Results, Recap, Review of NXT TakeOver WarGames 2
Tonight, NXT brought back WarGames for the second year in a row and the city of Angels turned into a battleground of epic proportions. I feel like this WarGames had a different feel to it. It felt like it was a coming out party everyone who should be on the main roster right now. With that being said here are the results of NXT Takeover WarGames:
-Matt Riddle defeated Kassius Ohno
-Shayna Baszler defeated Kairi Sane in a 2 out of 3 Falls Match to retain the NXT Women’s Championship
-Aleister Black defeated Johnny Gargano
-Tommaso Ciampa defeated The Velveteen Dream to retain the NXT Championship
-Ricochet/Pete Dunne/War Raiders defeated Undisputed Era in WarGames
The night opened with Matt Riddle coming out and challenging Kassius Ohno. To everyone’s surprise Matt Riddle beat Ohno within a matter of seconds. Before everyone starts complaining about burying Ohno, let’s remember he’s a veteran and more of a teacher down in NXT who was doing his job. Matt Riddle is going to be next big thing in NXT and WWE so it was important that he made an immediate impact right out of the gate. Following the quick encounter, Shayna Baszler defended the NXT Women’s Championship against Kairi Sane. This match was fast pace from start to finish and had interference on both sides. In the end, Baszler walked away still champion, but it wasn’t without controversy. I have a feeling that a 6-Women Tag is going to come out of this at some point and that it will center around Shayna losing the title. The depth of the Women’s Division is starting to show and I am excited to see what these new women can do.
One match that intrigued me going into this event was Johnny Gargano and Aleister Black, because of the heel turn with Gargano and Black wanting revenge. I personally think this match should have went on after the NXT Title match because I had a feeling these two were going to tear the house down and that’s exactly what they did. They told a great story and the matched each move for move. WWE is in a huge bind right now, because they have so much talent down in NXT and nowhere to put them on the main roster. Performers like Black, Gargano and Ciampa should all be on Raw or Smackdown by now. I feel there needs to be a sense of urgency to start plugging these guys in because the latest reports show that there are 90 people training at the Performance Center right now. There is not much left for Gargano and Black to do in NXT. The same thing could be said for Tommaso Ciampa who defended his NXT Title against The Velveteen Dream tonight. I wasn’t sure how this would follow Gargano-Black, but consider me shocked and appreciative of what both men brought. I don’t know what the NXT Title picture is going to look like but my dream scenario would be a Fatal Four Way between Ciampa, Gargano, Black, and Dream in January. Other title contenders could be Lars Sullivan, Matt Riddle or Keith Lee. Only time will to see who will be Ciampa’s next challenger.
The Main Event was the WarGames match featuring The Undisputed Era taking on Pete Dunne, Ricochet, and War Raiders. Last year, The Undisputed Era won this match and all four men have an advantage over their opposition. This match definitely kept up with the expectations we had from last year. I absolutely agree with the decision to have it go back to two teams because the dynamic of two teams and factions settling a feud. I have to give major props to Ricochet and Adam Cole for starting the match and lasting almost an hour in WarGames. Both men took a lot of punishment and showed why their feud is one of the hottest in the pro wrestling world right now. At the end of the night, Pete Dunne and Ricochet both pinned Adam Cole after they hit their finishers. I am not sure what happens with these eight competitors but I expect to see big things out of all of them. I have to give Takeover WarGames a 9 out of 10. The only thing I was not completely sold on is Ciampa going over on Dream. It seems every Takeover, Dream has a ton of momentum coming in and then he doesn’t go over. I hope that scenario changes because he is one of the hottest commodities out there. Many people on the main roster want to work with him and that speaks for itself. Tonight NXT took over the City of Angels and in two months they will take over the desert in Phoenix. WarGames was on fire, but things for 2019 will surely be heating up in NXT.
