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Csonka’s NXT Takeover: Chicago Review 5.20.17

May 20, 2017 | Posted by Larry Csonka
Pete Dunne WWE UK Title NXT Takeover Chicago
9.3
The 411 Rating
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Csonka’s NXT Takeover: Chicago Review 5.20.17  

Csonka’s NXT Takeover Chicago Review 5.20.17

OFFICIAL RESULTS
– Roderick Strong defeated Eric Young @ 13:45 via pin [***]
WWE UK Title Match: Pete Dunne defeated Champion Tyler Bate @ 15:40 via pin [*****]
NXT Women’s Title Match: Champion Asuka defeated Ruby Riot and Nikki Cross @ via pin [***]
NXT Title Match: Champion Bobby Roode defeated Hideo Itami @ 17:50 via pin [***¾]
NXT Tag Team Title Ladder Match: Champions The Authors of Pain defeated DIY @ 20:22 [****½]


Eric Young vs. Roderick Strong: Dain and Wolfe are with Young. I wonder if No Way Jose will make his return to get some revenge from Mania weekend. Strong sneaks in from the crowd, takes out Dain and Wolfe and then beats down Young and sends him to the floor. They work back into the ring, Strong works chops and dropkicks and has the crowd behind him. Young cuts him off with a belly to back suplex, and then grounds him, working a nerve hold in 2017. Strong battles back, picks up the pace and lays in strikes to Young. Strong then hits the enziguri and dropkicks Wolfe, but Dain then fucking steamrolls Strong on the floor, allowing Young to take the heat. Young works the hanging dragon sleeper in the corner, and then releases him and lands an elbow drop. Wolfe again gets involved, Young maintains control, as the crowd is big time behind Strong. Young works an odd version of a neck crank, and cuts off Strong before he can get anything rolling. Strong fights off the corner dragon sleeper, and catches Young with a dropkick as he flies in. Strong fires up, puts some offense together hitting a back breaker. The corner knee strike and suplex follows for 2. Young rolls to the floor, and pulls out Strong and hits the wheelbarrow neck breaker on the floor. Back in they go and Yong covers for 2. Young heads up top, but Strong cuts him off and follows him up. Young head butts him to the mat and hits the elbow drop for 2. Strong fights back, and has to fight off Wolfe and Dain but Young rakes the eyes and heads back up top, Strong cuts him off and looks for a superplex. Young fights that off and they battle for position, Strong then hits a huge knee strike sending Young to the floor onto Wolfe and Dain. Back in and Strong hits a jumping knee strike and lumbar check for the win! Roderick Strong defeated Eric Young @ 13:45 via pin [***] Good opening match, with a story that allowed the crowd to rally behind Strong the entire way through, embracing the “Roddy vs. The World” mentality, playing off of the great video packages. The right man most certainly won here. Best of all, the babyface not only overcame the odds to win, but he didn’t get laid out post match.

– Jim Ross is out to join the commentary team.

WWE UK Title Match: Champion Tyler Bate vs. Pete Dunne: Dunne attacks at the bell, taking bate down and grounding him early as the crowd is into both men. Bate escapes, but Dunne goes back to work, attacking the arm and hand. Bate with the slick escape, hits the dropkick and even had time to twirl his moustache. Bate follows Dunne to the floor, Dunne attacks the hand, but Bate hits him with a stiff jab and rolls him back in. Dunne rolls back to the floor, and hits an x-plex onto the apron. Dunne back to the arm, taking Bate down and then bending the fingers in a way they shouldn’t go. Dunne then works forearm strikes and stomps, but Bate fires up and hits a delayed XPLODER. Bate follows with running uppercuts, but Dunne cuts that off, only for Bate to hit a running shooting star press and bridging German for 2. Bate looks for another running shooting star press, but Dunne catches him in a triangle and lays in strikes and elbow shots. Bate looks to escape, and powers up Dunne and powerbombs him and is out. The crowd loves this. Bate shakes out the arm and hits the air plane spin with insane speed and then dumps Dunne, covering for 2. Both men are down, Bate makes it back to his feet and Dunne then counters the German and cuts off a springboard high cross with a straight right hand. The sitout powerbomb connects for a great near fall and the crowd is going bat shit. They trade strikes, going al Frye vs. Takiyama; Bate drops Dunne with the big left. Dunne hits the enziguri, they go face to face and then beat the hell out of each other, Bate then hits the rebound lariat and decapitates Dunne, covering for another great near fall. My word. Bate fires up, looks for the Tyler driver but Dunne counters only for Bate to counter the bitter end and hit a tornado DDT. Dunne rolls to the floor, and Bate hits the moonsault press to the floor. Bate then hits a spiral tap on Dunne for another great near fall. Dunne again bails to the floor and Bate goes for a tope, but Dunne swats him aside and then rolls him back in, hits the bitter end and wins the title. Pete Dunne defeated Champion Tyler Bate @ 15:40 via pin [*****] I loved every second of this. They took everything that they did in their UK tournament final match (which was excellent), streamlined it and made it even better in front of an absolutely insane crowd, great action and pacing with both men doing everything in their power to win; that felt really special. This was easily one of the best matches in NXT’s history. Bate is 20 and Dunne is 23, these men are special talents. I LOVE WRESTLING!

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– Bate & Dunne: “Follow that.”

– Insert the “main card roster is motivated to outperform NXT after Takeover” trope… here.

NXT Women’s Title Match: Champion Asuka vs. Ruby Riot vs. Nikki Cross: Cross attacks Riot at the bell, but Asuka hits ass attacks to cut her off. Asuka dumps Cross and Riot is back in. They do some back and forth, with Riot sending the champion to the floor. Cross returns to cut off a Riot dive, and they battle to the floor. We see Ember Moon watching on from a luxury box. Cross and Riot back into the ring, Cross just mauls her in the corner. The neck beaker follows, Asuka off the top and hits the missile dropkick. Kicks to Cross follow, but Cross manages to hit a neck breaker for 2. Asuka then hits a code breaker, Riot returns and works leg kicks, but Asuka connects with a powerbomb and transitions into the ankle lock. Cross returns, rakes the back and slaps Asuka. Asuka shoves Riot into Cross, but then gets dumped to the floor. Cross slaps around Riot, Riot fires up with chops to the throat and follows with a dropkick and Asuka returns. Riot hits her with a RANA, and then slams Cross to the corner. Cross then sends Asuka back to the floor, but she jumps off the apron and eats a knee strike. Riot then wipes out Asuka with the suicide dive, rolls Cross back in and hits the big senton for 2 as Asuka makes the save and hits Riot with a bridging German for 2. Cross fights off the German, and then hits a neck breaker for 2. Cross works a sleeper on Riot, but Asuka hits a German after Riot kicks Cross. Riot kicks Asuka in the face, heads up top but misses the senton and Asuka locks in the Asuka lock, but Cross makes the save. Cross and Riot to the apron, and Cross hits the inverted DDT on the apron. Asuka tries for a baseball slide, but captures her in the ring skirt and beats the hell out of her. Cross drags Asuka back in, and hits the draping neck breaker but Riot is back to make the save. Cross and Riot collide as both go for a running cross body. Cross then gets sent to the floor, Cross and Riot go for pin attempts, Riot counters the fisherman’s neck breaker with an up kick, but Asuka in to make the save, wipes out Riot with the sliding kick and covers then both to win and retain. Champion Asuka defeated Ruby Riot and Nikki Cross @ via pin [***½] they had a lot to overcome as they had to follow that UK Title match, and I feel that the worked hard and delivered a very good match. Unfortunately the thing that held it back from being great were the trappings of the stipulation, too much one person isolated on the floor and some of the save spots were delayed and or labored because they had to wait on someone. Still, I don’t think you could ask for more following the UK lads.

NXT Title Match: Champion Bobby Roode vs. Hideo Itami: They lock up and Roode overpowers Itami to the ropes. Roode decided to fuck around and Itami teases the GTS, but Roode bails to the floor. Roode back in, and Itami fires back with an elbow and then grounds Roode with a side headlock. Roode takes Itami to the corner, and Itami lands chops and then hits a knee to the gut. The PK follows, and Itami celebrates. Itami then lands knee strikes to the grounded Roode, misses a kick to the head and then lands it on the second try. He mocks Roode, hits a boot and then Roode shoves away the DDT attempt and hits the blockbuster for 2. Roode then grounds Itami for a bit, and then lays in some chops in the corner. The corner clothesline follows and then another. Roode follows with the neck breaker for 2. Roode then works the chinlock, lays in strikes in the ropes and Itami fights off a neck breaker and hits a backslide for 2. Roode cuts him off with the clothesline. Itami fires back with kicks, hits the running boot and follows with clotheslines and more kicks. Itami then hits the tornado stunner and flows with a top rope clothesline for 2. Roode cuts off the GTS, but then posts himself. Itami follows with kicks to the shoulder and works for an arm bar but Roode escapes, but Itami slams him to the corner. they work up top, Roode fights him off and knocks him to the mat but misses the blockbuster Falcon arrow (HE DID THE DEAL) by Itami gets 2. More kicks to the shoulder follow by Itami. Roode then cuts him off with a spinebuster and covers for 2. Roode now looks for the DDT, but the left arm gives out. He fights off the GTS and stuns Itami of the ropes and pulls him to the floor. Itami fights back and slams Roode shoulder first into the steps, but Itami then misses a dropkick. Itami is now favoring his ankle, they tease the countout, Roode slides back in and so is Itami. Rights by Roode follow, but Itami lands rapid fire strikes and he corner dropkick, but the leg gives out on the GTS and Roode hits the glorious DDT for a near fall. Itami finally catches Roode with the GTS but Roode rolls to the floor. Itami rolls him back in and covers for 2. Itami with a cradle for 2. Huge over hand rights by Itami follow, he drops the kneepad, and Roode then counters the GTS into the DDT, hits another and Roode retains. Champion Bobby Roode defeated Hideo Itami @ 17:50 via pin [***¾] This was a very good NXT title match, they worked a quality story, Roode upped his game from Mania weekend and Itami was busting his ass as he had a ton of pressure on him. This was really enjoyable, with Itami’s insistence on hitting the GTS biting him in the ass, allowing Roode to retain.

NXT Tag Team Title Ladder Match: Champions The Authors of Pain vs. DIY: They brawl at the bell, with DIY sending the Authors to the floor. DIY go after ladders, but the Authors fight back and want no part of this ladder shit, as they whip DIY to the barricades, but Ciampa sends one into the steps as Gargano hits a cannonball off the apron. They head up the ramp and go for the giant Jeff hardy approved ladder. The Authors cut them off as they try to bring it into the ring, but Gargano hits a suicide dive through the ladder to wipe out the champions. DIY attack with ladders, they try to work double teams, but the Authors cut them off and look to climb. Akem holds the ladder for Rezar, but DIY cuts them off with ladder shots. Rezar was holding a ladder, and Ciampa tries to climb it but Rezar shoves him away. The Authors climb now, get cut off and DIY climbs, but the ladder is toppled over and Ciampa is selling his knee. The Authors then start to brutalize DIY, slamming them into ladders. They trap Ciampa in the corner and slam the ladder into his gut. The Authors again look to climb, but stop and opt to attack DIY and beat them down further. They then grab a ladder and run into DIY with it and send them to the floor. The Authors get more ladders, and set them up between the ring and barricades, making some ladder bridges. They tease powerbombs, Ciampa saves Gargano and DIY then hit superkicks and the Authors roll onto the ladder bridges. They then climb the big ladder in the middle, and hit stereo splashes off of the ladder. That looked as if it sucked for all involved. Ciampa back into the ring and looks to climb. Akem in and climbs with Ciampa, Gargano back in and sets up another ladder but Rezar is stirring and is back in and climbs with Gargano. Everyone fights on ladders! Ciampa knocked off and then shoves over the other ladder, Gargano climbs but Ellering in to stop him and eats a superkick! Akem then takes out Gargano, and beats on Ciampa and now Rezar is back in. They set up a ladder in the corner, and repeatedly slam Ciampa onto it and just beat him down with clubbing strikes. The Authors look to take out Ciampa with the ladder, but Gargano saves him and takes the bullet for his partner. The Authors climb, but Ciampa rushes up the ladder and hits a GERMAN ONTO THE LADDER IN THE CORNER! Akem climbs, but Gargano is alive and tries to stop him. Akem grabs the ladder, but Gargano grabs it and gets taken out. DIY fight back with superkicks and the adder is stuck on Akem’s head and hit the superkick/knee strike combo! Ciampa again is selling that knee. DIY struggle to their feet, set up a ladder and climb. They grab the rigging, and the Authors knock out the ladder and hit powerbombs and the super collider; they climb and grabs the titles to retain. Champions The Authors of Pain defeated DIY @ 20:22 [****½] This was GREAT; did really well here as the Authors came off like beasts, but DIY had plenty of hope spots and near grabs to make the drama work and also make you feel DIY could overcome the monsters. The Authors are 22 & 23, and have been progressively improving and also delivering on the big shows.

– Post match, DIY pull themselves to their feet and get a standing ovation. They hug leave the ring. CIAMPA THEN TURNS ON GARGANO AND SLAMS HIM INTO THE SET AND BEATS THE HELL OUT OF HIM! He then kills him with the running knee strike, Ciampa then destroys Gargano with another knee strike. Ciampa then takes Gargano to the commentary table and hits the air raid crash OFF THE TABLE AND TO THE PLATFORM BELOW! That turn works so well and makes Ciampa a grade a piece of shit when you consider Gargano saved him from the big ladder shot and took the bullet for him.

– End scene.

– Thanks for reading.

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“Byyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyye Felicia!”

9.3
The final score: review Amazing
The 411
NXT stepped up to the plate and hit a grand slam tonight. What you HAVE to see: Bate vs. Dunne, AOP vs. DIY, Ciampa killing Gargano.
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