NXT TakeOver: In Your House

SHOTZI BLACKHEART, TEGAN NOX, & MIA YIM vs. DAKOTA KAI, RAQUEL GONZALEZ, & CANDICE LERAE - 5.75/10

They did stuff. There was a heat segment on Shotzi. There was a spot where they botched a pin break-up because I think the referee was in Mia Yim’s way. Mia and Candice brawled away right after that spot. Eventually Kai accidentally hit Gonzalez with a kick, allowing the Tegan to pin Dakota with the Shiniest Wizard.

DAMIAN PRIEST vs. FINN BALOR - 7.75/10

Very enjoyable. Great stuff. Not much else to say about it other than bringing up Priest taking that nutsy bump onto the steps.

NXT NORTH AMERICAN TITLE MATCH:
Keith Lee(c) vs. Johnny Gargano - 8.25/10

They had an awesome match built around the nefarious things that Gargano did to Lee during the go-home segment. The only negatives were the two times that they went on the outside and stayed there for WAY too long before the count-out started. These two are REALLY f*cking great, and the spot where Mia and Candice got involved has me happy that it looks like this feud will continue.

LAST CHANCE BACKLOT BRAWL FOR THE NXT TITLE:
Adam Cole(c) vs. The Velveteen Dream - 6.75/10

Cole showed up in a custom-made Undisputed Era monster truck. TVD showed up in a Lamborghini. I was very disappointed that it wasn’t purple.
They’re surrounded by cars, but there’s also a ring. Basically, what I’m saying is that it’s nothing like the famous Roddy Piper vs. Goldust Backlot Brawl, which begs the question of why they called it a Backlot Brawl if it wasn’t going to resemble the previous one.

The Uber spot was dumb, but other than that, I thought this was fine (though the person who volunteered their car for this match and didn't lock it is a moron). Lumis hiding under the ring was what it was. I can buy that he hid there all day because he's a crazy person. It’s probably my favorite of the �"cinematic matches” we’ve seen during the COVID lockdown so far, but I still would have rather seen a regular match. Hopefully Dexter Lumis will release Bobby Fish and Roderick Strong from the trunk of his car when he learns the match is over, and won’t murder them.

TOMMASO CIAMPA vs. KARRION KROSS (w/Scarlett) - 7.5/10

This did an excellent job of accomplishing its goal, which was to get Kross over as someone who is truly dangerous to main eventers. They laid this match out perfectly or that purpose, letting Kross dominate while giving Ciampa enough to feel like he wasn’t being squashed. The first few minutes of this in particular are must-watch for everyone. The stuff Kross was doing at the beginning of this match is how to do those Tomohiro Ishii no-selling spots right.

NXT WOMEN’S TITLE MATCH:
Charlotte Flair(c) vs. Rhea Ripley vs. Io Shirai - 8.5/10

This was an AWESOME three-way match built around the usual three-way story. The finish definitely caught me by surprise, and I really hope it doesn’t mean that Charlotte’s NXT run is coming to an end because she has been so damn great on this little excursion.

Final Thoughts
This was a great show from NXT, but certainly not close to the usual level for TakeOvers. It was definitely worth the two hours and twenty minutes I spend watching it, so I’d recommend it to everyone just for that.