WWE NXT Takeover: Stand and Deliver Night 1 4/7/2021

WWE NXT Takeover: Stand and Deliver Night 1 4/7/2021

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2021/03/wwe-nxt-3312021.html 

Pete Dunne vs Kushida

Kushida almost gets a triangle in to start and Kushda is suplexed from the floor to the apron early. Dunne then snaps the arm back as he splits the fingers. They trade chest slaps and Kushida hiptosses him into a dropkick.

They fight on the ramp and Kushida handsprings into the ropes and back elbows Dunne. Kushida then runs at his arm and kicks it and both go back in. Kushida goes for a wind-up punch and they both catch each other in hammerlocks.

Kushida goes for another handspring and is caught and does a small package driver. Pete stomps Kushida's head. The action really goes fast here and slows down after Kushida wind up punches Dunne.

Dunne tries to walk up the ropes and Kushida knocks him down. Kushida hammerlocks him up top and throws him down to the mat then he slaps it on again. Kushida then hammerlocks him again and ties up the other arm until Dunne hits the ropes. Dunne's arm is across the ropes and Kushida double stomps it.

Kushida goes for another wind up punch but Dunne blocks it and splits his fingers, then stomps them. Dunne hits the bitter end and wins it. This went really fast without them really doing anything and I thought it was hard for a rhythym to keep going since they kept breaking holds after they were put on.

We saw Io and Raquel arrive earlier in the day.

#1 Contender Gauntlet Eliminator

This isn't so much of a gauntlet as it is a dragon scramble where people enter every 3 minutes. Leon Ruff and Isaiah "Swerve" Scott are first out. Ruff is crawling as he enters and Scott follows behind him. Scott is thrown off the ramp into the barricades then Ruff jumps off the ramp ont othe barricades then hits a dropkick.

Ruff is dropped sternum first onto the rails. Ruff comes back with a top rope missile dropkick. He tries to tope Scott but is dumped onto the barricades again and dropkicked off. They fight outside and Ruff does a twisting cutter off the announcer's desk.

Ruff hooks himself around the top rope when he is whipped into it, but Scott catapults him into it. Scott goes for a super powerbomb from the 2nd rope but takes a hurricanrana in a cool spot. Bronson Reed then enters. Ruff tries to dive on him but is caught and thrown at Scott, but Scott ducks it.

Reed splashes Scott and holds him up for a suplex, then Ruff crossbodies him. Ruff goes under Bronson and gets sat on twice. Reed german suplexes both opponents at the same time and Ruff takes a hard landing. Cameron Grimes enters next. He moonsaults Reed to start then offers Scott money to work with him. Scott takes the money and they beat up Ruff.

Ruff takes a hard ride into the buckles and takes lariats from Grimes and Scott. Dexter Lumis then enters and Scott pins Ruff as he does. Dexter ddt's Reed on the ramp. Lumis rope assist backdrops Scott and Grimes then Lumis and Reed stare down. They trade shots and Reed goes out. Lumis lariats Grimes over the top and goes with him for a nasty bump.

LA Knight comes out with a mic. He kicks Reed on his entrance and said he would help Grimes go to the moon by "punting his @ss into deep space". Reed grabs Knight while he talks and throws him in. LA slingshots in on Bronson and gets samoan dropped. Grimes then comes off the top and meets a Reed headbutt, and is thrown over the buckles onto the ramp.

Knight goes a nice tilt-a-whirl powerslam on Grimes then jumps up almost to the top to superplex Scott. Grimes takes a sitout side slam and Knight pins Lumis, while he has Grimes in the silencer. Grimes does a wild slam on Knight and Reed assists to eliminate Knight. Lumis then puts the silencer on Knight on the outside and takes him out.

Scott, Reed and Grimes are left. Scott rolling flatliners Grimes then Reed falls backwards onto Grimes and Scott pancaking both. Reed takes a superkick/pump kick combo and Grimes running side spanish flies Reed. Grimes grbas Scott's tights for a pin then Scott reverses it and grabs Grimes' tights to eliminate him.

Reed is up top and Scott flying kicks him. Reed gets slammed while up top onto the apron in a hard bump. Scott 450's Reed for 2. Scott then jumping boots Reed in the head three times but Reed gets out. Reed hits a hard slap and powerbomb then a beach break and a top rope splash for the win.

This was a really good match. While yes, I usually do rip spot fests, you can get away with it in matches like this. And that's because someone goes down then can go sell for a while and return. This was nonstop action from start to finish with many big moves and cool spots.

NXT UK Championship - WALTER vs Tomasso Ciampa

I don't expect Ciampa to win this since they haven't even mentioned this on NXT UK, and Walter has another title defense tommorow against Rampage Brown.

Ciampa flurries on him in the corner early and slaps him. He then runs right into a big chop. Walter then stomps him over the top turnbuckle. Walter tries to chop Ciampa on the table but ends up chopping off part of the table cover. Walter flurries him with forearms in the corner and comes back with hard shots. Ciampa kicks at Walter's hurt hand and takes a nasty face kick.

Walter hits another nasty boot to the face and knees him hard in the head, then gives him a hard punch. Ciampa hits some hard lariats and can't take him down after about 10 of them. Ciampa finally gets him and hits the schwein for 2.

Ciampa hits an angels wings/sit out pedigree for 2. Then Walter comes back with a release german and a stiff lariat.  Ciampa works Walter's hurt hand and stomps him.  They fight in the corner and Ciampa hits a rope schwein for a close 2.

They trade chops and Walter powerbombs Ciampa twice then folds on him for 2. Walter hits a release sleeper suplex then wins it kind of out of wnoerhe with a chop. The last 1/3rd of the match fell apart but the rest of it was really good stuff. Walter's just so stiff and Ciampa fought back well with the chops.

We get the video of the dog again for Franky Monet who is Taya Valkyrie.

Bronson Reed was interviewed. Johnny Gargano interrupts and tells him to be ready.

NXT Tag Team Championship - Triple Threat - MSK vs The Grizzled Young Vets vs Legado del Fantasma (Joaquin Wilde and Raul Mendoza)

LDF takes control early and double flapjacks Lee then double dropkicks him. Nash bronco busters Gibson then the Vets jump off the others back with a dropkick. Drake grabs Nash by the nose then MSK kick combos Drake. Nash jumps off Wes' back for a high dive onto the Vets outside. Raul does a run up the buckles tornillo then Wilde dives through the ropes.

Nash is hung up in the tree of woe and LdF coast to coast dropkicks him from other corners. The Vets get thrown out. Wilde is hiptossed into the buckles by Medoza then splashes Nash on the way back down. Wilde then basement crossbodies Nash.

Raul asai moonsaults Nash off the bottom rope. Lee comes in and kicks everyone topes Gibson then both LdF members. He then backflip kicks Drake. Wes then pushes Nash for the standing ssp onto Drake. Lee asai moonsaults then reverse ddt's two opponents. Drake grabs Lee's hand and Gibson dropkicks it across the buckle. He then hits a wilde reverse ddt type of move on Lee. MSK is both put in submissions and Carter stops Lee from tapping. Raul is on Drake's shoulders then Wilde jumps onto Drake's back and hits a splash. LdF then do a flying kick into a russian legsweep.

Drake runs off the ramp and the Vets do a doomsday device on Wilde to the floor. Nash holds up Raul and Lee double stomps him off the apron, then is reverse F-U'd. MSK and the Vets stare down and flurry each other. Nash gets help up to the ropes and springboard double cutters both opponents. Nash then holds up Gibson and Lee flipping blockbusters him for the win.

This was non-stop with the action once it got going and there were lots of cool moves as expected. They did a little too much but it kept my interest.

Sarray is with Stephanie McMahon.

NXT Women's Title - Io Shirai (c) vs Raquel Gonzalez

Putting this in the main event slot after all we have seen so far is a very brave move.

RG hits a big face kick to start. Io tries a swinging headscissors but it gets blocked. Io flying headscissors RG off the top and RG goes out a little ater. Io then topes RG against the barricade outside. Dakota Kai grabs Io and is kicked out.

Io mule kicks RG from the apron then asai moonsaults her from the 2nd rope into the rails again. RG then grabs Io and throws her into the post. RG hangs Io over her back and then throws her forward in a nasty move. RG then alley oop'd Io on the top rope.

They botched a count here and RG gory special'd Io on her shoulder. Io armdragged RG then tiger feint kicked her. Io then hit a springboard dropkick and a sunset bomb for 2. Io put the crossface on RG. Io then moonsaults RG off the rop rope onto the stage.

Io then ran the ramp to meteora RG on the ramp. Io climbed the skull on the entrance and dived off of RG from it. Io the moonsaulted RG for another 2. RG then powerbombed Io on the floor.

RG yelled at Io to stay down then her flip for a lariat. RG then hit a big powerbomb and won it. I wasn't that into this. Io did little but moonsault and dive here, they had a couple of mess ups and RG winning is very boring. As expected, the crowd a lot of people watching were kind of done by the time this aired. This should not have been the main event and anyone with a brain knew this had no chance over some of the other matches.

RG got smoke and some sparklers for her victory celebration.

Overall thoughts: Pretty good show. Nothing was actively bad and a couple of matches were very good.