The writing was on the wall when Karrion Kross dispatched NXT mainstay Tommaso CIampa in just over six minutes at NXT TakeOver: In Your House in early June. Kross was on a rocket ship to the top, and it was merely a matter of time before he stood atop the NXT mountain as champion.
Two months later, Keith Lee's nascent reign as NXT champion fell victim to Kross and his unstoppable momentum, as Kross defeated Lee and snatched the title for his own at NXT TakeOver: XXX. How that title reign will begin is another matter, however, as Triple H revealed during a post-event media call that Kross may have a separated shoulder.
It was a landscape-shifting evening for NXT, and likely the dawn of a new era. On a night when Pat McAfee shocked the world by pushing Adam Cole to the limit and showed off dynamic in-ring chops, the long-term picture for NXT's stars seemed to get a little bit clearer. Not only did Kross win the NXT championship, but Damian Priest entered the conversation as well, ripping down the vacant NXT North American championship in a dizzying five-way ladder match.
Io Shirai clung to her NXT women's title but likely hasn't heard the last from Dakota Kai or Raquel Gonzalez, and Timothy Thatcher had a solid showing in a loss to Finn Balor.
With Triple H announcing a WWE draft is on the way later this year, a continued changing of the guard is a likely outcome, but only time will tell how big it is.
(c) - denotes defending champion
NXT championship: Karrion Kross def. Keith Lee (c)
Lee pushed Kross far harder than anyone else who has been in the ring with Kross to date in NXT, but the ending was the same: Kross wins.
Just 45 days into his NXT championship reign, and after voluntarily giving up the NXT North American championship, Lee exited TakeOver: XXX empty-handed.
He blitzed Kross at the opening bell, but for vast stretches of this match, Kross slowed the action down to a crawl and broke Lee's left arm down joint by joint. From all types of submissions, to repeated impacts on the turnbuckles and steel ring post, Kross immobilized Lee and left him with few options.
After what seemed like 10 minutes of devastation, a few big swings of Lee's right hand opened up a tiny window and allowed Lee to lock his hands and hit a desperation powerbomb. A spinning powerslam seemed to carry on that momentum, but a few kicks and a DDT slowed him down again.
Then there was another comeback, with a headbutt and a successful vertical suplex on Kross. Lee and Kross exchanged devastating clotheslines.
With the #NXTChampionship on the line, @WWEKarrionKross is DETERMINED to dethrone @RealKeithLee at #NXTTakeOver: XXX! pic.twitter.com/RrCLcR6Lzk
— WWE (@WWE) August 23, 2020
But eventually, Kross lined everything up right and showed off his strength by hiding his signature Doomsday side suplex. In the first surprise of the match, Lee kicked out at two.
Kross locked on his Kross Jacket choke and nearly had Lee out could, but when the referee lifted up Lee's limp arm, he showed signs of life and eventually did enough to grab the bottom rope.
Lee's comeback came in a flash, with a double slap to Kross' chest, a shoulder thrust and a wildly impressive show of strength to snatch Kross up for a Spirit Bomb. But that, too, drew only a two-count.
Lee walked over to the corner, and for the first time in the match it felt as though he might do enough to win. He briefly lined up for a moonsault, but Kross popped up and a scuffle on the middle rope ensued. Kross hit amplified version of Doomsday, and pinned Lee with a 1-2-3.
What's next: Lee's NXT championship reign goes down in the books as the second-shortest in the title's eight-plus year history, behind only Samoa Joe's brief second reign. He made history as the first dual champion but now sits in purgatory. He will likely rise to challenge Kross at least once more, but Lee seems destined for Raw or SmackDown in the very near future. As far as Kross goes, no one in NXT is currently positioned to hold a candle to what he accomplished or what he represents. Depending on the seriousness and status of his shoulder, Kross will either have some time on the shelf before a long, long title reign, or it may be over before it even started.
NXT women's championship: Io Shirai (c) def. Dakota Kai
Io Shirai's NXT women's championship reign survived all sorts of chicanery and 2-on-1 attacks Saturday at TakeOver: XXX, and despite everything that Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzalez could throw at the champ, Shirai ultimately won the match.
Kai gave an enthusiastic effort and appeared to be on the precipice of victory on several different occasions, but as has been the case for much of her time in NXT, in the biggest moments, Kai has fallen just short.
The match started with a worrying moment, as Shirai slipped on a back handspring and landed on her neck, but she quickly got back into the swing of things, only for Gonzalez to get involved for the first time in the form of a distraction.
Kai worked on Shirai's arm for most of the match, while Shirai kicked and stomped the challenger at every available turn. There was a trio of corner knee splashes, and a double stomp to Kai while she was suspended upside down from the top turnbuckle, but Shirai rarely maintained control for long stretches in this match.
A Kai-ropractor neckbreaker earned Kai a two-count, and she immediately slipped into an armbar, only for Shirai to get her leg on the rope. Kai would soon get what seemed to be the knockout blow with a Super Go-to-Kick while Shirai was draped over the top rope, but Shirai once again got her leg over the bottom rope.
Shirai pulled up short of accidentally hitting the referee in the corner, but Kai hitting her running Kaio corner kick on the ref to knock him out. Shirai hit her moonsault on Kai, but the ref was out cold and couldn't count the fall.
Gonzalez slid into the ring to hit a one-armed powerbomb, slid Kai on top and pulled the referee back into position in the middle of the ring, but it was only a two-count.
Kai set up for one final GTK, but Shirai transitioned into a crossface on Kai in the middle of the ring, and then drilled Kai with a Kota Ibushi-style Kamigoye thrusting knee while holding double wristlocks. Shirai flew to the outside with a moonsault on both Kai and Gonzalez, and one final moonsault on Kai in the ring to win the match.
What's next: Gonzalez attacked Shirai in the immediate aftermath of the match, and Rhea Ripley ran out to break everything up. It's safe to say that there's more conflict to come between these four women.
Adam Cole def. Pat McAfee
Anyone expecting Pat McAfee to have a stereotypical celebrity-style WWE match was proven wrong on Saturday night, as McAfee stepped onto the TakeOver: XXX stage and showed plenty of aptitude opposite Adam Cole.
Cole eventually emerged with the victory, but not before McAfee showed off a dexterity and skill level that was far more comparable to his level of skills on the microphone than most might have imagined.
McAfee was fully invested in the match, sporting "For the Brand" kneepads and a "Cole Sucks" T-Shirt, which was also worn by his athletic compatriots. He cut a prematch promo, had his own entrance music and sauntered to the ring with tremendous swagger.
Both men narrowly dodged early knockout blows, and McAfee slid nicely into the role of overmatched outsider when he narrowly dodged a superkick from Cole by the narrowest of margins, taking a sip of water as he waited.
But everything else that McAfee did in the match proved he was far from out of his element. First he did a front flip off the top rope onto The Undisputed Era and a handful of security guards standing on the outside of the ring. McAfee hit a technically sound dropkick, but then an angry Cole fought off a lengthy stretch of McAfee's offense, capped by a kneecap neckbreaker.
But McAfee fought back, and brought the action back to the high rent district on the top rope. He set up for a superplex, but when Cole tried to knock McAfee down, McAfee landed a picture-perfect backflip to the ground. Then McAfee showed off an impressive vertical leap to jump straight back up to the top rope, and hit a clean superplex.
Landed. On. His. Feet.
— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) August 23, 2020
HOW IS HE DOING THIS? #NXTTakeOver #ColevsMcAfee @PatMcAfeeShow @AdamColePro pic.twitter.com/N9Oaq2nXVN
As Cole was draped under the bottom rope, McAfee saw his opening and charged for a punt kick, but Cole's last-second move made McAfee swing and miss, as his leg ran directly into the steel ring steps.
Cole kicked McAfee's leg when McAfee protected his face from a superkick and locked on a figure four, but McAfee wouldn't tap out. A timely low-blow kick gave McAfee some space, a running clothesline knocked Cole down, and that lined Cole up for a kick that hit flush
McAfee let his ego get out of hand and took his time climbing back to the top rope once more, even shouting out, "McAfee, Bay Bay!" As McAfee flew towards the ground, Cole nailed him with a superkick. Cole considered pulling down his kneepad but instead stepped up to the middle rope and hit his Panama sunrise flipping piledriver to pick up the three-count.
What's next: There really isn't much left for Cole to do in NXT. This could go one of two ways and make an impact -- the dissolution of Undisputed Era, or a move to Raw or SmackDown. And if McAfee wants to have another match down the line, he should get the chance.
NXT North American championship (five-way ladder match): Damian Priest def. Bronson Reed, Johnny Gargano, Cameron Grimes, Velveteen Dream
Damian Priest has been dancing around the NXT North American championship for a considerable portion of his career in WWE, and he finally possesses that title after winning a war of attrition in a five-way ladder match at NXT TakeOver: XXX.
From start to finish, all five men involved in the match -- Bronson Reed, Cameron Grimes, Johnny Gargano and Velveteen Dream -- as well as Gargano's wife, Candice LeRae, put their bodies on the line over and over again in an all-timer of a ladder match.
Reed shined early and late, from catching bigger opponents like Priest and Reed out of mid-air and using them as weapons. Priest emulated Shelton Benjamin and ran up a ladder braced on the top rope and flipped to the outside. Grimes played the fool over and over again, most notably when he was forced to do a split when both ladders he was climbing were pulled apart.
Gargano took every move under the sun and hit an impossible-looking sunset flip powerbomb while jumping off the top of a ladder, onto a ladder bridged between a third ladder and the middle rope. And Dream hit a Dream Valley Driver on Gargano that drove him through Priest and another ladder bridge.
But two of the most memorable moments of all were centered around LeRae, who intervened on Gargano's behalf and prevented both Grimes and Reed from bringing down the title. First, she hit an assisted flying headscissors from the top rope to Grimes, sending Grimes through the other competitors on the outside. Then she climbed onto Reed's back as he stood on top of a ladder, and then Reed decided to hit a splash on a grounded Gargano, with LeRae holding on to Reed's back the whole way down.
Nothing but respect for CANDICE WRESTLING. 👑#NXTTakeOver @CandiceLeRae @bronsonreedwwe @JohnnyGargano pic.twitter.com/tVj5npZCgv
— WWE (@WWE) August 22, 2020
In the closing moments, Dream took what might have been the worst bump of the match, as he was sent off the top of the ladder, stopped briefly on the top rope, and then flew over the barricade and through a table. Grimes threw a mini ladder at Reed as he reached up for the belt and knocked him off. Grimes was met at the top of the ladder by Gargano, and Gargano swung the title so it hit Grimes in the face.
Priest reached up and grabbed Gargano by the throat, and both men struggled over the title as it was unclasped and hung free, starting a tug-of-war. Priest won that clash, knocked down Gargano and claimed the title for his own.
What's next: Priest appears to be on a path to a prominent spot, and could have a lengthy title reign. His next challenger could be any of a dozen different NXT stars.
Finn Balor def. Timothy Thatcher
Balor defeated Timothy Thatcher in a gritty, grappling-focused clash with Thatcher, earning his 12th TakeOver win in the process -- made all the more impressive by Balor's lengthy stretches on Raw and SmackDown, and how many of the 30 TakeOver cards he wasn't in attendance for.
It's unusual to see a match that was as grappling-focused as the clash between Thatcher and Balor on a big stage, but the energy and creativity each brought to the table reflected well on both of them. After Balor charged out of the gate with strikes, Thatcher took it to the ground, and they struggled back and forth to maintain control.
That was how the majority of the match played out -- Thatcher locking on to an arm or a leg, and Balor scrambling out with whatever he could get, be it a punch, a kick, or a counter submission of his own. Thatcher targeted Balor's left leg, and that became the central focus of the match from there on out.
From bow-and-arrows, to knee bars, to kimuras and ankle locks, Thatcher's offense ran the gauntlet. But Balor showed his own aptitude with chokes and arm submission attempts of his own. Balor and Thatcher eventually clashed in the middle of the ring with punches, palm strikes and a kick that ultimately left both men collapsed in the middle of the ring.
A John Woo dropkick from Balor sent Thatcher crashing into the corner, but a Coup de Grace attempt missed and Balor's left knee gave out on him, Thatcher locked it into a deep single-leg crab.
Balor eventually got to the bottom rope, and both men exchanged submission attempts, leaving Thatcher with an ankle lock on Balor. Balor would fight out, though, and with a double stomp, a Coup de Grace and the 1916 DDT, won a hard-earned victory.
What's next: Depending on who wins the North American championship ladder match, Balor could easily step in as the first challenger. He could also step into the NXT championship picture pretty easily after TakeOver. As for Thatcher, he had a strong showing but needs a signature win sooner rather than later, before he starts losing a few too many matches in a row.
Breezango def. Legado del Fantasma and Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch
Breezango has shown an uncanny aptitude for winning triple-threat No. 1 contender tag team matches. After winning a shot at Imperium and the belts back in May under similar circumstances, Breezango defeated the Legado del Fantasma team of Joaquin Wilde & Raul Mendoza and Lorcan & Burch to earn another shot at the NXT tag team titles.
As the match got underway, we got our first look at the TakeOver: XXX set, and despite the chaos and restrictions in place, NXT has done an admirable job to dress up the space to make it feel special.
The STRENGTH of @WWEFandango! 👏👏👏@joaquinwilde_ #NXTTakeOver pic.twitter.com/38SwitkgOn
— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) August 22, 2020
The match was pure chaos from start to finish, as was expected. The opening sequence reached its peak when Fandango powerbombed Wilde onto Lorcan, Burch and Mendoza on the outside. Mendoza quickly took out Burch and Fandango with a two-rope, double-jump spinning maneuver to the outside, and then it was off to the races.
Each team had a potential victory scuttled after hitting signature tag team offense, capped by Mendoza landing a standing Spanish fly to Breeze, followed by a Wilde 450 splash, only for Fandango and Burch to break up the fall.
There was a mad dash to the end, as Breeze held a prone Mendoza up for Lorcan to get a running uppercut on Wilde -- sending Mendoza out of the ring -- and that positioned Breeze so that he could hit a supermodel kick for a flash three-count on Lorcan.
What's next: Breeze was on the first TakeOver, and grabbed the victory on Saturday. Perhaps he can get his first taste of gold when he and Fandango get their tag title shot.