Recap and Review of WWE NXT Takeover 36

For seven years, NXT has been a staple of WWE programming since the inception of the WWE Network. Prior to that, NXT was known as Florida Championship Wrestling and it was only shown locally in certain Florida Television markets. Fast forward to 2021 and the post pandemic era, which is being led by Vince McMahon and Nick Khan. Reports and rumors have surfaced that NXT will be undergoing a major overhaul in terms of production and talent. WWE President Nick Khan confirmed these reports in a recent interview with Ariel Helwani. Raw and Smackdown have the talent they want and the others who the company saw no value in were released. Tonight, it was the end of an era for NXT so here is how they closed this chapter of NXT.

-Kickoff Show: Ridge Holland defeated Trey Baxter
-Cameron Grimes defeated L.A. Knight to become the new Million Dollar Champion
-Raquel Gonzales defeated Dakota Kai to retain the NXT Women’s Championship
-Ilja Dragunov defeated WALTER to become the new NXT UK Champion
-Kyle O’Reilly defeated Adam Cole in a 2 out of 3 Falls Match
-Samoa Joe defeated Karrion Kross to become the new NXT Champion

The opening match was for the Million Dollar Championship as L.A. Knight defended the Million Dollar Championship against Cameron Grimes. The stipulation in this match was if Grimes lost then Ted Dibiase would have to become Knight’s butler. I loved that Grimes shed the butler gear and payed homage to Dibiase’s old gear. These two told a great a story and the story intensified when Grimes appeared to be busted open. At one point, both Grimes and Dibiase locked in the Million Dollar Dream, which allowed Grimes to fulfill his dream of becoming the Million Dollar Champion. I really hope they continue to keep the Million Dollar Championship around NXT programming because it’s an important and nostalgic piece of history.

We go from a feel-good moment to a friendship gone bad due to jealousy. Raquel Gonzales has not been the typical flashy NXT Women’s Champion. She has been dominant using her strength, muscle, and power to dominate opponents in convincing fashion. If there is one woman who has evolved the most in NXT, it’s without a doubt Dakota Kai. It reminds a lot of the transformation Alexa Bliss had while she was in NXT. Kai has been by the side of Gonzales during her rise to the top of the NXT Women’s Division, so the story of Kai being able to get under her skin was well played out. In the end, Gonzales continued to use what brought her to the dance in order to retain the NXT Women’s Championship. As Gonzales celebrated in the ring, a familiar face in the form of Kay Lee Ray, who is a former NXT UK Women’s Champion. She is definitely an immediate challenger for Gonzales to contend with.

Speaking of NXT UK, we were treated the one of the most anticipated rematches in NXT UK history. WALTER defeated Ilja Dragunov in their first encounter over the NXT UK Championship. Dragunov has had an amazing rise in NXT UK and his personality and style have really stood out too many. This match was just as hard hitting and brutal as their first encounter. The difference this time is Ilja Dragunov was able to end the legendary reign of WALTER to become the new NXT UK Champion. It was time for the reign to end. WALTER ran through everyone in NXT UK over his lengthy reign. Now we have the opportunity for new feuds and new stories that will be amazing with Dragunov as champion.

Another long-standing rivalry came to an end tonight as Adam Cole took on Kyle O’Reilly in a Two out of Three Falls match, which has been dubbed the “Undisputed Finale.” Both of them have such a rich history together in ROH and NXT that the fans new they were going to bring something special. The first fall was a normal match that O’Reilly won. The second fall was a Street Fight that Adam Cole won. They moved on to the final fall which was turned into a Steel Cage match. O’Reilly looked to be motionless and done for when they were lowering the cage, but he started gaining momentum back and kept bring the fight to Cole. Even with O’Reilly handcuffed to the ropes, he was able to submit Adam Cole and end the final chapter of the Undisputed Era. There will be a lot speculation about what Adam Cole does next. Does he go to Raw, Smackdown, or somewhere completely different? Only time will tell to see what happens the one of the most successful stars in NXT History.

The Main Event of the evening was NXT Champion Karrion Kross defending against a returning Samoa Joe. Many thought that this match would never happen because Samoa Joe has not wrestled a match since February 2020. He had multiple injuries that kept him sidelined. He even was released by WWE back in April, which left many shocked. Samoa Joe and Karrion Kross was a slugfest. It wasn’t fancy or fast pace. It was a heavy hard-hitting match as a HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP match should be. Samoa Joe brought everything in his arsenal, which also included the return of the Muscle Buster that allowed him to defeated Karrion Kross to become the first ever three-time NXT Champion. We all know Karrion Kross has found a home on Monday Night Raw, but I will be very intrigued by who challenges Samoa Joe for the NXT Championship. It does appear that landscape of NXT is changing.

If tonight was truly the end of an amazing chapter in NXT, then they went out in a blaze of glory. A lot is about to change in NXT as we all have heard. No one really know what’s coming or how it’s going to playout, but for the last seven years from when NXT Arrival aired, we have been treated to some of the most amazing shows that have ever been put on under the WWE umbrella. Triple H and his crew should be extremely proud over what they have done for the last seven years. We may never see NXT like this again, so take it in and remember how great the last seven years have been every time NXT took over.