By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
NXT Takeover: In Your House
Streamed live June 13, 2021 on WWE Network
Orlando, Florida at Capitol Wrestling Center (WWE PC)
NXT Takeover In Your House Pre-Show
Sam Roberts and Justin Barrasso hosted the show and ran through the lineup… Footage aired from earlier in the day of Ted DiBiase’s limo arriving with security detail. DiBiase emerged from the limo and one of the security guards carried the Million Dollar Title belt inside a briefcase… A video package spotlighted the LA Knight vs. Cameron Grimes ladder match for the Million Dollar Championship…
Footage aired of Kyle O’Reilly arriving at the venue earlier in the day. He was confronted by The Way members, who arrived at the same time. O’Reilly got into a brief shoving match with Johnny Gargano and Austin Theory while Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell stood by. Security and William Regal quickly intervened…
A video package aired on the NXT Women’s Championship match between Raquel Gonzalez and Ember Moon…
Footage aired of Arash Markazi interviewing Bronson Reed, Wes Lee, and Nash Carter earlier in the day. Markazi joined Roberts and Borrasso and then discussed the Reed and MSK vs. Legado Del Fantasma six-man tag match for the NXT North American and NXT Tag Titles. They also aired a brief Markazi interview with Santos Escobar, Raul Mendoza, and Joaquin Wilde. Escobar spoke about how Mendoza and Wilde were there for him a year ago when he won the NXT Cruiserweight Championship. He also spoke about how easy it was to get Reed and MSK to accept the match…
The hosts briefly discussed Mercedes Martinez vs. Xia Li before turning the focus to the five-way for the NXT Championship. The hosts made their predictions and then a video package spotlighted the five-way to close the pre-show…
NXT Takeover In Your House Main Show
A video package ran through the Takeover matches. Dok Hendrix closed it out by playing up the In Your House theme… Naomi Fox walked onto the stage and performed the In Your House theme song…
Todd Pettengill was introduced as the host for the show. He walked onto the stage and said it was good to be home. He played up that they had their biggest crowd to date in the Capitol Wrestling Center and welcomed viewers to the show…
Powell’s POV: The virtual fan screens are gone and they’ve increased the number of fans in the building. They are also using the IYH set on the entrance stage.
The broadcast team of Vic Joseph, Wade Barrett, and Beth Phoenix checked in during the opening match entrances…
1. Bronson Reed and “MSK” Wes Lee and Nash Carter vs. “Legado Del Fantasma” Santos Escobar, Joaquin Wilde, and Raul Mendoza for the NXT North American Championship and the NXT Tag Titles. Escobar tagged out when he ended up in the ring with Reed a couple minutes into the match. A short time later, Carter started a series of dives that were followed by Wilde, Lee, Mendoza, and then a big suicide dive by Reed.
Back inside the ring, Lee was isolated. Reed stood in his corner on the apron, but Carter was apparently still down at ringside. Reed eventually tagged in and performed a double Samoan Drop on Wilde and Mendoza. Reed called for Escobar to enter the ring, but the referee stood in the way. Mendoza hit Reed from behind and then Escobar tagged in and performed a Michinoku Driver and went for the pin, but Carter returned to break it up.
Carter was covered, but Lee performed a flip dive over the top rope and onto the pile to break it up. Escobar grabbed one of the title belts at ringside. Reed splashed him through the barricade. In the ring, Carter caught Wilde with a superkick when he leapt off the ropes. MSK performed a double team Blockbuster move on Mendoza, then Reed tagged in and performed a top rope splash for the win…
Bronson Reed and “MSK” Wes Lee and Nash Carter defeated “Legado Del Fantasma” Santos Escobar, Joaquin Wilde, and Raul Mendoza in 13:40 to retain the NXT North American Championship and the NXT Tag Titles.
Powell’s POV: A good opening match that was hurt by the lack of mystery regarding the outcome. Everyone worked hard, but this felt like a television match more than a big Takeover showdown. By the way, if this show were truly in my house, it would have better lighting. I know it’s by design, but the dark and dreary look of NXT shows from the WWE Performance Center won’t be missed whenever they finally go back to Full Sail University.
A SummerSlam ad aired and hyped that tickets go on sale this Friday… A WWE Hell in a Cell ad focused on Bianca Belair vs. Bayley for the Smackdown Women’s Championship… Footage aired from the pre-show of Kyle O’Reilly’s pre-show issues with The Way…
Todd Pettingill tried to use a VHS tape to set up highlights, but McKenzie Mitchell stopped him and had the truck roll footage of Mercedes Martinez defeating Xia Li in the Mae Young Classic…
2. Mercedes Martinez vs. Xia Li (w/Boa). Mei Ying watched the match from her chair on the stage. Li was dominant to start. She sent Martinez to ringside and followed. Li threw a kick that Martinez dodged, causing Li to kick the ring post. Back inside the ring, Martinez performed a butterfly suplex. She followed up with a splash in the corner that Li avoided.
Li performed a pump-handle slam, then sold her leg from the ring post kick. Martinez put Li in crucifix slam position, but ended up spinning her over so that she landed face down when she slammed her. Boa pulled Li to ringside. Martinez followed to the floor. Boa got in her way, but she shoved him aside.
Li charged Martinez, who backdropped her at ringside before rolling her back inside the ring. Martinez set up for a move that Li avoided. Li shoved Martinez into the ropes and then blasted her with a spin kick and scored the pin…
Xia Li defeated Mercedes Martinez in 7:40.
After the match, Boa gave a chair to Li. Martinez kicked Li’s leg before she could hit her with the chair. Martinez worked over Boa and Li with the chair. The lighting changed and smoke filled the stage. Mei Ying stood up. Martinez stood on the ramp and then Ying slowly walked toward her. Ying grabbed Martinez by the throat and she dropped to her knees. Martinez hit her with the chair to break the hold. Ying reapplied the hold and threw Martinez into the plexiglass barricade…
Powell’s POV: The match was entertaining. This also lacked feeling of being Takeover special, but I like the development of Ying getting physically involved.
The WWE vaccination PSA aired… A Peacock ad aired…
A Tommaso Ciampa and Timothy Thatcher promo aired. They got fired up while talking about their tornado tag match with The Grizzled Young Veterans that will air on Tuesday’s NXT television show… A video package set up the ladder match…
Ted DiBiase made his entrance and was accompanied by two security guards. One of the guards carried a clear case that contained the Million Dollar Championship belt. LA Knight and Cameron Grimes made their entrances. Grimes was cheered…
3. Cameron Grimes vs. LA Knight in a ladder match for the Million Dollar Championship. The case containing the Million Dollar Championship belt was raised above the ring. Knight introduced the first ladder a couple minutes into the match. A couple minutes later, both men ended up with ladders and banged them together.
Grimes used a ladder to shove Knight into the barricade. Grimes threw a kick from the apron and then joined Knight on the floor. Knight ran Grimes into the fenced plexiglass barricade, then slammed his head onto a ladder. There was an LA Knight chant and then other fans booed when Knight held up his arms.
Knight looked at fans in the front row and asked if they would like to meet Grimes, then he ran Grimes’ head into barricade. Knight ran Grimes into the main barricade while DiBiase was shown watching the match from an office chair next to the broadcast table with the two security guard standing behind him.
Knight placed a chair over the ring and the barricade. Grimes came back by suplexing Knight into a ladder that was set up in a corner of the ring. Knight performed a neckbreaker onto a ladder that was set up on its side. Knight came up wincing and holding his arm. Knight went to ringside and grabbed another ladder.
Grimes reversed a whip and sent Knight crashing into a ladder in the corner. Grimes fired away with a series of kicks. Grimes followed up by back body dropping Knight onto a ladder that was leaning against the ropes. Grimes tossed Knight onto the ladder that was positioned over the ring and apron.
Grimes yelled that he wanted that gold. Grimes went to the stage where a gold ladder with money stickers was located. Grimes brought the gold ladder to the ring and set it up under the title case. Grimes climbed the ladder and then Knight came up the other side. Both men traded punches. Grimes knocked Knight off the ladder, but Knight quickly pushed the ladder over. Grimes performed a standing Spanish Fly that left both men down temporarily.
Knight came back and stood up a ladder on the ramp (which is level with the ring) and wedged another ladder between it while propping up the second ladder on the ropes. Grimes knocked Knight off the stage. Knight hid behind DiBiase’s security guards and then hit Grimes with a cheap shot.
Grimes climbed a ladder that was set up at ringside and then jumped onto a lighting grid and dove onto Knight. Grimes placed the gold ladder under the title case and climbed it, but Knight stopped him and went for a powerbomb over the ropes, which Grimes countered into a clunky huracanrana that sent Knight to the floor.
Grimes climbed the ladder again and got his hands on the title case, but Knight returned and pushed the ladder over, causing Grimes to fall onto the ladder on the ramp. Knight climbed the gold ladder and pulled the title case down to win the match…
LA Knight defeated Cameron Grimes in 19:30 in a ladder match to win the Million Dollar Championship.
After the match, DiBiase pulled the Million Dollar Championship out of the case and presented it to Knight. There were sparkler style pyro boxes on the ring apron that were set off…
Powell’s POV: Now this felt Takeover special. Good effort from both men. Grimes especially took some big ladder bumps and really made this work. While Knight had some fans cheering him, it sure seems like the majority of the fans have decided that Grimes is a babyface, and NXT creative appears to be right there with them.
After some ads, Todd Pettengill was going to pimp some t-shirts when Hit Row showed up and stopped him. They showed off the new Hit Row t-shirt and hyped their new song “Now You Know” and said it’s available on Spotify and elsewhere…
Cameras cut backstage where producers and security were holding Karrion Kross and Pete Dunne apart. William Regal showed up and wasn’t pleased…
A video package set up the NXT Women’s Championship match…
4. Raquel Gonzalez (w/Dakota Kai) vs. Ember Moon for the NXT Women’s Championship. Ring announcer Alicia Taylor delivered in-ring introductions for the title match. Moon dropkicked Gonzalez right when the bell rang to start the match. Kai provided an early distraction that allowed Gonzalez to knock Moon off the apron and into the fenced plexiglass barricade.
Moon rallied and got the better of Gonzalez at ringside. Gonzalez came back and set up for a one-armed powerbomb, but Moon countered into a pin for a near fall. Gonzalez came right back with a near fall of her own.
Gonzalez held up Moon for a suplex, but Moon countered into a Stunner. Moon followed up with a jaw jacker and then went to the middle rope and hit a Codebreaker. Moon hit her Eclipse finisher and had the pin, but Kai placed Gonzalez’s foot on the bottom rope.
Shotzi Blackheart ran out and shoved Kai into the ringside barricade. Blackheart roughed up Kai and threw her onto the flowers that were part of the stage set. Blackheart chased Kai into the backstage area.
In the ring, Moon leapt from the rope and performed a DDT on Gonzalez that drove her onto the ramp. Moon brought the champion back inside the ring and covered her for a near fall. Moon went for an Eclipse, but Gonzalez blocked it. Gonzalez performed Snake Eyes and then performed her one-armed powerbomb finisher and scored the pin…
Raquel Gonzalez defeated Ember Moon in 12:40 to retain the NXT Women’s Championship.
Powell’s POV: A well worked match that also suffered a bit due to the outcome feeling highly predictable. Still, I enjoyed the match and Gonzalez keeping the title is the right move. It was nice to see Shotzi Blackheart return. She recently indicated via social media that she was sidelined by an injury.
Pettengill spoke backstage about someone stealing his Walkman. He then played the old Karate Fighters game with Dexter Lumis. Pettengill asked Lumis about Indi Hartwell. Lumis got pissed and pulled off Pettengill’s fighter. Pettengill told him that he won fair and square…
An ad for NXT hyped a Great American Bash themed edition of the weekly television show for July 6… The broadcast team hyped the previously announced tornado tag match and announced another Kushida open challenge for the NXT Cruiserweight Championship for Tuesday’s television show… A video package set up the main event…
Johnny Gargano was shown backstage prior to making his entrance. He walked past William Regal and security preventing Ember Moon and Shotzi Blackheart from fighting with Raquel Gonzalez and Dakota Kai. Gargano made his entrance followed in order by Kyle O’Reilly, Pete Dunne, Adam Cole, and Karrion Kross…
5. Karrion Kross (w/Scarlett) vs. Adam Cole vs. Kyle O’Reilly vs. Pete Dunne vs. Johnny Gargano in a five-way for the NXT Championship. The first few minutes of the match typically featured multiple wrestlers selling at ringside while two or three wrestlers fought inside the ring. With Kross in the ring, the other challengers pulled Cole to ringside and worked him over with punches.
Kross performed a double suplex on Dunne and Gargano to send them to ringside. Kross fought with O’Reilly, who threw some kicks at the champion. Kross came back with a nice takedown and went for a powerbomb, but O’Reilly slipped out and fired away with more strikes. Cole and Gargano returned to the ring. Dunne was quickly cleared and then O’Reilly worked over Cole and went for a cross arm breaker, but Dunne returned and put O’Reilly in the same hold momentarily.
Gargano ran in and received the joint manipulation treatment from Dunne. Kross picked up Dunne and slammed him onto O’Reilly and Gargano. Kross went to the ramp and fought with Cole. Dunne and Gargano joined Kross on the stage and ended up shoving him through the front door of the stage set.
Later, Kross returned from a break and hit a big F5 on Gargano and covered him for a near fall. Gargano came back and performed a suicide dive onto O’Reilly, who appeared to hit his head on the bottom of the broadcast table. Gargano followed up with dives onto Kross and Dunne.
Cole and Gargano ended up fighting inside the ring. Cole went for the Panama Sunrise, but Gargano stuffed it and countered into piledriver-style move for a near fall. Gargano performed a Poison Rana on Dunne that was preceded by a big boot from Cole. All four challengers were down inside the ring when a “this is awesome” chant broke out.
Kross returned to the ring and was knocked down by multiple clotheslines from different opponents. O’Reilly took out Gargano and Dunne with clotheslines. Kross turned O’Reilly inside out with a big clothesline. All five men were down again.
Kross got up and performed a series of suplexes on his challengers. Kross went for a suplex on Dunne, who landed on his feet. Kross took some punishment and then rolled onto the apron. Cole super kicked Kross. Cole and O’Reilly stood on the floor and looked at one another, then teamed up for a double powerbomb of Kross onto the broadcast table (that did not break).
The four challengers squared off inside the ring and traded strikes. Dunne and O’Reilly put Cole and Gargano in submission holds, then released the holds simultaneously and fought one another. Dunne caught O’Reilly in a guillotine. O’Reilly countered out of it, but Dunne applied a triangle. Gargano speared both men to break the hold. Cole hit put O’Reilly down for a near fall.
Cole and Dunne traded strikes. Dunne went to the ropes for a move and jumped into a double superkick from Cole and Gargano. Cole tossed Gargano to the apron and then covered Dunne for a near fall. Gargano performed a DDT on Cole. Gargano applied a double submission hold on Dunne and Gargano, but O’Reilly returned to break it up.
O’Reilly put Gargano down with a brainbuster. O’Reilly went up top, but Cole shoved him off. Cole performed a Panama Sunrise on Gargano and had him pinned, but Dunne pulled Cole to the floor and gave him a brainbuster. Kross got up. Dunne rolled into the ring and motioned for Kross to join him.
Kross and Dunne traded suplexes. Dunne hit the Bitter End and covered Kross, who kicked out at two. Dunne went for a triangle and threw elbows to the head of Kross. The other three challengers returned to the ring to break up the submission. Dunne stomped the hands of O’Reilly and Gargano and then kicked both men.
Dunne set up for joint manipulation on Cole, but Kross gave both men a double Saito Suplex. Kross cleared the ring and then put Dunne in the Kross Jacket submission hold. Dunne snapped Kross’s fingers to break the hold. Gargano took out Dunne. Kross immediately put Gargano in his finisher. Gargano pushed off the ropes and into a pin for a two count. Kross maintained the hold, which Cole broke with a Last Shot.
O’Reilly took out Cole and then performed a top rope knee drop on Kross and had him pinned, but Cole broke it up with a superkick. Cole threw a series of superkicks at his opponents. O’Reilly put Cole in a heel hook. Kross returned to the ring and put O’Reilly in his Kross Jacket submission hold and got the win when O’Reilly passed out.
Karrion Kross defeated Kyle O’Reilly, Adam Cole, Pete Dunne, and Johnny Gargano in 26:15 in a five-way to retain the NXT Championship.
Kross and Scarlett celebrated together while the broadcast team ran through highlights. The duo went to the stage and mugged for the cameras…
Backstage, McKenzie Mitchell asked William Regal for his thoughts on the show. Regal said it’s been seven years since he became the general manager of NXT. A dejected Regal said he thinks it’s time for a change…
Powell’s POV: A strong main event with the expected outcome of Kross going over. The main event saved the show to some extent. It’s not that it was a poor show, it’s just that it didn’t feel Takeover special and most of the outcomes felt predictable. The addition of more fans to the building surprisingly didn’t add a lot to the event either.
The closing angle with Regal is a nice little hook for Tuesday’s television show. I assume they have a new general manager coming in. Regal is great in that role, but we’ll see what they have in mind. I will return later tonight with my audio review of Takeover for Dot Net Members. We should also have Paul Levesque’s post show media session available as a free podcast. Grade Takeover and vote for the best match below.