Takeover is the first of the three nights the WWE emanating from Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn, NY. This is unheard of in the history of wrestling events. Never in history has one wrestling organization been booked at the same venue for 3 nights in a row and sold out every night. This is the most historic night in the history of NXT as the venue was sold out with over 15,000 in attendance and by far the largest live crowd NXT has had to date.
The show began with Triple H in the middle of the ring saying “We had a vision for change, you made a revolution. We told you we are the future, until you told us the future is now.” The lights then filled the arena as Triple H spoke loudly into the microphone, “We are NXT!”
Tyler Breeze - Jushin ‘Thunder’ Liger
Tyler Breeze’s entrance was exquisite with Models lined up and down the entrance ramp. Tyler Breeze resembles a young Heartbreak Kid Shawn Michaels, when he was with Sheri after breaking away from the Rockers. This is the first appearance of Jushin ‘Thunder’ Liger in the WWE. As Liger makes his way to the ring the arena is filled with cheers.
The crowd is extremely loud for Liger’s WWE debut. Both men start with Breeze hitting a shoulder tackle and mocking Liger with a Shawn Michaels like taunt from the turnbuckle. Liger hits a drop toe hold and mimic’s the taunt of Breeze. Liger then locks in a modified surfboard stretch.
The crowd is alive for this match-up. Liger then applies a surfboard stretch, followed by a monkey flip from the corner. Launching Breeze across the ring. Liger then picks up Breeze’s selfie stick and takes a few selfies with Breeze’s phone. Breeze catches Liger off guard and connects with a super kick after pulling the hair. Liger is doing a great job selling and embellishing each maneuver with body language as opposed to facials. Breeze was able to take control of the match with a modified back cracker.
Breeze locked in a head lock, but after escaping Liger was able to do a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Breeze battles back and proves that he can go toe-to-toe with the japenese legend. Jushin ‘Thunder’ Liger was able to connect with the Shote’ plam strike, followed by a summersalt plancha from the ring apron to the outside. Liger then hit a nice chop and hit a running Liger-bomb for the victory. This was a great debut for Jushin ‘Thunder’ Liger and a great showing from his opposition Prince Pretty Tyler Breeze. Liger stayed in the crowd soaking in the adoration from the NXT Universe in Brooklyn and showing his respect by bowing to all four sides.
Winner by pinfall
Jushin ‘Thunder’ Liger
Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, and Sean Waltman are shown on the screen in the front row for Takeover.
NXT Tag Team Championship match
The Vaudevillains - NXT Tag Team Champions Blake & Murphy w/Alexa Bliss
The Vaudevillains arrive as always, in black & white pre telecolor. The dub-step theme music of the NXT Tag Team Champions then comes alive with the update to date hi-definition color of the screen. Alexa Bliss grabs the mic and says the “two of you are so pathetic.” She then goes to slap Aiden English, but he interrupts by pointing to the entrance way as Blue Pants makes her way to the ring. The crowd then begins a loud chant of “This is Awesome!” Gotch and Blake start this match off with an exchange of arm wrenches.
The crowd starts a thunderous chant of “Suplex City.” Gotch is able to tag English and English continues to focus on the arm. Blake tags Murphy and the English does a double European arm drag to the tag team champions. Blake on the outside holds onto the ankle of English as English jumps from the ring apron. Blake then gains control with a chin lock and the crowd begins to cheer for English to rise to his feet. Blake then tags Murphy into the match and he continues with another rest hold, then a tag to Blake. The two men begin to double team English.
Another rest hold from Blake and the crowd is cheering once again for some action from the match. English goes for the tag, but Blake is able to knock Gotch off the apron before English can make the tag. Blake then tags Murphy back in and the tag team champions throw English into the air and hit a big neckbreaker. English continues to fight off both men and is able to make a tag to his partner. Gotch runs right through both Blake and Murphy with big running forearms. English then tags himself back into the match and Murphy takes control of English with a hard slap on the top turnbuckle. Blake then joins Murphy on top of the turnbuckle, but Gotch hits a big double powerbomb.
English then leaps off the top turnbuckle and connects with a big flying senton. Alexa Bliss gets on the apron, but Blue Pants restores order by slapping Bliss twice. Murphy comes in from behind to attempt a pin, but Gotch kicks out. English then slides into the ring and the Vaudevillains hit the whirling dervish for the victory. There are new NXT Tag Team Champions. The crowd roars as soon as the ref counts to 3. Not a good showing from Blake and Murphy as their offense mainly consisted of rest holds. The Vaudevillains have a great chemistry together and the NXT Universe was behind them throughout the entire match.
Winner by pinfall
New NXT Tag Team Champions
The Vaudevillains
Footage is shown of former NXT Champion Neville arriving to the Barclay’s arena with Cesaro and current NXT Champion Finn Balor. There is also footage of Grammy award winning Producer Rick Rubin in attendance for Takeover.
Tye Dillinger - Apollo Crews
This is Apollo Crews debut in NXT and also Apollo Crews's birthday. The crowd is loud for Crews’s first NXT match. Dillinger escapes Crews with agility, but Crews is able to take control by using his strength to gain the upperhand. Crews then follows up Dillinger escape earlier with flips outside of the corner, followed by a huge dropkick. Both men have a great charisma and chemistry together. Dillinger takes advantage of an opportunity by dropkicking Crews on the ring apron.
He then gives himself a pat on the back reminiscent of Barry Horowitz. Dillinger then locks in a million dollar dream on Apollo. The crowd comes alive as Dillinger continues to say “I’m a perfect 10!” Crews gets out of the million dollar dream, only to receive a superkick from Dillinger. After another attempt at a superkick Apollo Crews reverses into a loud enziguri kick. He then hits a huge spinning clothesline, stinger-splash in the corner, and a high jumping lariat.
Crews then picks up Dillinger with ease and hits a gorilla press slam similar to the Ultimate Warrior. Cres then sticks a huge standing backflip for the win. This was an incredibly impressive NXT debut by the man formely known as Uhaa Nation on the independent scene. The crowd was engaged throughout the entire match. What better way to celebrate your birthday than a win in your NXT debut.
Winner by pinfall
Apollo Crews
Regal was then shown on the screen announcing a large Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Tournament for a shot at the Tag Team Championships beginning in two weeks and culminating at NXT: Takeover on October 7, 2015. Regal then ends his announcement with “I promise you we’ll make the American Dream Dusty Rhodes very proud.”
The finalists of WWE Tough Enough, Josh “the Yeti,” Amanda, Sarah Lee, and ZZ, in front row attendance.
Samoa Joe - Baron Corbin
The “Lone Wolf” Baron Corbin makes his way to the ring looking as cocky as ever. Cockiness can sometimes be confused with confidence. Samoa Joe then comes to the ring appearing confident and comfortable, almost as if he’s in the zone. Joe proves his confidence isn’t to be confused with cockiness. The crowd is extremely loud, chanting “Joe’s gonna kill you.” Both heavyweights lock horns at a standstill. Joe reverses a punch and locks in an arm wrench. He goes for the Nokita Clutch early, but Corbin hops through the middle rope. Another loud chant of “Joe’s gonna kill you” erupts.
Samoa Joe then connects with a big elbow in the corner, followed by an enziguri. He then bounces off the ropes and hits Corbin with a running big boot. Corbin rolls out of the ring. Corbin elbows Joe on an attempted suicide dive. Corbin rolls into the ring and takes control with a clothesline to Joe in the corner. Joe goes for a pin and hangs on to reverse the kick out into a one legged boston crab. Joe then rolls into an arm stretch, but Baron Corbin is able to reach the ropes.
Corbin dumps Samoa Joe to the outside with ease and buys himself sometime to gain his composure. Upon exiting the ropes to the apron he is tripped by Joe. Corbin is then thrown with ease by Samoa Joe to the outside barricade. The two behemoths go head to head, exchanging one move for another. The Ju-Jitsu specialist Baron Corbin then locks in a modified ankle lock.
Samoa Joe is able to break up the hold by grabbing the ropes and chops Corbin. Joe bounces off the ropes only to receive a big black hole slam from Corbin. As Corbin super kicks Joe he receives a enziguri and both ben are slow to get to their feet. The two big men have a series of exchanges, involving slaps, chops, punches, and elbows. Joe then sets up Corbin for the muscle buster but Corbin escapes and lands a big boot to Samoa Joe.
Corbin then takes control of Joe, stomping a mud hole into Joe while in the corner. Corbin then gives repeated punches to Joe on the ground. Corbing then reverses a Nokita Clutch attempt and hits a double handed chokeslam. Joe then kicks out of the pin and locks in the Nokita Clutch headlock submission. Samoa Joe knocked out Corbin with no tap. Samoa Joe has been Corbin’s hardest test to date. Corbin had his best match so far in NXT and gave it his all, but in the end the experience of Samoa Joe proved to be the benefactor in defeating Baron Corbin.
Winner by submission:
Samoa Joe
Ric Flair and Sgt. Slaughter are then shown in the front row, along with fellow B.A.D. members Naomi and Tamina in attendance for the NXT festivities.
Stephanie McMahon makes an unprecedented appearance on Takeover. There is almost no response from the people in attendance to Stephanie’s entrance. She says “the energy is so palpable. We are all here making history right now. She said weeks ago on Raw she stated there would be a Divas Revolution, but make no doubt about it the revolution started in NXT. It’s my honor to introduce to you tonight’s first main event for the NXT Women’s Championship.”
NXT Women’s Championship match
Bayley - NXT Women’s Champion Sasha Banks
Bayley makes her way to the ring with giant whacky inflatable tube men dancing behind her. IT’s quite the sight. Bayley looks humbled to say the least. Slowly making her way to the ring she interacts with fans in attendance. Sasha Banks music plays, arriving in a black sudan-like vehicle with 4 security guards. Standing tall with her NXT Women’s Championship Sasha Banks is right in Bayley’s face. Sasha begins the match by laughing at her opponent.
Bayley doesn’t take this lightly and tackles her to the ground with repeated punches. Bayley bounces off the ropes and connects with a running clothesline to a sitting Sasha Banks. Banks begins to head-butt Bayley in the corner, but Bayley isn’t selling and yells no. She then reverses into head-butts of her own to Sasha. Bayley then puts Banks in a tree of woe, springboard off the ropes and hits a jumping clothesline.
While Sasha’s on the outside Bayley hits a running dropkick between the bottom rope and the ring apron. Both women make their way to the ring. Bayley reverses knees to her mid-section from Sasha. Sasha then knocks Bayley’s knee off the rope to the outside. Banks takes control with elbows and a spinning slap of disrespect. Bayley is able to reverse elbows out of the corner, but Sasha goes for her knees to the mid-section. Bayley catches Sasha mid-way through the move, but Banks is able to gain control and places Bayley across the top rope.
Banks then bounces off the outside rope to the inside and connects with her knees to Bayley after ricocheting to the inside of the ring. Bayley crawls to the adjacent corner with Sasha taunting her saying “you think you’re better than me don’t you. Don’t laugh at me.” Sasha then grabs Bayley hair and spins her to the outside apron and knocks her to the outside. Sasha then focuses on Bayley’s injured hand. Sasha slams Bayley’s hand hard on the outside steel steps. Bayley clinches her hand and keeps it close. Sasha then pinches Bayley’s hand between the steps and the ring and kicks the ring.
The ref checks with Bayley to see if she can continue with the match. As the ref looks through the ropes to check with Bayley, Sasha bounces off the ropes and flips over to land directly on Bayley. The crowd in Brooklyn then begins a loud chant of “this is awesome!” Once both women are in the ring Sasha slaps Bayley and attemps an turnbuckle arm drag, but Bayley wrenches the arm down on the ring apron and Sasha crashes to the outside. The ref begins his count. As soon as he reaches 8 Sasha is back in the ring.
The women have an exchange of punch on their knees, then Bayley takes control in a big way. She has a lot of momentum and connects with a vertical suplex into the turnbuckle. Bayley then attempts a Bayley to belly suplex. Sasha reverses and the two women roll on the ground. Sasha Banks then locks in her Bank Statement and the crowd is extremely loud. Bayley attempts to reach the ropes, but Sasha stomps hard on the hand of Bayley. Bayley looks pissed and reverses the move into a crossface.
Sasha grabs the ropes. Bayley lifts Sasha to her feet and connects with a Bayley to belly suplex. Bayley goes for the pinfall, but Sasha barely kicks out. The arena erupts in a thunderous “this is awesome” chant. Bayley then places Sasha on the top rope and attempts a super Bayley to belly suplex, but Sasha reverses. Bayley climbs up again and attemps a super hurricanrana, but Sasha pushes her off and Bayley spikes hard to the ground. She is slow to get up and when she does Sasha connects with knees for a nearfall.
Bayley is on the opposite turnbuckle and connects a reverse hurricanrana and Sasha flips backwards off the turnbuckle. Both women are up and Bayley hits her finisher, the Bayley to belly suplex, for the win. There is a new NXT Women’s Championship and both women put on a clinic. This match was unlike any other women’s match in the story being told. The length this match had was just right to the tell the story of Bayley, a women’s wrestler who was seen as comical and playful, but couldn’t be taken seriously as a threat. Bayley proved the doubters wrong and showed exactly how much heart, determination, and drive she had in becoming the NXT Women’s Champion.
Sasha Banks showed exactly how ruthless she can be as a competitor. This match was right up there with the Sasha Banks - Becky Lynch match from the last NXT: Takeover special. Lynch and Charlotte came out to congratulate Bayley on becoming the new NXT Women’s Champion. Sasha then embraces her opponent in a hug, with Lynch and Charlotte also joining in the embrace. The crowd chants “NXT, NXT, NXT,” as the Four Horsewomen of the WWE stand tall with their hands raised high. This match was definitely a show stealer if there ever was one.
Winner by pinfall
New NXT Women’s Champion
Bayley
WWE Champion Seth Rollins is shown in attendance for Takeover. This has to feel great for Rollins as he is the former first ever NXT Champion.
Triple H is shown from earlier in the night stating NXT will be touring in the United Kingdom with tickets going on sale August 28, 2015. This is a big leap for NXT in the right direction for truly becoming WWE’s second brand of sports-entertainment/professional wrestling.
Ladder match for the NXT Championship
Kevin Owens - NXT Champion Finn Balor
Kevin Owens methodically makes his entrance looking around the arena in a focused fashion. When Owens is in the ring he breaks out full of energy. Balor’s music begins with an audible and new flashing red lights. Balor mysteriously creeps out of the fog with new intro to his regular music accompanying his “demon” moniker. There hasn’t been an entrance as mesmerizing as Finn Balor’s entrance since the Undertaker’s. It will simply grab your full attention, regardless of the circumstance. Balor hands his championship to the referee to be hung high above the ring, only to be reclaimed by climbing the ladder.
Kevin Owens has been in dozens ladder matches in his career, but this is the first ladder match from Finn Balor. This was also the second ladder match in NXT history. Owens shoves Balor, but Balor immediately follows through with punches, elbows, and a high dropkick. In the corner Balor delivers chops. He then delivers running chops from one corner to the other. Owens gains control with an elbow, followed by a running senton. As Owens tries to get out of the ring for the ladder Balor keeps interrupting him with punches. Owens then begins to slow the pace down and attempts powerbomb, but it’s reversed by Balor into a double foot stomp to Owens’s chest. Owens is able to land a cannonball to Balor in the corner. Another interruption from Balor only to receive a head-butt from Owens. The crowd then mocks Owens with a chant of “Ole,” as if to signal for Sammi Zayn. Balor then catches Owens off guard with a sling-blade.
Owens rolls to the outside and makes his way to the ladder. Balor follows and the tow are on the outside. Owens rams the ladder into the stomach and chest of Balor. He then pins Balor up against the apron with the ladder and acts like he is going to run up the ladder. Owens then runs and stops at the ladder and punches Balor. The crowd erupts in anger and appreciation for the notion. Balor reverses out of the ladder and knocks Owens over the barricade into the audience. Irish whip from Owens to Balor toward the barricade. Balor then flips Owens over the barricade near the ring area. He jumps off the barricade only to be caught by Owens. Owens then throws Balor over the announce table. He rips the cover off the table and throws it at Balor.
Owens climbs on top of the table, with both hand out he taunts the crowd. The second ladder makes its first appearance with Owens picking up the ladder from under the ring. Balor climbs up on the table dropkicks the ladder into Owens. Balor then runs from inside the ring and flips over the top rope to his challenger on the outside. Balor sets the ladder up and climbs up to make the first attempt at the prize. Owens catches Balor off guard and throws him face first into the ladder. Owens then throws Balor to the outside and sets the ladder up again. Balor brings another ladder into the ring.
Owens is able to meet him as he slides in and throws the ladder at Balor. Balor misses the ladder, only to receive a clothesline from Owens from the opposite corner. Again Owens slams the ladder into the chest of Balor. He then picks Balor up and slams him onto the ladder and connects with a standing senton while Balor had his back across the ladder. Both men are up and Owens again attempts a powerbomb. Balor reverses and flips Owens over his back into the ladder, with the ladder is open on its side and Owens in the middle.
The two men are slow to get up Balor in the corner with a ladder. Owens runs toward him. Balor rolls out of the way as Owens does a cannonball to the ladder. Balor then climbs on top of the turnbuckle and connects with a perfectly placed Coupe De Grace. Balor on top of the ladder and about to grab the championship. Owens makes his way to his feet and pulls Balor off the ladder into a powerbomb. The crowd then erupts with a chant of “this is awesome!” Owens climbs the ladder, Balor picks up the other side, causing Owens to fall to the opposite corner and jar his body into the turnbuckle.
Owens pulls Balor outside and attempts a pop-up powerbomb. Balor gives an Orton-like punt to Owens head from the ring apron and attempts a Coupe De Grace off the ring apron to the outside, but Owens moves out of the way. Balor rushes Owens to receive a pop-up powerbomb to the edge of the ring apron. Owens can barely move, but makes his way inside the ring. He sets the ladder up and slowly climbs the ladder. Balor rolls in and tries to push the ladder, but Owens hops off and super kicks Owens. Kevin Owens has a focused look on his face. Starring down Finn Balor he super kicks Balor on the ground. He then kicks Balor on the ground saying “you did this, you did this.” Owens then sets the second ladder across the bottom turnbuckle and the bottom the standing ladder.
He then attempts a perfect-plex from on top of the ladder with Balor on the other side, but Balor is able to escape. He then shoves Owens off the ladder. The back of Owens heads hits the back of his head on the ladder he put across the bottom of the ladder and the ropes. Balor attempts to get the championship, but the ladder isn’t placed in the right spot. Balor can’t reach the championship. Owens is below him at the bottom of the ladder. Balor then leaps off the top of the ladder and hits a huge Coupe De Grace onto Kevin Owens.
Balor’s ankle appears to be hurt from the maneuver, but that doesn’t stop Balor. He places the ladder in the correct spot, slowly makes his way up the ladder, and unlatches his NXT Championship for the victory.
Winner
NXT Champion
Finn Balor
Such an incredible night for NXT with Takeover: Brooklyn. A series of exciting matches with stories being told and culminating in an electrifying fashion. The energy was over flowing throughout the entire show. The crowd was engaged and excited to help make the already memorable night that much more memorable. This was a great way to lead into the three night stay for WWE at the Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn, NY. Hopefully the next two nights, being Summerslam and Monday Night Raw, meet or exceed the warm reception of the NXT Universe.