6 Biggest Takeaways From NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver

2. Karrion Kross Wins NXT Championship

Karrion Kross has it all. An elitist ring presence. A mesmerising entrance. An interesting manager. A complex character. Even the hard-hitting wrestling style fits his aura and he is destined to do some big things in this company. Winning the NXT Championship for the second time proves this.

Plus, Finn Balor was the guy. NXT was his house for years. They didn’t fail to get over that this was Balor’s 16th TakeOver event. He was 14-1 heading into this warfare. Ultimately, Finn Balor is one of NXT’s best-built guys and it was nice to see this nostalgia run for Balor on the brand he made.

This match was intense. Kross wouldn’t let Balor out of his sight. Balor would always find a way to stomp on his ribs. It was really epic to watch. They entranced me so much that I bought into Balor winning with the Coup De Grace.

Not many kick out of that finisher, therefore, when Kross does it and manages to choke him then hammer his elbows into Balor’s head for the win, you know he is stealing the torch Balor has kept alit for years.

Kross is finally getting his opportunity to prove himself as the NXT Champion. Previously, when Kross beat Keith Lee for the strap, he had to relinquish it due to an unfortunate injury. No injuries have been reported for this show, and as a result, Kross’ celebration on NXT this Tuesday will be interesting to watch.

It is also intriguing to see what happens with Balor. This feels like an appropriate time to return to the main roster. Balor has the name value that the mainstream fans can believe in and still understand after two years of being gone. He will definitely be able to squeeze into one of the brands top feuds post-Mania.

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1. Kyle O’Reilly Defeats Adam Cole

The main event of night two was a bit unsanctioned. It is always exciting to see a blood-feud strongly main event a TakeOver as it has become a tradition for the NXT Championship to cap the show. This usually only changes on special occasions, like WarGames or the personal rivalry between Gargano and Ciampa.

After Undisputed Era led the charge on NXT for the past few years, it was sweet to see Cole & O’Reilly culminate the show with their aggression and emotion. This unsanctioned fight stood, delivered and ended what has truly been an Undisputed Era.

The match started with the awful new theme songs for O’Reilly and Cole. These aren’t terrible but so generic that I can barely remember the way they sound while writing this. We really need theme songs with passion and meaning again. Songs that tell the character’s story. When can we get the likes of Robert Roode’s or Shinsuke Nakamura’s again? I really hope these get updated in the coming weeks similarly to the uproar on Keith Lee’s generic theme song when he was called up last year.

This was the only downer on this match. In my opinion, the brawl could’ve shaved ten minutes, but despite its length, I was engrossed throughout.

They didn’t waste a second once the bell rang. The strikes got delivered with motivation and anger. Their drive to topple one another was inspiring. The use of the steel chair, chain and working TV (why is there a TV under the ring?) all proved the lengths they would go to destroy each other.

One of the best but also worst parts of a Cole match is the kickout central it provides. I always pop hard whenever a last-second shoulder movement saves the match but it is also one of the biggest demons in a Cole fight. They happen too much and always catch me off-guard. Especially, when O’Reilly hit the last shot. Honestly, that should’ve been the end of this match.

Another epic moment saw Cole drop O’Reilly through the ramp. This was awesome and very innovative. No one does unsanctioned bloodfests better than NXT.

The finale saw O’Reilly confused at how to win this. Adam Cole certainly shocked his system. This was until he wrapped the chain around his knee and dropped it down onto a helpless Cole who was atop of an upside-down steel chair.

This was an incredible execution of the psychology of this feud. This betrayal has driven Kyle O’Reilly to the measures of getting close to killing his former best friend. Ultimately, he left victorious and Cole left on a stretcher.

This was a beautiful brawl, and despite the limitless kick outs, it stole the show for me. Definitely ended a terrific two nights of intense action.

• Raquel Gonzalez
• TakeOver: Stand & Deliver
• kyle o'reilly
• nxt

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