NXT TakeOver In Your House: Io Shirai wins women’s championship

Io Shirai claims her first NXT title.

The WWE pulled out a classic PPV when the In Your House series was re-vitalized for the black and yellow brand. This version looked to continue the trend of spectacular NXT TakeOver events as it featured title bouts and showcase matches across the card. At the end of the night, fans saw the crowning of a new champion and the emergence of names to watch within NXT.

Pun intended, but Charlotte Flair, Io Shirai and Rhea Ripley tore the house down in the main event of the evening. There was a reason why this was one of the most anticipated matches of the evening and it delivered. Flair was at the disadvantage, defending her title against two women, but she looked like she was up for the cause for majority of this match.

Flair, Ripley and Shirai battled at an insanely fast pace that saw them all take heinous shots from one another. Perhaps the moment of the night came when Shirai climbed to the top of the In Your House set and jumped off, landing a big body drop on both her opponents brawling below. Both Ripley and Flair had their opportunities to leave the event with the title. Flair had Ripley locked into the Figure Eight, just like she did at WrestleMania before Shirai landed a nasty moonsault on top of Ripley and jumped on the former champion to get the victory.

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Karrion Kross continued his path of destruction in NXT as he dispatched former NXT champion Tommaso Ciampa. Kross dominated Ciampa from the very start of the neck, focusing on Ciampa’s previously injured neck. Ciampa would attempt a brief comeback, but it was not enough as Kross would lock in the Kross-Jacket and put the former champion to sleep.

Adam Cole and Keith Lee retain their titles

WWE NXT General Manager, William Regal, allowed Adam Cole and Velveteen Dream to finish their feud in a Backlot Brawl for the NXT championship. Cole has held this title for more than a year and been the most dominant champion in the brand’s history. Cole and Dream battled in the backlot as onlookers cheered them on. Just as it looked like Dream had an upper hand, the remaining members of The Undisputed Era made an appearance, but Dexter Lumis would run them off, trapped in the trunk of a car.

Dream looked to have Cole right where he wanted him, but a last-minute mistake opened the door for Cole to hit a Panama Sunrise onto a pile of steel chairs. The count followed and Cole would extend his time as champion beyond 372 days.

Keith Lee and Johnny Gargano battled for the NXT North American title. Lee used his massive strength advantage to throw Gargano around the ring, but Gargano’s speed and experience allowed him to stay ahead of Lee, picking apart the bigger man. Gargano used every trick in the book, evening having his wife, Candice LeRae come out to attempt to make the save. Still, Gargano would not be able to stop Lee from hitting the Big Bank Catastrophe to get the pin full and retain his title.

Former WWE Universal champion and NXT champion, Finn Balor, had issues to solve with Damian Priest. Those issues came right out before the bell started as Balor wasted no time in attacking his opponent. Brutality is not a strong enough word to describe the way Balor and Priest beat each other up throughout this match. The end would come after Priest would take a nasty bump onto the steel chairs, giving Balor the room, he would need to land a double foot stop for the pin.

A six-woman tag-match kicked things off as Shotzi Blackheart, Mia Yim and Teagan Nox faced off against Raquel Gonzalez, Dakota Kai, and Candice LeRae. This was quite the sprint as all three women came out the gate hot, landing moves both in and outside of the ring. Yim and LeRae’s feud would lead to them fighting backstage while Yim and Blackheart teamed up inside to get the pin fall on and their hands raised.

NXT TakeOver: In Your House delivered on the brutality from start to finish, as it offered up several fantastic matches to set the stage for future story telling in WWE NXT.

NXT TakeOver: In Your House Results

• Shotzi Blackheart, Mia Yim and Tegan Nox defeat Raquel Gonzalez, Dakota Kai, and Candice LeRae
• Finn Balor defeats Damian Priest
• Keith Lee defeats Johnny Gargano to retain the NXT North American title
• Adam Cole defeats Velveteen Dream to retain the NXT Championship
• Karrion Kross defeats Tommaso Ciampa via referee stoppage
• Io Shirai defeats Rhea Ripley and Charlotte Flair to win the Women’s NXT championship