This is the Fightful.com live coverage for WWE NXT TakeOver: Philadelphia! Tonight we have our first TakeOver event of the year and it is shaping up to be a great show as in our main event Andrade Almas defends his NXT Championship against Johnny Gargano, Undisputed Era defend their NXT Tag Team Championship against Authors of Pain, Ember Moon defends her NXT Women's Championship against the seemingly unstoppable Shayna Baszler and if that weren't enough we also have Aleister Black and Adam Cole in an Extreme Rules match and much more so be sure to come back here at 8 PM EST for all of the action!
Below is a full list of matches for the event:
NXT Championship Match
Andrade Almas (c) vs Johnny Gargano
NXT Women's Championship Match
Ember Moon (c) vs Shayna Baszler
NXT Tag Team Championship Match
Undisputed Era (c) vs Authors of Pain
Extreme Rules Match
Aleister Black vs Adam Cole
Singles Match
Kassius Ohno vs Velveteen Dream
-We open the show with a video package for the event narrated by Paul Heyman.
NXT Tag Team Championship Match
Undisputed Era (c) vs Authors of Pain
AOP attack UE before the match even starts before Bobby starts off with Rezar, Fish immediately rolling out of the ring before getting back in and tagging Kyle in. Rezar takes Kyle down and they grapple, Kyle trying early for a triangle choke, then transitions into a leg lock, but Rezar powers his way out of it and Kyle gets out of the ring to regroup with Fish at ringside. Kyle tags Fish in and Rezar drives him into their corner before tagging Akam in. Akam drops Bobby repeatedly with shoulder blocks until Bobby gets out of the ring. Rezar attacks Bobby at ringside before he gets back in the ring to escape Rezar only for Akam to back him back out of the ring and Rezar drops him across the barricade. AOP double team Kyle as Akam seemingly injuries his leg before Bobby attacks the injured leg of Akam.
Bobby tackles Rezar and they topple out of the ring before UE start tagging in and out and doubling up on Akam as often as they can. Akam tosses Kyle across the ring before Bobby crotches him in the ropes and hits a modified dragon screw leg whip in the ropes. Kyle comes in and goes for a submission, but Akam kicks him away at first, but Kyle locks in a knee bar before transitioning into an Achilles lock, Akam getting to the bottom rope for the break right before tapping. Fish comes back in and hits a slingshot senton for a quick two count before Akam comes back and finally tags Rezar in, Rezar taking out both Fish and O'Reilly. Kyle counters a powerbomb into a standing guillotine before Rezar suplexes him, but Kyle stumbles him with a jumping knee, Fish hitting an exploder suplex for a near fall.
Rezar comes back with a boot to Fish before turning Kyle inside out with a lariat and tags Akam in, Akam having trouble moving as Fish tries to choke out Rezar, Kyle having a knee bar on Akam. Rezar manages to get Fish off of his back all the while breaking up the submission Kyle has applied before Kyle drops Akam with a series of kicks to his injured leg and a forearm. Adam hits a suplex to Kyle before knocking Bobby off of the apron, then hits a bucklebomb before AOP go for the Super Collider. Kyle then counters a powerbomb by Akam and hits a huricanrrana that sends Akam into Rezar, sending him out of the ring before Kyle rolls Akam up for the pin and the win.
Winner: Undisputed Era retain their NXT Tag Team Championship against Authors of Pain by defeating them via pinfall with a roll up.
-After the match we get a shot at the newly signed tag team of War Machine at ringside.
Kassius Ohno vs Velveteen Dream
They lock up to start the match before Dream backs Ohno into the corner and drops him with a right before playing to the crowd, then Ohno drops Dream with a forearm before sending him out of the ring with a boot. Ohno rolls Dream back into the ring only for Dream to hit Ohno with a huge spinebuster before hitting him with a series of right hands. Dream suplexes Ohno for a quick two count before mocking him and playing to the crowd, not giving Ohno a moment to rest until the referee makes him back off. Dream puts Ohno in a camel clutch that he powers out of before Dream beats Ohno down once more in the corner with right hands and stomps. Dream starts kicking Ohno repeatedly, but he absorbs them before Dream drops him with a double axe handle off of the top.
Dream puts another camel clutch on Ohno before Ohno gets back to his feet, fighting out of a fireman's carry and dropping Dream with a forearm, a series of clotheslines and a boot before finishing with a running senton. Ohno gets a near fall off of a cyclone kick before Dream gets a near fall of his own off of a DDT. Ohno catches Dream with a knee in midair only for Dream to catch Ohno in midair and hitting a DVD for a very close near fall. Ohno then gets a near fall off of a rolling elbow before going for a wrist lock discus forearm, but Dream counters into another DVD before hitting the Purple Rainmaker elbow drop for the pin and the win.
Winner: Velveteen Dream defeats Kassius Ohno via pinfall with the Purple Rainmaker elbow drop.
NXT Women's Championship Match
Ember Moon (c) vs Shayna Baszler
Shayna takes Ember down to start the match before they lock up for a clean break. Shayna takes Ember down before they get back to their feet and Ember counters an attempted rear naked choke. Ember dropkicks Shayna repeatedly and sends her out of the ring before hitting a tope to the outside. Ember rolls Shayna back into the ring, but Shayna comes back with a series of knees and a kick for an early near fall. Shayna tries to break Ember's arm the same way she did Dakota Kai's before focusing on joint manipulation and pinning her down for a quick two count.
Shayna stays focused on the left arm of Ember, doing more joint manipulation and trying to pull her arm out of it's socket. Shayna hits Ember with a 12-6 elbow before stomping on her arm, Ember coming back with a series of slaps and kicks before dropping Shayna with a forearm and hitting a springboard cross body for a quick two count. Ember hits the Eclipse, but immediately curls up and screams in pain as the referee has the medical staff come down, the crowd showing their frustration by yelling expletives. Ember refuses to give up, Shayna immediately locking in an armbar, but Ember manages to get her foot on the bottom rope for the break after flailing around. Shayna drags Ember away and locks in another armbar, Ember rolling backwards and trying her best to get out of it, but Shayna keeps dragging her back to the center of the ring.
Ember then rolls Shayna up when she has her in a triangle choke for the pin and the win out of nowhere.
Winner: Ember Moon retains her NXT Women's Championship by defeating Shayna Baszler via pinfall with a roll up when Shayna has her in a submission.
-After the match Shayna comes up the ramp when Ember is being helped backstage and chokes her out until she's pulled off by the officials. We then see the newly signed Ricochet at ringside before our next match.
Extreme Rules Match
Aleister Black vs Adam Cole
They exchange forearms to start the match before Aleister drops Adam with a kick that sends him out of the ring. Black does his signature back flip into sitting in the center of the ring before Adam brings a chair into the ring. Cole goes to hit Aleister with the chair, but he rolls out of the way and gets it away from him before sitting on it. Adam gets back in the ring as Black tosses the chair out of the ring before Black tosses Cole over the top rope and to the floor. Adam gets trash cans out from under the ring and each grab a kendo stick before Black drops us and tells Adam to go ahead.
Black gets the upper hand even with the stick before he goes for a springboard moonsault, but Adam hits him right in the midsection when he's upside down. Adam hits Aleister with the stick repeatedly before hitting a backstabber for a near fall, then gets a table out from under the ring and sets it up at ringside. Aleister catches Adam on the top rope and sends him off of the top turnbuckle and onto the edge of the garbage can. Aleister hits a jumping knee for a near fall before Aleister sets a table at ringside beside the one Adam set up, then grabs a ladder out from under the ring only for Adam to dropkick it into his face. Adam sets the ladder up in the ring before rolling Aleister back into the ring and they counter each other until Adam hits an enzuigiri and a series of punches in the corner.
Adam plays to the crowd before Aleister drops Adam onto the ladder for a near fall, then Cole hits Black in the midsection with a chair and they counter each other's kicks until Aleister hits a jumping double foot stomp. Aleister goes up top, but Adam is quick to his feet and tosses a chair that Aleister catches before Cole superkicks him off of the top and through both tables at ringside. Adam picks Aleister up and rolls him back into the ring for a very close near fall before setting several chairs up in the center of the ring only for Aleister to use his own move against him and hit an ushigaroshi onto the two chairs. Aleister throws a chair in the face of Cole before hitting the Black Mass, but Fish and O'Reilly show up and hit Total Elimination. Fish and O'Reilly go to put Aleister through the announce table before SANITY show up and stop them, then Adam goes out to ringside and goes to suplex Aleister through the announce table. Aleister counters Adam and hits a diving double foot stomp through the announce table before rolling him back into the ring, Adam superkicking Aleister as he's trying to get back into the ring.
Adam then grabs a chair and tells Aleister that he's going to end him only for Aleister to hit the Black Mass for the pin and the win.
Winner: Aleister Black defeats Adam Cole via pinfall with the Black Mass kick.
-We see EC3 at ringside before our main event, the NXT Championship match.
NXT Championship Match
Andrade Almas (c) vs Johnny Gargano
-Andrade Almas comes out to the ring wearing a mask that he takes off at the ramp while a mariachi band clad in black masks play his theme song. They lock up to start the match before grappling and exchanging wrist locks and head scissors until they're back to their feet. Almas drops Johnny with a shoulder block before countering each other's finishers repeatedly and squaring off as the crowd cheers. Johnny hits a huricanrrana into a dropkick and a straight armbar before Almas gets back to his feet and drops Johnny with an open handed palm strike. Johnny comes back and clotheslines Almas over the top rope before Almas misses a moonsault and Gargano misses a blockbuster off of the apron.
Almas rolls Johnny back into the ring for a near fall before Almas chokes Johnny in the ropes and hits a snapmare into a basement dropkick for a quick two count. Almas nearly makes Johnny pass out with a choke, but Johnny fights his way back to his feet and breaks the grip before hitting a rolling roundhouse kick and goes for a DDT in the ropes, but gets caught in the tree of woe. Almas misses a double foot stomp off of the top before Johnny hits a tornado flat liner off of the top for a near fall, then hits a slingshot spear through the ropes for another near fall. Johnny hits an enzuigiri in the corner before Andrade hits a spinning sit-out facebuster for a near fall, then Almas hits a standing moonsault for another near fall when he misses a moonsault off of the top. They exchange forearms until Almas drops Johnny with a back elbow for a near fall before hitting each other with clotheslines and chops until they both collapse to the mat.
Almas sets Johnny on the top turnbuckle before going for an avalanche hammerlock DDT, but Johnny slides out of the back and superkicks Almas before Almas hits one running knee, but misses the second. Almas hits draping DDT when he catches Johnny going for a spear before hitting an inverted DDT for a very close near fall. They exchange strikes with Almas on the apron until Johnny hits a slingshot DDT onto the apron and to the floor before rolling Almas back into the ring for a near fall. Johnny goes for Gargano Escape, but Almas counters and drops Johnny into a heap in the corner, but Johnny comes back and turns Almas inside out with a lariat before sending him into the middle turnbuckle face first. Johnny gets a near fall off of a superkick before going to the top, but Almas catches him and Almas hits a diving double foot stomp that sends Johnny out of the ring.
Almas beats on Johnny at ringside before tossing him back into the ring and hitting double running knees in the corner for a very close near fall. Almas slaps Johnny down to the mat before grabbing him by the hair and picking him up, Johnny trying to fight back with a series of right hands and slaps before Johnny hits a superkick into a reverse huricanrrana. Johnny locks in the Gargano Escape, Almas trying his hardest to get out of it, Zelina helping him to the ropes before Johnny sends Almas out of the ring and hits a tope to the outside. Zelina hits a huricanrrana that sends Johnny into the steps before Almas rolls him back into the ring and hits the hammerlock DDT for a very close near fall. Candice LeRae comes out of the crowd and chases Zelina to the back before Johnny hits the slingshot DDT for a near fall, but immediately locks in the Gargano Escape, but Almas gets to the bottom rope at the last second. They then go out onto the apron before Almas pushes Johnny into the ring post and hits running knees, then Almas hits a draping hammerlock DDT for the pin and the win.
Winner: Andrade Almas retains his NXT Championship by defeating Johnny Gargano via pinfall with a draping hammerlock DDT.
-After the match Candace gets in the ring and helps him to the back as the crowd cheers him only for Tommaso Ciampa to show up and attack him from behind with a crutch as we go off the air.
