NXT TakeOver: Phoenix was the 23rd NXT TakeOver professional wrestling livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was held exclusively for wrestlers from the promotion's NXT brand division. The event aired exclusively on the WWE Network and took place on January 26, 2019, at the Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Arizona as part of that year's Royal Rumble weekend.
| NXT TakeOver: Phoenix | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| Promotion | WWE | ||
| Brand(s) | NXT | ||
| Date | January 26, 2019 | ||
| City | Phoenix, Arizona | ||
| Venue | Talking Stick Resort Arena | ||
| WWE Network event chronology | |||
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| NXT TakeOver chronology | |||
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Five matches were contested at the event. In the main event, Tommaso Ciampa defeated Aleister Black to retain the NXT Championship. In the penultimate match, Shayna Baszler defeated Bianca Belair by technical submission to retain the NXT Women's Championship. In other prominent matches, Johnny Gargano defeated Ricochet to win the NXT North American Championship, and in the opening bout, War Raiders (Hanson and Rowe) defeating The Undisputed Era (Kyle O'Reilly and Roderick Strong) to win the NXT Tag Team Championship.
Production
editBackground
edit
TakeOver was a series of professional wrestling shows that began in May 2014, as WWE's then-developmental league NXT held their second WWE Network-exclusive event, billed as TakeOver.[1] In subsequent months, the "TakeOver" moniker became the brand used by WWE for all of their NXT live specials. Announced on January 24, 2018, TakeOver: Phoenix was scheduled as the 23rd NXT TakeOver event and was held on January 26, 2019, as a support show for that year's Royal Rumble pay-per-view. It was held at the Talking Stick Resort Arena and was named after the venue's city of Phoenix, Arizona.[2] Tickets went on sale on October 26.[3]
Storylines
editThe card included matches that resulted from scripted storylines, where wrestlers portrayed heroes, villains, or less distinguishable characters that built tension and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches. Results were predetermined by WWE's writers on the NXT brand, while storylines were produced on WWE's weekly television program, NXT.[4][5]
On the July 25, 2018, episode of NXT, Tommaso Ciampa defeated Aleister Black to win the NXT Championship when interference by Johnny Gargano, who was feuding with Ciampa at the time, backfired and instead he cost Black the title.[6] After their interaction, in August, Black was injured by Gargano backstage, preventing him from getting his rematch against Ciampa.[7] Black returned a few months later[8] and on the December 5 episode, a match between the two was scheduled for TakeOver: Phoenix.[9]
On the December 26, 2018, episode of NXT, after three weeks of qualifying matches,[9][10] Bianca Belair defeated Io Shirai, Lacey Evans, and Mia Yim in a fatal four-way match to become the new number one contender for the NXT Women's Championship.[11]
On the January 9, 2019, episode of NXT, War Raiders attacked The Undisputed Era during EC3's match with Adam Cole. General Manager of NXT, William Regal announced via Twitter that at TakeOver: Phoenix, The Undisputed Era's Kyle O'Reilly and Roderick Strong would defend their NXT Tag Team Championship against The War Raiders.[12]
On the December 19, 2018, episode of NXT, Johnny Gargano defeated Aleister Black in a Steel Cage match after interference from Tommaso Ciampa.[13] The following week, via a video recording, Ciampa suggested that Gargano go after the NXT North American Championship so he and Gargano could "take over the world" in NXT.[11] On the January 9, 2019, episode, champion Ricochet told Gargano that he only needed to ask for a title shot, though he questioned if Gargano would ask face-to-face or attack from behind, referencing Gargano's attack on Black. Ciampa came out to further the conflict between Ricochet and Gargano, but was attacked by Black. This confrontation distracted Ricochet, allowing Gargano to give him a superkick, and the match was made official later in the night.[12]
Event
edit| Role: | Name: |
|---|---|
| English commentators | Mauro Ranallo |
| Nigel McGuinness | |
| Percy Watson | |
| Spanish commentators | Carlos Cabrera |
| Marcelo Rodríguez | |
| Ring announcer | Kayla Braxton |
| Referees | Drake Wuertz |
| Eddie Orengo | |
| Darryl Sharma | |
| Jessika Carr | |
| Interviewers | Sarah Schreiber |
| Pre-show panel | Charly Caruso |
| Sam Roberts | |
| Pat McAfee |
Preliminary matches
editThe event opened with The Undisputed Era (Kyle O'Reilly and Roderick Strong) defending the NXT Tag Team Championship against War Raiders (Hanson and Rowe). Hanson and Rowe performed "Fallout" on O'Reilly to win the titles.[14]
Next, Matt Riddle faced Kassius Ohno. Riddle forced Ohno to submit whilst executing arm trap elbow strikes to win.[14]
After that, Ricochet defended the NXT North American Championship against Johnny Gargano. Gargano applied the "Garga-No-Escape", but Ricochet escaped. Gargano performed a slingshot DDT on Ricochet for a near-fall. Ricochet applied the "Garga-No-Escape", but Gargano escaped. Gargano performed a brainbuster onto the exposed concrete outside the ring and a second slingshot DDT on Ricochet to win the title.[14]
In the penultimate match, Shayna Baszler defended the NXT Women's Championship against Bianca Belair. Belair attempted a 450° splash, but with the help from Marina Shafir and Jessamyn Duke, Baszler avoided the move and applied the "Kirifuda Clutch". Belair passed out, meaning Baszler retained the title by technical submission.[14]
Main event
editIn the main event, Tommaso Ciampa defended the NXT Championship against Aleister Black. Ciampa performed a "Fairytale Ending" on Black for a near-fall. Black performed a "Black Mass" on Ciampa, but Ciampa performed an elevated DDT and a second "Fairytale Ending" on Black for a near-fall. Ciampa performed two more "Fairytale Endings" on Black to retain the title. As the show closed, Ciampa and Johnny Gargano stood at the top of the stage with their respective championships.[14]
Aftermath
editAfter the event ended on the WWE Network, in a WWE.com exclusive, a confrontation between Aleister Black, Ricochet, Velveteen Dream, Johnny Gargano]], Tommaso Ciampa, and Adam Cole was quickly broken up by referees and officials, but it continued into the backstage area where they were separated again and Black, Ricochet, and Dream were confronted by Triple H. After everything had settled down, Black, Ricochet, and Dream returned to the ring to celebrate. This led to a six-man tag team match at Halftime Heat in which Black, Ricochet, and Velveteen came out victorious against Cole, Gargano, and Ciampa.
Results
edit| No. | Results | Stipulations | Times[21][14] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1N | The Sky Pirates (Io Shirai and Kairi Sane) defeated Marina Shafir and Jessamyn Duke by pinfall | Tag team match[15] | 6:39 | ||||
| 2N | The Forgotten Sons (Wesley Blake and Steve Cutler) defeated Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford) by pinfall | Tag team match[15] | 7:17 | ||||
| 3 | War Raiders (Hanson and Rowe) defeated The Undisputed Era (Kyle O'Reilly and Roderick Strong) (c) by pinfall | Tag team match for the NXT Tag Team Championship[16] | 16:57 | ||||
| 4 | Matt Riddle defeated Kassius Ohno by submission | Singles match[17] | 9:20 | ||||
| 5 | Johnny Gargano defeated Ricochet (c) by pinfall | Singles match for the NXT North American Championship[18] | 23:36 | ||||
| 6 | Shayna Baszler (c) defeated Bianca Belair by technical submission | Singles match for the NXT Women's Championship[19] | 15:26 | ||||
| 7 | Tommaso Ciampa (c) defeated Aleister Black by pinfall | Singles match for the NXT Championship[20] | 26:30 | ||||
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References
edit- ^ Howell, Nolan (May 29, 2014). "Neville tops Kidd at NXT Takeover". canoe.ca. Archived from the original on July 4, 2015. Retrieved September 21, 2017.
- ^ WWE.com Staff (January 24, 2018). "Phoenix to host the 2019 WWE Royal Rumble Weekend". WWE. Archived from the original on January 25, 2018. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
- ^ WWE.com Staff (October 22, 2018). "NXT TakeOver: Phoenix tickets available now". WWE. Archived from the original on October 22, 2018. Retrieved December 6, 2018.
- ^ Grabianowski, Ed (January 13, 2006). "How Pro Wrestling Works". HowStuffWorks. Discovery Communications. Archived from the original on November 29, 2013. Retrieved March 5, 2012.
- ^ "Live & Televised Entertainment". WWE. Archived from the original on February 18, 2009. Retrieved March 21, 2012.
- ^ James, Justin (July 25, 2018). "7/25 NXT TV Report: Aleister Black vs. Tomasso Ciampa for the NXT Title, Cole vs. Maluta, Evans vs. Price, Ricochet, War Raiders, William Regal". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
- ^ WWE.com Staff (August 8, 2018). "Aleister Black found unconscious in the Full Sail Live parking lot after WWE NXT". WWE. Retrieved August 8, 2018.
- ^ James, Justin (October 17, 2018). "10/17 NXT TV REPORT: War Raiders vs. Undisputed Era's O'Reilly & Strong for NXT Tag Titles, Nikki Cross vs. Belair, plus Baszler, Lorcan, Burch". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
- ^ a b James, Justin (December 6, 2018). "12/5 NXT TV REPORT: Ciampa and Aleister angle, Matt Riddle vs. Punishment Martinez, Dakota Kai vs. Shayna Baszler". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved December 6, 2018.
- ^ James, Justin (December 13, 2018). "12/12 NXT TV REPORT: EC3 vs. Bobby Fish, Ricochet vs. Tyler Breeze, Lorcan & Burch vs. The Mighty, Mia Yim vs. Gonzalez". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
- ^ a b James, Justin (December 26, 2018). "12/26 NXT TV REPORT: Heavy Machinery vs. Undisputed Era, Fatal Four-way for Women's No. 1 Contendership, Ryker vs. Taverna". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved December 26, 2018.
- ^ a b James, Justin (January 9, 2019). "1/9 NXT TV REPORT: Nikki Cross vs. Bianca Belair, EC3 vs Adam Cole, European Union squash, Gargano talks about ups and downs of 2018 then Ciampa joins him". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved January 10, 2019.
- ^ James, Justin (December 19, 2018). "12/19 NXT TV REPORT: Aleister Black vs. Johnny Gargano in Cage Match, Heavy Machinery squash, Dakota Kai & Io Shirai vs. Marina Shafir & Jessamyn Duke, Dijakovic squash". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f Moore, John (January 26, 2019). "1/26 Moore's NXT Takeover: Phoenix live review – Tommaso Ciampa vs. Aleister Black for the NXT Championship, Shayna Baszler vs. Bianca Belair for the NXT Women's Championship, Kyle O'Reilly and Roderick Strong vs. War Raiders for the NXT Tag Titles". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Archived from the original on January 27, 2019. Retrieved January 26, 2019.
- ^ a b WWE.com Staff (January 30, 2019). "WWE NXT results, Jan. 30, 2019: Ryker tips the scales as Forgotten Sons strike down Street Profits". WWE. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
- ^ Bristout, Ralph (January 26, 2019). "The War Raiders def. The Undisputed ERA to become NXT Tag Team Champions". WWE. Retrieved January 26, 2019.
- ^ Bristout, Ralph (January 26, 2019). "Matt Riddle def. Kassius Ohno". WWE. Retrieved January 26, 2019.
- ^ Bristout, Ralph (January 26, 2019). "Johnny Gargano def. Ricochet to become NXT North American Champion". WWE. Retrieved January 26, 2019.
- ^ Bristout, Ralph (January 26, 2019). "NXT Women's Champion Shayna Baszler def. Bianca Belair". WWE. Retrieved January 26, 2019.
- ^ Bristout, Ralph (January 26, 2019). "NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa def. Aleister Black". WWE. Retrieved January 26, 2019.
- ^ Moore, John (January 30, 2019). "Moore's NXT TV Live Review: Io Shirai and Kairi Sane vs. Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir, Street Profits vs. The Forgotten Sons, NXT Takeover: Phoenix fallout". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved April 7, 2019.