Good luck to WWE's main roster on Sunday. Topping the show that NXT put on during TakeOver: Brooklyn II on Saturday night is a near-impossible task.
Credit the raucous crowd and some well-booked matches for a show that will go down as one of NXT's best in its short history. While some will argue whether it can compete with the first Takeover: Brooklyn, there was no doubt that this crew held its own on Saturday.
And with that, here are the results from NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn II. (Matches listed in the order they were presented.)
Results
Austin Aries def. No Way Jose via submission: There was some great fast-paced action in this match, which did not leave an energentic crowd a minute to breathe. The fans were right into it from the get go with tons of support behind Jose. Aries latched in his Last Chancery submission hold for victory and put it on Jose again after the bell, leading Hideo Itami out to the ring to help Jose. Itami's fast feet made quick work of Aries, and he signed off with the Go To Sleep to send the crowd into a frenzy
Ember Moon def. Billie Kay via pinfall: Moon, in her debut, showed some athleticism and chops -- plus piercing bright red contacts -- while making quick work of Kay. Her thrilling finisher was basically a flying, twisting Diamond Cutter off the top rope. Pretty impressive.
Bobby Roode def. Andrade "Cien" Almas via pinfall: Roode's entrance was indeed "glorious" as the Brooklyn crowd screamed the lyrics on his way to the ring. The match was short with Roode dominating most of it before hitting the Glorious Bomb prior to earning the 1-2-3. Rarely is it worth watching a match just for an entrance, but comparing the theatrics with the reception makes this one of those occasions. The match itself was enjoyable also, of course, and the veteran Roode looks like he's ready for the main roster.
We DARE you to try and describe this entrance as anything other than #GLORIOUS! @REALBobbyRoode#NXTTakeOverhttps://t.co/ojuncTVLGn
— WWE (@WWE) August 21, 2016
GOODNIGHT AUSTIN!! #GTS by @HideoItami turns out the lights!! #NXTTakeOverpic.twitter.com/OpN2xXCp0G
— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) August 21, 2016
Tag Team Championship -- The Revival (c) def. Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa via submission: What started out as a relatively formulaic tag team match gained momentum and eventually became intense near the end. Gargano impressed with a slingshot spear through the ropes for a two-count, and Ciampa appeared to have a fall on a couple occasions. Double heel kicks resulted in a three count for the challengers, but a foot on the bottom rope negated it. Eventually Ciampa got taken out by the ring post, Gargano's knee buckled from a cheap shot and The Revival locked in a reverse figure-four leg lock to retain their titles.
Women's Championship - Asuka (c) def. Bayley via pinfall: Showing an aggressive streak in the match, Bayley took a ton of hits and demanded more. Asuka locked in the choker submission that originally cost Bayley the belt, but she broke out of it and delivered the Bayley-to-Belly ... but only got a two. The Asuka Lock was broken a second time by Bayley, who also stood straight up after taking a heel kick to the face. A second one, though, was too much, and Asuka held on to the championship.
Following the match, the crowd chanted Bayley's name while Asuka picked her up off the mat for a handshake and hug. Sasha Banks, Becky Lynch and Charlotte were all ringside to hug Bayley, who took a curtain call and pointed to the NXT logo, signifying her promotion to the main roster.
#ThankYouBayley!#NXTTakeOver@ItsBayleyWWEpic.twitter.com/qtcmwTycAk
— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) August 21, 2016
#ThankYouBayley! @ItsBayleyWWE#NXTTakeOverpic.twitter.com/mcdROeOD9W
— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) August 21, 2016
NXT Championship - Shinsuke Nakamura def. Samoa Joe to win the title: Nakamura's five-minute, live-violin entrance (see some of it below) should have been a hint. He was being coronated as the leader of NXT's latest era before the championship match even began.
Joe dominated the early going, wearing Nakamura down for a large portion of the match, and earned an early highlight by converting his own powerbomb into a Boston crab. Eventually, Joe hit his signature Muscle Buster on Nakamura only to be shocked when Nakamura kicked out after two. Nakamura converted another Joe finisher attempt into his Kinshasa finisher, but Joe was able to kick out of that, too. A second Kinshasa did the trick, however, as Nakamura flattened Joe and celebrated his newly won NXT Championship.
An entrance fit for the KING of STRONG STYLE, @ShinsukeN! #NXTTakeOver#KingOfStrongStylehttps://t.co/O06q4Fhumh
— WWE (@WWE) August 21, 2016
The #KingOfStrongStyle is officially YOUR #NXTChampion!!!! @ShinsukeN#NXTTakeOver#NXTChampionshiphttps://t.co/siEkQbGaIL
— WWE (@WWE) August 21, 2016