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The second night of NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver was expected to be as good as the first one. A new Women’s Champion was crowned on the first night of TakeOver, and fans expected more titles to change hands on the second night.
Santos Escobar and Jordan Devlin competed in the first match on the main show. Escobar headbutted Devlin on top of the ladder in the final moments of the match and managed to retrieve the title to become the undisputed Cruiserweight Champion. Can anyone dethrone the leader of Legado del Fantasma?
Shotzi Blackheart and Ember Moon defended their NXT Women’s Tag Team Championships against Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell. Blackheart and Moon were able to retain their titles after a good match. Did WWE do the right thing by introducing separate tag team titles for the women of NXT?
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Karrion Kross defeated Finn Balor to win back the NXT Championship at TakeOver. Is there anyone who can hand Kross his first singles loss in the company?
Kyle O’Reilly got his revenge in the final match of the night after he pinned Adam Cole in a brutal Unsanctioned Match. What does the future hold for the two men following the contest?
Let’s take a look at the five biggest questions from the second night of NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver.
#5 Why did the match between Santos Escobar and Jordan Devlin at NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver feel so awkward?
The ladder match between Santos Escobar and Jordan Devlin was one of the most anticipated matches of NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver. It was one of the only matches with a special stipulation.
Escobar and Devlin are both cruiserweights who are known to be great high-flying superstars. This was a chance for both men to display their full potential on a big stage.
While Devlin performed some death-defying moves, the match never really got going like it should have. Escobar did not seem as comfortable and fluid as he usually does, and he did not deliver many big moves.
Why did Escobar not deliver as he should have? And why did their encounter feel so awkward in the initial and middle phases of the match? Escobar even missed the final headbutt by a mile but still picked up the win.
As the Cruiserweight Champions, both men should have delivered and made this a Match of the Year candidate. However, unlike the NXT UK Championship and the Women’s Championship match, the match failed to make a lasting impression.
Did both men miss a chance to give a memorable performance at TakeOver? It certainly seemed so.
#4 Should Jordan Devlin have won at WWE NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver?
Jordan Devlin was not pleased when an interim NXT Cruiserweight Championship tournament was held during the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. Devlin wanted to prove that he was the one and only NXT Cruiserweight Champion in the company.
After travel restrictions were relaxed, Devlin flew from the United Kingdom to the United States to challenge the interim NXT Cruiserweight Champion. The angle made for a great story as Santos Escobar had been doing extremely well as a heel champion.
Both men competed in a ladder match at TakeOver: Stand & Deliver with a chance to unify the NXT Cruiserweight Championships. The two superstars stood an equal chance of winning the titles, and Escobar was able to unify the titles at the end of it all.
While Escobar has been a great champion, should NXT have allowed Devlin to pick up the victory instead? The Irish Ace had a much better story coming into this match. He had a lot of momentum, and winning the title would have allowed him to defend it against some 205 Live competitors.
Devlin never got a chance to show his potential to the entire NXT Universe as his reign was largely restricted to NXT UK. Would it have been better for Devlin to retain his title and compete against some of the best in the United States?
#3 Will the loss dent Bronson Reed’s Colossal image after NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver?
Bronson Reed competed in two good matches at NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver. On the first night of the event, he competed in a Gauntlet Match to become the #1 contender to the NXT North American Championship.
He won the match even though Dexter Lumis was the favorite from the start. This gave Reed a massive opportunity to win his first title in WWE.
On night two of NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver, Reed competed in a match against Johnny Gargano for the North American Championship. Despite having the power advantage, Reed lost after interferences from Austin Theory.
Reed had his eyes on the North American Championship since KUSHIDA was feuding with Gargano. However, he failed to deliver on the biggest stage when given the chance.
Will the loss dent The Colossal’s image in NXT? There is no shame in losing to Gargano, but Reed had made tall claims over the past few months.
Should NXT have picked someone else to face Gargano if they planned on letting him retain the title? This was Reed’s first televised shot at a championship in the company. How long will it take for Reed to get another shot at a title in NXT?
#2 Why were there only three women’s matches at NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver?
NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver was arguably the biggest event in the brand’s history. Every single champion of the brand defended their title during the first-ever two-night TakeOver event.
Almost every single superstar who was part of the event delivered. This ensured that the quality of both nights remained high. However, why did NXT book such few women’s matches during the two-night TakeOver?
A total of three women’s matches were held at the event. Only two of those three matches were held on the main show. Both of those matches were for championships. Even though Io Shirai and Raquel Gonzalez main-evented the first night of TakeOver, WWE could have booked a couple of more women’s matches for the show.
The men had a few non-title matches during the show. On the other hand, Toni Storm and Zoey Stark competed on the pre-show of TakeOver.
With top superstars such as Dakota Kai, Xia Li, Mercedes Martinez, and Aliyah on the brand, NXT could have looked to book another grudge rivalry to balance the matches out.
#1 Is the main roster the right place for Adam Cole after his loss at NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver?
Adam Cole and Kyle O’Reilly had an epic Unsanctioned Match at NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver. The two superstars went to the extreme and tried to punish each other in an attempt to pick up the victory.
The match showed shades of the series of bouts between Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa in the past. In the end, O’Reilly pinned Cole to come out as the better man at TakeOver.
Cole has had an excellent career in NXT. He has won the Tag Team Championship, North American Championship, and the NXT Championship. Many fans see him as the greatest NXT Champion of all time. Is Cole finally ready to move to the main roster?
Over the years, fans have seen many top superstars move from NXT to the main roster and fail to get the same level of opportunities they got at the Black & Gold brand. Seth Rollins, Drew McIntyre, and Big E are a few names that have made it big on the main roster.
However, former NXT Champions such as Bo Dallas, Aleister Black, Andrade, Samoa Joe, and Robert Roode have failed to replicate their success on the main roster. Will it be wise to have Cole move to the main roster at a time when several superstars are still waiting for their chance?
Should The Panama City Playboy continue to remain in NXT just like Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa? Or can he make an impact on the main roster if he makes the move?
