5 biggest questions from NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver Night 2- Wrong champion crowned; Veteran ready for a major change?
The second night of NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver was expected to be as good as the first one. A new Women’s Champion was crowned on the first night of TakeOver, and fans expected more titles to change hands on the second night.
Santos Escobar and Jordan Devlin competed in the first match on the main show. Escobar headbutted Devlin on top of the ladder in the final moments of the match and managed to retrieve the title to become the undisputed Cruiserweight Champion. Can anyone dethrone the leader of Legado del Fantasma?
Shotzi Blackheart and Ember Moon defended their NXT Women’s Tag Team Championships against Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell. Blackheart and Moon were able to retain their titles after a good match. Did WWE do the right thing by introducing separate tag team titles for the women of NXT?
Karrion Kross defeated Finn Balor to win back the NXT Championship at TakeOver. Is there anyone who can hand Kross his first singles loss in the company?
Kyle O’Reilly got his revenge in the final match of the night after he pinned Adam Cole in a brutal Unsanctioned Match. What does the future hold for the two men following the contest?
Let’s take a look at the five biggest questions from the second night of NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver.
#5 Why did the match between Santos Escobar and Jordan Devlin at NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver feel so awkward?
The ladder match between Santos Escobar and Jordan Devlin was one of the most anticipated matches of NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver. It was one of the only matches with a special stipulation.
Escobar and Devlin are both cruiserweights who are known to be great high-flying superstars. This was a chance for both men to display their full potential on a big stage.
While Devlin performed some death-defying moves, the match never really got going like it should have. Escobar did not seem as comfortable and fluid as he usually does, and he did not deliver many big moves.
Why did Escobar not deliver as he should have? And why did their encounter feel so awkward in the initial and middle phases of the match? Escobar even missed the final headbutt by a mile but still picked up the win.
As the Cruiserweight Champions, both men should have delivered and made this a Match of the Year candidate. However, unlike the NXT UK Championship and the Women’s Championship match, the match failed to make a lasting impression.
Did both men miss a chance to give a memorable performance at TakeOver? It certainly seemed so.