NXT Takeover: Chicago II

NXT Takeover: Chicago II

Chicago, IL - June 2018

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into this show, the NXT Champion is Aleister Black, the NXT North American Champion is Adam Cole, and the NXT Women's Champion is Shayna Baszler. The NXT Tag Team Titles are held by The Undisputed Era's Kyle O'Reilly and Roderick Strong (subbing for Bobby Fish). 

COMMENTATORS: Percy Watson, Vic Joseph, and Nigel McGuinness



NXT Takeover: Chicago II begins with a video hyping tonight's multiple title matches and highly-anticipated grudge match between Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa. This is the NXT "PPV" debut of Vic Joseph, who does commentary for 205 Live (a show I don't watch). I'm excited to hear what this guy can do...

The Undisputed Era's Kyle O'Reilly and Roderick Strong defended the NXT Tag Team Championships against Oney Lorcan (former indie fave Biff Busick) and Danny Burch. The crowd was firmly behind the UE early, chanting for the stable as a unit but then also both Roddy and O'Reilly singularly. Burch and Lorcan are a bit colorless, both guys essentially playing "no nonsense toughmen" but this sort of act has been done before and better and not that long ago (see The Revival or even, to a lesser degree, Sheamus and Cesaro [who at least had some personality to make them interesting]). The action was hard-hitting throughout and I really enjoy the unique striking of O'Reilly. Strong might be even better in terms of his execution, even if not quite as innovative. Lorcan's lariats and uppercuts looked like they could knock you to next week, but what surpised me more was his delivery of a rope-assisted somersault splash to the outside (and, later, an excellent bump he took on the ring apron off the top rope). Burch worked hard too and got to showcase his toughness, eating a ton of offense from the UE but never fully dying. Lorcan hit a double-Blockbuster on the outside that drew a "holy shit" chant and it looked like they might win the title, but Adam Cole made the save (before getting sent to the back by the referee). O'Reilly locked in a guillotine soon after, but Lorcan wouldn't quit and countered it into a suplex. There was an insane double submission spot that O'Reilly escaped by, while in a crossface, stomping Lorcan in the face until he released Roderick Strong from a single crab. The fighting continued as the crowd chanted, "NXT!," this match finally coming to a finish after O'Reilly and Strong hit Lorcan with a barrage of headshots and their Total Elimination-esque finish. The Chicago crowd treated the UE like they were babyfaces, but they didn't do anything faceish. Meanwhile, Lorcan and Burch played it straight down the middle. From a technical/workrate perspective, this match was really good - and the crowd responded to the big spots - but I thought it was missing the emotional, character-based anchors that made the Revival/#DIY/AOP matches legit all-time classics. (3.5/5)

The Velveteen Dream came out next, decked out in some Hulk Hogan-inspired gear, for his match against Ricochet. The Dream's outfit and mannerisms during his entrance were a bit bizarre - on one hand, they were crowd-pleasing and entertaining and fun, but on the other hand, it seems a bit early for The Dream to be mixing-and-matching his own persona with a tongue-in-cheek version of another iconic character, like we still need to see more of  what The Velveteen Dream is itself before we need to see a mash-up. It just seemed random and, considering how over both guys were with the live crowd, a wholly unnecessary distraction. The Velveteen Dream's in-ring facial expressions might be as good as anyone else on the roster and has helped make every one of his Takeover matches seem like important and meaningful matches to him (which makes them seem important and meaningful to the audience). Dream hit an imperfect rope-assisted somersault cannonball and followed it up with a Rick Rude-like reverse neckbreaker, but despite putting all of his character into every bit of his offense, the crowd seemed to rise and fall in their spirit, quieting down at multiple points during Dream's control segment. A "Both These Guys!" chant started up just as Ricochet started to gain some steam. Ricochet hit a number of high-risk maneuvers, including a big tope to the outside, a 619 in the corner, a springboard back elbow, and minutes later, a standing shooting star press (the kind of move that, 20 years ago, I'm not sure was even invented yet). Dream cut him off on the top rope, though, eventually giving him the ability to hit Ricochet with a release Death Valley Bomb (which is not really to dissimilar to the AA really) from the top. In an even crazier spot, Velveteen ended up superplexing Ricochet from the same corner to the arena floor, both guys hitting the ground hard and barely beating the count back into the ring. Back in the ring, Ricochet looked like he might be in control, but Dream dodged a punch and hit his rolling Death Valley Bomb for 2. A strike exchange followed, both guys selling the exhaustion and damage expertly. The final 4-6 minute stretch was even more incredible than anything that had come before with all sorts of bright moments - The Dream's trashtalking, Ricochet doing some finisher theft, The Dream countering a ridiculously long distance shooting star press by lifting his knees at the last possible moment. Ricochet eventually connected with his 640 Splash for the win, a move that you can see a hundred times but will never not be impressive. (3.5/5)

The NXT Women's Championship was on the line next, Nikki Cross challenging Shayna Baszler in a clash of personalities and styles. Cross put the craziness on full display at the start of the match, bouncing in the ring like an excited puppy and then turning her back on Baszler and daring her to strike. Cross then tried to choke her out early and while she couldn't get the job done, she stayed in relative control for the next several minutes before eating a back drop into the steel ramp. Baszler then connected with an absolutely vicious knee to the face that seemed like it drew a huge reaction from the crowd until it became obvious that the crowd was more focused on something going on in the stands. Once whatever was happening in the crowd died down, the fans refocused on the match. Cross continued to fight back no matter what Baszler threw at her, using every trick she could think of to gain an advantage over the former MMA competitor. Cross is not a world beater like Asuka or a perfect athlete like Charlotte, but what she could do was use her cunning to throw screwballs at the green Womens' Champion and that's what she tried. It made for a different sort of match than any of the men's bouts and while it didn't offer as many insane peaks, it was still a strong match. As Tazz said on his podcast covering the show, the finish was not executed very well - Baszler should be tapping her opponents much quicker and Cross' facial expressions seemed out of place as you're getting choked out - no matter how much they might've wanted it to appear that she was almost enjoying the asphyxiation. It was an odd final note to hit in an otherwise solid bout. (3/5)

EC3 and Keith Lee were shown in the audience. Keith Lee looks like he could be interesting...

In a somewhat surprising move, the NXT Championship was not on the line in our main event but contested in the next match - Aleister Black defending the gold against Lars Sullivan. Right from the start, Black was wrestling with a ton more urgency and speed, showing a different gear than the more calculated style he'd exhibited in his other Takeover matches. I really liked seeing this side out of Black, the stoic, almost devilish champion actually bumping and selling like an over-matched underdog for the much-larger Sullivan. Speaking of Sullivan, with his look, he gets a ton of mileage out of just doing the basics with relative proficiency, but one can already see that, in time, he could be something really special. At one point, Black blocked a top rope splash with his knee but ended up taking more damage than he inflicted, the injured knee becoming the focus of the match from then on. Even with his knee in pain, though, Black would find a way to counter Lars' finisher into a DDT. Lars wouldn't stay down for long, though, hitting a powerslam on the apron moments later after taking a series of big front kicks to the jaw. Sullivan hit a headbutt from the top, but even this couldn't put the champ away. Sullivan went for another tackle at Black's knees, only for Black to counter with a double stomp onto Sullivan's back and then a very, very, very poorly shot (or executed, it was hard to tell) Black Mass. From the initial camera angle, it looked like he missed him by a good 3-4 inches and Sullivan's sales job looked unnatural and awkward. Black went for it again, but Lars caught his foot and then rocked him with a huge clothesline. Black hit his second Black Mass, but Sullivan wouldn't go down, the crowd actually popping for his toughness. At this point, though, Black was in full control and hit a third (if you count the first, errant one) Black Mass to put the monster to bed. I liked that this one offered something a bit different than the other matches on the card and was impressed by Black's range, wrestling as the fighting babyface champion for the first time instead of the devil-worshipping anti-hero. (3.5/5)

Main event time - Johnny Gargano vs. Tommaso Ciampa in a Chicago Street Fight. Their last match was an "Unsanctioned" Match, so I'm not sure how this stipulation is really adding anything, but these two have such great chemistry and have been involved in such great matches against and with each other that it doesn't really matter. Before the match began, Candice LeRae (Gargano's real-life wife) handed him a crutch, the weapon that has become a symbol of this entire feud. Ciampa arrived with his own crutch, but still no entrance music - his theme song essentially being deafening boos at this point. Unlike their last match, which started off with a little bit of suspense and anticipation, this one was a straight-up wild brawl from the start with Gargano tossing Ciampa over a table and then the two making their way into the stands. The use of a Stop sign had me reminiscing about Horace Hogan and the not-much-glory days of WCW's Hardcore Division (not a happy memory), but at least they followed it up with a legitimately crazy spot - Gargano launching himself off a riser to hit a crossbody onto the arena floor. Back to the ring they went where Gargano dug around under the ring and pulled out a number of metal objects. Ciampa hit a series of suplexes (even drawing a "Suplex City" chant), but Gargano escaped and hit a tope to the outside. Ciampa recovered, though, and grabbed a hold of the steps, another trash can, and an additional chair. Ciampa then wrapped the chair around Gargano's neck and sent him chair-first into the steps in one of the most brutal-looking spots I've seen in years (drawing a loud "Fuck You Ciampa!" chant from the crowd). Ciampa then set Gargano's head onto the steps and threw a trash can at it to add further injury to injury before dumping him back into the ring. With the match in complete control, Ciampa grabbed a pair of handcuffs and attempted to lock Gargano's wrists. Gargano rallied, though, hitting a spear and then using his belt to inflict exact some sweet revenge on the man that betrayed him a year ago (as the crowd chanted "You Deserve It!" all the while). Gargano then hit a *nasty* superkick onto a garbage can-covered Ciampa, but when he attempted to send Ciampa into another can in the corner, Tommaso countered with a perfect powerbomb-into-double knees and then a series of big trash can lid strikes. On the apron the battle continued, Gargano hitting a series of big elbows, but ultimately getting driven into the steel steps from a Ciampa White Noise. The match continued, though, with Ciampa then doing some remodeling by pulling the canvas off of the ring and exposing the wooden boards under the mat. In a great throwback to their last match, Gargano attempted to powerbomb Ciampa onto the boards, but was unable to do so, instead opting to just hit him with a savage kick to the face from below. A "Boo! Yay!" slugfest ensued, the match maybe relying on a touch too many tropes, but definitely pleasing the crowd the whole way through. After a nearfall, Ciampa slid to the outside of the ring and Gargano attempted to strike with a crossbody over the top only to eat a trash can lid instead. Ciampa sized him up for a running knee, but Gargano dodged it and Ciampa went crashing into the steel steps as the crowd chanted "Stupid Idiot" to mock him. Gargano then came into the ring and went right to work on the knee, hitting with his fists and then a series of strikes with a chair as the crowd rooted him on. Ciampa managed to bounce back, though, first by sending Gargano back-first into a trash can and then by locking him up with his own submission finish. Ciampa, with the crutch in hand, went right at Gargano's injured neck, but still Johnny Wrestling kicked out. For at least the third or fourth time, the crowd started chanting for tables - something they had to know the crowd would want to see. Ciampa dragged Gargano up the ramp and sent him into the set as the commentators noted that things had now come full circle from the last Takeover: Chicago. Up they climbed to the top of a rig, Ciampa looking to send Gargano through a table nearby. Before making the attempt, though, he pulled off Gargano's wedding ring, spit on it, and tossed it out. Gargano, miraculously, though, countered with a White Noise through a table a good 4-5 feet below in a crazy, crazy spot that looked absolutely insane on first watch (but much less risky on replay). An EMT crew came out and hoisted Ciampa onto a stretcher as Gargano watched from his perch, looking almost like he was in a trance until he realized that Ciampa had taken his wedding ring. Meanwhile, Ciampa's selling the whole time was just brilliant, his agony so clear, but also so deserved. Gargano then took out the EMTs and dragged the gurney back to the ring, where he locked in the Gargano Stretch and proceeded to handcuff Ciampa so he can hit him with a series of kicks to the skull. Again, a group of NXT suits came out to pull Gargano away, the crowd booing any attempt to keep these two men separate. In a fluke finish, Ciampa caught Gargano with a DDT onto the exposed wooden boards as he we getting back into the ring, but as the commentators noted, Ciampa had tapped out twice when there was no referee around. In a sense, this match wasn't about the pinfall, so I wasn't bothered by the ending one bit. Gargano got his revenge, but ultimately cost himself the "victory" in order to do so, with Ciampa barely even able to have his arm raised in the end. While not as emotionally rewarding as their last Takeover battle, this was still a hellacious, physical, ultra-violent match that delivered exactly the kind of brutality as they'd promised. It will be interesting to see where they go with this feud as I could see them having a third match, but am not necessarily sure what is left for these guys to do to each other short of actual murder. (4/5)


The NXT formula continues to produce the kind of shows that should not only please fans of the current spot-heavy, fast-paced "indie style," but also those that miss the "golden days" of wrestling before the Attitude Era, when every match on a card was built around distinct characters having a deep, personal grudge or competing for a prestigious, meaningful championship. Just like the last Takeover show, Takeover: Chicago II earned a strong 3.5-out-of-5 Kwang Score on 5 matches, not a single match dipping below "above average." What might be most commendable about this show is that, on paper, it wasn't necessarily one built around multiple "dream matches" or heavily hyped gimmick matches. The main event was literally a sequel to the last show's main event (what really is the difference between an Unsanctioned Match and a Street Fight?), while every championship match (save for maybe the NXT Championship one) was expected to end exactly the way they did. Unlike the next night's Money in the Bank, this show didn't marvel the crowd with shocking twists or by stacking the card with every name on the roster (Adam Cole, Kairi Sane, and EC3 had mere cameos, while Kassius Ohno and The War Raiders were nowhere to be found) - it took a "looks good on paper" card and then booked and let breathe every single match on the card, the creative team getting out of their own way and letting relatively unproven talents (at least in NXT) talents like Lorcan and Burche and Lars Sullivan show their stuff. It was a wise decision.

FINAL RATING - Watch It All