NXT World Champion: Bobby Roode
NXT World Tag Team Champions: The Authors Of Pain
NXT Woman's Champion: Asuka
United Kingdom Champion: Tyler Bate
NXT TakeOver: Chicago
May 20th, 2017
Allstate Arena: Chicago, Illinois
Eric Young (w/SAnitY) vs. Roderick Strong
The match starts with Roddy Strongboat coming through the crowd and taking out Wolfe and Dain, before getting in the ring and trying to end it early against EY before the other two can recover and somewhat become a factor. But he can't and EY takes over with a side suplex, kinda like a backdrop driver and begins working the head and neck. Roddy fights back and goes on a run of combo's, but on the floor, Dain hits Roddy with a killer flying crossboady as the ref is watching EY giving EY control back again. Solid EY heat, it's not completely boring and he's finally using Wolfe and Dain to interfere a bunch, I don't they really did in the Tye feud. Roddy bumps and sells well during the work, but as good as he is as a seller, his comeback is dope when he can run off 45 million combo moves, he's also the master of the slap thigh sound. He be making simple knees to the face look like the death blow. On the floor, EY hits the wheelbarrow neckbreaker, but takes too long getting Roddy back into the ring which allows him to kick out. EY goes up top and hits the big elbow but again Roddy kicks out, Dain and Wolfe try to get involved again but Strong takes them out and hits EY with the debuting end of heartache for the win. **1/2
Good Ol' Jim Ross comes out to do commentary for the next match. And he replaces Percy and Tom, FUCK YEAH! 2 MAN BOOTH!
United Kingdom Championship: Pete Dunne vs. Tyler Bate
Dunne debuts the theme he has now, it's super underrated as just a beat. Real awesome mat wrestling to start, some unique counters and escaping of holds. Bate shows off his ROH fanboy-ness and uses Bryan's counters out of wrist locks, Dunne suckers him into the floor and allows himself to get his ass kicked for a bit, but catches Bate on the floor with a killer elbow and hits the explex suplex onto the apron, but he doesn't follow up with anything directed to the back. He goes to hand, wrist, and arm. Bate counters out of one of the arm holds into a delayed t-bone suplex and mount a small bit of offense, before they begin trading big moves and near falls. At one point, Dunne catches Bate in the triangle and begins rapid punching away at the arm, and does the 12-6 elbows to the head. But Bate hits the one arm sit-down powerslam to break the hold. Bate breaks out this crazy airplane spin for 20-30 seconds but it's super fast like it's hard to explain but he's spinning super fast. Awesome near fall, Dunne catches Bate attempting a crossbody off the middle rope with a killer forearm and follows up with a sitdown explex for two, and the building goes nuts. They begin exchanging strikes, with Bate hitting the BANG punch but he can't follow up so they go back to stiffing the fuck out one another. They both counter out of the other's finishing move, with Bate hitting a nasty spike DDT out of the bitter end, but the momentum sends him to the floor where Bate hits a moonsault to the floor. HE THEN HITS A FUCKING SPIRAL TAP FOR TWO! He goes for 1 hish risk to many, but Dunne avoids and Bate hits the floor face first, he quickly rolls Bate in and hits the Bitter End for the win. FUCKING HELL THIS STILL HOLDS UP. And if this had some selling, it prob would go down as the best match in NXT history. ****1/4
Triple Threat Match for the Woman's Championship Match: Ruby Riot vs. Nikki Cross vs. Asuka
Poor Asuka man, having to go after a top 10 NXT match of all time again, but this delivers. We get a little 1on1's, but, for 80% of the match, it's all 3 girls doing stuff. They do a fantastic job integrating the 3rd person into a spot to knock them out, and they don't have the 3rd sell on the floor longer than the bump is needed for. Asuka is head and shoulders above Ruby and Nikki tho, I love that every girl keeps looking for that spot, and whenever they seem like they have the upper hand the 3rd would come in and ruin it. It's also rare that we didn't get the typical team up stuff, or even the shitty tower of doom spot, I think that's why I enjoyed this so much. Also, it's super fast paced, constant action from bell to bell. Nothing felt wasted, and everything was smooth outside Ruby almost spiking herself during a 'rana. The match ends when Cross hits a hanging spinning neckbreaker from the corner, but Ruby breaks up the hold. All 3 are slow to get up and Asuka starts breaking down, to Nikki and Ruby double clothesline her to the floor so they can settle their issue. Ruby hits the pele kick, BUT ASUKA SNEAKS BACK IN AND HITS A RUNNING KNEE AND PINS THEM BOTH! **3/4
Video package for the world title airs.
For Roode's special TakeOver entrance, he again gets the piano but this time it's not real pianos. It's on the stage and you can see the notes like that dance game at the arcades
NXT World Championship: Hideo Itami vs. Bobby Roode
A couple things off rip, Hideo gets more booo's than cheers during his entrance, and Roode debuts my all-time favorite robe from him. The champions Black & Gold one. I can't think of any two colors that go together better than Black/Gold, maybe Black/Red. Red/Gold is top 3. Awesome opening 10 seconds, Roode goes to do his "GLORIOUS" taunt, but Hideo picks him up for the GTS right away but Roode quickly bails to the floor to rethink his cockinesss. Good back and forth to start, Hideo is one step ahead but the cam catches him barely hitting with knees and misses the cocky back kick. Roode weathers the storm, before going after the throat and neck. Roode does his usual neck work, same stuff he did against Naka and OhNo. But he begins to get cocky, so Hideo kills him with a nasty straight slap to the face and that opens him up for a comeback. Late in the match, Roode hurts his arm going shoulder first into 1 of the ring posts, so Hideo begins kicking away at it, ROODE FUCKING SELLING IS WONDERFUL! He sells it for the rest of the match, constantly shaking the arm, and having to muster up 2nd wind to get the move the 2nd time as the arm keeps giving out the first time. AWSOME SELLING ON HIS PART! Hideo half ass works it, like kicks to it and throws him shoulder first into the steps, all bumps Roode was gonna take to the arm regardless. Hideo then hurts his ankle when Roode avoids the dropkick into the steps, but the difference is Hideo doesn't sell until it's time to advance the match, like can do the running dropkick fine, but as soon as he has to do the GTS now the ankle gives out, and that allows Roode to hit the DDT for two. Roode takes too long to follow up, and Hideo suckers him and hits the GTS, but just like at the last two TakeOver's Roode's momentum sent him to the floor so he can't get pinned. Hideo eventually rolls him back in, but enough time has passed that he can kick out. More stiff Hideo slaps, and he sets him up for the EXPOSED KNEE IN THE GTS but Roode rolls out and hits back2back Glorious DDT's for the win. **3/4
During an NXT live event in Highland Hills, KY, Tommaso Ciampa suffered a knee injury, but Doctors have cleared him for tonight.
JINDER/ORTON - WWE TITLE HYPE!!!!!!!
Kevin Owens is in the crowd with some baseball guy. Sami, Pat Patterson, and OhNo are in the crowd too.
Ladder Match for the NXT World Tag Team Championships: The Authors of Pain (w/Paul Ellering) vs. #DIY
Champions coming out first smh. NXT has been really good at not doing that. Ciampa is clearly hurt as even though he's not the fasted, he's moving a lot slower than normal. This is really good, good storytelling with DIY getting the better to start as they're faster and have experience in ladder matches so they do tons of double teams and integrate the ladder as a weapon, but as the match moves along AoP get stronger, and smarter and figure some innovative ways to use the ladder and destroy DIY. I think Ciampa tears his ACL when he gets shoved off the ladder and he takes an awkward knee buckle bump but he continues to match. Cool spot AoP set up two ladders between the apron and the barricades, with the big ladder in the middle, but DIY fights back and hits two big splashes breaking the ladders, well Ciampa did, Gargano skinny as just bends it. All 4 get up and begin climbing the ladders, but everyone but Gargano gets knocked down. But as he reaches up, Paul Ellering pulls Gargano off the ladder so Johnny drops him with a superkick. SICK SPOT! AoP line Ciampa up for the double team battering ramp, but Gargabi sacrifices himself and takes the bullet. That gives Ciampa new life and hits Rezar with a German off the ladder through the wood one in the corner. Akam goes to climb the ladder but Gargano holds by the boot to stop. THEY THEN PLACE THE LADDER AROUND HIS NECK AND HIT THE DOUBLE TEAM RUNNING KNEE/SUPERKICK. They both climb the ladder but AoP kicks the ladder from under them, leaving them hanging from the belts. AoP quickly pulls them down and hit the double powerbomb spot, and climb the ladders to win. ***
After the Match; DIY are in the ring and get a standing ovation, they go to leave an walk up the ramp. THE BOX LOGO EVEN APPEARS TO SIGNAL THE END OF THE SHOW!
WHEN CIAMPA SAYS "THIS IS MY MOMENT" and throws Gargano into the tron, he proceeds to beat Gargano down and hits a knee, Gargano pulls himself up so CIAMPA EXPOSES THE KNEE AND KNEES HIM IN THE FACE! The crowd starts a "FUCK YOU CIAMPA" chant, so he picks him up and hits a fucking air raid crash off the commentary table to the floor.