This week, NXT builds most of the matches for NXT TakeOver: War Games while filling out the card. Kairi Sane returns to take on Billie Kay, Velveteen Dream builds momentum against Cezar Bononi, and Roderick Strong takes on Adam Cole in the main event.
Heavy Machinery vs. Sean Maluta & Some Other Guy
A few months ago, Otis Dozovic and Tucker Knight challenged the Authors of Pain for the NXT Tag Team Championships but came up short. While SAnitY, the Authors of Pain, and The Undisputed Era are neck-and-neck for the titles, Heavy Machinery is building up momentum the old-fashioned way: destroying teams of wrestlers that no one knows. However, this team actually has a familiar face in Sean Maluta, an NXT regular who competed in the Cruiserweight Classic.
After laying Sean Maluta out in the middle of the ring, Heavy Machinery squashes him with the Compactor, picking up the victory. Winners: Heavy Machinery
Billie Kay (w/Peyton Royce) vs. Kairi Sane
At NXT TakeOver: War Games, Kairi Sane and Peyton Royce will compete against Ember Moon and Nikki Cross in a Fatal Four-Way Match with the winner capturing the vacated NXT Women’s Championship.
After preventing Peyton Royce from providing interference, Kairi Sane finishes Billie Kay off with the In-Sane Elbow, setting sail for Houston, TX. Winner: Kairi Sane
Announcements
To round out the NXT TakeOver: War Games card, Kassius Ohno will take on Lars Sullivan. Ohno requested this match with the hopes that if he wins, General Manager William Regal will consider putting him back in the title picture. Ohno’s last NXT Championship match was against Bobby Roode a few months ago, where he barely lost.
Last week, Mercedes Martinez said that Ember Moon has no chance of winning the NXT Women’s Championship because she always fails when it comes to big matches. To prove Martinez wrong, Moon faces her next week.
Also next week, Drew McIntyre is scheduled to go face-to-face with his NXT Championship challenger, Andrade “Cien” Almas. McIntyre and Almas were supposed to have this face-to-face confrontation last week, but Almas took that opportunity to attack the champion from behind.
Velveteen Dream vs. Cezaro Bononi
At TakeOver: War Games, Velveteen Dream will take on Aleister Black. Black is known for being very quiet and reserved, but Dream spent weeks trying to get his attention and for Black to “say his name.” That is the end goal for his match with Black in a couple weeks, but it remains to be seen whether or not that will happen.
Velveteen Dream dominates for the entire match and so much so that he does not even need to land the Purple Rainmaker elbow drop. After the Death Valley Driver in the middle of the ring, Dream gets the pinfall to score a win before facing a much tougher opponent in Aleister Black. Winner: Velveteen Dream
Update on Ruby Riot’s Injury
A few weeks ago, Ember Moon took on Ruby Riot and Sonya Deville in a Triple Threat match to determine one of the NXT Women’s Championship contenders. While Deville had Riot in an ankle lock, Moon hit Deville with the Eclipse and the impact injured Riot’s ankle. According to the doctors backstage, Riot will be ready to return in two weeks. She issues a challenge to Deville, who told her that she should have just tapped to avoid the injury.
Roderick Strong vs. Adam Cole
This is a match that would have seemingly never happened in a WWE ring. This is only Adam Cole’s second singles match in NXT after a bout where defeated Eric Young a few weeks ago. Now he takes on Roderick Strong, who is also a former Ring of Honor veteran and probable future NXT Champion. At TakeOver: War Games, Cole will compete alongside Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly to take on Strong and the Authors of Pain, as well as SAnitY in the match that gave the show its name.
Strong seems to have Cole put away after using the top turnbuckle to hit Cole with a backbreaker, but Fish and O’Reilly intervene and protect Cole from further harm. The rest of the War Games competitors join the ring and chaos ensues until everybody is laid out at ringside. Result: No Contest
