NXT TakeOver: Chicago II Results – June 16, 2018 – Gargano vs. Ciampa

Jun 16, 2018

June 16, 2018
Allstate Arena – Rosemont, IL
Commentary: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness, Percy Watson

NXT Tag Team Championship
The Undisputed ERA (c) vs. Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch

Mauro Ranallo is doing commentary for Showtime Boxing so he was replaced by Vic Joseph. Wish Mauro was here… After a back and forth match for a few minutes, Oney Lorcan hit a good flurry of offense, including a dive over the top to the outside and a nice suplex.

Lorcan went to the top rope as Burch held Strong up on his shoulders, but Kyle O’Reilly shoved him off and he fell off the top, back-first onto the apron. Good spot.

A few minutes later, Lorcan and Burch hit their top rope tag team finisher (uppercut off the top rope as O’Reilly was held on Burch’s shoulders) but Adam Cole ran out and pulled O’Reilly away, saving the pinfall. The ref kicked Cole out and he went backstage.

Later, Orcan locked on a half crab on Strong while Burch locked on a crossface on O’Reilly, but O’Reilly was able to escape by rolling away and kicking Orcan in the face a few times. Crowd chanted “NXT” in appreciation of the effort in this match.

Burch was knocked out of the ring and Undisputed Era hit their finisher, with O’Reilly giving Lorcan a leg sweep at the same time as Roderick Strong hit a running lariat. 1-2-3.

Good match and good start to the show. The crowd was really into it throughout. After the match, the crowd gave Lorcan and Burch a standing ovation as they stood in the ring.

Winners: The Undisputed ERA (~16 minutes)

Ricochet vs. Velveteen Dream

Velveteen Dream was dressed like Hulk Hogan, with red and yellow boas and all. He tore off his shirt and did Hogan’s mannerisms in the ring.

A few minutes into the match, Dream hit a big death valley driver on Ricochet off the middle rope for a near fall. Dream went to the top, but Ricochet ran after him and Dream jumped down to the apron. Ricochet grabbed Dream for a suplex, but Dream reversed it and suplexed him off the apron onto the outside! Damn.

The two then exchanged a series of moves in rapid fire, with the series ending after a big DDT by Velveteen Dream and a near fall, leading to a standing ovation from the crowd.

Dream shouted at Ricochet that he “belongs in a bingo hall” and that Dream is a “wrestling God.” Ricochet suddenly got up and hit a death valley driver, then went to the top and did Dream’s taunt, then hit the Purple Rainmaker elbow, but only got a near fall. Ricochet went to the top again, but Dream rolled away from him. Ricochet went to get down, but then went back to the top and went for a shooting star press despite Dream being pretty far away… but Dream got his knees up.

Dream went to the top and went for his elbow drop, but Ricochet moved out of the way. Ricochet went to the top… 630… 1-2-3. Really good match, as expected.

Winner: Ricochet (~22 minutes)

NXT Women’s Championship
Shayna Baszler (c) vs. Nikki Cross

Baszler took control of the match early, hitting Cross with a bunch of knees to the chin. Cross laughed as she took the punishment and was able to finally gain control of the match and get a lot of her own offense in.

A few minutes into the match, Baszler suddenly locked on her chokehold. Nikki struggled to break free, but couldn’t… She began to smile and then faded away… and the ref called for the bell.

Winner: Shayna Baszler (~9 minutes)

EC3 was shown in the crowd, and then KEITH LEE was shown in the crowd.

NXT Championship
Aleister Black (c) vs. Lars Sullivan

I love Lars Sullivan… A few seconds into the match, Sullivan went for the Freak Accident, but Black escaped and went for the Black Mass, but Lars caught his leg. Later, Black tried a moonsault off the middle rope to the outside, but Sullivan caught him on his shoulder and dropped him down onto the apron.

Sullivan continued to beat down on Black for a few minutes, playing the monster role well. One great thing about NXT is that the matches often actually have different styles, rather than being the same “WWE-style” match for the entire card.

Sullivan actually went to the top rope and went for a diving headbutt, but Black got his knees up, which allowed him to finally gain some control and hit a flurry of offense. Black went for Black Mass, but Sullivan grabbed his leg and then went to work on it, trying to take out his big offensive weapon.

They fought on the apron until Sullivan picked Black up and gave him a big powerslam on the apron. Sullivan then hit a top rope diving headbutt, but Black kicked out.

Sullivan ran at Black, but Black got up and stomped on his back, then went for Black Mass to the back of Sullivan’s head but totally missed… It seemed like he was supposed to hit it though, since Sullivan went down and Black went for a pin… and Sullivan kicked out.

He went for another Black Mass, but Sullivan blocked him and hit a Lariat… He went for the Freak Accident, but Black escaped and hit a knee to the jaw, then hit the Black Mass, but it only knocked Sullivan down to his knees… Black hit another Black Mass… 1-2-3.

Really good match that was somewhat sullied by the botched Black Mass attempt, but still good overall.

Winner: Aleister Black (~14 minutes)

Street Fight
Johnny Gargano vs. Tommaso Ciampa

Johnny Gargano was shown walking backstage before the match when Candice LeRae ran up to him and handed him a crutch, then said “Kick his ass.” Ciampa made his great entrance with no theme music, also carrying a crutch and slowly walking down the ramp as the crowd booed him. Ciampa then suddenly ran down the ramp and the two wasted no time starting the match.

They almost immediately started fighting on the outside, with Gargano tossing Ciampa into the announce table, then into the crowd, where a fan screamed “you’re the devil, Ciampa, you’re the devil.” Gargano beat down on Ciampa for a while on the outside, until Ciampa finally gained control.

Ciampa beat down on Gargano for a few minutes with a variety of weapons (chairs, crutches, trash can), then put a chair on Gargano’s head and tossed him head first into the steel steps in a pretty brutal spot.

Ciampa then grabbed handcuffs and tried to handcuff Gargano on the ropes, but Gargano fought back and took off his belt, then wailed on Ciampa with it.

Later, Ciampa brutally hit Gargano with White Noise off the apron onto the steel steps below. Ciampa grabbed some bolt cutters and started cutting the ropes that attach the ring mat to the canvas. Ciampa pulled up the ring mat and the padding, exposing the wooden boards below. Ciampa tried to hit him with a move off the middle rope, but Gargano tried to reverse it into a powerbomb, but couldn’t and settled for a superkick to the head.

Gargano then went after Ciampa’s braced knee, nailing him with crutches until Ciampa was able to kick him away. Ciampa then locked on the Gargano Escape, then brutally nailed Gargano with forearms to the back of the head.

Ciampa brought Gargano down the entrance ramp as he shouted at him, saying “You did this to yourself” and “Say goodbye to Chicago, your wife, your dog.” Ciampa tossed Gargano onto some high metal boxes, with two tables below. Ciampa pulled of Gargano’s wedding ring and spat on it, then Gargano picked him up and drove him through the tables below (with White Noise)! Oh shit. Crowd chanted “Mamma Mia.”

Medical staff came down to check on Ciampa as Gargano sat on top of the boxes above and watched. They put a neck brace on Ciampa and brought out a stretcher, then strapped him to it and stretchered him away… until Gargano jumped down and shoved off the medical staff, then rolled the stretcher back to the ring. Ciampa pleaded with hi, but Gargano tossed him into the ring and locked on the Gargano Escape and Ciampa tapped, but some guys in suits ran down to break it up.

Gargano fought them off, then handcuffed Ciampa and nailed him with a bunch of superkicks, then locked on the Gargano Escape again until a bunch of guys in suits ran down to break it up again. Gargano fought them all again and went into the ring, but Ciampa grabbed him and hit him with a DDT while he was draped over the middle rope, into the exposed wood of the ring! The ref counted… 1-2-3…

Winner: Tommaso Ciampa (~35 minutes)

The show ended with Ciampa walking victoriously down the ramp, then waving maniacally at Gargano as he lay in the ring being checked on by medical staff. The crowd chanted “Fuck you, Ciampa” as the show went off the air.