NXT TakeOver: New Orleans

NXT TakeOver: New Orleans was a professional wrestling show and WWE Network event in the NXT TakeOver series that took place on April 7, 2018, at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. The event was produced by WWE for its NXT brand and was streamed live on the WWE Network.

NXT TakeOver: New Orleans
Promotion	WWE
Brand(s)	NXT
Date	April 7, 2018
City	New Orleans, Louisiana
Venue	Smoothie King Center
Attendance	13,955[1]
WWE Network event chronology
← Previous Fastlane Next → WrestleMania 34
NXT TakeOver chronology
← Previous Philadelphia Next → Chicago II

Five matches were contested at the event. In the main event, Johnny Gargano defeated Tommaso Ciampa in an Unsanctioned match and was reinstated to NXT. On the undercard, Aleister Black defeated Andrade Cien Almas to win the NXT Championship, Shayna Baszler defeated Ember Moon to capture the NXT Women's Championship, and Adam Cole defeated EC3, Killian Dain, Lars Sullivan, Ricochet and Velveteen Dream in a six-man ladder match to win the inaugural NXT North American Championship. The event received universal acclaim from wrestling fans and critics and both the NXT North American Championship match and the Unsanctioned match between Gargano and Ciampa both received five-star ratings by wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer. It was the first time Meltzer gave five stars to two matches on the same North American show.

Production

Background

TakeOver is a series of professional wrestling shows that began on May 29, 2014, as WWE's then developmental league NXT held their second WWE Network exclusive live broadcast billed as TakeOver.[2] In subsequent months, the "TakeOver" moniker became the brand used by WWE for all of their NXT live specials. New Orleans was the 19th NXT TakeOver event.

Former Indianapolis Colts punter and current Barstool Sports personality Pat McAfee was announced to join the Pre-Show panel.[3]

This was the first ever TakeOver event to feature Spanish play-by-play commentary live from ringside, as Spanish color commentator Marcelo Rodriguez announced via Twitter.[4]

Storylines

The card comprised five matches. The matches resulted from scripted storylines, where wrestlers portrayed heroes, villains, or less distinguishable characters that built tension and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches. Results were predetermined by WWE's writers on the NXT brand, while storylines were produced on their weekly television program, NXT.[5][6]

On the February 28 episode of NXT, Andrade Cien Almas and Zelina Vega boasted about their victory over Johnny Gargano. Then Aleister Black and Killian Dain came out and the three brawled.[7] The following week, Black defeated Dain to become the number one contender to the NXT Championship and would face Almas at TakeOver: New Orleans.[8]

At TakeOver: Philadelphia, Ember Moon defeated Shayna Baszler to retain the NXT Women's Championship. After the match, Baszler attacked Moon.[9] On the February 7 episode of NXT, Baszler stated that Moon was afraid of her. Later, a tweet from Moon was shown challenging Baszler to a rematch from TakeOver: Philadelphia for the title for the following week.[10][11] The following week, the rematch ended in a disqualification when Kairi Sane attacked Baszler, thus allowing Moon to retain.[12] Two weeks later, after defeating Sane, Baszler called out Moon.[7] On the March 14 episode, after a match that saw Dakota Kai defeat Lacey Evans, Baszler came down and attacked Kai. Moon came out and then proceeded to brawl with Baszler, which saw Moon stand tall after an Eclipse.[13] The following week after Moon defeated Aliyah, Baszler and Moon argued back and forth.[14]

On the February 21 episode of NXT, NXT General Manager William Regal announced that there would be a Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic and the winner would receive a shot at NXT Tag Team Championship at Takeover: New Orleans.[15] The tournament began on the March 7 episode of NXT. Over the next couple of weeks, The Authors of Pain, Sanity, Street Profits and Pete Dunne and Roderick Strong, who replaced the previously announced Tyler Bate and Trent Seven after Bate suffered a knee injury, advanced to the next round by defeating TM-61, Riddick Moss and Tino Sabbatelli, Heavy Machinery and Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan, respectively.[8][13][13] The semifinal saw The Authors of Pain and Dunne and Strong advance to the finals by defeating Street Profits and Sanity, respectively.[16] The finals featured The Authors of Pain face the team of Strong and Dunne, which ended in a no contest when The Undisputed ERA interfered. Regal then scheduled a triple threat tag team match for the tag team titles and the Dusty Classic trophy at TakeOver: New Orleans.[17]

On the March 28 episode of NXT, NXT General Manager William Regal announced the introduction of the new NXT North American Championship. He was interrupted by EC3, who was making his return to WWE after previously appearing under the ring name Derrick Bateman. EC3 was subsequently announced by Regal as one of six wrestlers who would compete in a ladder match at TakeOver: New Orleans to crown the inaugural champion. Later that night, Regal also announced the other five participants as Adam Cole, Velveteen Dream, Lars Sullivan, Killian Dain and the debuting Ricochet.[16]

The event saw the culmination of a year-long rivalry between Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa

At TakeOver: Chicago in May 2017, Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa, then teaming together in DIY, were defeated by The Authors of Pain in a ladder match, failing to win back the NXT Tag Team Championship. After the match, Gargano and Ciampa stood on the stage, expressing sadness of defeat. Ciampa then turned on Gargano, attacking him and putting him through two tables.[18] Ciampa explained his attack by revealing that he had sustained an ACL injury and would be out for several months, during which time he suspected that Gargano would try to replace him in their team. At TakeOver: Philadelphia, Gargano was defeated by Andrade "Cien" Almas to retain the NXT Championship. After the match, with Gargano leaving up the ramp, Ciampa made his first appearance since the betrayal by attacking Gargano with a crutch.[9] Gargano subsequently put his NXT career on the line for another title shot against Almas, only to lose after interference from Ciampa, costing Gargano his NXT contract. Over the next few weeks, Gargano developed an obsession for getting back at Ciampa, going as far as ambushing him outside the WWE Performance Center and attempting to break into his house. An unsanctioned match (due to Gargano no longer being contracted to NXT) between the two was made official on the March 28 episode of NXT, with the added stipulation of Gargano being restored to NXT if he won.[16]

Event

Other on-screen personnel

Role:	Name:
English commentators	Mauro Ranallo
	Nigel McGuinness
	Percy Watson
Spanish commentators	Carlos Cabrera
	Marcelo Rodríguez
Ring announcer	Mike Rome
Referees	Tom Castor
	Drake Wuertz
	Eddie Orengo
	Darryl Sharma
Pre-show panel	Charly Caruso
	Sam Roberts
	Pat McAfee

Preliminary matches

The event opened with a musical performance from Cane Hill. The first match on the card was a ladder match for the NXT North American Championship involving EC3, Ricochet, Adam Cole, Velveteen Dream, Lars Sullivan and Killian Dain. In the end, Ricochet attempted to retrieve the title but Cole pushed the ladder, causing Ricochet to fall. Cole retrieved the title to win the match.[19]

Next, Ember Moon defended the NXT Women's Championship against Shayna Baszler. Moon went for the "Eclipse", but Baszler countered and applied the "Kirifuda Clutch" on Moon, who passed out. As a result, Baszler won the title by technical submission.[19]

After that, The Undisputed Era (Adam Cole and Kyle O'Reilly) defended the NXT Tag Team Championship against The Authors of Pain (Akam and Rezar) and Roderick Strong and WWE United Kingdom Champion Pete Dunne, with the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Trophy also on the line. Dunne performed the "Bitter End" on O’Reilly, but Strong attacked Dunne, voiding the pinfall at a two count. Strong performed "End of Heartache" on Dunne and placed O'Reilly on top of Dunne, thus The Undisputed Era retained the titles and won the cup.[19] After the match, Strong put on Cole's Undisputed Era armband, turning heel and joining and celebrating with the group.

In the penultimate match, Andrade Cien Almas, accompanied by Zelina Vega, defended the NXT Championship against Aleister Black. Whilst the referee was distracted, Vega performed a hurricanrana off the ring apron into the steel steps on Black; Almas subsequently scored a near-fall. Black performed the "Black Mass" on Almas, but Vega placed Almas’ foot on the bottom rope, voiding the pinfall at a two count. Almas performed a double knee smash on Black, who was seated in the corner, for a near-fall. Almas performed another double knee smash on Black, who was seated against the ring post, and attempted an elevated hammerlock DDT, but Black countered and performed a topé con hilo on the outside. Almas performed a hammerlock DDT on Black for a near-fall. Vega dove off the top rope, though Black ducked, and Almas caught Vega, allowing Black to perform the "Black Mass" on Almas to win the title.[19]

Main event

In the main event, Johnny Gargano faced Tommaso Ciampa in an unsanctioned match. Ciampa performed a suplex on Gargano off the announce table. Gargano performed a powerbomb on Ciampa off the ring apron onto the exposed concrete. Gargano struck Ciampa with a crutch and performed a slingshot DDT on Ciampa for a near-fall. Gargano applied the "Garga-No-Escape", only for Ciampa to rake Gargano's eyes. Ciampa performed a "Project Ciampa" on Gargano for a near-fall. Gargano performed a "Lawn Dart" into an exposed turnbuckle and two superkicks on Ciampa, who was kneeling, for a near-fall. Ciampa then performed a "Project Ciampa" from the second rope on Gargano for a near-fall. In the end, Ciampa attempted to strike Gargano with his knee brace, however Gargano countered and applied the "Garga-No-Escape", transitioning into an STF using the knee brace. Ciampa submitted, thus Gargano won and was reinstated in NXT.[19]

Reception

The six competitors in the ring for the ladder match for the NXT North American Championship. The match received critical acclaim and a five-star rating from Dave Meltzer

The event received widespread acclaim from fans and critics. Gene Guillot of The Times-Picayune described the show as "wrestling at its finest", involving "spectacular wrestling and incredible story telling" with "moment after moment of high impact". Guillot wrote that the "show kicked off with one of the best matches in NXT history and finished with another Match of the Year candidate that told one of the great stories in wrestling history".[20] John Moore of Pro Wrestling Dot Net wrote that "each match delivered at a main event level", describing the main event between Gargano and Ciampa as a "perfect end of their year long tale".[19] Matty Paddock of The Independent wrote that the event "delivered in breathtaking style", calling it "a classic night of wrestling that will be hard to match".[21] Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter gave both the ladder match for the NXT North American Championship and the unsanctioned match five stars, making them the second and third five-star matches NXT had put on in 2018.[22]

Results

No.	Results	Stipulations	Times[23][19]
1^N	Kairi Sane defeated Lacey Evans	Singles match[23]	7:43
2^N	Heavy Machinery (Otis Dozovic and Tucker Knight) vs. Riddick Moss and Tino Sabbatelli ended in a no contest	Tag team match[23]	6:02
3	Adam Cole defeated EC3, Killian Dain, Lars Sullivan, Ricochet and Velveteen Dream	Ladder match for the inaugural NXT North American Championship[24]	31:24
4	Shayna Baszler defeated Ember Moon (c) by technical submission	Singles match for the NXT Women's Championship[25]	12:56
5	The Undisputed Era (Adam Cole and Kyle O'Reilly) (c) defeated The Authors of Pain (Akam and Rezar) and Pete Dunne and Roderick Strong	Triple threat tag team match for the NXT Tag Team Championship and Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic trophy[26]	11:38
6	Aleister Black defeated Andrade "Cien" Almas (c) (with Zelina Vega)	Singles match for the NXT Championship[27]	18:30
7	Johnny Gargano defeated Tommaso Ciampa by submission	Unsanctioned match[28] Since Gargano won, he was reinstated to NXT.	37:06
(c) – refers to the champion(s) heading into the match N – indicates the match was taped for broadcast on a future episode of NXT

Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic bracket

First Round NXT (March 7, March 14, March 21)

Semifinals NXT (March 28)

Final NXT TakeOver: New Orleans (April 7)

Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford)

Pin

Heavy Machinery (Otis Dozovic and Tucker Knight)

3:39[13]

The Street Profits

2:31[16]

The Authors of Pain

Pin

TM-61 (Nick Miller and Shane Thorne)

8:03[8]

The Authors of Pain (Akam and Rezar)

Pin

The Authors of Pain The Undisputed Era (Adam Cole and Kyle O'Reilly)

Pin^2

Pete Dunne and Roderick Strong^3

11:38

Riddick Moss and Tino Sabbatelli

3:45[13]

SAnitY (Alexander Wolfe and Eric Young)

Pin

SAnitY

10:23[16]

Pete Dunne and Roderick Strong

Pin

Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan

8:29[14]

Pete Dunne and Roderick Strong^1

Pin

1 ^ Dunne and Strong replaced the previously announced Tyler Bate and Trent Seven after Bate suffered a knee injury.
2 ^ This was a Winner Takes All triple threat tag team match that was also for the NXT Tag Team Championship, held by The Undisputed Era.
3 ^ Strong turned on Dunne during the match, joining The Undisputed Era and helping them win the match.

References

1. "WWE NXT TakeOver: New Orleans « Events Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database". www.cagematch.net. Retrieved 6 September 2018.
2. Howell, Nolan (May 29, 2014). "Neville tops Kidd at NXT Takeover". canoe.ca. Retrieved September 21, 2017.
3. "Former NFL star Pat McAfee to join NXT TakeOver: New Orleans Pre-Show panel". WWE. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
4. "Marcelo Rodriguez on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 2018-04-08.
5. Grabianowski, Ed. "How Pro Wrestling Works". HowStuffWorks. Discovery Communications. Archived from the original on November 18, 2013. Retrieved March 5, 2012.
6. "Live & Televised Entertainment". WWE. Archived from the original on February 26, 2009. Retrieved March 21, 2012.
7. James, Justin (February 28, 2018). "2/28 NXT TV Report: Velveteen Dream vs. Tyler Bate, Kairi Sane vs. Baszler, Cole vs. Bononi, plus Andrade & Vega". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved March 8, 2018.
8. James, Justin (March 7, 2018). "3/7 NXT TV Report: Aleister Black vs. Killian Dane, TM61 vs. Authors of Pain in Dusty Classic tourney match, Belair vs. Renee". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved March 8, 2018.
9. Moore, John. "1/27 Moore's NXT Takeover: Philadelphia live review – Andrade Almas vs. Johnny Gargano for the NXT Title, Ember Moon vs. Shayna Baszler for the NXT Women's Championship, Aleister Black vs. Adam Cole in an Extreme Rules match". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved January 27, 2018.
10. Clapp, John (February 7, 2018). "Ember Moon to put NXT Women's Title on the line against Shayna Baszler in TakeOver rematch". WWE. Retrieved February 10, 2018.
11. James, Justin (February 7, 2018). "2/7 NXT TV Report: Big segment with Gargano and Almas, Undisputed Era vs. Sanity, Heavy Machinery vs. Moss & Sabbatelli". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
12. James, Justin (February 14, 2018). "2/14 NXT TV Report: Ember Moon vs. Baszler, Dunne vs. Strong, TM61 in action, Aleister Black, Velveteen Dream". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
13. James, Justin (March 14, 2018). "3/14 NXT TV Report: Tomasso Ciampa returns, Adam Cole vs. Pete Dunne, Almas-Black contract signing, Sanity vs. Moss & Sabbatelli". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved March 29, 2018.
14. James, Justin (March 21, 2018). "3/21 NXT TV Report: Adam Cole vs. Kassius Ohno, Aliyah vs. Ember Moon, Dusty Rhodes Classic Tag Team Tournament". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved April 7, 2018.
15. James, Justin (February 21, 2018). "2/21 NXT TV Report: Gargano challenges Almas for NXT Title and leaves NXT if he loses, Velveteen Dream vs. No Way Jose, Cross vs. Borne". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved March 8, 2018.
16. James, Justin (March 28, 2018). "3/28 NXT TV Report: Regal's big announcement, debut of EC3 in NXT, AOP vs Profits, Dunne & Strong vs. Sanity, Lars Sullivan returns". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved April 7, 2018.
17. James, Justin (April 4, 2018). "4/4 NXT TV Report: Final hype for NXT Takeover including Authors of Pain vs. Strong & Dunne, Killian vs. Lars, Kairi Sane vs. Bourne". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved April 7, 2018.
18. Zimmerman, Zack. "5/20 Zim's NXT Takeover: Chicago live review – Bobby Roode vs. Hideo Itami for the NXT Title, Authors of Pain vs. Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa in a ladder match for the NXT Tag Titles, Asuka vs. Nikki Cross vs. Ruby Riot for the NXT Women's Title". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved May 20, 2017.
19. Moore, John. "4/7 Moore's NXT Takeover: New Orleans live review – Andrade Almas vs. Aleister Black for the NXT Title, Ember Moon vs. Shayna Baszler for the NXT Women's Championship, Johnny Gargano vs. Tommaso Ciampa in an unsanctioned match, ladder match for the new North American Championship". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved April 7, 2018.
20. Guillot, Gene. "WWE's NXT Takeover: New Orleans was wrestling at its finest". The Times-Picayune. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
21. Paddock, Maty. "NXT Takeover New Orleans: Young stars steal the show in epic contest ahead of WWE Wrestlemania". The Independent. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
22. Meltzer, Dave. "April 16, 2018 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Historic WrestleMania 34 weekend reviewed, more". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved April 12, 2018.
23. Moore, John (April 11, 2018). "NXT TV Live Review: Kairi Sane vs. Lacey Evans and Heavy Machinery vs. Riddick Moss and Tino Sabbatelli, and a big debut from NXT Takeover: New Orleans". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
24. Benigno, Anthony. "Adam Cole def. EC3, The Velveteen Dream, Lars Sullivan, Killian Dain and Ricochet to become the first-ever NXT North American Champion". WWE. Retrieved April 7, 2018.
25. Benigno, Anthony. "Shayna Baszler def. Ember Moon to become the new NXT Women's Champion". WWE. Retrieved April 7, 2018.
26. Benigno, Anthony. "The Undisputed ERA def. The Authors of Pain and WWE United Kingdom Champion Pete Dunne & Roderick Strong to retain the NXT Tag Team Titles and win the 2018 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic". WWE. Retrieved April 7, 2018.
27. Benigno, Anthony. "Aleister Black def. Andrade "Cien" Almas to become the new NXT Champion". WWE. Retrieved April 7, 2018.
28. Benigno, Anthony. "Johnny Gargano def. Tommaso Ciampa in an Unsanctioned Match". WWE. Retrieved April 7, 2018.

External links

• WWE NXT Official Website