NXT TAKEOVER: STAND & DELIVER RECAP & REVIEWS
NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver was a professional wrestling television special, pay-per-view, and WWE Network event produced by WWE for their NXT brand division. It took place on April 7 and 8, 2021, and was broadcast from the Capitol Wrestling Center, hosted at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida.
NXT TAKEOVER: STAND & DELIVER NIGHT 1 & NIGHT TWO REVIEWS
Pete Dunne vs Kushida. Singles match
OUR PREDICTION: PETE DUNNE
WINNER: PETE DUNNE
RATING: 7/10
RECAP: A great way to open the show. These men did not disappoint. They are two of the best in ring workers that NXT has right now. It was a pretty back and forth match with both men getting a lot of offence in. The match also did not drag on for too long which is always nice to see. Pete Dunne getting the win was expected and now hopefully Pete Dunne can move to the North American Championship scene.
Bronson Reed, Isaiah “Swerve” Scott, Cameron Grimes, LA Knight, Dexter Lumis, and Leon Ruff. Six-man Gauntlet Eliminator match. Winner received an NXT North American Championship match on Night 2.
OUR PREDICTION: DEXTER LUMIS
WINNER: BRONSON REED
RATING: 7/10
RECAP: Bronson Reed surprised everyone with his win. Coming in third only behind Leon Ruff and Isaiah “Swerve’ Scott, Reed put on a great showing. Cameron Grimes, Dexter Lumis and LA Knight all came out after in the corresponding order. This was an entertaining match and Bronson Reed last eliminated Isaiah “Swerve” Scott for the win.
Walter (c) vs Tommaso Ciampa. Singles match for the NXT United Kingdom Championship
OUR PREDICTION: TOMASSO CIAMPA
WINNER: WALTER
RATING: 9/10
RECAP: The best match of night one and one of the best matches of NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver. Walter and Tommaso Ciampa put on a brutal, physical match which made both men look like huge stars. Both men got offence in but Walter made it look too easy defeating Ciampa. Whoever takes that title off of Walter will be an automatic star. Walter won the match with a huge chop.
MSK (Wes Lee and Nash Carter) vs Grizzled Young Veterans (James Drake and Zack Gibson) and Legado Del Fantasma (Raul Mendoza and Joaquin Wilde). Triple threat tag team match for the vacant NXT Tag Team Championship
OUR PREDICTION: MSK
WINNER: MSK
RATING: 7/10
RECAP: MSK got the win in a fast-paced match which was a great choice to put in between Walter’s match and the main event. Not the longest match but a good amount of time. All three teams were told to go out there and put on a show and they delivered. MSK won the match with a tandem twisting blockbuster/spinebuster combo which looked great. MSK are the new NXT Tag Team Champions and its must see television.
Raquel González (with Dakota Kai) vs Io Shirai (c). Singles match for the NXT Women’s Championship
OUR PREDICTION: IO SHIRAI
WINNER: RAQUEL GONZALEZ
RATING: 6/10
RECAP: In the most surprising result of both nights, Raquel won the match and is your new champion. They are trying to turn Raquel Gonzalez into what they wanted Nia Jax to be. Raquel Gonzalez dominated most of the match with Io Shirai looking great in the ring as well. Hopefully Raquel loses the title to Dakota Kai in the future but for now she has a lot of challengers coming up in the jungle of the NXT women’s division. A solid match and a good way to close out the first night of the event.
Santos Escobar (Interim NXT Cruiserweight Champion) vs Jordan Devlin (NXT Cruiserweight Champion). Ladder match to determine the undisputed NXT Cruiserweight Champion
OUR PREDICTION: SANTOS ESCOBAR
WINNER: SANTOS ESCOBAR
RATING: 7/10
RECAP: This was a great way to open the second night’s events. The match starts with Jordan Devlin getting the advantage but the longer the match draws out, Santos Escobar gets more control. These two hit high spots such as doing a Spanish fly off the side of a ladder. After a fast-paced match, Jordan Devlin is sent off of the top of a ladder through another ladder while Escobar climbs the ladder and becomes the Undisputed Cruiserweight Champion.
Ember Moon and Shotzi Blackheart (c) vs The Way (Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell). Tag team match for the NXT Women’s Tag Team Championship
OUR PREDICTION: EMBER MOON & SHOTZI BLACKHEART
WINNER: EMBER MOON & SHOTZI BLACKHEART
RATING: 5/10
RECAP: A pretty average match. Nothing special but nothing bad either – just a solid tag team match but you would think we could get something better with these four in the ring. This match could even be seen as a bit underwhelming but you can’t expect everything to be amazing. Still a good match with both teams looking strong. Shotzi Blackheart won for her team after hitting a sentan to win.
Johnny Gargano (c) (with Austin Theory) vs Bronson Reed. Singles match for the NXT North American Championship
OUR PREDICTION: JOHNNY GARGANO
WINNER: JOHNNY GARGANO
RATING: 5/10
RECAP: Another solid match on the card. These two put on an unpredictable match where you could see either man winning the title. Bronson Reed looked good in this match and should win the title in the future. Johnny Gargano won the match with help from Austin Theory as expected. Johnny Gargano has been doing a great job as a heel this past year and could even be a great heel NXT Champion in the future as well. Solid match but wasn’t anything too special.
Karrion Kross (with Scarlett) vs Finn Bálor (c). Singles match for the NXT Championship
OUR PREDICTION: KARRION KROSS
WINNER: KARRION KROSS
RATING: 6/10
RECAP: Finn Bálor was Karrion Kross’ biggest challenge yet. These two put on a show and it really seemed like there was a chance of Bálor retaining. Karrion Kross started to gain control and then won the whole thing. After 17 minutes Karrion Kross hit Bálor with an elbow to the back of the head. This seems like a match you would see on the main roster but not in a bad way. Solid match as well.
Kyle O’Reilly vs Adam Cole. Unsanctioned match
OUR PREDCTION: ADAM COLE
WINNER: KYLE O’REILLY
RATING: 9/10
RECAP: In the best match of night two and the best match overall, these two put on a war. So many great spots and weapons in this match. A back and forth brutal match with both men looking amazing. Kyle O’Reilly could also be seen as a shock winner. The match ended with Kyle O’Reilly wrapping a chain around his knee and then hitting it on Adam Cole. This was a great match and felt personal. Only complaint is that they could have cut the match at least 5-10 minutes because it was too long.
