WWE’s NXT Takeover: Chicago took place on June 16th at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, IL.
Kickoff Show results:
– The pre-show for tonight’s pay-per-view kicks off with Charly Caruso, Sam Roberts, and Pat McAfee welcoming us to the Allstate Arena. We see Lars Sullivan arriving at the building earlier today, and then we see NXT Champion Aleister Black backstage getting ready. Charly sends us to a video package looking at the Sullivan-Black main event tonight, and then back to the Kickoff Show table for their predictions.
– We see fans entering the Allstate Arena, then we go to a promo video for tonight’s NXT Women’s Title match.
– EC3 joins the Kickoff Show panel as fans chant “One Percent.” EC3 says he’s happy to be on the panel, but he’s not done for tonight.
– Mike Rome and Sarah Schreiber are in the crowd and they promote some of tonight’s matches.
– We go back to the panel, where Adam Cole interrupts and talks about The Undisputed Era defending their titles tonight.
– We see a promo video for Ciampa vs. Gargano, and then we get some predictions from the Kickoff Show panel before going to the pay-per-view.
NXT Takeover: Chicago results (6/16):
– Nigel McGuinness, Vic Joseph and Percy Watkins are on the broadcast team for tonight’s show. Mauro Ranallo has the night off due to commitments to Showtime Boxing.
– NXT Tag Team Titles: Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch vs. Roderick Strong and Kyle O’Reilly (c): The Undisputed Era starts off strong against Lorcan, but Burch gets the tag and he helps take control of the match. Lorcan comes back in and O’Reilly backs him into the corner off the distraction from Strong. Lorcan and O’Reilly brawl back and forth in the corner until Burch tags back in and continues the offense. Strong tags in and O’Reilly causes a distraction, allowing Strong to kick Burch off the apron. Back in the ring, The Era trades tags and double teams Burch. Burch finally fires back with some strikes on O’Reilly, but O’Reilly takes him down and keeps him grounded with knee drops and punches. Strong misses a shot in the corner, and Burch sends him flying with a back body drop. O’Reilly tags in and immediately boots Lorcan off the apron, and then he turns his attention to Burch. Burch hits a headbutt and both men are down. Lorcan gets back up on the apron and he wants the hot tag. Lorcan and Strong get the tags, and Lorcan cleans house. Lorcan drops Strong with a lariat and then an uppercut. Kyle runs in and Lorcan beats him down next. Lorcan hits a big suicide dive on both Era members at ringside, and then he takes the legal man Strong back in the ring. Lorcan hits a full nelson suplex and then a running uppercut for a near-fall. Lorcan hits a series of shots in the corner, and then a double blockbuster on Strong and O’Reilly. Burch tags in and they double team Strong, but Kyle breaks up the pin. They look for the Doomsday Device on Strong, but Kyle breaks it up. Strong and Burch brawl in the ring now, but O’Reilly gets the tag and stuns Burch with a knee to the body. O’Reilly hits a suplex for a two count. Kyle goes for an armbar, but Burch reaches the ropes to break it. Strong tags in and they double team Burch with a suplex and a running knee to the face for a two count. Kyle tags back in for another double team, but Burch fights them off and dumps them outside. Lorcan gets up on the apron and hits a double blockbuster on both Era members down on the floor. Back in the ring, Lorcan and Burch hit the Doomsday Device on O’Reilly, but Adam Cole breaks up the pin. The ref ejects Cole from ringside for his interference, which prompts the crowd to chant “bullshit.” Lorcan and Burch go for a double team on Kyle, but Strong breaks it up. Kyle puts a guillotine choke on Lorcan, but Lorcan fights out and slams him down. Strong tags in and starts brawling with Lorcan now. Lorcan hits a powerbomb on Strong for a two count, so he turns it into a single leg Boston crab. Kyle runs in and breaks it up. Kyle boots Lorcan in the face once and Lorcan no-sells it, so he puts Lorcan in another guillotine choke. Burch breaks that up and puts Kyle in the Crossface while Lorcan still has Strong in the crab. The two submission holds finally get broken up and now all four men are down. This leads to Strong and O’Reilly double teaming Lorcan with the Total Elimintion for the three count.
Winners: The Undisputed Era
– Lars Sullivan is shown backstage warming up for his match tonight. Kairi Sane is also shown in the crowd.
– We see a promo video for Ricochet vs. The Velveteen Dream, and that’s up next.
– Velveteen Dream vs. Ricochet: The opening bell sounds and they come face to face in the middle of the ring. They lock up, and Dream backs Ricochet into the corner and taunts him. They lock up again and wrestle down to the mat, trading holds. They fight back up to their feet, where Dream levels Ricochet with a running shoulder bock. Ricochet escapes a headscissor takedown, leaps over Dream, then stares him down. They both slap each other across their faces, then Ricochet hits a headscissor takedown and a dropkick. Ricochet goes up top, but Dream pushes him off and Ricochet falls down to the floor. Back in the ring, Dream works over Ricochet in the corner and stomps a mud hole in him. Dream continues the offense and hits a senton bomb from the top rope. Dream follows up with a neckbreaker for a two count. Ricochet starts to mount a comeback, but Dream shoves him down to the floor and follows up with a suicide dive out of the ring. Back in the ring, they brawl back and forth until Ricochet stuns Dream with a big dropkick. Dream falls outside, and Ricochet hits a suicide dive on him down on the floor. Ricochet goes back in the ring and comes flying back out with a corkscrew moonsault on Dream on the floor. Ricochet continues the offense back in the ring with some kicks and then a springboard flying elbow for a two count. Ricochet hits a neckbreaker and a standing shooting star press for another two count. Ricochet goes up top, but Dream bumps him down. They fight up on the turnbuckle, which leads to Dream hitting a Death Valley Driver on Ricochet off the middle rope for a two count. They fight on the turnbuckle again, which this time leads to Dream hitting a vertical suplex on Ricochet off the apron down to the ringside floor. Dream and Ricochet both get back in the ring at the referee’s 9 count. Back in the ring, Dream hits the Death Valley bomb for a two count. Back on their feet, both men trade punches to the face back and forth now. Dream looks for the DDT, but Ricochet reverses into a Northern Lights suplex. Ricochet is selling a back injury from the suplex to the floor earlier, and Dream starts fighting back. Ricochet misses a shot and Dream hits the DDT for a two count. Dream gets frustrated and starts talking trash to Ricochet. This leads to Ricochet hitting the Death Valley bomb, and then he goes up top, but he’s wasting some time. Ricochet leaps and connects with the flying elbow drop for a two count. Ricochet goes back up top, but Dream rolls away out of range. Ricochet leaps and goes for a long distance shooting star press, but Dream blocks it with his knees and covers for a two count. Dream goes up top now and goes for a long distance flying elbow, but Ricochet rolls out of the way, and Dream is hurt. Ricochet goes up top and hits the 630 for the three count.
Winner: Ricochet
– The crowd gives a big ovation for this one as the ref rises Ricochet’s hand. We go to replays as Ricochet makes his way backstage and Dream struggles to get to his feet.
– We see a video package looking at Nikki Cross and Shayna Baszler, who are up next.
– NXT Women’s Championship: Shayna Baszler (c) vs. Nikki Cross: The opening bell sounds and they come face to face, and Nikki appears to dare Shayna to hit her. Shayna hits her and she goes down. Nikki jumps up and no-sells it, then starts taunting Shayna and baiting her in. Nikki dodges and shot and applies a sleeper, but Shayna fights out and applies one of her own. Nikki fights out and stomps on Shayna in the corner until Shayna rolls outside for a breather. Nikki drops Shayna on the apron next and beats her down outside. Nikki jumps on the Champion’s back for a sleeper hold at ringside, but Shayna drops her on the entrance ramp. Back in the ring, Shayna continues to beat on Nikki and she controls the next few moments of this one. Nikki starts to fight back, but Shayna shuts her down with a knee to the face. Shayna hits some more knees to the face, but Nikki no-sells them and tells her to bring it. Nikki blocks the next knee and starts beating on Shayna. Nikki unloads with offense now and stomps on Shayna in the corner. Nikki goes up top and hits a flying cross body for a two count. Nikki hits a reverse DDT on the apron for another two count. Shayna comes back with a knee to the face for a two count of her own. Shayna looks for a choke hold, but Nikki fights out and slams Shayna down for a two count. Nikki goes for another pin, but Shayna reverses into a sleeper. Nikki struggles but then goes unconscious and the ref calls for the bell.
Winner: Shayna Baszler
– Shayna is slow to get to her feet after the match as the ref hands her the Title belt and raises her hand.
– EC3 is shown standing in the crowd in the front row. Keith Lee is also shown in the crowd.
– We see a video package looking at Aleister Black and Lars Sullivan.
– NXT Championship: Aleister Black (c) vs. Lars Sullivan: The opening bell sounds and they stare each other down for a moment in the middle of the ring. Black strikes first and looks for the spinning heel kick early, but Lars blocks it. Black comes back with more strikes and he knocks Lars out to outside. Black takes the tight to Lars at ringside and hits a knee to the face. Back in the ring, Lars stats fighting back with strikes, but Black shuts him down with another knee to the face. Lars starts fighting back and he no-sells a clothesline, then knocks Black out to the ringside floor. Black nails Lars and then the Champion looks for a moonsault off the middle rope to the outside, but Lars catches him on the floor. Lars slams Black into the fan barricade, then he takes the fight to Black back in the ring. It’s all Sullivan in the next moments as he keeps the Champion grounded. Lars looks for a running powerslam, but Black escapes. Lars grabs him again and hits a slam for a two count. Black struggles to get to his feet and throw some elbows to the face, but Lars no-sells them and hits a big running powerslam on Black for another two count. Lars climbs the turnbuckle, but Black stuns him with a boot to the face. Black climbs up, but Lars fights him off and drops him down to the mat. Lars climbs back up top and goes for a splash, but Black appears to partially block it with one knee. Both men get to their feet and trade strikes. Black fires up and drops Lars then boots him in the head. Black hits a kick to the head and then a springboard moonsault for a two count. Black looks for another kick, but Lars catches it and flips Black over. Lars starts targeting Black’s bad knee now and the challenger takes control of the match once again. Black fights away from Lars and hits a DDT, and both men are down. Lars and Black trade strikes and they fight out of the apron. Lars blocks a shot and hits a running powerlam on Black on the corner of the apron. Lars throws Black back in the ring and goes up top. Lars connects with the flying headbutt off the top for a near-fall. Lars misses a spear and Black comes back with a double foot stomp. Black is still selling the injured knee and he partially hits the Black Mass for a two count. Black goes for the Black Mass a second time, but Lars catches it and clotheslines Black inside out. Black escapes from Lars’ grasp and hits a knee to the face, and then another Black Mass. Lars is still on his knees and appears to be bleeding from the mouth. Black hits a second Black Mass to Lars on his knees, and pins for the three count.
Winner: Aleister Black
– The ref has gloves on due to the blood from Sullivan. Black raises his NXT Title Belt in the air as Lars rolls outside to recover.
– We see a video package looking at the history between Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa.
– Gargano is seen walking towards the gorilla position. His wife appears and hands him a crutch to use as a weapon, and tells him to kick Ciampa’s ass.
– Tommaso Ciampa vs. Johnny Gargano: This one is a “Chicago Street Fight.” The opening bell sounds and both men swing at each other with crutches. They drop them and start trading punches as Gargano takes Ciampa down. They fight out to ringside where Gargano drops Ciampa off the apron. Gargano throws Ciampa into the broadcast table and he wipes out the English announcers. Gargano beats Ciapa down around ringside, and then they brawl out into the crowd. A fan’s sign is revealed to have a stop sign hidden inside it, and Gargano uses it to beat down Ciampa on the floor. Gargano climbs on a platform that appears to be about 7 feet high, and he goes flying with a cross body on Ciampa on the floor. Gargano takes Ciampa back to the ringside area. Ciampa rolls back in the ring and Gargano grabs some weapons from under the ring. Gargano misses a shot in the ring and Ciampa answers with a German suplex. Ciampa follows up with more German suplexes on the mat. Gargano comes back with a German suplex of his own. Ciampa rolls outside and Gargano hits him with a suicide dive through the ropes. Gargano whips Ciampa into the ring steps, but Ciampa comes back with a running knee to the face. Ciampa beats down Gargano around ringside now, then he pulls out some weapons from under the ring. Ciampa hits Gargano in the midsection with a steel chair, then he unfolts the chair round Gargano’s head and throws him into the ring steps. Gargano starts selling a neck injury. Ciampa follows up with some garbage can shots on Gargano on the ringside floor and up against the ring steps. Back in the ring, Ciampa continues to beat on Gargano. Ciampa rolls outside and grabs handcuffs from under the ring. Ciampa rolls back in the ring, but Gargano fights him off and the handcuffs fall down. Gargano takes his belt off and whips Ciampa across the back with it. Gargano puts a garbage can over Ciampa’s head and then kicks it in. Gargano looks for a slam, but Ciampa gauges the eyes and hits a backbreaker. Ciampa comes back with a running knee to the face for a two count. Ciampa hits another one, with a trash can lid in between his knee and Gargano’s face. They fight on the apron and Ciampa slams Gargano onto the ring steps. Ciampa goes under the ring again and he grabs bolt cutters. He cuts the apron around the side of eh ring and starts dismantling the mat. Ciampa pulls away the canvas and padding off a portion of the ring, exposing the wood. Ciampa sets up Gargano in the corner near the exposed part o the ring. Gargano escapes and kicks Ciampa down. They trade punches and kicks, and then weapon shots, and both men are down. Gargano lands on Ciampa for a near-fall. Ciampa rolls outside and Gargano looks for a suicide dive, but Ciampa knocks him out of mid-air with a garbage can lid. Back in the ring. Gargano fires up and goes after Ciampa’s bad knee. Gargano repeatedly bashes Ciampa’s bad knee with a steel chair. Ciampa kicks Gargano away into a trash can, and then he locks in the crossface. Gargano grabs a crutch, but Ciampa moves and elbows Gargano in the back of the head while he’s down. Ciampa follows up with a knee to the head, then he takes the crutch. Ciampa hits Gargano in the back of the head with the crutch for another two count. They fight up the ramp and Ciampa wastes time talking trash to Gargano. He throws Gargano into the screen on the stage, then knees him in the head. Ciampa drags Gargano up on top of some production equipment, and he appears to take off Gargano’s wedding ring and throw it away. Ciampa picks up Gargano, but Gargano escapes and picks up Ciampa, then slams him all the way down through a table on the floor. Both men are down and the ref calls for help for Ciampa. Medics come and put a neck brace on Ciampa as Gargano recovers. They load Ciampa on to a stretcher as we go to replays of the big spot through the table. As they wheel off Ciampa, Gargano follows them and shoves aside a medic and referee. Gergano hauls Ciampa back down to the ring and beats him up some more. Gargano locks in the Gargano Escape. Officials run in the ring to break it up, but Gargano lays them out, then he handcuffs Ciampa behind his back. Gargano hits some kicks to the head and then locks in the Crossface while Ciampa is still cuffed. More people run in the ring to haul Gargano off of Ciampa. Gargano fights them off and hits the ring again. As Gargano is stepping in the ring, Ciampa is able to hook his head in a front face lock, and then he hits a DDT on Gargano on the exposed wood part o the ring. Ciampa lays on Gargano and the ref counts three.
Winner: Tommaso Ciampa
– One of the announcers points out that Ciampa had tapped out earler while in the Gargano Escape, but there was no ref to call it. We go to replays as Ciampa and Gargano recover in the ring. Ciampa’s hand gets raised at ringside, and he is helped to the back. Gargano is still down in the ring being checked on by referees and his wife.
