Finn Balor and Kyle O'Reilly face off at TakeOver 31 (WWE)
WWE NXT Results and Grades: WWE NXT TakeOver is coming up soon and this was the final episode before the special.
The big talking point was Kyle O’Reilly challenging Finn Balor for the NXT title. O’Reilly was a surprise winner to challenge the champion but there were some other titles to be defended too.
Candice LeRae takes on champion Io Shirai while Johnny Gargano also faces Damian Priest for the North American crown.
However, we start off this WWE NXT results and grades piece with Dakota Kai in action:
Dakota Kai and Shotzi Blackheart started off this NXT with Raquel Gonzalez interfering in the match.
Rhea Ripley came out and attacked her rival, Gonzalez, which allowed Blackheart to roll up Kai and get the win.
Blackheart beats Kai
Grade B
The match was a good one but the real story is Ripley vs Gonzalez. The pair are two of the biggest on NXT and it will be interesting to see if they face each other soon.
Cameron Grimes wasn’t happy with the gauntlet match that O’Reilly won and decided to have his own open challenge.
He defeated a smaller opponent first before Ridge Holland made his way to the ring. Holland went crazy on Grimes as he kept attacking him and the ref called for a DQ.
Grimes beats Holland
Grade C
WWE again are doing it to Grimes. They have made him a bit of a joke but the push for Holland is interesting.
Kushida came out looking great and faces The Premier Athlete, Tony Nese.
Nese started off well but it was Kushida who got the win after using a submission.
Kushida beats Nese
Grade B
Nese again looked decent in the ring but WWE don’t want to or don’t know how to use him.
Kushida was the one who came out looking good in this short match, and it will be interesting to see how he does against Velveteen Dream at TakeOver.
Adam Cole cut a promo and called out Austin Theory as he had made some harsh comments about O’Reilly.
Cole vs Theory was set up with both stars giving it their all. However, it was Cole who got the win in the end as he got the better of Theory.
Cole beats Theory
Grade B
It was great seeing Theory go toe-to-toe with Cole and that could be the future for him.
Cole isn’t in the title scene but the leader of the Undisputed Era still needs a rival and that could be Theory.
Xia Li was out next to face Kayden Carter. The ninja, Kacy Catanzaro was supporting Carter and it was Li who ended up getting the loss.
Carter then offered her hand to Li but the Chinese star shoved her rival and left.
Carter beats Li
Grade B
While the match did have some decent spots, the grade got a bump as Li now seems set to be a heel. WWE hadn’t done much with her for a long time but it is great seeing her get some time on TV.
WWE legend Shawn Michaels moderated a session between O’Reilly and Balor.
The pair traded shots but were most respectful ahead of the title clash. O’Reilly also confirmed that he was going to face Balor one-on-one and not bring in anyone from the Era.
Grade A
The fact that both stars showed off some respect to the other made this a little different from the other face offs.
Balor does look like the favourite but this could be O’Reilly’s time to shine in all this.
Husband and wife pair, Gargano and LeRae, teamed up to take on Priest and Shirai in the main event of NXT.
The start of the match saw Priest and Shirai attacked the husband and wife pair before the referee could even ring the bell.
All four had their moments during the match but the last moments were frantic. Gargano took a moonsault from Shirai while LeRae hit Priest with a low blow.
That allowed Gargano to pick up the win as the pair carried a lot of momentum for Sunday.
Gargano and LeRae beat Priest Shirai
Grade A
This was a great showcase of mixed tag team wrestling and the chemistry between Priest and Shirai was rather surprising.
LeRae and Gargano are working wonders as heels and it will be interesting to see what happens on Sunday.
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