Tonight, NXT hosts another TakeOver event from Chicago, a city known for loving wrestling. Only one match tonight is not for a championship, which goes to show how huge this event could be. All three of the brand’s titles are being defended, as well as Tyler Bate’s WWE United Kingdom Championship. Whatever happens, this will help set the stage for NXT’s “new era.”
Eric Young (w/Alexander Wolfe & Killian Dain) vs. Roderick Strong
A couple weeks ago, Roderick Strong lost a #1 Contender’s match to Hideo Itami. After NXT went off the air from that main event, SAnitY attacked Strong for some reason. Strong then demanded a match with Eric Young, and Young accepted the challenge last week. Strong helped Tye Dillinger face SAnitY a few weeks ago, so this isn’t the first time that these men have clashed.
Strong knocks Young off of the top turnbuckle and Young lands onto his allies. When Young gets back in the ring, Strong finishes him off with a “suplex release double knee backbreaker” (according to Nigel McGuinness) to overcome the odds and pick up the win. Winner: Roderick Strong
Predicted Winner: Roderick Strong (1/1)
Tyler Bate (c) vs. Pete Dunne – WWE United Kingdom Championship
Back in January, Tyler Bate defeated Pete Dunne in the finals to become the first-ever WWE United Kingdom Champion. Just 19 years old at the time, Bate became the second youngest titleholder in WWE history. While Bate would successfully defend his title over the following months, Pete Dunne defeated Trent Seven just a couple weeks ago to earn his second UK Championship opportunity.
Tyler Bate attempts a dive to the ring over the top rope, but Dunne sideswipes it. Dunne then rolls Bate back in the ring, then he hits the Bitter End in the center of the ring to become the second person to hold the UK title. Winner, and NEW WWE United Kingdom Champion: Pete Dunne
Predicted Winner: Pete Dunne (2/2)
Asuka (c) vs. Nikki Cross vs. Ruby Riot – NXT Women’s Championship
To find a new challenger for Asuka, NXT hosted a #1 Contender’s Battle Royal a few weeks ago. Ruby Riot, Nikki Cross, and Ember Moon were the last three women in the match. Instead of there being a winner, Asuka decided to attack them all. William Regal originally made this a Fatal Four-Way Match, but Ember Moon was injured during the attack.
Ruby Riot is pinning Nikki Cross when Asuka hits both women with a Shining Wizard. Asuka then pins both challengers at the same time to barely escape with her title. Winner, and STILL NXT Women’s Champion: Asuka
Predicted Winner: Asuka (3/3)
Announcement
A video package announces that the Velveteen Dream, Patrick Clark, is debuting this Wednesday.
Bobby Roode (c) vs. Hideo Itami – NXT Championship
After Bobby Roode retained the NXT Championship against Shinsuke Nakamura at TakeOver: Orlando, Hideo Itami returned from injury to interrupt his celebration. Itami would knock out the champion with the GTS, then a few weeks later, Itami would defeat Roderick Strong to become the new #1 Contender for Roode’s championship.
Fighting through shoulder pain, Bobby Roode counters Hideo Itami’s GTS attempt to hit not one, but two Glorious DDTs in a row to retain the title. Winner, and STILL NXT Champion: Bobby Roode
Predicted Winner: (4/4)
The Authors of Pain (c) vs. #DIY – NXT Tag Team Championships (Ladder Match)
#DIY lost the NXT Tag Team Championships at TakeOver: San Antonio, but they had never gotten their one-on-one championship rematch. General Manager William Regal agreed that Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa deserved this opportunity more than any other team. Making this a ladder match might help the challengers since the Authors of Pain haven’t been pinned. Then again, giving AoP weapons could be very dangerous.
Gargano and Ciampa start hanging from the belts above the ring, and The Authors of Pain slam them down with the Super Collider. Akam and Rezar then climb the ladder to retain the gold. Winners, and STILL NXT Tag Team Champions: The Authors of Pain
#DIY starts walking to the back when Ciampa slams Gargano into the entrance monitor. He then hits his former partner with two running knees before slamming him through several tables. This shocking breakup of #DIY explains why this match was left for the main event.
Predicted Winners: The Authors of Pain (5/5)
