Best and Worst of NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver Night 1 - Historic title reign continues; Major feud abruptly canceled
The first night of NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver is in the books, and what a show it was. Welcome to the black and gold version of Best and Worst.
Right from Nita Strauss' opening solo of the American national anthem to the skull stage setup, NXT's presentation of the latest installment of TakeOver was spot on. Night Two has a lot to live up to.
Admittedly, the 'Worst' section is almost empty as all five matches delivered, while a couple of them truly stood out. There were a few surprising outcomes as well. New Champions were crowned, interesting feuds were kickstarted, and one historic title reign continued.
Here are the main positives and negatives from Night One of NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver. What was your favorite match on the show? Let us know what you think in the comments.
#1 Best - WALTER and Tommaso Ciampa steal the show at NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver
The strongest match on Night One of NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver belonged to WALTER and Tommaso Ciampa. The two superstars engaged in a stiff war and simply brutalized each other. You could legit feel the pain that both men were going through while watching this bout.
The match featured a series of sickening chops from WALTER as well as a few from the Blackheart himself. The NXT UK Champion even broke the announcers' desk with a chop as well.
The intensity remained off the charts at NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver, as Tommaso Ciampa and WALTER engaged in a decisive battle. The Ring General won, following a vicious stomp onto his challenger's neck. The finish of the match was reminiscent of his classic with Tyler Bate at NXT UK TakeOver: Cardiff.
Ciampa kicked out of two powerbombs only to succumb to an overhead throw and a chop. This match was perfectly executed in every way imaginable.
WALTER delivered yet another world-class performance, as his NXT UK Title reign marches beyond the two-year mark.