It’s time to see what WWE’s developmental brand can bring to the table. It’s going to be an epic special as WarGames makes it’s grand WWE debut after nearly two decades of being tucked away like a treasure we’ll never see. But it all went down in Houston and the excitement was nearly uncontrollable.
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Kassius Ohno vs Lars Sullivan
Mauro Ranallo called Sullivan “A Jack Kirby illustration come to life” which is a very close description of this huge man hailing from Denver, Colorado.
Ohno was rushed into the corner and shook off some elbows from Ohno and bulldozed over Kassius. Sullivan brought Ohno back up just to hammer him back down.
Ohno went outside and Sullivan followed with a diving shoulder block off the apron and then he smashed Ohno against the apron again before moving back inside. Ohno tried to mount an offense, but Sullivan turned him inside out with a clothesline.
Sullivan hit a pop-up powerslam on Kassius Ohno but he only got a two count out of it. Sullivan missed a dive off the top rope but Ohno had little time to capitalize on it before Sullivan was kicking out of a cyclone kick.
Lars soon no-sold a kick to the face on two occasions so Ohno started stomping on him and hit a senton but Sullivan kicked out at one.
The two traded elbows until Sullivan hit the Freak Accident for the win.
Winner: Lars Sullivan via pinfall
Aleister Black vs Velveteen Dream
Velveteen Dream just wants Black to say his name like he’s Destiny’s Child and now is his chance to see if he can be a survivor on the day before Survivor Series.
On an interesting note, they moved to the second ring for this match and Velveteen Dream’s tights had his and Black’s likeness airbrushed on them with NXT on the backside. Rick Rude would have been proud of those one-of-a-kind tights. It really did look amazing, especially if you remember Dream as Patrick from Tough Enough.
These two started slowly while they traded submission holds with no real striking. It was very technical and draining instead of brutal. Although nothing Black does is soft. He got Dream down with a front face lock and kept it on tightly. Dream jumped out of it but Black soon got him in an octopus lock as he clung tightly to Velveteen Dream’s back.
Black dumped Dream to the floor and taunted him by flipping around and back into the ring into a seated position. But Dream countered with a signature hip swivel. Dream plopped down in front of Black with his legs crossed while the crowd chanted, “say his name!” Black stitched out of it and got in Dream’s face.
The two brawled a little and Black ended up on the outside this time. Velveteen measured Black on the outside and then recreated a flipping taunt where he ended up slithering back into the ring. This crowd broke into huge “Velveteen” chants. He was so over.
Dream caught Black in the face with a kick and got a two count then he mounted him and rained down some punches. Dream hit a Rude Awakening to match his sick tights and applied a rear chinlock. Black looked like he was in trouble.
Dream tied Black up in the ropes, got in his face and yelled: “what’s my name?” Black got out of it and started laying in the kicks and strikes. Black hit an elbow in the corner and hit a springboard move into a two count. Dream suddenly looked shook.
Black went for a top rope move but Dream ducked under it he countered a Death Valley Driver and flipped over but Velveteen Dream finally hit the Death Valley Driver with a cartwheel. 1-2-kickout!
Black countered a move from the top rope and kicked Dream’s leg out from under him. Black caught a running knee to the head. 1-2-kick out. Then Velveteen Dream caught a sick DDT. 1-2-kickout!
As Mauro Ranallo called this match a “TakeOver classic” the crowd broke out into a well deserved “this is awesome” chant.
Velveteen Dream climbed to the top rope and swiveled his hips preparing for the Purple Rain Maker but Black got his foot up. Dream got tied up in the roles and Black hit a kick while Dream was tied up, Dream got free and hit a superkick, but Black hit an even stiffer knee to the head.
Just as Dream was getting back up, Aleister Black hit the Black Mass and got the win. That match was awesome!
Winner: Aleister Black via pinfall
After the match, the “say his name” chants were thick. Aleister Black got down on the mat and said, “enjoy infamy Velveteen Dream.” The crowd popped huge as Velveteen Dream got what he wanted too. Both men came out the winner. Black stopped as he walked up the ramp and looked back at the ring one more time looking stoic and deep in thought.
Kairi Sane vs Ember Moon vs Peyton Royce vs Nikki Cross (NXT Women’s Title Match)
They switched back to the other ring for this one too. They paired off as soon as the bell sounded and soon Kairi and Ember were left in the ring after Royce and Cross rolled to the outside. Moon hit Cross with a dive and Sane hit a flying forearm off the apron to Royce. Then Moon hit them both wish a suicide dive.
Cross tried to hit a move on the entrance ramp on Moon but she turned it into a powerbomb on the outside to lay Nikki Cross out. Sane and Moon were in the ring while chants for both Kair and Ember were ringing out.
Sane geared up and hit a spear in the corner but Royce came in and tied her up in the ropes with a submission hold. While Royce hung upside down to apply pressure to the hold, Ember Moon ran up and kicked her in the face.
Ember leapfrogged over Kairi Sane and Royce got speared instead. Later on Royce got the better end of a Tower Of Doom where Kairi Sane took the brunt of the superplex. Nikki jumped off the top rope to hit a cross body from Cross which is always fun to say.
Nikki laid in the pain to Royce and clotheslined her over the top rope. Cross hit a neckbreaker on Sane and got a two count. Cross hit a swinging neckbreaker on Moon but Royce rolled her out and hit her finisher but the pin was broke up by Sane who hit an Alabama Slam on Royce landing on Cross. Then she delivered her sick Elbow Drop on both of them. The pin was broken up and they vyed for position once again.
The finish came when Ember Moon hit The Eclipse on Cross and Royce at the same time to get the win.
Winner and NEW NXT Women’s Champion: Ember Moon
It was a great celebration in her home state. After the match was over, William Regal presented her with the title in the middle of the ring. It was a very cool moment. Asuka went into the ring and asked Regal to give her the title. So he did. Askua walked up and handed the title to Ember Moon with a huge smile on her face. They hugged and everyone raised Ember Moon’s arm in victory. Then Auska left to let Ember Moon celebrate. Kayfabe is dead.
Drew McIntyre vs Andrade Cien Almas (NXT Championship)
Both of these guys had a lot to prove and neither of them was backing down. They traded moves early on until Almas hit that taunt he does in between the ropes. McIntyre ended up on the outside and Almas’ valet (and Austin Aries’ fiance) Zelina Vega jumped on McIntyre and it looked like it might end poorly for her but she sprung off of Drew just in time for Almas to come through with a suicide dive but McIntyre caught him in the face with a forearm.
Almas moved out of the way from a charge by McIntyre and Drew hit the post. Then Almas went out to toss him back in where he hit a move on Drew’s shoulder for a two count. Andrade locked in another armbar on Drew and held it while Vega gave orders at ringside.
McIntyre eventually countered a move from Almas and hurled him across the ring with a suplex. Drew went on a roll taking Almas to his own Suplex City and then he hit a leap off the top rope.
Almas tried to counter but was caught in a Celtic Cross for a two count. The crowd started chanting “3MB” in homage to McIntyre’s former stable as Andrade tried to fight off the champion.
McIntyre eventually made his way to the top turnbuckle again but Andrade Cien Almas hit him with a quick springboard dropkick and then he hit a head scissors on Drew driving him into the post. Almas immediately jumped right back up to the top rope and hit another flip, tossed McIntyre back in the ring and only got a two count.
The crowd was hot for both of these guys as Almas trapped Drew in a tree of woe, hit a double stomp, and landed a running double knee in the corner for a two count. McIntyre won the next sequence and hit a sitdown powerbomb for a two count.
After kicking out of a roll up pin, Drew hit a Future Shock DDT for another two count. Mauro Ranallo hyped this championship match and it was worth it. Andrade Cien Almas was doing a great job. Almas countered a top rope move and pulled Drew down, he hit a Drive Thru Double Knee Strike for a two count and started pounding on McIntyre.
Then Almas went in to get the championship. As the ref ran out to stop him, Zelina Vega jumped in and hit a Spike hurricanrana, Cien rolled in to hit his own finisher for a two count.
McIntyre hit the Claymore Kick out of nowhere and pinned Cien but Vega put his foot on the bottom rope. McIntyre went for another Claymore but Cien ducked and Drew went over the top rope. Cien got drew McIntyre off the top rope and Almas hit a suspended DDT off the top for the win.
Winner and NEW NXT Champion: Andrade “Cien” Almas
After the match was over, Cien Almas was so excited celebrating up the ramp he dropped his new title. It was a really shocking experience as Almas became the twelfth man to become NXT Champion.
The Undisputed Era vs Authors of Pain and Roderick Strong vs SaNITy (WarGames Match)
There were three shark cages on the ramp and a feeling of curious anticipation as SaNITy made their way to the ring. Wolfe and Killian Dain went in the middle shark cage as Eric Young went to the ring first.
The Undisputed Era made their way out looking very confident. They circled Dain and Wolfe in the cage and taunted them before posing. Adam Cole was starting things off leave Fish and O’Reilly to hang out in a shark cage on the ramp.
Authors of Pain came out with Roderick Strong all looking like swamp thing warriors in camo, helmets, and flakjackets. AOP went into the cage first leaving Roddy to start the match for his team.
Cole tried to get in the other ring so Roddy and Young followed him. They traded strikes and moves, all having a standoff early on. All three guys ended up fighting on the top rope when Cole climbed up first. Then Cole was knocked off the top so he hit the top rope and crotched both of them.
Cole hit a neckbreaker on Young after tossing strong into the other ring. Cole had control of both Young and Roddy for a bit delivering neckbreakers and owning the ring with style.
Then Roddy got a second win and started hitting running knees until the time ticked down and The Undisputed Era were highlighted and they joined the match. Strong and Young took beatdowns and no alliance was apparent whatsoever from Roddy at this point.
They pinned Eric Young against the cage and hit him with running forearm shots. ReDragon hit a Wheelbarrow Suplex on Roddy and that was nice.
Fish kicked Young in the check while O’Reilly did the same thing to Roddy in the other ring. They all hit Roddy with running attacks while he was pinned between the ropes and the cage, it was quite brutal.
The Authors Of Pain were released next and rushed the ring. AOP destroyed everyone and hit Eric Young with a massive back body drop from ring to ring. They did that for everyone and then AOP tossed Roderick Strong — they’re own partner across the ring to take everyone else out.
AOP were making a huge statement in this match hitting Death Valley Drivers against other people as they hung in a tree of woe. It was quite sick.
Then the match “officially” begins now known as the match beyond. Wolfe pulled out a nightstick and started using it. Killian Dain looked under the ring and brought out some trashcans and kendo sticks and a long chain. Good lord. Chairs were added to the equation too and SaNITy destroyed everyone.
“We want tables” the crowd chanted. So Dain went back and got a table.
They brought in two tables. Wolfe hit O’Reilly with a suplex and bodyslammed Fish into a garbage can. Then the door finally got closed and Killian Dain locked the door with his own lock and then he swallowed the key. Literally. He swallowed the key, but it’s not like they can’t just raise the cage so everyone can leave so smart move, Big Damo.
Dain hit a nice shotgun dropkick on one member of AOP while hitting the other member with a senton. Before you knew it, Killian was on the rop rope and his massive body hit everyone with a cross body. 1-2-kickout.
Undisputed Era tried to stop Killian Dain but it wasn’t too successful. This match really was a sick display of Dain’s abilities. Rezar and Dain squared off and Dain dispatched with him, but Akem hot a slam for a two count but Roddy broke it up with a chain.
O’Reilly used the cage for a tornado DDT but it didn’t result in a pinfall either. Undisputed Era hit the Chasing The Dragon move on Roddy but they couldn’t pin him. Dain took Cole’s head off with a clothesline. ReDragon kicked Killian and took him out, Wolfe jumped into the fray but O’Reilly took him out with the chain in his hand.
O’Reilly almost made Wolfe tap while using the chain but Young hit an elbow drop off the top. Then Fish hit a moonsault on everyone else. Everyone was out and crawling into position. Akem grabbed Fish as Rezar grabbed O’Reilly they hit the Super Collider across the rings with Dain caught in the middle.
It looked like Killian might have been busted open there. Rezar got caught in a fireman’s carry from Young and hit a Death Valley Driver on Akem for another two count. Then Roddy started hitting the backbreakers. Everyone got a backbreaker like he was Oprah giving out new cars. Strong then hit an Olympic Slam on Killian Dain for a two count.
Cole climbed to the top rope but Young caught him on the adjacent corner. Strong ended up on top with Cole in the middle. Suddenly, ReDragon and the rest of SaNITy joined them. They hit two towers of doom with Adam Cole still sitting on top unscathed.
AOP caught Cole and racked him on the top rope. They set up a table much to the crowd’s enjoyment. They set up two tables and just as AOP was about to send Cole through the table, Wolfe jumped up and sent Akem through the tables with a super German suplex. Adam Cole jumped to the top of the cage and just stayed up there.
He can’t leave or Undisputed Era would lose but he stayed up there and pulled himself to the other side.
Dain set up a trashcan next to Kyle O’Reilly and then climbed up to hit a coast-to-coast on Kyle and that was very impressive. Adam Cole got up and looked down at Roddy. He got everyone to chant “Adam Cole Bay-Bay!” and Roddy climbed up to join him.
The two of them jockeyed for position on top and then Roddy hit Cole with a suplex off the top of the cage. Thankfully every member of the match was under them to catch their fall. Strong covered Cole in the sea of bodies. 1-2-kickout!
Akem and Dain started slugging it out between the two rings. Akem grabbed Killian and Rezar jumped off the top to nail their top rope clothesline/russian legsweep thing they do but this was on the metal space separating the two rings.
Roddy tossed Cole into the cage and then Young suplexed Strong into the cage. Cole rocked Young with a kendo stick and Young grabbed a chair but Cole kicked the chair into hit face and made the cover. 1-2-3 and this one was over Bay-Bay!
Winners: The Undisputed Era
