WWE’s NXT Takeover New Orleans took place on Saturday, April 7th, 2018 at the Smoothie King Arena in New Orleans, Louisiana.
– We get a live performance from the band doing the event’s theme song to kick things off, and then Mauro Ranallo welcomes us to the Smoothie King Arena for NXT Takeover New Orleans.
– Ethan Carter III vs. Adam Cole vs. Ricochet vs. Lars Sullivan vs. The Velveteen Dream vs. Killian Dain: This one is a Ladder Match to crown the first-ever NXT North American Champion. The crowd chants “this is awesome” before this one even begins. The opening bell sounds and all Hell breaks loose as some competitors brawl in the ring and others fight out to ringside. As Lars and Dain face off on the floor, Ricochet comes out of nowhere with a big springboard shooting star press from the top rope onto the two en on the floor. Back in the ring, Ricochet and Dream go at it and Ricochet drops him with a dropkick. Ricochet goes to springboard in, but Dream knocks him out of mid-air. Cole gets back in the ring now and starts cleaning house. Cole climbs but EC3 comes in and drops him. EC3 unloads with offense on another who comes near him, but then Lars comes in and floors EC3 then goes to work on Cole. Dain hits Lars and sends him to the floor, then hits a big suicide dive on him.
Lars uses the ladder as a battering ram in the ring now and cleans house. Ricochet runs back in now and helps everyone gang up on Lars to get him off the ladder. They drop Lars, then EC3 starts dropping people. Dain and Cole go at it near the ladder, and Dain drops Cole and then throws Ricochet onto a ladder. Cole and EC3 team up now to work on Lars and drop him with a ladder shot. Back in the ring they continue working on Lars until EC3 seems to mock Cole, and Cole superkicks him. Cole starts handing out superkicks to anyone who comes near him, then he starts climbing the ladder. Lars shoves him off, then Dream drops Lars. Dreams climbs the ladder and hits a flying elbow drop on Dain, then goes back up top and hits the elbow on Cole too. Back to the top turnbuckle, Dream hits the flying elbow on Ricochet this time. He goes up top again, but Lars stops him. Dream fights him off and climbs a ladder and hits another flying elbow on Lars.
Dream climbs the ladder now, but EC3 comes from behind and powerbombs him off and onto another ladder. EC3 climbs now but Cole stops him. EC3 hits a ireman’s carry off the ladder on Cole, but then Dain drops EC3 with a bicycle kick. Dain drops Cole and then EC3 again, and he hits a senton on EC3 on top of a ladder. Dain puts a ladder on top of EC3 again and goes up top, but Cole attacks him him from behind. Cole climbs on Dain’s back, an with Cole on his back, Dain hits a Vader Bomb on EC3 on the ladder.
Ricochet starts dropping people with kicks, until Lars tosses him across the ring. Dain and Lars go at it now in the ring, and the fight spills out to the floor. Ricochet climbs the ladder and hits a moonsault off the ladder onto the two men on the ring side floor. Ricochet and EC3 go at it in the ring now, and Ricochet hits an SSP on the ladder. Ricochet and Dream go at it now, and Dream hits a Death Valley Driver onto a bridged up ladder. Lars throws Dream outside, then lays him on a ladder bridge across the announce table and the ring. Lars goes the apron, he picks up EC3, then slams him through the Dream on the ladder bridge. Dain then puts Ricochet on another ladder bridge, and slams Cole through Ricochet on that ladder.
Back in the ring, Lars starts climbing the ladder but Dain stops him. EC3 comes in now with a ladder of his own and starts climbing. Dream comes in with a ladder, and now almost everyone is fighting on the ladders. Ricochet grabs Dream and hits a flying neckbreaker off the ladder on him. Lars chokeslams Dain off a ladder on to the mat, then Ricochet springboards in and drops Lars off the ladder. The ring is cleared and Ricochet looks to climb for the Title, but Cole runs in and knocks him off. Cole runs up and grabs the Title hanging from the ceiling to become the first-ever NXT North American Champion.
Winner and wew NXT North American Champion: Adam Cole
– Cole celebrates with his new Title belt as we go to replays. The other 5 stars are shown recovering from their high-impact match.
– NXT Women’s Title Match: Shayna Baszler vs. Ember Moon: Halestorm performs Ember Moon’s entrance song as she comes down to the ring. Ronda Rousey and Jessmyn Duke are shown sitting at ringside. The opening bell sounds and Moon looks for a dropkick and misses. Shayna hits Moon in the head and she rolls outside early on. Back in the ring, Moon and Baszler go back and forth, with Moon hitting a springboard splash in the corner, and Baszler coming right back with a running knee to the face in the other corner. Moon starts firing up again but Shayna gets her in a submission. Moon fights out and hits a dropkick, then hits a facebuster on Shayna for a two count. Shayna drops Moon and looks to stomp on her arm, but Moon breaks free and returns the favor by stomping on Shayna’s arm. Moon takes Shayna down with an arm drag and continues working the arm. Moon goes up top but Shayna knocks her down and starts connecting with kicks. Shayna tries to sell that her shoulder is dislocated and she tries to pop it back in place on the ring post. Ember knocks Shayna down and hits a suicide dive on her at ringside. They roll back in the ring at the ref’s 9 count, and then Shayna puts Ember in a choke hold. Ember fights out and goes back to working on Shayna’s arm. Ember goes up top and looks for the Eclipse, but Shayna blocks it and puts in a the choke hold. Shayna is still selling the bad arm, so Shayna uses her other arm to grab her own hair behind Ember’s head to complete the choke. Ember goes limp and the ref calls it.
Winner & new NXT Women’s Champion: Shayna Baszler
– After the match, Shayna grabs her NXT Women’s Title Belt and celebrates at ringside with Ronda Rousey and Jessmyn Duke.
– We see a preview for the new movie about Paige featuring The Rock.
– Adam Cole is backstage being checked out by medics, and he seems to indicate he doesn’t want to be in the Tag Title match later. Back to the broadcast table, Mauro says William Regal is out with a cold, but Adam Cole must compete tonight.
– We see Aleister Black in the back warming up.
– Goldust and Jeff Jarrett are shown sitting at ringside.
– NXT Tag Team Titles Match: The Authors Of Pain vs. The Undisputed Era vs. Pete Dunn & Roderick Strong: AOP immediately goes after the Era off the opening bell, knowing that Cole is less than 100%. The Authors start dropping everyone, and the fight spills out to ringside where the Authors powerbomb Cole through the Spanish announce table. Back in the ring, Strong and O’Reilly go at it until Dunne runs in and drops O’Reilly. Strong hits a knee on Akam on the apron, then he goes back to work on Kyle. Akam comes in and starts dropping people, but Kyle catches Akam in a submission. Rezar comes in and powerbombs Dunne on to Kyle, then he double teams Strong with Akam.
It comes down to Rezar and Strong in the ring, and Rezar has control of this one. Cole is shown still recovering at ringside after being powerbombed through a table. Rezar drops Kyle off the ropes, then tags in Akam to double team Strong. They drop Kyle when he comes back in, but the distraction allows Strong to hit an enziguri on Akam. Dunne gets the hot tag and cleans house. Dunne and O’Reilly go at it until Akam runs in and drops them both. The Authors start cleaning house and they do the double powerbomb on Dunne and O’Reilly.
Strong breaks up the pin attempt, and the Authors throw Strong to the floor. Dunne gets a shot in on Rezar, then Strong comes back in and decks Rezar. Strong follows up with an Olympic Slam on Rezar for a two count. Stong slams Kyle on the apron, then Dunne hits a double foot stomp to the apron from the top. Dunne and Strong work over Rezar now, but Akam makes the save. Strong takes Akam out to ringside and throws him into the ring steps. Kyle and Dunne go at it in the ring, and Dunne drops Kyle with the Bitter End. Dunne pins, but Strong runs in and breaks up the pin, turning on his own partner. Strong stomps on Dunne’s head then hits the End of Heartache on him. Strong drags O’Reilly on top of Dunne for the pin, and the ref counts to three.
Winners & still NXT Tag Team Champions: The Undisputed Era
– After the match, Strong puts on an Undisputed Era arm band and celebrates with Cole and O’Reilly.
– We see a look outside the arena of the Mercedes-Benz Superdome right next door.
– NXT Title Match: Aleister Black vs. Andrade “Cien” Almas: The opening bell sounds and Black sends Almas out to ringside early on. Black runs up on to the turnbuckle and hits a moonsault on Almas all the way down on the ringside floor. Black beats down Almas around ringside then sends him back in the ring. Zelina Vega gets on the ring apron and hits a hurricanrana on Black at ringside behind the ref’s back. Back in the ring, Almas takes control now and works on keeping Black grounded. Almas locks in a draping arm bar over the ropes for the referee’s 5 count. Almas follows up with a springboard dropkick for a two count. They fight up to the turnbuckle and Almas does another arm bar over the ropes. Almas goes up top and comes flying down, but Black stops him with a knee to the face. Black fires up now with a series of elbows to the face, then a dropkick.
They fight up to the top turnbuckle again, and Black looks for a sunset flip powerbomb, but Almas hangs on to the ropes. Almas ends up hitting a German suplex on Black then he climbs up top. Almas goes for a moonsault, but Black moves and Almas lands on his feet. Almas immediately hits a standing moonsault on Black for a two count. Almas and Black trade strikes in the middle of the ring now until Almas hits a spinning elbow to the back of the head. Black kicks out and answers with a kick to the face for a pin attempt of his own.
Black misses a shot and Almas throws him into the corner. Black fires back with a kick, then he runs to the ropes but Almas runs behind him and knocks Black to the outside. Almas follows up with a corkscrew plancha to the outside. Back in the ring, Almas pins for a two count. Black comes back and throws Almas outside, but then Vega runs in and hits a headscissor take down on Black. Back goes to climb up top, but Vega grabs his leg. Almas hits Black from behind then climbs up the corner. Almas hits a double stop on Black, then the running knees to the face in the corner for a two count. Almas looks for the hammerlock DDT, but Black fights out. Almas hits a running kick on Black, then they fight out on the apron where Almas shoves Black into the ring post. Almas follows up with the running knees against the ring post.
Almas looks for the DDT again, but Black throws him out to ringside. Black follows up with a big suicide swanton bomb onto Almas at ringside. Black throws Almas back in the ring, and Almas hits the hammerlock DDT, but Black kicks out. Vega runs in but misses Black and lands on Almas. Almas catches her, then Black hits the Black Mass on Almas for the three count.
Winner: Aleister Black
– Vega screams at ringside as Black grabs his NXT Title and celebrates the win.
– Tommaso Ciampa comes down to the ring with no entrance music. The referee is in the ring without a normal ref shirt on.
– Unsanctioned Match: Tommaso Ciampa vs. Johnny Gargano: The opening bell sounds and Gargano immediately starts pummeling on Ciampa with right hands. He knocks Ciampa into the corner and stomps a mud hole in him, and as this is an unsactioned match, the ref doesn’t pull him off. Ciampa rolls outside and they brawl at ringside. They briefly fight into the crowd, and Ciampa hits a series of rights hands and takes control. Ciampa hits a backbreaker at ringside, then pulls back the padding on the ringside floor. Gargano hits a superkick, then they fight into the announce table. Gargano picks up Ciampa on the table and gives him a wedgie then looks for the powerbomb. Ciampa fights out and hits a bow blow, then he suplexes Gargano off the table onto the floor.
Ciapa takes Gargano back in the ring and they exchange right hands. Ciampa puts Gargano in a Texas Cloverleaf until Gargano crawls out to the apron to break free. Ciampa repeatedly stomps on Gargano in the back of the head on the apron, then gives himself a pat on the back.
There’s a planted fan with a leg brace and crutches in the front row, and Ciampa chases him off and steals his crutches. Ciampa takes the crutch in the ring and swings at Gargano but misses repeatedly. Gargano drops Ciampa and then lays into him with right hands. Gargano looks for a slingshot DDT on the apron, but Ciampa catches him. This leads to Gargano hitting a sunset flip powerbomb onto the exposed concrete floor.
Back in the ring, they both reach for the crutch, but Gargano gets it and he tees off on Ciampa with the crutch. Gargano misses a shot and Ciampa throws him out to ringside. Ciampa reaches through the ropes for Gargano, but Gargano smashes him over the head with the crutch. Gargano gets on the apron and follows up with a slingshot DDT for a two count.
Gargano rips the padding off of a middle turnbuckle and goes to lawn dart Ciampa into it, but Ciampa escapes. Ciampa blocks a kick and elbows Gargano in the face. Gargano springboards through the ropes, but Ciampa knees him in the face. Ciampa follows up with a suplex for a two count.
Ciampa hits a running knee to the back of the head of Gargano but only gets a two count. Ciampa is slow to get to his feet and he looks for a powerbomb. Gargano escapes and hits a series of stiff lariats and stiff slaps to the face. Ciampa comes back with a lariat of his own, but then Gargano drops him and locks in the Gargano Escape. Ciampa gouges the eyes to escape and Mauro calls him a sadistic son of a bitch.
Ciampa unwraps his wrist tpe and tries to choke Gargano with it, but Gargano stops him and grabs the wrist tape. They trade punches to the face back and forth as the crowd chants along. They continue to trade punches until Ciampa hits a low blow. Ciampa follows up with a shot with the crutch to the back of Gargano’s head, then hits a powerbomb backbreaker onto his knees for a two count.
Ciapa and Gargano come face to face and start trading punches and slaps to the face again. Gargano hits a superkick and a lariat, then he lawn darts Ciampa into the exposed turnbuckle. Gargano follows up with a superkick, then another superkick for a two count. They fight up to the top turnbuckle now, and Ciampa hits the powerbomb backbreaker off the top rope for another two count.
Ciampa removes his knee brace and goes for a running knee to the face, but Gargano dodges and smashes the knee brace over Ciampa’s knee. Gargano picks up the broken crutch laying in the ring and goes to stab Ciampa in the head with it, but Ciampa cowers and Gargano hesitates and appears to have decided against hitting him. Gargano gets on one knee next to Ciampa. Ciapa grabs the knee brace and goes to cheap shot Gargano, but Gargano dodges it and locks in the Gargano Escape. Gargano grabs the knee brace and wraps it around Ciampa’s face and yanks back on it, and Ciampa taps out.
Winner via submission: Johnny Gargano
– Gargano celebrates with his wife after the bell, and we go to replays from this big match. Gargano holds the knee brace and the crutch in the air, then hugs his wife as Takeover goes off the air.
