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WWE NXT TakeOver: New Orleans is all set to pop off tonight (Sat., April 7, 2018) at 8 p.m. ET, live on WWE Network!
CagesideSeats.com will provide LIVE blow-by-blow, match-by-match coverage of NXT TakeOver: New Orleans below, beginning with the first match of the evening and right on through to the main event.
While you’re waiting for the show to begin, dig into our predictions - as well as a preview of the entire card!
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WWE NXT TAKEOVER: NEW ORLEANS QUICK RESULTS
Aleister Black def. Andrade Almas
Shayna Baszler def. Ember Moon
Johnny Gargano def. Tommaso Ciampa
Adam Cole def. EC3, Ricochet, Velveteen Dream, Lars Sullivan, Killian Dain
The Undisputed ERA def. Authors of Pain & Pete Dunne & Roderick Strong
WWE NXT TAKEOVER: NEW ORLEANS LIVE BLOG & MATCH COVERAGE
Geno here. Let us do this.
The broadcast opens with the lights out and gold sticks in the air. Bells tolling. An electric guitar is playing. We’re kicking off with Cane Hill performing the theme live while they put a video package on over it.
If you’re going to have a concert at a show, I suppose that’s the best way to do it.
We’re starting with the ladder match for the North American championship.
EC3 vs. Adam Cole vs. Ricochet vs. Velveteen Dream vs. Lars Sullivan vs. Killian Dain
Ricochet was out last to arguably the biggest pop.
Before anyone did anything the crowd hit them with a “this is awesome” chant. It was broken only when EC3 bailed out of the ring and was booed for it. They cleared everyone out and set up a confrontation between Lars and Dain but didn’t deliver on it when EC3 antagonized them both.
They went to the outside and teased it again but again didn’t throw hands because Ricochet hit a springboard moonsault. HUGE pop for that. He got a LOT of air.
He brought the first ladder into the ring and Dream followed him in to stop him from winning early. Ricochet got some good aerial offense in before Dream racked him on the rope and sent him to the outside.
Cole jumped in then to get to work, taking Dream out. He started up the ladder but stopped when EC3 got back in and put the boots to him. That ended only when Lars got back in and started splashing and slamming people. Dain sent him out and then hit a suicide dive. That was something. Like they were hugging each other on the way down.
Everyone in the ring at the same time shortly after, and Lars broke them up by literally just throwing a ladder into the ring at the entire group. Dain then grabbed a ladder and started smashing folks with it. It’s just carnage at this point.
Sullivan picked up Dream and dropped him down on the ladder on his stomach. It was his turn to try to climb up the ladder and the crowd wasn’t happy about this. Ricochet hurried up and tried a sunset flip powerbomb but Lars held on. So Dream and EC3 tried to help out but even they couldn’t do it. Cole climbed the ladder to provide one last assist and that did the trick.
Cole realized he was up on the ladder alone and went to grab the belt but Dain arrived just in time to knock his block off. Shortly after, Ricochet took a back body drop on a ladder. Dain tried to go up again but EC3 knocked him off. Then he and a recovered Cole decided to align, grabbed a ladder, and attacked Lars with it. They decided to keep the alliance going for a time, heading to the outside to pick up the especially big ladder to make a bridge between the broadcast table and the ring. Dain was then sent into it, striking his chest. It stayed up as they went back into the ring.
The two high-fived and EC3 worked Cole’s gimmick, which pissed him off enough to do a fireman’s carry into a ladder. Then he superkicked Dream, Dain, Lars, and, for good measure, EC3. Ricochet tried to leap into the ring to put a stop to this and he ate a superkick too.
“ADAM COLE, BAY-BAY!”
You’d think he would have spent that time climbing up the ladder, but no. Instead, he gave Lars time to recover and knock him off once he did decide to climb up. Lars was taken down by Dream, who proceeded to hit flying elbows on Dain and Cole and Ricochet too.
Lars trapped him in the corner with a ladder but he popped him and got out. Then he climbed said ladder but it was too far away from the belt so instead he hit a elbow on Sullivan off the very top of it.
Wow.
Dream then climbed the ladder and had his hands on the belt when EC3 showed up and powerbombed him off it onto a ladder set up in the corner. He tried to climb the ladder but Cole went up over him. EC3 responded to this by hitting a TKO off the ladder.
Everyone down.
Everyone hurt.
EC3 battled up the ladder but Dain was in to knock him off and follow up with a bicycle kick. Then it was his turn to climb up, to a chorus of boos. Cole didn’t let him get far before attacking. Dain tossed him, then dropped EC3 again for good measure. He followed that up by putting a ladder on EC3 and hitting a senton on it. He was about to follow up from the second rope when Cole came up behind him. Dain said “hell with it” and hit a Vader Bomb with Cole on his neck.
“This is awesome” chant.
Once again, they went back to the Dain and Lars tease but Ricochet came in and started flying around with punches and kicks until he was caught by Sullivan and thrown across the ring at the feet of Dain. The crowd chanted “throw him back,” and Dain delivered on that. Ricochet rolled out of the ring, leaving the two big men in alone.
They finally got to throw hands, with Dain getting the better of it until he tried a crossbody and Sullivan actually caught him and held him there before slamming him. That was legitimately impressive stuff.
Lars went to climb but Ricochet got back in and ripped him down. He delivered a few kicks and climbed up only for Lars to push the ladder over. Ricochet did a backflip off the ladder onto Dain and Cole on the outside, taking them out.
Holy shit.
Back in the ring with the quickness, he tried to climb again but EC3 got in. They battled until Ricochet set him up on a ladder and hit a Shooting Star Press off it. Hot damn, he’s flying everywhere for this.
He tried climbing again but Dream showed up to stop him. I don’t know how anyone is going to go up that ladder with this many guys. Dream set up a ladder in the corner between a ladder in the middle and the turnbuckles. Dream climbed up and again chose not to grab the belt but engaged Ricochet, who hit a double leg takedown.
My god, Dream picked Ricochet up and hit a rolling death valley driver on the ladder.
No one is standing.
Everyone down.
On the outside, Sullivan hit a lariat on Dream, then picked him up and laid him down on the ladder bridged between the ting and the broadcast table. Then he climbed on the apron. EC3 ran over and Lars grabbed him up and slammed EC3 down onto Dream and through the ladder, which appeared to break in the middle.
Oh god, Ricochet was put on another ladder bridged between the ring and broadcast table. Dain then picked up Cole and slammed them all through it. The carnage was unbelievable.
“This is the NXT version of the Infinity War,” Mauro Ranallo shouted.
I mean, sure. It’s crazy.
Lars was the first to get up and get in the ring to climb a ladder. He was really close to grabbing the title when Dain got in and climbed up on the other side. EC3 grabbed a ladder and started hitting them both with it. When that did very little, he set it up next to them and climbed up it with Cole doing the same. Four guys on two ladders, all fighting back-and-forth. Dream climbed in the ring and also tried to hit Dain off. That failed, of course, so he, too, set up a ladder next to them and started climbing. Ricochet then climbed up his ladder so all six were on three ladders fighting to grab the title and all keeping each other from grabbing it.
Cole and EC3 suddenly crashed to the canvas. Dream and Ricochet engaged and Ricochet hit a neckbreaker off the ladder to the ring. That left just Dain and Lars, who also went off the ladder when Lars slammed Dain down as Killian kicked his feet all through the air.
Bah gawd, it’s a war in there.
Dain rolled out of the ring and Sullivan started climbing only for Ricochet to come from out of nowhere to jump onto the ladder and knock everything over. Ricochet climbed the ladder and was so close to grabbing the title but was knocked off by Cole, who got to the top and grabbed the strap.
He is your winner.
Adam Cole def. EC3, Ricochet, Velveteen Dream, Lars Sullivan, Killian Dain
Next up, the women’s championship match.
Ember Moon vs. Shayna Baszler
Lzzy Hale and Cane Hill played Moon out live. She was rocking a ton of makeup and some face paint.
They showed Ronda Rousey and Jessamyn Duke in the crowd cheering on Baszler during her entrance.
Ember opened with a dropkick and whiffed completely. Shayna responded with a right hand that sent Moon sliding out of the ring. She got the edge when Baszler tried to follow up, though, hitting a dropkick into the steps and a missile dropkick from the top back in the ring.
Shayna regained the edge by tripping her face first onto the hardest part of the mat, the ring apron. She started working holds while Ranallo put over her catch wrestling expertise. Moon got back on offense but after some back-and-forth, Baszler landed a flying knee for a two count.
Moon responded with a dropkick for a two count. They worked back to Baszler doing that spot where she had her foot down on Moon’s hand. She tried to stomp but Ember moved and then turned the tables, giving Shayna a dose of her own medicine. She still only got a two count with it.
When Moon went up to the top turnbuckle, Baszler knocked her down and kicked her in the head a few times. She was really selling the arm. Then she went to the outside on the apron and threw her shoulder at the post to pop her shoulder back in. The crowd didn’t respond to this at all.
When she got to Ember, Moon knocked her off to the outside and followed up with the Eclipse. Only it was on the outside, so they were both down and the referee was counting them out.
They both beat the count, of course.
Back in the ring, Baszler got the hooks in and the rear naked choke but Moon broke it by slamming into the challenger’s shoulder, then attacking it. She fell a triangle but got out with a powerbomb.
When she went up top for the Eclipse, Baszler caught her and went right into the choke. Moon again went for the arm but this time Shayna held her own hair to keep the choke in, so it didn’t matter how much Ember fought and battled with the arm. She tried her best to get to the ropes but Baszler rolled to the center of the ring.
Moon fought and then fought some more and then fought some more. Finally, she passed out and we have a new women’s champion.
Shayna Baszler def. Ember Moon
Baszler found Rousey and Duke and gave them a hug in the crowd as she walked out.
They showed Adam Cole backstage talking to Kyle O’Reilly and saying “I don’t know if I can do this,” regarding their tag team title defense planned for tonight. Bobby Fish is out injured, so they’re adding some intrigue to what’s going to happen.
Mauro Ranallo also tells us NXT General Manager William Regal is out sick tonight, so he’s not in the building to make a decision either way.
That match is next, though, so we’ll find out quick what they’re doing.
The Undisputed ERA vs. Authors of Pain vs. Pete Dunne & Roderick Strong
Cole was taped up around the ribs but he was indeed out for the match. Goldust and Jeff Jarrett were shown in the crowd as Cole and O’Reilly were making their entrance.
Right away, AOP started dealing damage. That includes putting Cole through a table on the outside, which may be a way to write him out of most of the match considering that North American title ladder match he went through not long ago.
O’Reilly got in and started battling with Strong and Dunne but the numbers game caught up. Strong managed to fend off AOP, with an assist from a now recovered O’Reilly. They went into battling with O’Reilly working first a guillotine and then a triangle choke. Then he grabbed an ankle lock on Akam. Rezar came in and powerbombed Dunne on top of them to break it all up.
Then they settled in to a more traditional tag team match.
Rezar hit O’Reilly with a German suplex and he responded by jumping up, screaming while flexing, and then falling backward out of the ring. That was funny and good.
Undisputed Era is in a world of hurt.
That gave AOP a chance to team up and work over Strong while Dunne looked relatively bored on the apron. He got knocked off it, then O’Reilly got back in to cause some chaos. Strong fought him off enough to tag the Bruiserweight in and he went to work. That included turning a swinging slam into a DDT for a two count.
AOP put the boots to both Dunne and O’Reilly and appeared to have the match won when Strong came running in to make a save. Dunne did his spot breaking fingers before Rezar pushed Roddy into Pete to knock him to the outside. Strong came back with an Olympic Slam before tagging out to Dunne. O’Reilly stopped him from getting in, so they teamed up and took him out. Then they got in and worked over Rezar together for a two count that was broken up by Akam.
He was sent to the outside and Strong put him into the steps. Dunne and O’Reilly were back in the ring. Dunne had the match won and then Strong jumped into the ring and stomped on Dunne, turning on him, laying him out, and then putting O’Reilly on top of him. That got the three count and the win for Undisputed Era.
The Undisputed ERA def. Authors of Pain & Pete Dunne & Roderick Strong
Strong then put an Undisputed Era band on his arm and it would appear he has joined the stable.
They’re going with the NXT men’s championship next.
Andrade Almas vs. Aleistair Black
My network stream was done briefly and came back with Black hitting a moonsault to Almas on the outside. Flash forward just a bit and Zelina Vega hit a hurricanrana that sent Black into the steps. Almas had the edge from there, working over the challenger back in the ring.
The crowd kicked up a dueling chant at that point. Plenty of support for the champ.
Almas was targeting the arm because, as Mauro told us, he would be going after it for the hammerlock DDT later. Almas was in control for much of the early portion of the match. When Black made his comeback, he continued selling the arm.
Almas came back and they did the spot where he went for the moonsault but Black rolled, so Almas landed on his feet and did a standing moonsault for a two count. Love that every time they do it, and the crowd did too.
My network stream went out again and when it came back Vega was handing Almas the NXT championship. He brought it into the ring with him and the referee took it away. This gave Vega the chance to get in the ring and spike Black with a hurricanrana. That was only enough to get a two count.
Black went for the hammerlock DDT but Almas countered and Black hit the Black Mass but it only got two because Vega put Almas’ foot on the ropes. She interfered again shortly after.
Black was getting screwed over left and right but Almas could not put him away. The referee narrowly avoided a bump and when Black went for Black Mass again, Almas dropkicked him right in the back.
They both rolled to the apron and traded shots. Black ended up resting against the post and Andrade hit him with double knees. That got the ref asking if he could continue. He never responded, or they didn’t show it, and the match continued anyway.
Almas went for a draping hammerlock DDT but Black back body dropped him to the outside. He followed this up with a flip to the outside but back in the ring Almas hit the hammerlock DDT ... and it STILL only got a two count.
Black has proven impossible to put away.
Vega got on the top rope and dove off but Black ducked and she landed in Almas’ arms. Black took advantage and hit Black Mass. This time, it was enough.
Aleister Black def. Adrade Almas
The main event.
The pre-match hype video was very much Batman themed. Even went with music that sounded like Hans Zimmer scored it for Christopher Nolan.
Johnny Gargano vs. Tommaso Ciampa
They really let it breathe with Ciampa’s entrance. He was announced, walked out to no music, and took his sweet time. The crowd booed loudly and mixed in chants of “asshole” and “fuck you Ciampa.”
Huge pop for Gargano.
The bell rang and they simply stood across from each other, staring each other down. Gargano shook his fist and Ciampa talked to him. Finally, they started furiously exchanging punches, with Johnny getting the better of it right away. He was all over Tommaso, letting out all his rage with repeated punches and kicks. We were reminded it’s an Unsanctioned match, so anything goes.
Really, the entire opening few minutes of the match was Gargano laying into Ciampa.
Of course, he was always going to get his own offense in and when he took control, he immediately started ripping up the padding on the floor around the ring. Johnny Wrestling fought off a couple suplex attempts there and hit a superkick from the apron. Then he tossed Ciampa into the broadcast table, knocking into Mauro. The crowd responded with a “mamma mia” chant.
The table stayed up and Gargano went to pick Ciampa up for a piledriver but Tommaso fought him off. Then he hit a suplex to the floor, though it was on the padded section.
Like that makes much of a difference.
Ciampa, once he recovered, put the top of the broadcast table up against the rest of it and dropped Gargano on it. Then he sat on the table and laughed about it. Another vulgar chant in his direction.
He was in complete control and eating up every bit of it. Ciampa worked a cloverleaf and Gargano went for the ropes hoping for a break. The referee, thankfully, reminded him it was an unsanctioned match. He managed to get out by getting under the rope. Tommaso responded by kicking him in the back of the neck while he was hanging halfway out of the ring.
Then he put a sick smile on his face, clapped, and patted himself on the back.
After yelling at the referee, Ciampa hit a running knee.
Suddenly, Ciampa grabbed some fan’s crutches and waved at Gargano before slowing walking into the ring with them. He tried hitting Gargano with one a few times but Johnny avoided each shot before finally getting himself out of trouble with a kick. The crutches remained in the ring, however.
Ciampa again went for a suplex, this time from inside the ring to the exposed floor on the outside. Gargano tried a slingshot into a DDT on that same area but was blocked. They teased a couple more spots before OH MY GOD A SUNSET FLIP POWERBOMB ONTO THE CONCRETE.
A sickening thud.
“You deserve it,” said the crowd.
Back in the ring, they were on opposite sides and both went for the crutch in the middle. They reached it at the same time and had a tug of war. Mauro claimed the winner could emerge victorious for winning it.
Gargano won it.
He laid in cathartic shot after cathartic shot, including one to the previously injured knee. Ciampa dumped him to the outside for a brief reprieve but Gargano blasted him on the head when he stuck it between the ropes. He got back in with a slingshot DDT for a two count.
He followed that up by exposing a turnbuckle and my stream cut out.
Damn it.
Coming back after a skip and Ciampa just got a two count. Replay shows me he got a knee on Gargano when he was springing into the ring.
In the corner, Ciampa went full DIY but only got a two count after another knee.
They squared off in the middle of the ring and exchanged blows. They laid them in there. Gargano finally locked in the Gargano Escape but Ciampa fought hard to get out of it. He got to the ropes but, again, it doesn’t matter in a match like this. Gargano kicked at his hand and rolled back to the center of the ring anyway.
Ciampa got out by gauging at Johnny’s eyes.
That drew another profanity laced chant.
Ciampa tried to use tape to choke Gargano but they ended up tied together on their hands. They exchanged punches again. There are a bunch of little white things in the ring, they might be teeth, we don’t know.
Gargano got the better of the punching exchanges and Ciampa again only stopped it with a low blow. He followed that up with a shot to the back with the crutch and then hit Project Ciampa.
And it only got two.
They laid there in the ring briefly.
Ciampa took off his tape when he got up to his knees. Gargano had to pull himself up using Ciampa’s gear. Tommaso grabbed his face and talked to him as he stood. “This is my moment,” I believe he said. Gargano tried to fight back and Ciampa wasn’t having it. Then Johnny Wrestling hit a superkick before picking him up and launching him into the exposed turnbuckle. He followed with a superkick, then picked Ciampa up again and got another one More spit, or teeth, went flying.
1.
2.
MY GOD HE KICKED OUT.
Gargano slowly got to his feet and climbed the turnbuckle. Ciampa followed him over and they fought there. Ciampa hit a knee that stunned Johnny and followed with a headbutt. Then he picked him up and had him on his shoulders but Gargano unloaded with elbows. Then he laid in with punches like he was setting up for something but Ciampa grabbed him and hit Project Ciampa from the top.
1.
2.
GET OUT OF HERE HE KICKED OUT.
Ciampa got rid of the knee brace at this point and ran in for a knee but Gargano blasted him right on the knee with the brace. Then he grabbed a crutch and broke it in half. He went to stab Tommaso in the face with it but stopped himself. Ciampa, his face visibly swollen, just sat there in pain, looking up at Gargano, like he was defeated. He put his head in his hands. Gargano dropped the crutch and then bent to take a knee and sit down next to Ciampa. Tommaso used the opening to try to grab the knee brace and hit Gargano with it but he was ready, ducking underneath and locking in Gargano Escape. When he saw Ciampa still had the knee brace in hand, he rolled out of it, and grabbed the brace, using it across Tommaso’s face to finally get the tap.
That’s it.
Tommaso Ciampa taps.
Johnny Gargano wins.
Johnny Gargano def. Tommaso Ciampa
Candice LeRae ran out to celebrate with her husband.
End.