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Triple H Teases Johnny Gargano vs. Tommaso Ciampa, Says Goodbye to Cathy Kelley in NXT Takeover: Portland Q&A

February 17, 2020 | Posted by Jeremy Thomas
Triple H Cathy Kelley Image Credit: WWE

Triple H and Cathy Kelley discussed the events of NXT Takeover: Portland in their traditional post-event Q&A, which featured The Game teasing what’s to come for the brand and saying goodbye to Kelley. You can check out a full recap and the video below:

– They start off by joking that “they” (the production team) can’t yell at Triple H, and they can’t yell at Kelly “anymore” before getting into the questions.

– Kelley said that the reaction online was that it one of the best, if not the best, Takeover of all time. Triple H said he hopes that’s the thought and that when putting shows together, you sometimes get too close to them. He says it was a big one for them and that he loves the Portland market because they’re (we’re) a loud and crazy bunch. He says it was great to come here and notes that this was the first big “epic” Takeover that wasn’t tied to a Raw or Smackdown PPV. He said that having this big of a show here with a bigger card was important to them. He said that by doing this, you try to try to build the whole show and this is one to be proud of.

– Kelley asks about Poppy kicking off the show and how she’s almost synonymous with Takeover at this point. Triple H puts Poppy over and says when he first had her put in front of him as an artist, he wasn’t that familiar but immediately loved it. He says she fits right into the NXT brand talks about how she wants to be a part of NXT Takeover, and gets it. Triple H added that she sets the vibe for the show and that he wants those kids of performances to add to the show, not distract from it, and Poppy did that.

– Moving on to discuss Dominik Dijakovic vs. Keith Lee, Triple H talked about how it was an insane performance by both men and said Mark Henry said it in the hype video: you have guys who shouldn’t be able to do what they do. Dijakovic is a big dude that you don’t realize until you’re standing next to him and he’s 6’7″, creeping toward 300 pounds. And yet you see him springboard diving out of the ring into a chair, he shouldn’t be able to do that. He and Keith Lee on the top rope doing a Spanish Fly, the two of them doing the things they do is an insane amount of athleticism, it’s a testament to who they are. He says it isn’t just movement for the sake of movements or spots, and he says his hat’s off to both of them.

– Kelley asks about Lee’s rise and Triple H agrees that we’re seeing his rise to the top but also puts over Dijakovic as having a star-making night. He says it’s one of the ones where they had a rivalry back and forth and Lee won the rubber match, but he wants to see them fight again. He says Stephanie’s favorite chant is “Fight Forever” and they were chanting it during the match and it’s hard not to want to see them fight again. He says it’s a rivalry where they might go their separate ways for a bit, but when they come together we want to see them again.

– Kelly mentions Dakota Kai’s street fight with Tegan Nox and the arrival of Raquel Gonzalez. Triple H says that was a moment on the end of the match where the two were having an epic battle and going at it in a way you rarely see, only to have Gonzalez go out and put their stamp on it. He points out that Kai didn’t seem to know anything about it, and that it’s one of those epic Shawn Michael/Diesel moment with this giant standing behind Dakota Kai. And you think ‘Wow, Dakota Kai was that good on her own. If she has backup behind her, what can she accomplish?’ He says it’s one of those cool moments where you get an epic sort of last chapter in a great novel of a battle between former friends that are now bitter enemies, and we’ll get that final payoff. But there’s a twist that writes a whole new chapter.

– Kelly asks about Finn Balor vs. Johnny Gargano. Triple H Johnny would appreciate the superhero line, ‘You live long enough to see yourself become the villain.’ Going back to the match, he says the two planted their flags in NXT and said it was their brands. Finn left and did other things, then came back and Gargano said it’s still his, which led to the rivalry. He said what he loved about the match was the difference from the other two bouts that preceded it. Balor and Gargano was a wrestling match between technicians putting on a clinic, and Balor took Gargano’s flag and drove it through his heart in a statement that he’s here to stay. He says that’s the kind of thing that can drive you to the edge and that may have been what drove Gargano to attack Ciampa.

– Kelley points out that the NXT Women’s Championship will be defended at WrestleMania for the first time and asks about Charlotte Flair accepting Rhea Ripley’s challenge. The Game says that with all the changes in NXT, the second hour of the weekly show has created stars like Dijakovic and Keith Lee, and Dakota Kai and Tegan Nox. He says that Ripley is another one, having risen to the top and winning the NXT UK Women’s Championship, losing it and coming to NXT and winning the title there. He says that Ripley’s at the top of the list of the people who had big years in 2019. On the other side is Bianca Belair, and he says he had a conversation with Belair about how she started training just four years ago. The fact that she’s risen to the top that quickly is a statement about Belair’s ability and dedication, and he says to stand with Rhea Ripley is an epic performance. He notes that backtracking three years she was in the main event picture but hadn’t put all the pieces together until tonight, and she’s now a polished performer who is the main event.

Win lose or draw, he says they both won, and Flair came in to stake her claim in a unique way by choosing the NXT Women’s Champion for WrestleMania. He looks back at when Charlotte came back and made her start, it’s a full cycle that’s awesome to see. He points out that Flair made a last-second statement with Belair, and that may not be done either. He puts over the women of NXT as the strongest women’s division of the world.

– Moving onto the Broserweights’ NXT Tag Team Title win, Kelley said she can’t imagine how wild the celebration will be. Triple H jokes that his plane had the weirdest smell in the back, referencing “smoke issues in the back.” He says they put on an unbelievable performance and mentions the duo’s “How much fish would Bobby Fish fry if Bobby Fish could fry fish?” joke. He says it was an amazing tag match and he feels like every now and then people talk about tag teams that have been together for years, but sometimes you put two people together and they have instant chemistry. Riddle and Dunne have that, he said, where it was suddenly like they’d been tagging for years which is very rare. He said they’re having a hell of a year.

– They move onto the main event and the unfinished rivalry between Ciampa and Gargano, and Adam Cole retaining. Triple H calls Ciampa and Cole the old “Unstoppable Force vs. Unmovable Object,” one guy has to get his life back and the other says it’s his life and he’s not going to take it. He says when he was champion he fought like his life depended on it, and they did the same. Ciampa had the opportunity to get it back tonight and Gargano decided it wasn’t Ciampa’s life to get back. Kelley asked what that does to one’s psyche, and he says he doesn’t know. They’ve been on a roller coaster ride together and compares them to himself and Shawn Michaels in which they were close but had different goals. He said they all win in that situation because the rivalry between Ciampa and Gargano is epic. Cole fought for his life and ends up keeping it. Ciampa didn’t get his life back, but his life did go back to before he was ever champion so in a way, he did get his life back.

– Triple H talked about Takeover: Tampa which he said will be epic and better than Portland. He also says NXT UK Takeover in Dublin will be the next leap for that brand and it should be spectacular. He puts over Dublin crowds as loud and then puts over this week’s NXT with Lio Rush vs. Jordan Devlin for the Cruiserweight Champion and Roderick Strong vs. Veleveteen Dream.

– Before they go, Triple H points out that Kelley is leaving and gives her a hug. Kelley gets emotional as Triple H says that so much goes into what they do and the athletes pour their heart and soul into it, but everyone does from the people pulling cables and plugging things in to the people making the food and gear and the people that do what Kelley does. He says it’s because of the passion and heart that they put into it that things are as good as they are. He says, “When I say ‘We are NXT,’ it’s all of us.” And he says that she will always be NXT. It’s not goodbye, it’s “see you down the road.” Kelley gets to grow, and says “It’s the great thing about here. We create them, then we ship them out the door to do amazing things in the world.” He says she’s one of the smartest, most professional people and she can’t say enough good things about her. He’s crushed that she’s leaving and proud of her, and the door is always open. Triple H then brought in the Undisputed Era, who welcomed her to be the unofficial fifth era of the Undisputed Era, and they do the sign but then push Kelley to the back out of view. Cole says maybe it would be easier to give her a gift, and they do. They’re donuts. They say they picked on her a lot but they love her and they’ll miss her and do a group hug. Triple H then gives her flowers.

– And that’s a wrap!

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