnny Gargano Finally Won A Singles Championship

Ricochet put his NXT North American Championship on the line against Johnny Gargano tonight at TakeOver. Gargano started off the match in control brought Ricochet to the canvas. Johnny went for two Hurricanranas but Ricochet showed off his athleticism by landing on his feet each time. Ricochet sent Gargano to the outside and connected with an awesome Moonsault off the second rope.

Back in the ring, Gargano battled back and took Ricochet back down to the canvas. Gargano went for the Slingshot Spear but Ricochet dodged it and slammed Johnny to the mat. Ricochet followed that up with a Northern Lights Suplex and rolled through into a Vertical Suplex for a near fall.

Johnny caught Ricochet and planted him with a Powerbomb and then locked in a Crossface in the middle of the ring. Johnny tried to transition into the Gargano Escape but Ricochet countered into a roll-up for a two count. Gargano went for a Tornado DDT but Ricochet caught him and sent Johnny out of the ring. Ricochet hit another ridiculous flip and brought Johnny back into the ring.

Gargano went for a Frankensteiner off the top rope but Ricochet somehow landed on his feet. Ricochet went for an elbow but Johnny countered into the Gargano Escape. Ricochet broke the hold by deadlifting Johnny and launching him into the turnbuckle. Johnny rolled out of the ring and Ricochet leaped over the top turnbuckle and hit a Cannonball. Ricochet followed it up with a springboard 450 Splash for a near fall. Ricochet went for a Shooting Star Press off the top but Gargano got his knees up at the last moment.

Johnny went for a Suicide Dive but Ricochet caught him on his shoulders. Gargano countered into a reverse Hurricanrana and then hit the Slingshot DDT in the ring for another two count. Johnny got pissed off and ripped up the padding outside the ring to expose the concrete floor. Gargano was about to spike Ricochet’s head on the concrete with a DDT but came to his senses and brought him back in the ring.

Ricochet then locked in the Gargano Escape on Johnny in the middle of the ring. Johnny got out of the hold and shoved Ricochet into the ring post. Gargano brought Ricochet to the outside and planted him with a Brainbuster on the exposed concrete floor. Johnny then hit another Slingshot DDT for the pinfall victory.

Somehow, this match was even better than I thought it was going to be. I had unreal expectations and Gargano & Ricochet surpassed them with ease. Gargano was a Tag Team Champion alongside Tommaso Ciampa in DIY. However, he had never earned a singles title until tonight, despite having numerous chances. There is no doubt that Gargano vs. Ricochet at NXT TakeOver: Phoenix will be a candidate for Match of the Year in 2019.

Shayna Baszler Handed Belair Her First Loss To Retain The NXT Women’s Championship

Shayna Baszler defended her NXT Women’s Championship against the undefeated Bianca Belair at NXt TakeOver: Phoenix. Belair controlled the match early and leveled Shayna with a shoulder tackle. Baszler rolled out of the ring to regroup but Belair followed her, which wound up being a costly mistake. Shayna grabbed Belair’s long hair and whipped her into the steel ring post.

Bianca made it back into the ring at the last second but Shayna went to work on Belair’s injured arm. Baszler taunted Bianca by saying she is overrated and Belair responded with a slap to Shayna’s face. Belair followed it up with a Spear but Shayna kicked out at two.

Bianca hit Shayna with the hair whip and Baszler collapsed to the canvas. Shayna shoved Belair into the referee. Bianca then hit the K.O.D. and went for the cover but the referee was down. Marina Shafir and Jessamyn Duke tried to interfere but Belair fought them off. Baszler capitalized with the Kirifuda Clutch on Belair in the middle of the ring just as the referee was getting back up.

Belair somehow got to her feet and broke the hold with a Suplex. Bianca made her way to the top rope but Duke hopped up on the ring apron. Belair booted her down and went for a 450 Splash but Baszler countered into the Kirifuda Clutch. Bianca tried to get up but fell back to the canvas. Belair then passed out and Baszler retained the NXT Women’s Championship.

If you were going to have Bianca Belair lose her first match in NXT, this was the way to do it. Baszler needed outside interference and locked in the Kirifuda Clutch twice in order to finally conquer Belair. Bianca didn’t become the NXT Women’s Champion tonight but did become an absolute badass to anyone that watched the event.

Belair will have her moment in the future, but with Duke and Shafir recently arriving in NXT, now was not the time for Shayna to drop the belt. You are completely mistaken if you think that this loss somehow made Bianca Belair look weak. It did the exact opposite and the crowd will be even more behind her once she gets another shot.

Tommaso Ciampa Retained The NXT Championship

Tommaso Ciampa defended his NXT Championship against Aleister Black in the main event of NXT TakeOver: Phoenix. Velveteen Dream was shown in the crowd before the for the match.

Ciampa and Black locked up to start off the match and wound up dragging each other out of the ring. Back in the ring, Ciampa took control and brought Black to the canvas. Black battled back and launched Tommaso out of the ring. Ciampa slammed Black’s leg knee into the steel steps and then delivered a Suplex that sent Aleister flying into the steps again. Tommaso brought Aleister back into the ring and targetted his knee for the next several minutes.

Tommaso brought Black back to the outside and slammed Aleister’s knee on the announce table. Ciampa took a seat on top of the table and gave himself a round of applause. Tommaso took a sip of water but didn’t get a chance to swallow it because Aleister Black almost kicked his head off and the water sprayed everywhere. Back in the ring, Ciampa hung up Black in the Tree of Woe but Aleister escaped and connected with another kick that sent both Superstars tumbling out of the ring.

Back in the ring, Aleister went for a Suplex but couldn’t do it due to his injured knee. Aleister connected with a boot to the face and followed it up with a German Suplex for a near fall. Black locked in a Single-Legged Boston Crab but his injured knee once again gave out and he had to release the hold.

Ciampa hit the Tower of London on the ring apron for another two count. Black and Ciampa traded strikes but Tommaso got the better of the exchange with a Clothesline. Aleister battled back with a Double Stomp and once again went for a Suplex but his knee gave out for the third time. Aleister hit a knee to the face and then finally was able to hit the Suplex for a two count.

Tommaso rolled out of the ring for a breather but Black hit him with a Moonsault off the second rope. Aleister slipped on the water that Ciampa spit all over the place as he was rolling him back into the ring. Ciampa capitalized on that by hitting the Fairy Tale Ending but Black kicked out at two.

Ciampa then ripped up the padding to expose the concrete floor below. Tommaso started arguing with the referee and turned around into a Double Knees from Aleister. Black landed with his knee on the concrete but fought through the pain and rolled Ciampa back inside the ring. Aleister then hit the Black Mass but couldn’t cover Ciampa because he rolled away.

Aleister went for another Black Mass but Ciampa countered into a DDT. Tommaso followed it up with another Fairy Tale Ending for another near fall. Ciampa then hit the Fairy Tale Ending for the third time and tried for another one but Aleister blocked it. Aleister went for Black Mass but once again his knee gave out. Ciampa then hit the Fairy Tale Ending for the fourth time to retain his NXT Championship.

Ciampa raised the NXT Championship on the entrance ramp as Johnny Gargano came up behind him. Gargano then raised the NXT North American Champion next to Tommaso Ciampa to close the show.

Ciampa and Black put on a very good match to close the show. It was a simple story, Black injured his knee early and battled his ass off to win the title. In the end, the injury was too much and Ciampa retained. There was no way anyone was going to Ricochet and Gargano tonight. The final shot was epic with Gargano and Ciampa raising the NXT North American Championship and the NXT Championship. I cannot wait to see where that storyline leads on NXT every week.

Overall, NXT TakeOver: Phoenix was a great show. Pretty much every TakeOver has been great and once again the main roster will have an uphill battle the following night to try and put on a better show. Gargano and Ricochet have already stolen the weekend in my opinion, but hopefully, I’m wrong and something amazing happens at Royal Rumble 2019.

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