NXT TakeOver: Stand and Deliver set the wrestling world ablaze on night one with a card that was worthy of being up for one of the best all year. Now, they attempt to do the same with another night of incredible action. Here are the NXT TakeOver: Stand and Deliver results for night two.
NXT TakeOver: Stand and Deliver Results and Ratings for Night Two
— Preshow: No. 1 Contender’s for the NXT Tag Team Championships: Breezango vs. Drake Maverick & Killian Dain
Winner: Drake Maverick & Killian Dain
— NXT Cruiserweight Championship: Santos Escobar (c) vs. Jordan Devlin (c) in a Ladder match
Winner: Santos Escobar
Rating: 3.25 (***1/4)
— NXT Women’s Tag Team Championships: Ember Moon & Shotzi Blackheart (c) vs. Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell
Winner: Ember Moon & Shotzi Blackheart
Rating: 3.00 (***)
— NXT North American Championship: Johnny Gargano (c) vs. Bronson Reed
Winner: Johnny Gargano
Rating: 3.50 (***1/2)
— NXT Championship: Finn Balor (c) vs. Karrion Kross
Winner: Karrion Kross
Rating: 3.25 (***1/4)
— Kyle O’Reilly vs. Adam Cole in an Unsanctioned match
Winner: Kyle O’Reilly
Rating: 4.00 (****)
NXT TakeOver: Stand and Deliver Results: In-Depth Match Analysis for Night Two
NXT Championship: Finn Balor (c) vs. Karrion Kross
When Finn Balor vs. Karrion Kross was officially made for NXT TakeOver, everyone knew it was going to be a massive encounter. The undefeated Kross who never was pinned to lose his championship was going to want it back. Balor had a fantastic second run as champion, but it sure felt like his days were numbered. Ultimately, it was.
Balor did his best to work over Kross’s surgically repaired shoulder and at many times, it seemed he could escape as champion. But the overpowering Kross managed to survive all the pain and would knockout Balor with his forearm smash to the back of the head to become the new NXT Champion. With the win, he would become the fourth 2-time NXT Champion.
Overall, this match was what you would expect and saw Balor come close on multiple occasions. But it has long been Kross’s time in NXT and now he will get the title reign he never did before. The question is now simple — who can defeat Kross?
Kyle O’Reilly vs. Adam Cole in an Unsanctioned match
Going into this match, no one could have imagined what Kyle O’Reilly and Adam Cole would do to each other. Not a chance. The Undisputed Era was broken forever and the only guarantee was that these two were going to go to war. When it was settled that it would be an Unsanctioned match, fans roared at the idea of what these two on and off again rivals could do. In a match that went over 40 minutes in run time, they told a story that perfectly followed what we knew so far.
O’Reilly and Cole got to this point by attacking one another on the streets, in their own personal gyms, everywhere. As this match began, it was very possible that this match would go anywhere. The big fight feel was really from the start as both men entered with new entrance music and determination on their faces. When the match got underway, there was no stoppage in sight. These two went around the Capitol Wrestling Center, using all sorts of equipment like a steel chain, the steps outside, and even a TV at one point. These two weren’t trying to do anything but hurt the other at the beginning. It was almost as though the match result didn’t matter to them. Cole focused on the neck of O’Reilly, while the latter focused on the leg of Cole. It soon became of sense of one mistake would be the end of it all.
The match got hostile near the 30-minute mark as Cole put his hands on the referee and took him out. The former NXT Champion would hit a Panama Sunrise on O’Reilly but with the ref down, there was no one to make the count. This eventually led to them exiting the ring and onto the ramp. As O’Reilly attempted to choke out his former friend, Cole had the wherewithal to smash down O’Reilly and himself, crashing through the ramp and leaving both men completely out of it. You could hear a collective gasp from the crowd as these two went crashing down. Cole would be the first man up, breaking the ramp that much more just to get O’Reilly out of it.
It felt as though this was Cole’s with O’Reilly out on his feet at times. The psychotic Cole aimed to finish O’Reilly even more, hitting the brainbuster onto the steel steps, much like he did when he made this feud so personal. Somehow, O’Reilly kicked out. The Last Shot was destined for the skull of O’Reilly but was denied, leading to O’Reilly hitting one of his own. A beautiful near fall saw Cole just lift his shoulder. The finish came when Cole prompted a chair upside down with the legs sticking up, seemingly trying to impale his former friend. O’Reilly had enough life to low blow Cole, sending him down from the top rope and prompted onto the upside-down chair. O’Reilly would wrap the chain from earlier in the match around his knee and drill it down onto the neck of Cole.
The twitch of Cole following the maneuver was reminiscent of the one that O’Reilly had when this feud started. O’Reilly pinned Cole and capture the win. It will go down as an NXT classic and it may be fair to think these two are far from being done. Time will tell but this will be remembered as one of NXT’s most physical encounters ever.
The system has officially been SHOCKED.💥 #NXTTakeOver @KORcombat @AdamColePro pic.twitter.com/1uTLTNsFvU
— WWE (@WWE) April 9, 2021
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