NXT Takeover: Wargames 2019 Review

Here it is! For the first time ever, we were witnessing TWO WarGames Matches featuring the men and the women! This show had 4 big matches going in and we definitely was in for a hell of a ride. Survivor Series is tonight, but NXT took over last night with War Games and left a mark in the Allstate Arena. Let's recap the big event!

Team Baszler Vs. Team Ripley
(War Games Match)

Candice LeRae and Io Shirai started things off and it was a decent bout between them two. Bianca Belair was next up from her team and along with Io, the two of them beat down Candice for a bit. Team Captain Rhea Ripley was next and she wasted no time bringing in the weapons! Kay Lee Ray was next and she too brought in some weapons then beats down Candice and Rhea with chairs. Dakota Kai was next but instead of going to battle, she's decides to bring the battle to Tegan Nox as she turns on her! Dakota beats the hell out of Tegan by tossing her back and forth against the cage bars then proceeds to repeatedly slam the cage door on Tegan's right knee! NXT General Manager William Regal tried to stop her but she even shoved him out of the way, showing that no one was gonna stop her! Shayna Baszler was loving every minute of this and speaking of which, she was next up to enter the match. Due to Kai's attack, both Tegan and herself were out of the match so WarGames had officially begun. Rhea's team was in a big disadvantage here thanks to the actions of Dakota Kai. Candice and Rhea did bring the fight for a while, even having Candice performing the Avalanche Poison Hurricanrana on Kay Lee Ray! Io Shirai came back at her with a huge Moonsault off the top of the cage! Shayna and Rhea brawled for the rest of the match as Shayna had Rhea locked in the Coquina Clutch, but Rhea would handcuff herself to Shayna then would execute the Riptide onto stacked chairs for the win! Team Ripley picked up the win in what was a very good WarGames Match and even more impressive that Rhea and Candice were the only members on the team to come out on top!

Pete Dunne Vs. Damien Preist Vs. Killian Dain (Winner Will Get a NXT Title Match at Survivor Series)

What a hard hitting match! These three guys wanted a taste of gold and this match proved that they weren't gonna stop at nothing for it. Damian at one point had Dunne up for a Razor's Edge at ringside then proceeds to hit the move onto the announce table, but unfortunately it didn't break. Killian would then dive onto Damian then hits the Cannon Ball Roll, knocking down a part of the steel barricade! Both guys would brawl back in the ring then Damian proceeds to hit the Razor's Edge on Killian! Pete Dunne came back into the mix by breaking up the pin attempt following the move then these guys would continue to beat the hell out of each other for a while. Damian was down and out as Pete had a Sleeper Hold locked in on Killian. Killian's only defense was to hit the Running Senton onto Damian but it only worked on Dunne's favor as he would pin Damian and successfully win the match! Pete Dunne will go on to challenge Adam Cole for the NXT Championship tonight at Survivor Series!

Matt Riddle Vs. Finn Balor

This match was fine for what it was. Very solid perhaps. Both guys started the match with some wrestling mixed with MMA styles holds and that was cool to see. It was a back and forth match for sure as Riddle would take Balor down with his striking game, but Balor would always make a comeback one way or another. Riddle later on in the match would hit the Jackhammer for a near fall and then would execute the Bro to Sleep. Balor would retaliate with the 1916 for a near fall, then would attempt it again but turns it into the Bloody Sunday for the pinfall victory!

The Undisputed Era Vs. Tomasso Ciampa, Domininik Dijakovic, Keith Lee & Kevin Owens
(War Games Match)

Tomasso Ciampa and Roderick Strong started off the match with some decent back and forth action. Kyle O'Reilly was next in the matchup and of course Tomasso was in a disadvantage. It was time to feast our eyes as Dominik Dijakovic was next up and absolutely destroyed Strong and O'Reilly for a bit. Bobby Fish is next and came to the aid of his Undisputed Era brothers as they take care of Ciampa and Dijakovic. Keith Lee was next as it was him time to bask in his glory! He dis just that as expected by tearing through UE with his amazing speed and agility. NXT Champion Adam Cole was next and he went straight for the weapons and fans erupted when the first thing he pulled out was a table! He pulled out multiple tables, evening leaving one layed up against the barricade. Ciampa would waste no time by shoving Cole through the the table by the barricade. Both teams would stand toe to toe later on then brawled til Undisputed Era got the upper hand. Suddenly, the countdown begins and everyone's now awaiting to see who's the final man on Team Ciampa. There's a pause for a bit then finally the 4th man turned out to be Kevin Owens! To be honest, I was a little underwhelmed about that reveal, but nonetheless it was a good surprise. Now the WarGames Match officially begun and everyone started pulling the stops to one another in order to gain the victory. There were a total of 5 tables in the ring then one by one, members of each team went through the tables! The final spot of the match was where Ciampa and Cole were on top of the cage as two tables were set up in the ring below them. Ciampa grabs Cole and puts him in the Air-Raid Crash position then from the top of the cage, he proceeds to hit the move and both men crash through both tables! Since Ciampa was on top of Cole, the referee's counted the pin and he gets the win! Team Ciampa picks up the victory in what was a great, yet brutal overall WarGames match to end the show!

Show Rating: 9.8/10