Kevin’s NXT TakeOver: In Your House 2021 Review

The intro is based on the old “THE REVOLUTIONARY FORCE IN SPORTS ENTERTAINMENT” signature. Then, Todd Pettengill narrated things as the card gets run down. The next bit is narrated by Dok Hendrix. I’m loving the nods to the past.

Todd Pettengill comes out and introduces the show while putting over the crowd as the largest in CWC history.

NXT North American & Tag Team Championships: Bronson Reed [c] & MSK [c] vs. Legado Del Fantasma

Mendoza and Lee get off to a quick start and come to a stalemate. The same goes for Carter and Wilde. When Escobar comes in, he wants Carter but Reed comes in and Santos rethinks his confidence. He tags Mendoza back in, whose offense does nothing to Reed. He gets wrecked by a clothesline. Escobar enters and is squashed with surprising ease. Reed also runs over Wilde with an assisted senton. Wilde gets worked over with quick tags in the corner. Carter nails a moonsault to the outside on Escobar but then Wilde dives out onto him. Lee avoids Mendoza and dives onto Wilde. Mendoza follows with a corkscrew plancha of his own. That leaves Reed to cap it with a tope suicida. Back inside, Legado takes control and Escobar gets two with an avalanche rana on Lee. That sets up Lee as the face in peril for a few minutes. The hot tag goes to Lee, who runs over everyone in his path. That includes a double Samoan Drop on Wilde and Mendoza. Escobar fares better and even hits a Michinoku Driver but the pin is broken up. Legado comes close again but Lee dives onto everyone, breaking up another pin. Outside, Reed destroys Escobar but running him over and knocking down part of the stage setup at ringisde. Wilde is taken out with tandem offense, leaving Mendoza to eat the blockbuster combo. Reed goes up and finishes with the Tsunami.

Winners: Bronson Reed and MSK in 13:35 [A good six man tag that moved along nicely. It never hit great territory but was a lot of fun. ***1/4]

I apologize if I missed something post-match, I had to step away from the show.

Earlier today, The Way got into it with Kyle O’Reilly but things were quickly broken up.

While previewing the next match, Todd Pettengill called McKenzie Mitchell Stephanie Waind.

Mercedes Martinez vs. Xia Li

Xia Li comes out with a sword. Quick start by Li but Martinez backdrops her and turns the tide a bit. Li takes back control with offense outside focusing on the ribs. She shows viciousness as she works those ribs over on the ring post. A dropkick sends Martinz to the outside and she’s in trouble. However, she avoids a kick and Li hits the ring post, hurting her shin. Martinez gets going with strikes and kicks but misses a corner avalanche. Li fires off shots and nails an exploder. Martinez avoids a charge and flapjacks her into the post. A big Razor’s Edge into a DDT gets her a near fall. Li regroups outside but Martinez follows out and continues the attack. Li fights out of the Air Raid Crash and nails the spinning kick. That’s enough to end it.

Winner: Xia Li in 7:39 [I dug the rib work and some of Martinez’s comeback offense. She did well to make Xia look good. However, it never got into next gear and the finish was lame. **3/4]

Post-match, Xia gets a chair sent in to attack Martinez but she fights it off. Martinez picks up the chair and uses it on Tian Sha. She also hits Xia a few times and threatens to break her neck. Xia rolls out and effects go off to signal something regarding Mei Ling. Martinez shouts that she’s not scared as she hits Xia again, triggering Mei to get up. She immediately chokes Martinez like her name is Meng and sends her off of the stage, hitting the grate on her way down.

Timothy Thatcher and Tommaso Ciampa cut an angry promo in the back about how they want Grizzled Young Veterans.

Million Dollar Championship Ladder Match: Cameron Grimes vs. LA Knight

Knight gets the first bit of offense but Grimes responds and tells him to kiss his grits. They go back and forth until Knight brings the ladder into play and they each stop each other from climbing it. Grimes is sent outside and he knocks a ladder over almost onto the commentators. Grimes sends a ladder into Knight’s ribs, pinning him into the guardrail. Knight gets back in the driver’s seat and tosses Grimes into the plexiglass while talking smack to the crowd and telling Ted DiBiase at ringside that Grimes doesn’t look like a champion. Knight sends him into the glass due to his showboating. Back inside, Knight hits a slingshot shoulder block. Grimes comes back with a release German suplex into a ladder set up in the corner, kicking this into next gear. That’s when Knight retaliates with a neckbreaker onto the open ladder in a spot I’ve never seen before. Knight continues the assault and wants to send Grimes “to the moon” but Grimes counters and sends him face first into the ladder. Knight also takes a back body drop onto a ladder. Grimes wants the gold, so he retrieves a gold ladder. He goes up but Knight cuts him off. Knight is knocked off but he hits the ropes and knocks Grimes down. They fight outside for a bit until Knight uses a shortcut to regain the upper hand. Grimes climbs a ladder outside and is knocked into the structure of the arena, which he lands on and then leaps off of. Grimes sends Knight back and climbs alone but the ladder is tipped over, sending him backward onto another ladder. Knight climbs and wins.

Winner: LA Knight in 19:21 [There was a decent match in there but it felt like a lot of spots for the sake of it and the whole thing dragged on for far too long. **3/4]

Ted DiBiase gives him the title and Knight celebrates with pyro as DiBiase laughs.

Todd plugs NXT merchandise until Hit Row Records interrupt. They show off their new shirt and call Todd “Tony” and “Tyler.” They also promote their new sog, “Now You Know.”

Elsewhere, Steve Corino, Scotty 2 Hotty and other agents separate Karrion Kross and Pete Dunne.

NXT Women’s Championship: Raquel Gonzalez [c] vs. Ember Moon

A win would make Ember the third two-time NXT Women’s Champion ever. Dakota is a goddess and I love her. Like she did against Asuka, Ember explodes with a dropkick to open things. It doesn’t go well for long as Raquel just knocks her down with ease. Moon counters the one-armed powerbomb with a head scissors into the corner. A Dakota distraction sets up Moon missing a knee in the corner and Raquel knocks her off the apron and into the guardrail. Raquel remains in control, shrugging off any Moon offense. She gets two on a twisting Vader Bomb after a pull-up sidewalk slam. Ember finally uses a superkick for an opening. She lights up the champion with a series of kicks and some clotheslines. A huge forearm sends her down. Code Red gets two. Dakota helps save Raquel from a submission, so Moon takes out the champ with a tope suicida that sends her over the commentary table. Dakota interference sets up another Raquel near fall. Ember gets one on a Jackknife pin counter before eating a big boot. Moon fights back and nails the Eclipse but Dakota puts Raquel’s foot on the bottom rope. Shotzi Blackheart returns and chases Dakota around the ring, slamming her into the glass and sending her packing. Moon hits a weird looking DDT onto the aisle but she struggles to drag her back inside. That only gets two. Raquel hits Snake Eyes and the One-Armed Powerbomb to retain.

Winner: Raquel Gonzalez in 12:38 [This felt like an old school match in a good way. They didn’t do anything too wild, though they told a good story. Raquel used cheap tactics and help from Dakota but when it came down to it, she was able to put down Ember on her own. Her continued improvement is impressive. ***1/2]

Backstage, Todd plays Karate Fighters with Dexter Lumis. Dexter gets upset when Todd asks about the ladies and he steals the karate fighter.

NXT Championship: Karrion Kross [c] vs. Adam Cole vs. Johnny Gargano vs. Kyle O’Reilly vs. Pete Dunne

As Johnny walks backstage in his Shawn Michaels gear, he passes by Shotzi, Ember, Dakota and Raquel, still trying to fight. Everyone fights to start and most go outside, leaving Kyle to strike with Kross. Kyle outworks him until an ankle lock is countered into a German suplex. Johnny gets the next crack at the champ. It doesn’t go well and Cole is next. He gets Kross to his knees and hits an enziguri but his next move is cut off by Dunne. He traps Cole in the apron and everyone beats on him there. Kross starts throwing boots at everyone who comes near him. When Kross is finally taken out, the wrestlers get to go at it, with fun submission work from Kyle, Johnny and Pete. Kross returns and powerbomb Dunne onto them. He calls out Cole, who is hurt on the apron. They fight to the stage and Dunne and Gargano return, helping to end Krsos through the IYH door. Cole gets to the ring with Kyle and has control. He misses Panama Sunride and Johnny returns. Kyle still takes the brunt of the offense. Dunne takes a DDT from Johnny, who Lawn Darts him into Cole who was tree of woe positioned in front of a seated Kyle. Soon after, Cole kicks free of an ankle lock. Kyle wants the rebound lariat but Kross takes him out and dumps him over the guardrail. The same goes for Cole and then Johnny is slammed onto the apron. Dunne is also sent over. Inside, Kross launches Johnny with a huge F5 for two. Johnny comes close with a tornado DDT and a series of other moves, including another toradno DDT through the ropes on Dunne. Cole superkicks him a bunch but misses Last Shot. Johnny wants the Gargano Escape but it gets blocked. He slingshots into a superkick and Cole has Panama Sunrise blocked into a Jig and Tonic for two. Everyone starts in with a barrage of offense, including a superkick into a rana and an enziguri into a Regal plex. Kross is in and hitting everyone in every corner. Barrage of strikes until Kross runs through a Kyle boot and clotheslines him. Kyle takes a German as well, as does Cole and Gargano. Dunne lands on his feet and kicks him in the head. They knock him off the apron as Kyle and Adam work together to powerbomb him onto the announce table. The remaining four guys get into a slugfest inside. Kyle and Pete win out and trade armbar submission attempts. Dunne’s moonsault eats double superkicks from Cole and Gargano but that only gets two. Johnny back in with One Final Beat but that only gets two. Double Gargano Escape. Kyle knees him to break it up. Kyle hits Johnny with a brainbuster and wants the flying knee but Cole knocks him off the top. Panama Sunrise connects but Cole BLATANTLY positions himself so Dunne can pull him outside. Brainbuster outside on Cole. Kross is back up to face off with Dunne who wants him in the ring. Dunne lights him up with rights and lefts but takes a German. Dunne pops up and hits one of his own. Bitter End connects! That only gets two though so Dunne turns it into a triangle choke. It gets broken up and Kross hits a double Saito on Cole and Dunne. Cole takes the forearm to the head and Krossjacket is applied on Dunne. He breaks it by snapping the fingers but Johnny hits him with One Final Beat. Krossjacket on Johnny, who does the Survivor Series 96 pin but it only gets two. Cole uses the Last Shot to break the hold and Kyle knocks Cole out. Kyle with the flying knee on Kross but Cole superkicks him to ruin it. Cole superkicks Johnny and Dunne before missing Last Shot on Kyle, who rolls him into a kneebar. Kross sits up from his spot and puts Kyle in the Krossjacket. Kyle passes out to lose.

Winner: Karrion Kross in 26:15 [A great main event though it did feel a bit unfocused at times. The whole thing seemed built around Kross as it was structured to have him just hit big boy spots and look tough. He was still clearly the worst guy in the match but they did well enough. The finish felt obvious as soon as Kyle did the hold next to a laid out Kross. ****]

Backstage William Regal is interviewed for his thoughts on the show. He steps outside and says that it has been seven years since he became NXT General Manager. He’s never seen this much bedlam and madness. He thinks it’s time for a change and somberly walks off.

7.5

The final score: review Good

The 411

One of the lesser TakeOvers ever but it was still a good show. The Ladder match and Martinez/Xia were okay at best. That opener was good and then you got a very good Women's Title match before a strong main event. I just can't get interested in anything the champ does, which hurts.