NXT Takeover: Stand & Deliver 2021 Night 1
4/7/2021
Orlando, Florida
Capitol Wrestling Center
Announcers: Wade Barrett, Vic Joseph, & Beth Phoenix
Ring Announcer: Alicia Taylor
Sam Roberts and Jimmy Smith are our hosts for the preshow! They break down all of the matches for night 1.
A video package hypes NXT UK Champion WALTER. Samoa Joe sat down with Tommaso Ciampa. Ciampa is out to prove he's better than he was in 2018 and says WALTER can't hang with him. Samoa Joe also sat down with WALTER who is confident heading into tonight.
"The Triumph of King Freak" by Rob Zombie is an official theme song for NXT Takeover: Stand & Deliver.
McKenzie Mitchell is with LA Knight to talk about the gauntlet eliminator. Roberts and Smith go over the rules of the gauntlet eliminator match. That transitions into discussing Pete Dunne vs. Kushida.
We have some action next! Mickie James and Vic Joseph are calling the preshow match.
Toni Storm vs. Zoey Stark (Pre-Show)
The crowd is split as they lock up. They jockey for position before we get a clean break. Stark takes Storm to the mat but Storm counters with a head scissors. Both ladies get back to their feet where Stark controls Storm by working on an arm. The pace quickens and Stark gets control. Stark with a couple strikes in the corner and hits a spring board missile drop kick! Storm turns it around and works the neck of Stark. Stark fights back to her feet but Storm throws her down by the hair for a near fall. Storm with stomps in the corner followed by a snap suplex and float over for a near fall. Single leg crab by Storm. Stark pushes Storm away to break the hold. Stark takes Storm to the corner but Storm slaps her in the face. Storm with uppercuts and Stark trades blows with her. Stark with boots to Storm in the corner now. Storm takes down Stark. Scoop slam by Storm and she heads up to the top turnbuckle. Stark goes up to meet her. Right hands by Stark and a SUPERPLEX BY STARK!! Both ladies are down. They get to their feet and trade punches. A nice series of kicks by Stark but she misses the big kick. Stark counters a German by Storm and Stark with a sweet German!! Stark hits a nice running kick to the jaw of Storm!! 1...2...NO!! Another pin. 1...2...NO!! Storm counters Stark and gets her in an electric chair and plants Stark face first! 1...2...NO!! Storm sets up for Storm Zero but Stark blocks and hits another kick to the face! 1...2...NO!! Stark pounds the back of Storm but Storm counters with a German! Another German! STORM STRUGGLES TO LIFT STARK FOR STORM ZERO AND STARK COUNTERS WITH A CRADLE TO BEAT STORM!! The biggest win of Stark's career. Solid stuff from the ladies and Stark continues to impress. Not much more you can ask from a preshow match.
W: Zoey Stark via pin @ 9:50 (***)
McKenzie Mitchell interviews MSK. They say their back on track now to win the tag gold.
A video package hypes tonight's main event. Mickie James joins Roberts and Smith to give her thoughts of the main event. Samoa Joe also sat down with Raquel Gonzalez to discuss the main event. Then of course Joe had to sit down with NXT Women's Champion Io Shirai. Joe wants to know why Io challenged Raquel and Io says Raquel is an up and coming star. Io looked up to Rey Mysterio and admired him challenging bigger superstars. Io plans to prove she's the best in the world. Mickie James picks Raquel to win and Jimmy picks Io. That does it for the pre-show. We're starting the main card with Pete Dunne vs. Kushida!
Nita Strauss opens the show and performs the National Anthem.
Pete Dunne vs. Kushida
This match was built on both guys claiming to be the best technical wrestler in the world. Sign me up! The bell rings and Dunne tries for a triangle right away and Kushida tries to counter to an arm bar. We have a stand off. Dunne takes Kushida to the mat and both men trade counters. Both men target each others arms. Dunne avoids a hand spring by Kushida and pulls him outside. Dunne suplexes Kushida onto the apron and then hyperextends the elbow. Dunne in control now. Another submission by Dunne followed by a stomp to the head. Both men trade some hard hitting strikes! Dunne tries a hip toss but cartwheel by Kushida to escape. Dune rolls outside. Dunne follows and sends Kushida into the ropes but Kushida fires back with the hand spring elbow! A kick by Kushida before they go back to the ring. Dunne goes right after the arm but Kushida counters and looks for the Hoverboard but Dunne escapes. Kushida tries another hand spring but Dunne grabs the fingers. Kushida counters the Bitter End and hits Back to the Future for a near fall. Kushida holds the arms and stomps Dunne. A commercial for USA viewers.
Kushida remains in control but Dunne fights back and they're trading haymakers. Kicks by Kushida and then a drop kick to the arm of Dunne. Kushida sends Dunne to the corner and he runs up the ropes but Kushida follows him with a hand spring kick. They battle to the top. KUSHIDA COMES OFF THE TOP WITH DUNNE INTO THE HOVERBOARD LOCK! Dunne fights his way to the ropes. Kushida pulls Dunne away and locks in another arm bar but Dunne gets his toes on the ropes. Kushida goes to the top and drops a knee across the arm of Dunne. Kushida goes for the Hoverboard again but Dunne gets the ropes. Dunne stacks Kushida for a near fall but Kushida still has the submission locked in. Dunne back in the ropes. Dunne grabs the fingers and bends them back before snapping them. Dunne stomps the fingers before delivering a kick to the head of Kushida. DUNNE HITS THE BITTER END TO FINISH KUSHIDA!! Hell of a match from these two that didn't go too longer. Every looked great and no wasted motion.
W: Pete Dunne via pin @ 10:39 (****)
We see NXT Women's Champion Io Shirai and Raquel Gonzalez arriving earlier today.
The gauntlet eliminator is next!
#1 Contenders Gauntlet Eliminator Match
Winner faces Johnny Gargano on night 2 for the NXT North American Championship
Leon Ruff vs. Isaiah "Swerve" Scott vs. Bronson Reed vs. Cameron Grimes vs. Dexter Lumis vs. LA Knight
Swerve attacks Ruff during the entrances! They battle in the entry way and we finally get started. They go to the outside. Ruff goes for a dive but Swerve catches him and plants him on the barricade. RUFF HITS A DIVING TWISTING CUTTER OFF THE ANNOUNCE DESK!! Impressive! Back in the ring, Ruff gets a near fall. Swerve turns things around and they battle on the top turnbuckle. Swerve tries a power bomb but Ruff counters into a huge rana off the top!! The countdown is on and BRONSON REED joins! Ruff dives out onto Reed but Reed catches him and throws him back in. Swerve targets Reed now but Reed isn't having it. Splash in the corner to Swerve by Reed and he follows that with a stalling vertical suplex! Ruff comes off the top with a cross body on Swerve while Reed has him up. Ruff uses his speed to avoid Reed but Reed stomps that and pancakes Ruff. Reed sits on him again for good measure. Ruff escapes a back suplex by landing on his feet but can't German suplex Reed. REED COUNTERS AND GERMAN SUPLEXES BOTH RUFF AND SWERVE AT THE SAME TIME!! Reed waits on the next competitor and it's CAMERON GRIMES!
Reed waits for Grimes and Swerve attacks Reed. Reed is sent outside. Grimes takes advantage. Grimes offers Swerve a wad of cash. Swerve accepts. Grimes and Swerve work together to beat down Ruff. Ruff avoids them both in the corner until Swerve sends Ruff into the corner like a long dart! Ouch! Reed tries to get back inside but Swerve rocks him with a knee to the jaw. Grimes and Swerve turn back to Ruff and Grimes turns him inside out with a clothesline. Swerve gives Ruff a clothesline as well. Countdown and LUMIS is in now! Swerve throws Grimes out of the ring and ELIMINATES RUFF!! Lumis DDTs Reed on the ramp. Lumis slithers in the ring and Grimes backs down. Lumis with a spring board back suplex to Swerve. One for Grimes as well. All Lumis now! Stiff rights to Swerve followed by a bulldog. Reed is back in the ring now to stare down Lumis. They trade rights. Lumis tries to lift Reed but can't. Lumis gets him up the second time but Reed slides off his back. Grimes is back in and he clotheslines Lumis by the ropes and they both go over. LA KNIGHT ENTERS NOW! Every one else is down outside. Knight has a mic on the way to the ring and he talks trash to everyone! It's actually entertaining. Reed cuts that off and throws Knight in the ring. Commercial break for our USA people.
Knight pulls Reed into the ropes and hits a running knee. Knight sling shots himself into the ring but Reed catches him and hits a Samoan drop. Grimes jumps back in but Reed was ready and sends Grimes hard into the corner. Reed takes out Swerve as well. Reed squashes Knight and beats on him from corner to corner. Knight avoids a charging Reed and hits a neck breaker! Knight with a slam to Grimes before leap up to the top turnbuckle to SUPERPLEX SWERVE!! Lumis and Knight have a stare down now. Everyone else comes back. LUMIS LOCKS GRIMES IN SILENCE!! KNIGHT JACKKNIFE COVERS LUMIS TO ELIMINATE LUMIS!! Grimes plants Knight with a spinning slam. REED WITH A SENTON TO KNIGHT TO ELIMINATE HIM!! Outside the ring, Lumis locks Knight in Silence! He's out! Reed, Swerve, and Grimes are left and they're all trading strikes in the middle of the ring. Grimes counters the gator roll of Swerve and suplexes Swerve to Reed. Grimes hits Reed with a super kick and Swerve hits Grimes with Pay Dirt. All men are down! Grimes and Swerve team up on Reed but Reed fights them off. Reed takes down Swerve with a clothesline. Grimes with the spinning slam to Swerve. SWERVE IS ABLE TO COUNTER GRIMES AND ROLL UP HIM UP WITH A HANDFUL OF TIGHTS TO ELIMINATE GRIMES!! We're down to Reed and Swerve. Reed with a knock down and he goes up to the top. Swerve cuts him off with a running kick. SWERVE PULLS REED OFF THE TOP AND SLAMS HIM BACK FIRST ON THE ARPON!! Back in the ring, SWERVE HITS A 450!! 1...2...NO!! Swerve talks trash and hits a House Call to the head of Reed. Another House Call! Swerve goes for a third but Reed grabs him by the throat. Swerve breaks the grip and HITS A THIRD HOUSE CALL!! 1...2...NO!! Swerve pounds the ribs of Reed but Reed is able to get back up. POWER BOMB BY REED!! A REVERSE PILEDRIVER BY REED AND HE FOLLOWS WITH THE TSUNAMI SPLASH TO WIN IT!! This was much different than anything else on the card. It's debatable if that means good or bad. The winner was a surprise in my opinion.
W: Bronson Reed via pin @ 23:16 (***1/4)
NXT North American Champion Johnny Gargano comes out to stare down Reed.
A video package hypes WALTER vs. Ciampa.
NXT UK Championship Match
Tommaso Ciampa vs. WALTER (champ)
The fans are split to start his one. WALTER backs Ciampa into the corner but misses the big chop. They jockey for position and Ciampa uses his quickness to outmaneuver WALTER. Ciampa pounds on WALTER in the corner and Ciampa is fired up. Ciampa comes off the ropes right into a chop from WALTER. Damn! WALTER lays Ciampa on the top turnbuckle and hits him with another chop before dumping him to the outside. On the outside, WALTER misses a chop and hits the announce table allowing Ciampa to regain control. WALTER put his hand through the table!! Ciampa targets the hand of WALTER now. Back in the ring, Ciampa goes for Willow's Bell but WALTER blocks and backs Ciampa into a corner. Ciampa blocks a chop with an elbow. Ciampa with his own chop but attempts to lift WALTER unsuccessfully. Ciampa targets the hand with rapid fire kicks. WALTER blocks a German and turns out Ciampa's lights with a boot. WALTER works a half crab that he transitions into a STF but Ciampa is able to break the hold because of the injured hand. Ciampa begins to rally as we go to a break.
CIAMPA HITS THE FAIRYTALE ENDING!! 1...2...NO!! WALTER locks in a sleeper but Ciampa breaks by targeting the arm. WALTER is able to hit a German and a lariat for a near fall. Ciampa bites the hand of WALTER before trying a Fujiwara arm bar. WALTER escapes but Ciampa continues to target the hand. WALTER goes up to the the top and wants a power bomb but CIAMPA COUNTERS WITH AN AIR RAID CRASH FROM THE MIDDLE ROPE!! Ciampa lights up WALTER with chops but WALTER keeps coming towards him! They trade chops now! WALTER takes Ciampa down to the mat and goes after the neck of Ciampa. POWER BOMB BY WALTER!! ANOTHER POWER BOMB!!! 1...2...NO!! Both men are down. "This is awesome" chants from the crowd. WALTER WITH A HALF NELSON SUPLEX AND ANOTHER BIG CHOP FINISHES CIAMPA!! Amazing work here! Focusing the match on the hand of WALTER was great and this was the best Ciampa match I've seen in a long time.
W: WALTER via pin @ 16:58 (****1/4)
Imperium comes out to greet WALTER.
We get a vignette with the dog. See you next Tuesday Frankie!
McKenzie is backstage with Bronson Reed. Gargano cuts him off to say Reed better bring it tomorrow.
Triple Threat Match for the NXT Tag Team Championships
MSK vs. Legado del Fantasma vs. Grizzled Young Veterans
Gibson, Lee, and Wilde start. Wilde gets the upper hand and tags Mendoza. The action is fast pace from the get go. Carter hits Gibson with a bronco buster. Mendoza is back to take out Carter. GYV clear the ring. Carter is back to fly through the air with a cross body to Gibson but Drake takes him out. Drake controls Carter now and continues a beat down for a couple of minutes. Carter avoids a suplex and finally tags Lee. Good combo offense by MSK as they pick the pace. Carter leaps off of Lee's back to take out the GYV outside. LDF takes out all four other men on the outside with a suicide dive and corkscrew respectively. LDF hangs Carter in the tree of woe and hits drop kicks on him from two opposite corners. They cover and Gibson breaks it up. LDF stomps Gibson now. LDF is in control as we go to a break for the USA viewers.
LDF isolates Carter and it was all them during the break. LDF takes turns tagging in and delivering clotheslines. Double suplex to Carter. Moonsault by Mendoza gets a near fall. Drake is back in to roll up Mendoza for a near fall. Carter finally tags Lee and he's got kicks for everyone. Drop kick by Lee to Drake. He takes out Gibson outside before flipping over the ropes on the other side of the ring to take out LDF. Carter with an assisted shooting start to Drake!! 1...2....NO!! Gibson gets Lee in an electric chair outside but Carter stops Drake from doing everything. Mendoza is back with a twisting suplex. Lee takes control of Drake with a belly to belly suplex. He goes to go up top but Gibson stops that. Gibson crushes Lee's hand! Gibson locks in SHANKLY GATES and Drake tries to stop Carter from helping. MENDOZA SAVES IT WITH A MISSILE DROP KICK! WILDE WITH SPLASH FROM THE TOP! They stomp the hand of Lee. They hit Lee with a kick and Russian leg sweep combo! 1...2...NO!! A brawl breaks down. GYV WITH A DOOMSDAY DEVICE ON THE OUTSIDE TO WILDE!! MSK TAKES OUT MENDOZA WITH AN ASSISTED STOMP ON THE OUTSIDE! GYV and MSK stare each other down. The four of them brawl in the middle of the ring. Carter avoids Ticket to Mayhem. DOUBLE CUTTER BY CARTER! HART ATTACK SPINNING BLOCK BUSTER COMBO BY MSK TO GIBSON AND THEY WIN IT! Great fast paced action from start to finish. LDF got to shine but the closing stretch between MSK and GYV is what shined.
W: MSK via pin @ 15:25 (***1/2)
Commentary hypes tomorrow's matches and our main event is next!
Stephanie McMahon and newest NXT signee Sarray are in the crowd.
NXT Women's Championship Match
Raquel Gonzalez w/ Dakota Kai vs. Io Shirai (champ)
Io attacks Raquel right away and Raquel takes her to the corner. Raquel hits a big boot and takes control. Io comes off the ropes and tries a head scissors but Raquel over powers her. Raquel charges in the corner but Io avoids her. Io goes up top and hits a rana! Io with a series of chops in the corner. Double knees by Io!! Raquel lifts Io but Io is able to send her out to the floor. Suicide dive by Io! Dakota gets involved to distract Io. THE REF THROWS DAKOTA OUT!! Io with a kick from the apron to floor Raquel. IO WITH A MOONSAULT FROM THE MIDDLE ROPE!! Io goes for another but Raquel pulls her off the apron and sends her face first into the ring post. Back in the ring, near fall for Raquel. Raquel lifts Io like a power bomb and flips her back over and slams her back to the mat. 1...2...NO!! Raquel with an alley oop that hands Io on the top rope for a near fall. Elbow drops by Raquel now gets her a near fall. Io blocks a suplex but Raquel prevents a cradle. Raquel tries a suplex again but Io lands on her feet. Raquel is just too powerful for her. Raquel lifts Io into torture rack type submission. Io flips over to her feet. Io is able to take down Raquel with another rana and deliver a double stomp! Arm drag by Io and a 619!! SPRING BOARD MISSILE DROP KICK BY IO!! Io with a sunset flip bomb for another near fall!! Io goes up to the top but Raquel pulls her off. Raquel looks for the one armed power bomb but Io counters into a crossface!! Raquel makes it to the bottom rope. Raquel rolls out of the ring. IO GOES TO THE TOP AND HITS A MOONSAULT TO RAQUEL ON THE RAMP!! Io sets up and hits running knees to Raquel on the ramp! IO CLIMBS UP THE SKULL IN THE ENTRY WAY AND DIVES OFF ONTO RAQUEL!! Wade Barrett claims that's 20 feet high!! The sky cam of it looked pretty sweet! Io brings Raquel back towards the ring. Io climbs back to the top turnbuckle and HITS ANOTHER MOONSAULT!!! 1...2...NO!!! Raquel rolls outside and Io appears to be frustrated! Io charges into a boot by Raquel. RAQUEL PLANTS IO ON THE FLOOR WITH A ONE ARMED POWER BOMB ON THE OUTSIDE!! Both ladies are down outside. Raquel is up and throws Io back in. Raquel talks trash and tells Io to stay down. Uppercut by Io but Raquel turns her inside out with a lariat! RAQUEL PLANTS IO WITH ANOTHER ONE ARMED POWER BOMB TO WIN!! Io went all out but came up short. I didn't love the finish but it did make sense with how dominant Raquel has been.
W: Raquel Gonzalez via pin @ 12:55 (***1/2)
Raquel celebrates with smoke and sparklers as the show ends!
Overall Rating: 8/10
Another Takeover delivers. Not one bad match on the card. Dunne/Kushida was technical wrestling at it's best. The gauntlet eliminator felt like a mess at times but produced lots of action. Although I do question Reed getting the win. Lumis honestly felt like the best option to me. WALTER/Ciampa was amazing and the story told was the best of the night in my opinion. Both men brought it and they beat the hell out of each other. MSK gets their crowning moment in a match that had high spot after high spot. For the main event, Raquel finally gets her crowning moment. Io took it to her but in the end it wasn't enough. All matches were above *** but I believe Dunne/Kushida and WALTER/CIAMPA are the ones worth going out of your way to see.
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