Recap and Review of NXT TakeOver Wargames III (Chicago)
For the third consecutive year, NXT WarGames took place the night before Survivor Series. This year was very different because of NXT’s involvement in Survivor Series. We still witnessed the rivalries in NXT but they also banded together as a brand to combat Raw and Smackdown. Tonight, brand loyalty was put aside for personal animosity among everyone who competed tonight. Before I begin, here are the results of NXT TakeOver WarGames:
-Kickoff Show: Angel Garza defeated Isaiah “Swerve” Scott
-Rhea Ripley and Candace Lerae defeated Shayna Bazsler, Bianca Belair, Io Sharai and Kay Lee Rae in WarGames
-Pete Dunne defeated Damien Priest and Killian Dain
-Finn Balor defeated Matt Riddle
-Tommaso Ciampa, Dominik Dijakovic, Keith Lee, and Kevin Owens defeated Undisputed Era in WarGames
The opening match was the first ever WarGames and there was a lot of chaos in before the match. Mia Yim was taken out before the show started and she was replaced with Dakota Kai. Candace and Io Started the match followed by Bianca and Rhea Ripley. When Dakota was released from the cage, she viciously attacked her teammate and best friend Tegan Nox. This left Bazsler’s team at a four on two advantage, which bothered me to a degree. NXT doesn’t usually book badly but from a realistic point of view there is no way two people should have beaten four in a cage. I do think the some big things are in store for Rhea Ripley, which is why I think the match ended the way it did. The women that were involved in the match should be very proud of their effort.
This weekend NXT is a part of Survivor Series for time ever, which means that the NXT Title will be defended. Pete Dunne, Damien Priest and Killian Dain put it all on the line for a shot at Adam. I think Priest and Dain have incredible futures in NXT, but Pete Dunne has a legitimate shot at being NXT Champion. Pete Dunne helped put NXT UK on the map but since his departure he has moved to the state is a regular on NXT in Florida. NXT has seen it’s fair share of up and coming talent, but one person who has returned to make an impact is Finn Balor. The former NXT Champion was suppose to take on Johnny Gargano, but Johnny Wrestling wasn’t medically cleared to wrestle. Matt Riddle stepped in and they had a hell of a match. This was the best I’ve seen Finn Balor in a very long time and it’s nice to see him in his element again.
The Main Event was the Men’s WarGames. Going into the match, Team Ciampa was down a member and there was a lot of speculation of who it might be. After all the brutality that occurred in this match, Kevin Owens showed up as the fourth member. His history with Adam Cole made this such a memorable moment for everyone who knows their history. All eight men put on a show that will be remembered for a long time. The end came when Tommaso Ciampa delivered Air Raid Siren to Adam Cole from the top of the steel cage through two tables. In my opinion, this is going to go down as one of the greatest endings to any type of match in the history on NXT, WWE and all of pro wrestling. At the end of the night, I have to give TakeOver a 9 out of 10. I did not agree with the booking of the Women’s WarGames match and the unrealistic result of. Tomorrow, NXT has a huge opportunity to create a bigger name for itself by going against Raw and Smackdown. Tonight, NXT went to war within the brand but tomorrow they go to war with rest of WWE.
