Date:
October 4, 2020 at 7:00 PM ET (Preshow at 6:30 PM ET)
Location:
Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Card
NXT Championship
Finn Balor (c) vs. Kyle O'Reilly
NXT Women's Championship
Io Shirai (c) vs. Candice LaRae
NXT North American Championship
Damian Priest (c) vs. Johnny Gargano
NXT Cruiserweight Championship
Santos Escobar (c) vs. Isaiah "Swerve" Scott
KUSHIDA vs. The Velveteen Dream
:nxt:
- The WWE NXT "Takeover: 31" Pre-show opens up with Scott Stanford and Sam Roberts at WWE TV studios. We get a shot of the new Capitol Wrestling Center in Orlando, Florida, formerly known as the WWE Performance Center. We also get a shot of The Undisputed Era arriving to the building earlier today. They also show NXT Champion Finn Balor arriving by himself earlier today. Stanford and Roberts hype tonight's show before sending us to McKenzie Mitchell at the CWC. She sends us to a video package for tonight's NXT Women's Title match. Stanford shows us video of Rhea Ripley confronting Triple H and McKenzie earlier today during their Facebook interview, making it known that she wants a title shot after tonight. Triple H gave her praise for the future but Ripley stated that she wants the winner of tonight's match.
Sam predicts there will be a new NXT Women's Champion tonight. McKenzie announced earlier that the NXT North American Title match will open tonight's show. Back from a break and we see Isaiah "Swerve" Scott arriving to the building earlier today. We also see Legado del Fantasma arriving. Stanford sends us to a video package for tonight's NXT Cruiserweight Title match. We also get a promo for Kushida vs. The Velveteen Dream. Sam believes Dream will be in trouble if we get the Kushida of old, and he hopes Dream will be in trouble. We get a video package with NXT Loud artist Corey Taylor hyping tonight's show, which will feature his "Culture Head" as the official theme. Taylor predicts Balor will retain his NXT Title in tonight's main event. We get another promo and more talk for tonight's NXT Title match. Matt Camp and Pappolla of WWE's The Bump give their predictions for tonight's matches. Sam and Scott give their final plugs for tonight as we see Johnny Gargano and NXT North American Champion Damian Priest warming up backstage. That's it for the "Takeover: 31" Pre-show.
- The WWE NXT "Takeover: 31" event opens up with a video package that shows the history of Capitol Wrestling, the inspiration for the WWE Performance Center being changed to the new Capitol Wrestling Center. We're live from the Capitol Wrestling Center in Orlando, Florida as the music hits. We hear Triple H yell out, "We are NXT!" and then crowd chants start. Vic Joseph welcomes us to Takeover. He says he will be joined by Wade Barrett, and also WWE Hall of Famer Beth Phoenix from her home. We see fans and developmental trainees behind the fence barriers at ringside. Vic sends us right to the ring.
:nxtnorth:
NXT North American Title Match: Johnny Gargano vs. Damian Priest
We go right to the ring and out first comes NXT North American Champion Damian Priest. It sounds like Barrett may be calling the action from home. Johnny Gargano is out next.
The bell rings and Gargano charges but backs off. He ends up going at it after some stalling. Priest unloads in the corner. They trade some strikes and Gargano gets dropped with a big boot. Priest pounds while Gargano is down. More back and forth now. Gargano ends up yanking Priest from the apron to the floor and they both land hard. Gargano nails a suicide dive and then sends Priest into the steel ring steps.
Gargano keeps control outside, using the new barriers. Priest tries to turn it around but Gargano brings it back in and kicks him. Gargano with a big shot to the jaw and then a dropkick to the chest while Priest still hangs in the ring from the apron. Gargano flies off the middle turnbuckle and slams Priest to the mat for a close 2 count. Gargano with a single-leg Crab in the middle of the ring now. Priest ends up mounting some offense for a comeback but the knee is hurting him. Priest rocks Gargano with right hands, then big kicks. Priest with a Bell Clap and a big Flatliner for a pop.
Priest with a big running splash in the corner. Priest with more big offense in the corner and a Broken Arrow. Gargano still kicks out at 2. Priest stands tall and calls for the finish. Gargano avoids the Razor's Edge and baits him in for an elbow. Priest avoids a roll-up and catches a kick. Priest with a right hand to the jaw. Priest slams Gargano on his face again. Priest goes for the Razor's Edge but Gargano turns it into a pin attempt for 2 as Priest kicks out just in time.
Gargano goes back to Priest's hurt knee. Gargano with strikes while Priest is on his knees now. Priest rocks Gargano. Gargano with a spinning lariat. They trade more big strikes in the middle of the ring. Gargano with an enziguri. Priest with a big pump kick. Priest with a flying forearm to finally drop Gargano. Priest gets hyped up in the corner now as fans rally. Gargano ducks a big kick and sends Priest shoulder-first into the ring post. Gargano dumps Priest over the top rope to the floor. Gargano ends up out but he blocks a chokeslam. Gargano fights from the apron but Priest delivers a big kick, taking his leg out and sending him to the floor. They're both on the floor now as the referee counts and fans pound the Plexiglas.
Priest with a big Razor's Edge on the edge of the apron. Priest rolls Gargano in for the pin but Gargano kicks out at 2. Priest leaps into the corner but Gargano comes out and chop blocks his knee out in mid-air. The referee checks on Priest but he's still in it. Gargano charges but gets clotheslined. Gargano fights Priest off with several kicks now. Gargano goes for the GargaNo Escape but it's blocked. More back and forth now. Gargano blocks The Reckoning and hits a standing Sliced Bread. Gargano with a diving forearm to the back for a close 2 count. Gargano waits in the corner and mocks Priest with his arrow. They tangle and Gargano rolls Priest for a close 2 count in the middle of the ring.
Priest charges but Gargano hits him from the apron. Priest avoids One Final Beat. They go back and forth again but Priest drives Gargano into the mat with the sitdown chokeslam. Gargano still kicks out just in time. Priest goes to the top but Gargano rolls to the apron and to the floor, stumbling round at ringside. Priest runs the ring and leaps out but Gargano moves and pulls two crew members into the way. Priest collides with the two security guards and they go down. The referee calls for help.
Gargano hits a low blow in the middle of the chaos at ringside. Gargano rolls Priest in and hits a superkick to the face but Priest still kicks out at 2. Gargano goes for the GargaNo Escape in the middle of the ring again. Priest tries to get the bottom rope but he's pulled back and the hold is re-applied. Priest finally gets his leg on the bottom rope and the hold is broken. Gargano drives knees into Priest's shoulder now. Gargano looks out at the steel ring steps at ringside. He rocks Priest on the apron. Gargano charges to knock Priest off onto the steps pieces but Priest blocks him from the apron. Priest tries to suplex Gargano out onto the steel but Gargano blocks it. Gargano with a running forearm but Priest hangs on. Priest with a kick to the face from the apron. Priest comes back in the ring but Gargano superkicks him, and again. Priest goes down.
Priest blocks One Final Beat again. Priest catches Gargano, still on the middle rope, and hits The Reckoning from the middle rope. Priest covers for the pin to win and retain.
Winner: Damian Priest
- After the match, Priest recovers as the music hits. Priest gets back to his feet as we go to replays. Priest stands tall and raises the title in the middle of the ring now. Priest pulls back and fires his invisible arrow into the LED boards going around the CWC.
- We see footage of The Undisputed Era (Kyle O'Reilly, Adam Cole, Bobby Fish, Roderick Strong) and NXT Champion Finn Balor arriving earlier today.
- A video package for the next match airs.
Kushida vs. The Velveteen Dream
We go back to the ring and out first is Kushida. The Velveteen Dream makes his entrance next. Kushida attacks early after Dream turns his back.
They bawl with Kushida getting the upperhand. Dream goes to the floor and he's furious. He grabs a steel chair and tosses it around, throwing it into the ring. The bell rings while Dream is still on the floor. Dream comes back in but Kushida goes for his leg, taking him down to the mat. Kushida grounds Dream and works him over. Kushida keeps control and avoids a shot after the referee counts for him to back off against the ropes.
Dream chases Kushida around the ring now. Kushida kicks back and takes his leg out. Kushida returns to the ring and knocks Dream back off the apron to the floor for a pop. Kushida takes Dream back down with a stiff arm breaker. Dream pleads and backs away but Kushida stays on top of him. Kushida with an inverted Atomic Drop. Kushida keeps Dream down and works on his arm as Dream screams out.
They end up on the floor as Dream keeps fighting. Dream goes back to the top and leaps to the floor, taking Kushida down with a big right hand. Dream sends Kushida face-first into the barrier as the referee continues counting. They bring it back in and Dream rocks Kushida with a big uppercut. Kushida kicks out at 1. Dream continues beating Kushida around the ring, taking it to the corner and taunting the crowd for louder boos. More back and forth now. Dream locks in a Sleeper hold and takes Kushida down in the middle of the ring. Kushida eventually gets free and rocks Dream a few times.
Kushida tackles Dream and mounts him with strikes. Kushida with a hip toss into a dropkick to the jaw. Kushida dominates Dream more while he's down, focusing on the shoulders and the back. Kushida stomps away on Dream's face now as the referee warns him. Dream ends up sent shoulder-first into the ring post. The crowd wants more and Kushida delivers, yanking him hard into the post once again by his arms. Kushida runs and dropkicks the steel steps into Dream's arm, which is hanging down from the corner.
Kushida comes back in but Dream nails a big superkick. Kushida blocks the Purple Rainmaker and applies the cross armbreaker for a pop. Dream screams out but eventually slides out of the ring to break it. Kushida keeps it held but the referee tries to break it as Dream rocks him from the floor, possibly poking him in the eye. Dream comes back in and delivers another right hand, then a powerbomb for a 2 count. Kushida goes right into another arm bar. The hold is broken. Dream with a Dream Valley Driver in the middle of the ring. Dream goes back up and hits the Purple Rainmaker but he also lands bad and can't capitalize.
Dream crawls over and drapes his arm for a pin but Kushida kicks out at 2. Dream with a big clothesline. Dream goes back up for another Purple Rainmaker but Kushida runs and jumps up with him. They tangle. Kushida brings Dream to the mat and applies the Hoverboard Lock. Dream yells out in pain as the referee checks on him. Dream gets his foot on the bottom rope but Kushida rolls back through and gets the hold locked again. Dream gets to his feet and turns the hold into a Dream Valley Driver attempt. He nails it but Kushida keeps the Hoverboard Locked and tightens it with the DVD. Dream quickly taps out for the finish.
Winner: Kushida
- After the match, Kushida recovers as his music hits. We go to replays. Kushida attacks Dream while he's down and goes right for the arm. Dream screams out in pain. The bell rings over and over but Kushida won't break the hold. Additional referees hit the ring and they finally get Kushida off Dream. Kushida charges again and attacks Dream while he's down, applying another submission on the arm. Kushida finally breaks it and storms off to the back as Dream whimpers on the mat, dazed and in pain.
- We get a promo for the Halloween Havoc edition of NXT TV on Wednesday, October 28.
- We see Candice LeRae warming up for her title shot.
- Vic sends us to a promo for tonight's Cruiserweight Title match.
:cruiserweight:
NXT Cruiserweight Title Match: Isaiah "Swerve" Scott vs. Santos Escobar
We go back to the ring and out first comes Isaiah "Swerve" Scott as Alicia Taylor does the introductions. Out next is Legado del Fantasma - NXT Cruiserweight Champion Santos Escobar with Raul Mendoza and Joaquin Wilde. Escobar takes off his sombrero and his mask, and gives it to his partners. He heads to the ring by himself.
The bell rings and they go at it, back and forth to start. They show each other up some and tangle in the middle of the ring. Escobar with an early pin attempt. They end up on the floor and Swerve hits a big moonsault to take Escobar down. Swerve hits two more big high-risk moves from the ring to the floor. Swerve brings Escobar back into the ring for a 2 count as fans chant "NXT!" now. Escobar goes back out for a breather and Swerve follows. Swerve bends Escobar's elbow around the ring post as the referee counts. Swerve brings it back in for a 2 count.
Swerve grounds Escobar now, focusing on his arm. Escobar mounts some offense now. Escobar hits a big suicide dive, driving Swerve into the new barriers. Escobar brings it back in and drops Swerve with a clothesline to boos. The champ takes Swerve to the top and rocks him as they tangle. Escobar with a big Frankensteiner. Escobar drops an elbow for a 2 count.
Escobar stands on Swerve as the referee warns him. They trade some trash talking in the middle of the ring before unloading on each other. Swerve fights back and beats Escobar into the corner. Swerve unloads out of frustration now, beating Escobar down for a pop. Swerve with a big clothesline as fans cheer him on. Escobar goes to the floor for a breather but Swerve stays on him. Swerve brings it back in and ends up hitting a big Rolling Thunder Flatliner. Escobar still kicks out at 2.
Swerve goes to the top but Escobar cuts him off. Swerve stays in it and hits a big DDT from the corner for a close 2 count. Swerve has Escobar against the ropes now. Wilde and Mendoza run down and hit the apron for a distraction. They jump back down to the floor as Escobar takes advantage, hitting a big shoulder breaker for a close 2 count. Swerve gets up on the apron now but Escobar is waiting. He charges but Swerve crotches him on the top rope. Swerve rocks Escobar while he's sitting on the top rope. Swerve leaps and launches Escobar down to the floor into his partners with a big hurricanrana.
Ashante "Thee" Adonis runs down now and attacks Mendoza and Wilde to make the save, taking them and Escobar down at ringside. Swerve helps him but returns to the ring where Escobar is waiting with a kick. Escobar keeps fighting and hit a superkick to the jaw. Escobar follows up with the Phantom Driver but somehow Swerve kicks out at 2. More back and forth now. Escobar keeps control and hits the Three Amigos suplexes as fans boo him. Escobar goes back to the top for the Frogsplash but he may have slipped as he hits the mat and Swerve moves. Fans pop as Swerve snaps Escobar's arm back with a boot. Swerve with the House Call kick to the head. Swerve goes to the top and hits the 450 but Escobar kicks out and the crowd can't believe it. Swerve is shocked in the corner now.
Fans chant "this is awesome!" now as both Superstars end up on the floor. They tangle on the apron and Swerve gets knocked down. They say he hit his head on the exposed steel from the turnbuckle, which was done earlier, but it looks like he barely hit it if at all. Escobar brings Swerve back in and follows up with a big double underhook Facebuster into his knee. Escobar covers for the pin to retain.
Winner: Santos Escobar
- After the match, the music hits as Escobar recovers and takes his title. We go to replays. Escobar poses on the stage and raises his title in the air now.
- Back from a break and the announcers thank Corey Taylor for his "Culture Head" single, which is the theme song for tonight.
- We see Kyle O'Reilly and Finn Balor backstage preparing for the main event.
- Beth leads us to a video package for tonight's Women's Title match.
:nxtwomen:
NXT Women's Title Match: Candice LeRae vs. Io Shirai
We go back to the ring and out first comes Candice LeRae. NXT Women's Champion Io Shirai is out next. Taylor does formal ring introductions.
The bell rings and they face off. Shirai shoves LeRae after some trash talking. They go at it and run the ropes. Shirai shows LeRae up and hip tosses her, then dropkicks her on the mat. LeRae rolls to the floor to regroup and she's angry as fans boo. The referee counts and LeRae runs back in. They go at it again and tangle in the middle of the ropes. LeRae side-steps and goes for a monkey flip from the corner but Shirai lands on her feet. Shirai looks to follow up with a boot in the corner but LeRae quickly rolls to the floor to avoid it.
LeRae comes back to the apron but Shirai grabs her and thrusts to the gut. Shirai tries to hit the sunset bomb to the floor but LeRae holds on. LeRae ends up springboarding from the bottom rope, sending Shirai into the barrier. LeRae brings Shirai back to the apron but gets kicked in the face. Shirai with a big moonsault from the middle rope to the floor. Shirai brings it back in for a 2 count. Shirai kicks LeRae around now. Shirai with strikes in the corner as the referee warns her. Shirai with more offense in the corner, driving the knees into LeRae. Shirai with another 2 count.
Shirai continues to dominate until LeRae hits a big Backstabber out of the corner from the middle turnbuckle. Shirai kicks out at 2. LeRae grounds Shirai with a chinlock now. LeRae fights off Shirai and they tangle some more. LeRae levels Shirai with a lariat for a 2 count in the middle of the ring. LeRae grinds Shirai across the middle rope. LeRae laughs at Shirai before going back to work. LeRae with a Blockbuster for another close 2 count. Shirai is still holding her nose from having it ran across the rope earlier. LeRae smirks and grounds Shirai in the middle of the ring again. The crowd continues to rally for the champ but LeRae slams her back down by her hair for another 2 count.
LeRae kicks Shirai while she's down. LeRae with a backbreaker in the middle of the ring. Shirai kicks out at 2. LeRae rams Shirai into the turnbuckles and then wastes some time showing off. LeRae with a running uppercut into the corner. LeRae taunts Shirai against the ropes now. LeRae drops Shirai and keeps pounding on her as fans rally. LeRae beats Shirai into one corner and then slams her face-first into turnbuckles in another corner as the referee warns her. LeRae stomps away on Shirai, putting her back down in a corner. LeRae taunts Shirai and shoves her face while she's down. LeRae tosses Shirai across the ring a few times. Shirai keeps control and delivers a suplex from the corner for another close pin attempt. LeRae goes right into another pin attempt and now she looks frustrated.
LeRae continues to dominate, grounding Shirai in the middle of the ring. Shirai mounts some offense for her comeback now. Shirai with a double stomp out of a pin attempt. The referee counts while they're both down and the crowd rallies. They get up and Shirai knocks her down with shoulder tackles. Shirai with a Flapjack in the middle of the ring. Shirai hits 619 while LeRae is dazed on her feet.
Shirai springboards in from the apron, nailing the missile dropkick. LeRae kicks out at 2. Shirai looks to finish LeRae off but she blocks it and drops Shirai on her face. LeRae with a senton to the lower back. A springboard moonsault turn it around but doesn't hit all the way. Shirai with a double underhook into a backbreaker. Shirai goes to the corner but gets slammed to the mat. Shirai comes with a Meteora in the corner. LeRae counters a move and rolls Shirai for 2. Shirai comes back with an open palm thrust. Shirai with a German suplex. LeRae comes back with a snap German of her own. LeRae with a Backstabber in the middle of the ring. LeRae with a second rope moonsault for a close 2 count and LeRae can't believe it.
LeRae smacks Shirai around and taunts her. Shirai takes a shot and pulls LeRae down into the Crossface in the middle of the ring. LeRae struggles and screams out. LeRae turns it into a 2 count as Shirai kicks out. LeRae with a submission now. Shirai tries to make it to the bottom rope but LeRae avoids it and keeps it locked. Shirai finally grabs the bottom rope for a pop. Shirai looks to deck Shirai but accidentally hits the referee with an elbow. She sees an opportunity and goes for Shirai but Shirai counters and lands the Air Raid Crash. Shirai goes to the top for the moonsault but LeRae gets her knees up. Shirai lands on the knees and gets knocked into the referee. The referee has been hit twice now and ends up on the floor, possibly taken out for good. LeRae ends up hitting the Wicked Stepsister. LeRae covers but there is no referee. Johnny Gargano runs down wearing a referee t-shirt as fans boo.
Gargano counts the pin but Shirai kicks out. LeRae and Gargano aren't happy. Gargano goes to ringside and grabs the title belt, saying it belongs to his wife. He returns to the ring with the belt but the original referee has recovered, but is hurting. He argues with Gargano for the title and it gets dropped. The two referees argue about who needs to leave now. LeRae picks the title up and nails Shirai in the face with it. Gargano stops arguing and exits the ring. The referee turns around to count LeRae's pin attempt but Shirai kicks out at 2.
The Garganos are furious now. LeRae goes to the top but Shirai rocks her in the jaw with an open palm strike. Shirai climbs up and hits the super Spanish Fly on LeRae. Shirai leaps back to the top and hits her big moonsault for the pin to retain.
Winner: Io Shirai
- After the match, the music hits as Shirai recovers. We go to replays. Shirai raises the title in the middle of the ring now. NXT UK Superstar Toni Storm suddenly appears on the big screen and congratulates Shirai. Storm also wants to make sure Shirai and everyone else has their head on a swivel because as of right now, Storm is back in NXT. She promises to turn NXT upside down and inside out, and reminds everyone that NXT has, and always will be, Toni Time. She will see us soon. Shirai nods her head and gives a thumbs up to end the segment.
We see the mystery figure arrive to the building on a motorcycle, with the same interface we've seen over the past few weeks in the teaser promos. Shirai is shown watching in the ring. The mystery person enters the arena and stands on the stage as the lights come up. They remove their helmet and it's Ember Moon, making her return to TV. She stares back at the ring and acknowledges the crowd as Shirai looks on to end the segment.
- McKenzie Mitchell is backstage with Ashante "Thee" Adonis, asking about why he helped Isaiah "Swerve" Scott fight off Legado del Fantasma. Adonis says he wanted to help his brother out, but is also tired of seeing Legado del Fantasma attack everyone. But enough about them, it's all about Adonis now. He goes on about his "swag" being on 1000, and raps some. He says it's showtime and then walks away.
- We get a video package for tonight's main event.
:nxtchamp:
NXT Title Match: Kyle O'Reilly vs. Finn Balor
We see Kyle O'Reilly backstage greeting his partners in The Undisputed Era - Adam Cole, Roderick Strong and Bobby Fish. The music hits and O'Reilly makes his way out to a pop. NXT Champion Finn Balor is out next. We get formal ring introductions from Taylor.
The bell rings and they size each other up as the crowd makes noise. They go at it and O'Reilly takes Balor down to the mat. They tangle and trade holds, then show each other up to their feet. They trade more holds on the mat now, going back and forth. O'Reilly works on the arm and kicks Balor on their feet now. O'Reilly keeps focus on the arm, and knees Balor back to his knees. O'Reilly controls Balor and grounds him by the arm now. O'Reilly continues to dominate while grounding Balor.
Balor counters and comes up with a big dropkick to the face while O'Reilly is on the mat. O'Reilly tries to fight up but Balor keeps him down. Balor grounds O'Reilly in the middle of the ring now and works him over while down. They go to the corner and Balor unloads with big strikes to the back. Balor also puts more focus on the arm. Balor with a big chop in the corner now. Balor goes from corner to corner, keeping control and delivering more chops. O'Reilly finally turns it around and levels Balor. O'Reilly with a big kick to the chest as Balor charges. O'Reilly with more strikes to the chest, dropping Balor in the middle of the ring to take back control.
O'Reilly goes on and ends up hitting two big double underhook suplexes, and a DDT but Balor kicks out at 2. Balor goes on and fights off a suplex with kicks. Balor with more chops. The strikes continue to go back & forth in the middle of the ring. Balor delivers a stiff spin kick to the chest and he goes down. O'Reilly rolls around in pain and the referee checks on him. Balor attacks while O'Reilly is down and the referee warns him. Balor delivers more big kicks while the challenger is down as fans boo him. The referee backs Balor off once again. Fans try to rally O'Reilly but he's hurt.
Balor takes it back to the corner and delivers shoulder thrusts. Balor whips O'Reilly chest-first into the corner and he hits the turnbuckles, then goes back down. Balor keeps punishing O'Reilly near the corner now. The referee checks again but O'Reilly is staying in it. Balor kicks O'Reilly some more and applies another submission. Balor puts O'Reilly back to the mat but he kicks out at 2. O'Reilly avoids a shot into the turnbuckles but Balor stays on him. Balor with an abdominal stretch in the middle of the ring. O'Reilly fights him off and hip tosses him. Balor chops O'Reilly against the ropes. O'Reilly follows him with the same. O'Reilly with a Regalplex in the middle of the ring but Balor kicks out at 2 as fans rally for the challenger.
They get up and Balor delivers shots to the back from behind. Balor drops O'Reilly in the middle of the ring but O'Reilly kicks out once again. Balor waits for O'Reilly and then delivers Slingblade in the middle of the ring. Balor waits for the challenger to get up again. Balor charges but O'Reilly dropkicks the knee out. O'Reilly ends up caught in an abdominal stretch in the middle of the ring. We see blood coming from his mouth now. O'Reilly blocks a 1916 counter and drops him onto the knee. O'Reilly and Balor tangle some more with holds on the mat. Balor applies a Sharpshooter.
O'Reilly crawls for the bottom rope and finally breaks the Sharpshooter. O'Reilly crawls to the corner with a bloody mouth as the referee checks on him. Balor with a kick to the face, and another. Balor continues kicking O'Reilly around and talking trash while he crawls. Balor stomps away in the corner now as the referee warns him, then checks on O'Reilly to see if he can continue. O'Reilly catches the next boot from Balor. O'Reilly gets to his feet and they trade strikes. O'Reilly unloads but Balor nails a pele kick. O'Reilly comes right back with a lariat and they both go down in the middle of the ring. Fans chant "this is awesome!" while they're both down now.
O'Reilly gets to his feet first and kicks Balor in the chest. O'Reilly tells Balor to bring it. Balor catches a kick and rocks him in the face. Balor goes for 1916 but O'Reilly counters. Balor blocks that but O'Reilly has a guillotine applied now. Balor goes down to his knees while in the guillotine. O'Reilly with a running knee. O'Reilly with a Brainbuster for a 2 count in the middle of the ring. O'Reilly goes right into an arm bar but Balor is resisting.
Balor keeps fighting and eventually gets free. They're both on the mat trying to regroup. Balor attacks from behind on the mat with forearms. Balor grabs O'Reilly and powers up, then brings him right back down with a big 1916. O'Reilly still kicks out. Balor goes to the top but wastes some time on the apron. He climbs up but O'Reilly kicks the rope to crotch him. O'Reilly grabs Balor's leg and hits a Dragon Screw leg whip into the ropes. O'Reilly does this again but to the middle rope while they're both standing. Balor is still hung up on the middle rope. O'Reilly goes to the top and nails a big double knees to the chest. O'Reilly goes to the top while Balor is down in the middle of the ring now. O'Reilly with a flying knee drop to Balor's knee. O'Reilly goes right into the ankle lock now.
Balor tries to fight free from the hold but O'Reilly goes into the heel hook. Balor fights and screams while O'Reilly has both heels locked in now. O'Reilly tightens and has the submission applied for a few minutes now. Balor finally crawls to the bottom rope and grabs it to break the hold. Fans chant "NXT!" now while they're both down. The referee checks on them and they start to recover. They get up and O'Reilly kicks Balor back down. Balor dodges a kick. Balor almost suckers O'Reilly in with a hesitation, immediately takes him down and delivers a double foot stomp. They tangle some more and we get a German suplex but Balor rolls through and nails a double stomp to the chest. The crowd goes wild at the back & forth action but they're both moving slow now.
Balor moves to the apron and slowly pulls himself up. He climbs back to the top and delivers the Coup de Grace for the pin to retain.
Winner: Finn Balor
- After the match, the crowd gets louder as the music hits. Balor, with blood also coming from his mouth now, snatches the NXT Title belt from the referee and stands tall. Balor puts the belt around his waist as we go to replays with the referee raising his arm. We come back from replays and Balor is approaching O'Reilly, who is still down in the corner. Balor extends his arm to help O'Reilly up and O'Reilly lets him. They do a show of respect as the "NXT!" chant breaks out. O'Reilly raises Balor's arm in victory as they stand together.
We suddenly see Ridge Holland standing on the other side of the barrier, staring at O'Reilly and Balor. He has a knocked out Adam Cole over his shoulder. Balor and O'Reilly turn and see Holland standing there with Cole. Holland drops Cole over the barrier, to the floor at ringside. A furious Roderick Strong and Bobby Fish run down to check on Cole but Holland has disappeared. The 31st Takeover event goes off the air with Balor and The Undisputed Era tending to Cole at ringside, furious at Holland getting away.
