NXT TakeOver Brooklyn II Results: The Revival retain the tag titles in an unsurprisingly superb match

Tonight (Aug. 20, 2016) at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn II at the Barclays Center the tag team championships were on the line. The only two time champions Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder, collectively known as the Revival, defended the gold against two men who already have a non-title win over them in recent months. Those two are indie sensations, soon to be WWE exclusives, Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano. The challengers have a quicker, high flying style that the traditional Revival despise. When it comes to the champs, they are all about isolating their opponents and working a body part.

Early on in the title bout, after some posturing back and forth, it was that speed of the challengers alongside some limb work of their own, that controlled the match, putting the champions on the defensive. The Revival did what they could, but could not get control of Gargano and Ciampa, much to the delight of the Brooklyn crowd.

But Dash and Dawson aren’t champions for nothing and eventually, their savvy tag team work would get themselves the advantage, isolating Tommaso Ciampa from his partner. They kept him in the ring using any tactics they could, including when Dash Wilder got in the ring feigning an injury so the referee wouldn’t see Ciampa tag Gargano in.

Eventually, the Revivals antics failed them and Johnny Wrestling was tagged in hot, taking it to both men of the Revival. This soon broke down into exciting tag team wrestling that the crowd loved. It looked like a Ciampa arm bar would submit Scott Dawson, but Dash Wilder eventually broke from the grips of Johnny Gargano to make the save. It later looked like the challengers double team on Wilder would win them the gold, but Dawson put his partners foot on the rope creating another nearfall. This was a sequence of false finishes that had the Brooklyn crowd unglued.

Finally, the Revival was able to do what they do best. They took out Ciampa outside the ring and hit a nasty double team move on the knee of Johnny Gargano. Then Dawson locked in a reverse figure four that forced Johnny Wrestling to submit.

The failed challengers sat in the ring as the crowd poured praise upon them post match. Tommaso Ciampa hugged his friend reminiscent to their Cruiserweight Classic post match. While Ciampa may have given Gargano a bit of a side eye, the men left the building good friends.

It was a match that was unsurprisingly extremely enjoyable, living up to the hype that word of their house show matches built.

For all your NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn II results, you can find them here.