 NXT Tag Team Champions MSK def. Tommaso Ciampa and Timothy ThatcherIt was pretty apparent during last week's face-off that the crowd favored Ciampa and Thatcher over MSK and that was once again evident here. This was such a cool clash of styles and an absolute blast from start to finish. I haven't soured on MSK like others seem to have, but I wouldn't mind them turning heel to make it more natural. Hopefully we get more matches from these two teams because they work really well together. NXT General Manager William Regal and Samoa Joe Mediated a Face-Off Between NXT Champion Karrion Kross and Johnny GarganoI still don't understand who the babyface is supposed to be in this feud. Gargano is obviously more of a babyface at this point than Kross and the crowd is clearly getting behind Gargano, but The Way is still a heel and they're definitely heels. It's a bizarre dynamic. Truthfully, it feels like NXT scrambled to find someone for Kross to defend against because the main roster wants him sooner rather than later. There's a very real possibility Gargano takes the title from him next week in their scheduled match and I don't know how to feel about that. This was a solid exchange from them on the mic and I like how Joe was appointed the special guest referee to add some extra intrigue. Million Dollar Champion LA Knight def. Cameron GrimesThe last match these two at TakeOver: In Your House was a Ladder match, so this was a totally different dynamic. As great as that was, I may have liked this even more. It had an awesome energy to it, they worked with a sense of urgency, and the crowd was more invested in the action. It's no secret Grimes is incredibly skilled in the ring, but Knight really had a hell of a performance here as well. This was excellent stuff. Knight retaining the title made sense because Grimes can be his Virgil for a little while and get over even more as a babyface with the skits that are bound to be hilarious. The NXT Breakout Tournament Competitors Were RevealedAs I mentioned last week, I'm really excited for the return of the Breakout Tournament this year. It was one of my favorite parts of NXT in 2019 and this crop of talent looks super promising on paper. It'll include Trey Baxter, Carmelo Hayes, Ikemen Jiro, Andre Chase, Joe Gacy, Josh Briggs, Duke Hudson (the former Brendan Vink) and Odyssey Jones. The first round kicks off next week. I have no clue who will come out on top, so I appreciate the unpredictability. Zoey Stark and Io Shirai def. The Way (Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell) to Win the NXT Women's Tag Team ChampionshipThe last two or three weeks is the first time this year that NXT's women's tag team division has actually felt relevant. That's not a knock on the talent but rather on NXT for not prioritizing it more than they have been. I'm pretty sure this was The Way's first title defense in two months and they lost. I don't think the belts should have been created in the first place, but they're making the most of them for now, if nothing else. This was the quality contest we all expected it to be given who was involved with a lot going afterward: new champions were crowned, Tegan Nox returned to exact revenge on LeRae (finally!), and, most importantly, Dexter Lumis emerged to carry Hartwell out of the arena. I don't think they'll live happily ever after just yet, but I do like how NXT has been taking their time in telling that story. Hit Row Celebrated Isiah "Swerve" Scott's NXT North American Championship VictoryMan, Hit Row are so damn cool. The rap element to the group may not be for everyone, but I'm personally digging it and I thought this was a very unique way to celebrate Scott becoming champ last week. Their performance felt like one of those mini concerts we get on the main roster from time to time with people like Flo Rida and Machine Gun Kelly, but better. This was good follow-up to Scott's title win. Who will he feud with first? Adam Cole def. Kyle O'ReillySimilar to Grimes vs. Knight, I felt this benefited from not having a stipulation attached to it. Yes, it's ass-backwards booking to do a gimmick match first in a feud followed by a standard singles match, but WWE, NXT and other companies have done so much of that in the last year or two that it's not even worth complaining about anymore. At any rate, this was a wonderful main event and I can certainly see some people preferring this over their TakeOver: Stand & Deliver encounter. That was slower paced but told a stronger story, while this was just straightforward pro wrestling at its finest. It reminded me of the matches between Cole and Gargano from 2019 in that way. The nearfalls down the stretch were excellently executed and there weren't too many egregious kickouts. Cole winning likely means a third match will be in order, probably at the next TakeOver. Overall ShowI really enjoy these themed editions of NXT. The weekly product has improved in recent months (specifically since Samoa Joe returned a month ago), but the occasional specials feel like toned-down TakeOver events in the best way possible. That was the case with this show as well as all four matches were terrific and each of the segments in between served a purpose. The title change and Nox's return were especially notable. The date of the next TakeOver wasn't announced, but my guess is that we'll get one over SummerSlam. Hopefully it's anywhere but the Capitol Wrestling Center which ran its course a while ago.
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