NXT TakeOver: In Your House
#NXTTakeOver
Original Air Date: June 7, 2020
Event Date: June 7, 2020 (Backlot Brawl pre-recorded on May 28, 2020)
(aired live on the WWE Network)
City: Winter Park, FL
Venue: Full Sail University
Attendance: empty arena (with planted audience members at ringside)
Commentary: Mauro Ranallo, Beth Phoenix, Tom Phillips
Ring Announcer: Alicia Taylor
Video
Todd Pettengill welcomes us to the first-ever NXT TakeOver: In Your House.
Ring Area
Code Orange plays “Underneath” on the stage as NXT TakeOver: In Your House begins.
Match 1
Shotzi Blackheart & Tegan Nox & Mia Yim vs Raquel Gonzalez & Dakota Kai & Candice LeRae
(referee: Tom Castor)
Result: Tegan Nox pins Dakota Kai after The Shiniest Wizard
Time: 9:51
Match Thoughts
Good match. As you might expect, this was a very fast-paced match with a fair amount of chaos for pretty much the entire duration. The main story here was Nox still looking to get revenge on Kai, and I think that was paid off well throughout the match. Blackheart, Nox, and Yim looked much better as a team tonight. Kai and Gonzalez had a bit of miscommunication throughout the match, and LeRae essentially seemed to be working on her own, so that team struggled tonight. I think Gonzalez did the best for her team just through her sheer strength and size, but the attack from her opponents was often overwhelming. This was a fun way to start the show.
Video
Promotional consideration paid for by the following: Isaiah Scott, Drake Maverick, Rik Bugez, and Dio Maddin eat Good Humor Super Stars Cookie Sandwiches.
Backstage
Rhea Ripley paces as she prepares for her match later in the night.
Video
A look at the feud between Finn Balor and Damian Priest.
Match 2
Damian Priest vs Finn Balor
(referee: DA Brewer)
Result: Finn Balor wins via pinfall after Coup de Grace
Time: 13:08
Match Thoughts
Good match. Finn Balor was vicious and angry, but Damian Priest was mostly calm and methodical. Priest seemed to take Balor too lightly at times, but to his credit, Priest was able to manhandle Balor for large portions of the match. Priest got dirty often, using ringside brawls, furniture, and the edge of the apron multiple times to try to injure Balor’s back. Balor had to fight back, and his experience showed through towards the end of the match when mounted a quick comeback off a big fall from the apron for Priest. I liked this match more than I thought I might.
Video
Promotional consideration paid for by the following: Adam Cole promotes ICOPRO (just like Bret Hard did years ago).
Backstage
Io Shirai prepares for her title opportunity later in the night.
Video
A look at the feud between Johnny Gargano and Keith Lee.
Match 3
North American Title Match
Johnny Gargano vs Keith Lee (North American Champ)
(referee: Danilo Anfibio)
Result: Keith Lee wins via pinfall after the Big Bang Catastrophe
Time: 20:35
Match Thoughts
Great match. It’s pretty clear what each man needed to do to win the match (Gargano had to use his speed and Lee had to slow Gargano down and use his power), but seeing these two guys pull it off so well was fantastic to watch. Gargano was all over the ring, and he kept peppering Lee with strikes and moves that used Lee’s own size and momentum against him. Lee caught Gargano multiple times though, ad it always looked brutal when he did. Gargano had an edge in regards to tactics though, because this version of Johnny is not above cheating or thoroughly exploiting an injury. He even enjoys doing just that. So overall, this was a completely believable, utterly engaging big-man little-man match.
Video
Promotional consideration paid for by the following: Tegan Nox, Shotzi Blackheart, and Bronson Reed eat Good Humor Super Stars Cookie Sandwiches.
Backstage
Charlotte Flair smiles as she prepares to defend the NXT Women’s Title.
Video
A look at the feud between Adam Cole and Velveteen Dream.
Match 4
NXT Title Backlot Brawl
Adam Cole (NXT Champ) vs Velveteen Dream
(referee: Drake Wuertz; stipulation: If ream loses, he can never challenge Adam Cole for the NXT Title again.)
Result: Adam Cole wins via pinfall after the Panama Sunrise onto a pile of chairs
Time: 15:00
Match Thoughts
Good match. This was a pre-taped, cinematic-style brawl. I enjoyed the match, and I think Cole and Dream did great, but in my opinion, the production detracted from their work more than it built upon it. For example, late in the match, Cole falls off a ladder and onto the hood and windshield of a car. It was a good spot, but they used about three different camera angles with super-fast cuts in about one second, and it lessened the impact of the move on television. And that was really the biggest problem I had with the match. There was WAY too much shaky cam, WAY too many quick and repeated cuts, and too many camera angles all the time. These two guys are so good at what they do that they don’t need multiple angles and cuts to make their work look good. This would’ve been much more exciting in an arena with a normal camera setup. And besides the use of cars, there was nothing that couldn’t be done in an arena setting.
All that said, Cole and Dream gave us a good fight once the made it more-or-less into the ring by the later stages of the match. The first part was mostly about chasing Cole around the backlot (which could’ve been done through the backstage areas of the venue). The end of the match was well-done though. Roderick Strong and Bobby Fish showed up to help Cole, but Dexter Lumis appeared to chase them away. That ended up leaving Cole and Dream alone (and both hurting) to finish the match. I liked that, and the match was fine overall.
Video
Todd Pettengill is disappointed to learn that WWE no longer has a 900 number. We also see Shawn Michaels, Triple H, and Road Dogg trying to figure out how to work a computer.
Video
A look at the feud between Tommaso Ciampa and Karrion Kross.
Match 5
Karrion Kross w/ Scarlett vs Tommaso Ciampa
(referee: Stephon Smith)
Result: Karrion Kross wins via submission with the Kross Jacket
Time: 6:14
Match Thoughts
Pretty good match. This felt shorter than it probably should have been. I feel like they should have done this as a main event on a weekly NXT instead because it likely would’ve gotten more time. Kross was very aggressive to start, and he grimaced a lot. Ciampa had a burst of offense later on, but it was cut short by Kross. That led to a quick end. This was a fine match for Kross’s character, but I’m personally just not too into it.
Ring Area
In the crowd, we see a disheveled Robert Stone.
Backstage
Renee Young lets us know that she will be interviewing Triple H after tonight’s show.
Video
A look at the buildup to the NXT Women’s Title Match.
Match 6
NXT Women’s Title Triple Threat Match
Rhea Ripley vs Io Shirai vs Charlotte Flair (NXT Women’s Champ)
(referee: Darryl Sharma )
Result: Io Shirai pins Rhea Ripley (while Ripley is in the Figure Eight) after a diving moonsault, Io Shirai becomes the new NXT Women’s Champ
Time: 17:37
Match Thoughts
Great match. This was a very well-done triple threat match from three great wrestlers. Everyone had weaknesses in the match that were exploited, and everyone look good at different points in the match. Io Shirai took too much time celebrating or setting up moves at times, but she also hit a lot of big moves (including two of the biggest moves in the match) at opportune times. Charlotte was overconfident and didn’t always take her opponents as seriously as she should, but her confidence also paid off when dealing with multiple opponents. And Ripley showed a bit of inexperience when competing in a match like this, but her fearlessness and power paid off at times. So yeah, this was an interesting and evenly-fought match. It built up well towards its finish, and the finish itself was very satisfying. This was a great way to end the show.
Show Impressions
This show was fun, but it was a bit uneven for me. I think it could have done without the Kross Ciampa match, and I think the Backlot Brawl could have been presented better. The best matches were spread out over the night (the North American and Women’s Title matches), which gave the show some clear peaks and valleys in terms of excitement. I quite enjoyed the show overall though.
Match of the Night
Rhea Ripley vs Io Shirai vs Charlotte Flair
This was super fun, memorable, and it leaves things open for multiple matches in the coming weeks if they want to have them.