WWE NXT TakeOver: XXV is all set to pop off tonight (Sat., June 1, 2019) at 7 p.m. ET, live on WWE Network!
CagesideSeats.com will provide LIVE blow-by-blow, match-by-match coverage of NXT TakeOver: XXV below, beginning with the first match of the evening and right on through to the main event.
Tonight's show comes our way from Bridgeport, Connecticut’s Webster Bank Arena, and it's offering up the usual stacked card. 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: XXV QUICK RESULTS
Adam Cole def. Johnny Gargano
Shayna Baszler def. Io Shirai
Velveteen Dream def. Tyler Breeze
Street Profits def. Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch & Forgotten Sons & Undisputed ERA
Matt Riddle def. Roderick Strong
WWE NXT TAKEOVER: XXV LIVE BLOG & MATCH COVERAGE
Geno here. You get to deal with me tonight. Get ready for way less depth!
The show opens with a retrospective, looking back at the road we’ve taken to get to the 25th TakeOver event. That transitions nicely into a hype video for tonight’s show.
We’ll be starting with a shock to the system.
Roderick Strong vs. Matt Riddle
They opened with some grappling, Riddle shooting in for takedowns and Strong trying to fight him off. Eventually, he couldn’t and the Bro was suplexing him all around. To the outside they went, where they got particularly brutal with each other while the referee yelled at them to get back into the ring.
They didn’t listen, of course, because there were no repercussions for doing so.
Finally back in the ring, Strong took control of the match to get the heat on. Dueling chants broke out that I couldn’t understand. Roddy worked some chops, much to the crowd’s delight, while Riddle tried his best to make a comeback. It was snuffed out each time.
When he did get plenty of offense in, he had trouble finding enough to put Strong away. A GTS into a german suplex bridge got a two count. “He’s not able to put Roderick away,” Beth Phoenix commentated.
Roddy came back with an enziguri on the top rope that set up a superplex but that only got two. After, they just started throwing blows at each other. Riddle tried to hit a powerbomb but his back gave out. Strong capitalized with a flying knee followed by a series of running forearms that looked fantastic.
But even that only got two.
And an “NXT” chant from the crowd.
Riddle made a comeback and ripcord knee into a powerbomb followed by the Final Flash and THAT only got two. He went up top for it all on a moonsault but Strong got the knees up. He followed that up with a sequence that ended with a powerbomb that also only got two, but the kickout set up Strong to lock in a Boston Crab, then a Liontamer. Riddle managed to work his way out of both, so Strong tried to come down with a huge right. He ended up falling right into a Bromission, but even that he got out of.
Finally, mercifully, Riddle hit a neutralizer for the pin.
Matt Riddle def. Roderick Strong
Undisputed ERA vs. Forgotten Sons vs. Street Profits vs. Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch
This is a ladder match for the NXT tag team titles the War Raiders vacated when they moved up to the main roster.
They opened by getting two teams out so Lorcan and Burch could exchange with Undisputed ERA before the Forgotten Sons went nuts with ladders. They laid everyone out with one, holding it together. An early spot to pop the crowd included Lorcan and Burch suplexing them while they were holding said ladder, which they sent flying.
The Street Profits got their turn to clear the ring out, with a big frog splash, and then Dawkins setting up Blake on a ladder so Ford could leapfrog on top of him. Blake got a flapjack of his own when he came in. Then Dawkins set him up for the same, but Kyle O’Reilly got in to break that up.
Undisputed ERA then got together to send Ford flying into a ladder off a German suplex. O’Reilly appeared to be cut on his back as he and Fish sent Dawkins out of the ring. Fish then went up the ladder, but Blake got in, and powerbombed O’Reilly into the side of said ladder. Fish literally twisted and landed on O’Reilly.
My god.
With carnage all around, it looked like the Forgotten Sons would climb the ladder and get the job done. But Lorcan exploded off the top turnbuckle to take Cutler out, who was on Burch’s shoulders, and then the Street Profits did the same to Blake.
Then everyone was laid out.
Kyle O’Reilly, already beaten down, started trying to climb the ladder when he looked up and saw Jaxson Ryker coming down to the ring. He laid our O’Reilly, then Burch, then sent Ford for a ride, then slammed Fish. Dawkins tried to sneak his way up the ladder during all this, but Ryker flipped the ladder over. He followed that by sending the ladder into him in the corner, then back body dropped Lorcan onto that same ladder.
Mauro Ranallo damn near popped a blood vessel screaming about it.
Ryker didn’t take this opportunity to get his guys up to go after the titles, instead taking his sweet time just staring at what he just did. Finally, everyone recovered and just mobbed him in the middle of the ring. They all teamed to beat on him with a ladder before once again going after each other.
Ryker was outside and acting like he was going to get up and back in the action, with Undisputed ERA baiting him. Ford then did a dive at him. He didn’t sell that long, and got right back up, so Lorcan went out after him doing the same. Back in the ring, Burch cleared it out so that duo could run wild with ladders.
Before you knew it, two big ass ladders were set up in the middle of the ring. Lorcan and Burch were going up on diagonal sides while Undisputed Era did the same. When they got to the top, they started brawling until the Forgotten Sons showed up to push both ladders down and knock them all out of the ring.
That left just Blake and Cutler to climb the ladder but then Dawkins showed up to spear Cutler before Ford literally jumped onto the ladder from the ropes, which we damn near missed with poor production, and pushed Blake off. He then grabbed the titles.
Street Profits def. Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch & Forgotten Sons & Undisputed ERA
Velveteen Dream vs. Tyler Breeze
This is a North American championship match.
Early posturing, giving Dream time to play up the gimmick while the crowd chanted for him. Competing chants of “Tyler’s gorgeous” and “Velveteen” broke out. A nice touch, considering.
Breeze got the early advantage but Dream made a quick comeback. Tyler thwarted this by dragging his peen into the pole and then wrapping the leg around it. Breeze then worked a single leg crab before just laying in some big punches on Dream, who sold the hell out of them. When he went to the outside and Breeze followed, he used a superkick to buy some time to get back in.
Prince Pretty sold like he was knocked out on the announcer’s table. Dream literally had the referee stop counting so he could go out and bash Breeze’s head into the table, violently so.
Back in the ring, a Dream Valley Driver only got a two count. Breeze got a two count of his own after the Super Model kick. Not long after, Dream got a two count with the DreamDT.
Breeze appeared to be bleeding from the ear at this point.
Dream tried to go up top but Breeze knocked him down and racked him. He appeared to be setting up for a DDT but Velveteen threw him off but running into a flying knee. They switched off reversing Tombstones. Breeze missed a dropkick that commentary had to make up for, and Dream hurried into an Unprettier that got a two count.
My network skipped in a big way at this point, so I missed the set up but it came back in right when Breeze was hitting a Super Model kick and hit the Unprettier on Dream coming off the ropes. Even still, that was only a two count. He was getting frustrated at this point.
Dream was on the outside and getting close to counted out and Tyler told the referee to stop counting, much like Dream did earlier in the match. Dream got up and tried to hit Breeze with the North American title, but he grabbed it and took it away. The ref took it from him, and during all this, Dream got back in and hit the Dream Valley Driver to get the pin to retain his title.
Velveteen Dream def. Tyler Breeze
After the match, Dream filmed himself on Breeze’s phone. When he tried to walk out, Tyler pushed him back. The crowd chanted for a selfie. Breeze seemed to want it as well.
So they got in together and took a selfie, right there in the middle of the ring.
Dream then celebrated in his face a bit more and bailed out.
Shayna Baszler vs. Io Shirai
This is an NXT women’s championship match.
Baszler walked up to the entrance with Marina Shafir and Jessamyn Duke but they stayed behind at that point, leaving the defending women’s champion to head to the ring all by her lonesome.
Baszler worked her over early on and my network skipped yet again. Io hit a German suplex she couldn’t bridge into a pin because she was selling her arm. Not long after, a Crossface submission. Shayna lifted her up and dropped her to get out of it.
More dueling chants broke out, even for this match.
Baszler was draped over the top rope and Io hit her with a dropkick that sent her over the top to the floor. She went up top at that point and hit a moonsault to the floor. After, she was selling the arm again.
Back in the ring, Shirai followed up with a missile dropkick. Then the double knees in the corner and as she stepped over Baszler to go up the ropes, Shafir and Duke made their way out. The crowd groaned but Candice LeRae ran out behind them with a kendo stick to make sure the odds were even.
Io was distracted by all this, so when she went back to Baszler she got rolled up but kicked out at two. Shayna almost locked in the rear naked choke but Io fought out. When she went up top for another moonsault, she couldn’t get there. Baszler went for the choke again but Io rolled through for a two count. They did another bridge for two but Baszler was in perfect position for the choke once more.
Io was fighting to get to the ropes while the fans were cheering her to get there. Baszler started rag dolling her but Io fought on and on and on. Finally, after the crowd had quieted, she softly tapped Shayna’s arm.
Shayna Baszler def. Io Shirai
As Baszler celebrated her win, Io grabbed the kendo stick still outside the ring and decided to lay into the champion with it. She followed that with the moonsault and then recruited LeRae to grab a chair for her. Candice did so, and she did the moonsault again, this time with the chair. The crowd, for what it’s worth, was eating this up.
They ate it up so much that even after Io left and Baszler was in the ring selling the attack, which included showing a big welt her on back from the kendo stick shots, the crowd chanted “you deserve it” at her and booed when she stood up.
Johnny Gargano vs. Adam Cole
This is an NXT championship match.
They started out with a blistering pace, exchanging reversals and running all around the ring in an attempt to one-up each other. It quickly turned far more physical, giving it the feel of a fight as the two exchanged blows.
On the outside, Gargano set up Cole’s arm and stomped through it. In a bit of tit-for-tat, Cole targeted his attack on Gargano’s left leg. Commentary was sure to make note of this.
They worked a slower pace but the fans were into it every step of the way. Cole spent some time working Gargano over until he jumped off the ropes into a powerbomb.
The back-and-forth continued from there.
Cole got a two count off a backstabber. He also got a two count off a Burning Hammer. Gargano just would not give up. On the outside, they each hit a superkick and the referee started the count.
He got all the way to nine before both guys got back in the ring. Gargano came back in with a slingshot DDT that earned a two count. They exchanged submissions after this, with Cole working a Figure Four and Gargano repeatedly getting his shoulders off the mat during referee counts and even reversing it by bending Cole’s fingers up. Cole was near the ropes and grabbed one to break the hold.
Cole continued working over the knee. When Gargano made a comeback, he went for a dive to the outside and Cole caught him with a superkick. He followed that up with Panama Sunrise and even that only got a two count.
“Mamma mia,” chanted the crowd.
Indeed.
Cole picked Gargano’s face up and told him “it’s over for you. You had your special moment, and now it’s time for mine.”
He tried the Last Shot but Gargano avoided and went for the Gargano Escape, which Cole reversed into one of his own. Johnny got out and hit the Last Shot but that was only enough for two.
“Fight forever,” chanted the crowd.
Cole kicked Gargano in the head like five times, before Gargano did the same, then hit a reverse-rana, only for Cole to stand up and hit the Last Shot and THAT only got a two count.
By this point, Cole was getting mad at the referee. He went outside and grabbed a chair. The referee took it from him, saying “you can’t take that into the ring.” Gargano, seeing this, tried to execute a dive on Cole but he pulled the referee in front. The ref took a big bump and was out on the outside.
Gargano then ducked a chair shot and superkicked said chair into Cole’s face. He threw him into the ring and covered him but the ref was still selling on the outside, slowly crawling to get back in. Finally, Gargano went out and picked the ref up and threw him back in. As he was doing so, Cole summoned someone from the back and Gargano got ready for it with a chair. No one showed up, so Gargano got into the ring and as he was doing so, Cole hit him with a piledriver.
For just a two count.
Cole set Gargano up for the Last Shot but Johnny fell over. When Cole went to him to tell him “it’s over,” Gargano popped up to lock in the Gargano Escape. Cole tried to escape but Johnny rolled over. Cole then used elbows to target the knee, and that got him out. He kicked that same knee twice when they got back up. Then he went for another Panama Sunrise but Gargano dropped down. Another reversal.
Then, Cole actually hit the Panama Sunrise and followed that up with the Last Shot.
THAT got the three count.
BAY-BAY.
Adam Cole def. Johnny Gargano
End.