NXT Takeover: War Games II Report Card

NXT Takeover War Games II took place this past Saturday, starting at 7 pm on the WWE Network. The pay-per-view card featured an impromptu match between Matt Riddle & Kassius Ohno, a 2-out-of-3 falls match for the NXT Women's Championship between Shayna Baszler & Kairi Sane, a match between Johnny Gargano & Aleister Black, an NXT Championship match between Tommaso Ciampa & the Velveteen Dream, and a War Games match between the Undisputed Era & the team of the War Raiders, Ricochet, & Pete Dunne.

Kassius Ohno vs Matt Riddle

Result: Matt Riddle immediately defeats Kassius Ohno via pinfall with a Running Bicycle Knee.

Grade: B-

Analysis: There was not a lot of action in this match to grade. This did present Matt Riddle as a star. Matt Riddle literally hijacked NXT Takeover War Games: II and the crowd loved every single minute of it. Matt Riddle was extremely over and already looks like one of WWE's biggest future stars. It is nice that Matt Riddle was given an opportunity to shine at an NXT Takeover event this early in the year. It would have been nice to see a little bit more of a match between these superstars since they both definitely have the talent inside of them to have a great match.

However, the squash match worked with the storyline of this match. Kassius Ohno talked a lot of trash about Matt Riddle calling him a "shiny new toy". Matt Riddle then simply proved him wrong. If there is a rematch between Matt Riddle & Kassius Ohno at some point in the near future on an episode of NXT, all will be forgiven. This can potentially lead to a heel turn from Kassius Ohno or even a potential call-up to the main roster. Kassius Ohno can also possibly look for retribution as late as NXT Takeover: Phoenix although that would be pretty surprising. Meanwhile, Matt Riddle can possibly feud with Adam Cole or even Aleister Black.

NXT Women's Championship 2 out of 3 Falls Match: Shayna Baszler (c.) vs Kairi Sane

This match is what was scheduled to be the actual opener for NXT Takeover War Games: II.

Result: Shayna Baszler defeats Kairi Sane via submission with the Kirafuda Clutch to win the first fall, Kairi Sane then defeats Shayna Baszler via pinfall with the Insane Elbow to win the second fall, Shayna Baszler finally defeats Kairi Sane via pinfall by countering the Insane Elbow Drop into a roll up to get the win.

Grade: B+

Analysis: This was great as a red hot opener. Both women started 120 miles per hour and just would not slow down at all. These two women have developed the level of chemistry with each other that allows them to have a good match with each other every single time that they face off. It would have been nice to see the match be given some more time, however, it still worked as a quick sprint of a match. Both women hit innovative moves and covers including a beautiful satellite DDT counter from Kairi Sane on the apron. It was pretty predictable to see Marina Shafir & Jessamyn Duke interfering once again.

However, it was a nice surprise to see Dakota Kai and Io Shirai show up to even the odds. Kairi Sane, Io Shirai, & Dakota Kai are being positioned as the biggest faces in the NXT Women's division and that is rightfully so. We will likely see a 6 women tag team match between the two trios. That would be a pretty good idea as Io Shirai, Dakota Kai, Kairi Sane, & Shayna Baszler are all talented enough to help guide Marina Shafir & Jessamyn Duke through their first big match.

Aleister Black vs Johnny Gargano

This was the best match of the night.

Result: Aleister Black defeats Johnny Gargano via pinfall with Black Mass.

Grade: A+

Analysis: What a match! These 2 superstars absolutely stole the show and had the best match of the night by far. This match was the hardest match to predict making the match even better. This match was hard hitting and the near falls and false finishes were simply excellent. It was interesting to see Johnny Gargano tease wanting Aleister Black to kick him. This shows that Johnny Gargano is starting to crave redemption. Aleister Black's words at the end of the match were also interesting. He said, "I absolve you of your sins" before knocking Johnny Gargano out with the Black Mass. Johnny Gargano was given the chance to redeem himself and it would be reasonable to predict that he manages to do so.

Meanwhile, Aleister Black will move on to face Tommaso Ciampa for the NXT Championship at some point in the future. This can be the ideal place for Johnny Gargano to redeem himself.

NXT Championship: Tommaso Ciampa (c.) vs The Velveteen Dream

This was The Velveteen Dream's first ever NXT Championship opportunity.

Result: Tommaso Ciampa defeats The Velveteen Dream via pinfall with a Draping DDT on the steel in between the 2 rings to retain the NXT Championship.

Grade: A+

Analysis: This was a barnburner of a match. Both men worked hard to follow the match between Johnny Gargano & Aleister Black before them. While it was not as good as the Johnny Gargano vs Aleister Black match before it, it was still great. This match was somehow more violent than the match before it as it featured Tommaso Ciampa knocking The Velveteen Dream out with a knee, a modified DDT on the NXT Title, a Death Valley Driver on the concrete, and a DDT on the steel.

While the match itself was pretty predictable, a lot occurred in this match to make it seem like The Velveteen Dream would actually get the win. It was shocking when Tommaso Ciampa kicked out of the Elbow Drop. Tommaso Ciampa will likely move on to defend the NXT Championship against Aleister Black and possibly Johnny Gargano in the future while The Velveteen Dream may start a rivalry with Undisputed Era.

War Games: Pete Dunne, Ricochet, & the War Raiders vs The Undisputed Era

Result: Pete Dunne, Ricochet, & the War Raiders defeated the Undisputed Era after both Pete Dunne & Ricochet pinned Adam Cole with a Bitter End/Springboard 450 Splash combination.

Grade: A+

Analysis: This was an absolutely brutal brawl. It was just as action packed as the last War Games match. The one thing that was really good about this match was that there was more of a story in this match than there was in the last match.

The Undisputed Era were clearly the heels of this matchup as they locked Pete Dunne in his cage to prevent him from even being able to enter the matchup. It was also great to see Pete Dunne be the one that brought in all of the weapons as it works for his character. The War Raiders also looked great as they have not had a truly great match in NXT until NXT Takeover: War Games II with Hanson, in particular, looking like a star. Hanson hit crazy moves including a splash through a table and a powerbomb to every single man in the match. Ricochet as always was the crazy athlete as his double rotation moonsault off of the top of the cage was beautiful.

It was also the right result for Ricochet, Pete Dunne, & the War Raiders to get the win. Ricochet can now possibly face Adam Cole or Roderick Strong for the North American Championship. Adam Cole can also possibly face EC3 or the Velveteen Dream. It will be interesting to see if the NXT Tag Team Titles go back to Bobby Fish & Kyle O'Reilly now that Bobby Fish is back. Whatever the case is, the War Raiders will definitely challenge for the NXT Tag Team Titles in the near future.

Edited by Vikshith R