NXT Takeover: War Games II Review

NXT Takeover: War Games II took place last Saturday at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The card looks awesome so let's take a look.

We have an unexpected start with Matt Riddle coming out and challenging Kassius Ohno. They were supposed to wrestle on the next NXT episode. As soon as the bell rings, Riddle knees Ohno in the face and gets the win. The match seemed a bit pointless but it was a fun way to start the show.
Winner: Matt Riddle (N/A)

The next match is a 2-out-of-3 Falls Match for the NXT Women's Championship as Kairi Sane challenges Shayna Baszler. Kairi starts at breakneck speed; but while the referee is checking on Shayna, Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir run down and attack Kairi. Shayna gets Kairi to tap out to the Kirifuda Clutch to take the lead. Shayna goes on to dominate but Kairi hits a DDT onto the apron. She then goes on to hit an Insane Elbow to tie the match. When Jessamyn and Marina attempt to interfere, Dakota Kai and Io Shirai come out to even the playing field. Kairi hits another Insane Elbow but Shayna manages to turn it into a pin. The ending seemed to come out of nowhere. Despite that, it was a thoroughly entertaining match.
Winner: Shayna Baszler (1 for 1)

We now get to see the complete fall of Johnny Gargano as he takes on Aleister Black. Gargano plays mind games and gets the advantage after a kick to the face. Black gets back into it but Gargano comes close with a slingshot DDT. The match goes back and forth and Gargano applies the Garag-No Escape but Black hits 2 Black Masks to get the win. This was an amazing match to watch and I look forward to seeing what they will do with Gargano in the future.
Winner: Aliester Black (1 for 2)

Next is The Velveteen Dream challenge Tommaso "Fuckface" Ciampa for the NXT Championship. In the early stages, the play mind games with each other before Ciampa pushes Dream off the turnbuckle to the floor. Dream gets back into it and applies a Figure Four. Both of them come close to winning, before Ciampa starts to expose the flooring and Dream sends them flying over the announce table. Ciampa has a go at commentator Mauro Ranallo for some reason, and he gets hit with a Death Valley Driver onto the padding. Dream follows that with a Purple Rainmaker but Ciampa kicks out. Dream tries another Purple Rainmaker but misses, crashing to the floor. Ciampa goes on to hit a DDT onto the metal connecting the two rings to get the win. This match was amazing and a forerunner for match of the year.
Winner: Tommaso Ciampa (1 for 3)

The main event is a War Games Match with The Undisputed Era taking on the team of The War Raiders, Ricochet and Pete Dunne. Adam Cole (Bay Bay!) and Ricochet start the match followed by: Kyle O'Reilly, Hanson, Roderick Strong, Rowe and Bobby Fish. When Fish comes out, he double locks Dunne's cage and The Undisputed Era proceed to beat the fuck out of their opponents with their custom made steel chairs. Eventually, the referee uses bolt cutters to get Dunne out of the cage and even the sides. Other highlights of the match include: Dunne taking out The Undisputed Era by himself; Fish spearing Rowe through a table; Hanson splashing O'Reilly through another table; and Ricochet hitting a 630 splash on everyone from the top of the cage. In the end, Cole goes for the Last Shot on Dunne. However, Dunne avoids it and hits The Bitter End. Ricochet follows up with a 450 Splash and his team gets the win. This match, whilst not as good as the others, was a lot fun to watch and a great main event.
Winners: The War Raiders, Ricochet and Pete Dunne (1 for 4)

Takeover was, as usual, an amazing event with some matches that were amongst the best of the year. I hope that WWE applies some aspects of these events and apply them to their own.