NXT TakeOver gives the WWE a chance to showcase their next generation of superstars. They usually impress the WWE universe more than the main roster. NXT TakeOver Toronto was a day before SummerSlam, and there were a total of seven matches, with two being on the pre-show. NXT TakeOver events are relatively shorter than the WWE main roster pay-per-view events. 

Pre-Show Results:

WWE superstar, Fandango, made his way back to NXT to reform his tag team with Tyler Breeze. The duo is known as Breezango, and they had a grueling match withThe Forgotten Sons. Breezango handed them a loss. The NXT Breakout Tournament, which started back in late June,held its final match on the preshow.. Jordan Myles and Cameron Grimes were in the final bracket. After going back and forth, Myles came out on top of the tournament. He can now challenge any champion on the NXT roster for a championship match! 

Grade: B 

The Street Profits defeated The Undisputed Era to retain the NXT Tag Team Titles: 

The red Solo cups were flying in the Scotiabank Arena as the Street Profits made their way to the ring. The Undisputed Era put up a great fight, but the Street Profits were just too much for Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish. Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford celebrated with the WWE universe after defeating the Undisputed Era. Overall, it was a great start to a brilliant night! 

Grade: B+

Io Shirai defeated Candice LeRae by technical submission:

These women were once great friends, but Shirai opted to be the lone wolf. Every time Shirai would get jumped by Shayna Bazeler and her goons, LeRae would come to her aid. Something in Shirai snapped, and she viciously turned heel by assaulting her friend. During the match, these women took each other to their limits. It looked over from the start because Shirai was decimating LeRae. LeRae took a page out of her husband’s (Johnny Gargano) playbook, and she kept getting up no matter how hard Sharai hit her. Towards the end, Shirai put LeRae in a submission hold that no woman could get out of. The WWE is doing great things with the women on their rosters, and this match was a perfect example. 

Grade: B+

Velveteen Dream defeated Pete Dunn and Roderick Strong in a triple threat match for the NXT North American Championship:

Since it was TakeOver season, this gave Velveteen Dream an excuse to go over the top for his entrance. What the audience thought to be Canadian Mounties, then turned into the cheer team for the Toronto Raptors, and then Dream’s music hit. His was definitely the most interesting entrance. He overcame the odds of having two other great competitors in the ring to retain his beloved championship. Dunn would become the victim of Dream’s finishing move, Dream DDT, but Strong tried stealing the pinfall to no avail. From the top rope, a staggering Dream landed his Purple-Rain-Maker onto an unsuspecting Strong. With Dunn still down, Dream covered him for the win. 

Grade: A-

Shayna Baszler defeated Mia Yim by submission to retain the NXT Women’s Championship: 

Leading up to the match, Yim made sure that Baszler wouldn’t have any backup during their match. There’s two women that usually interferes with matches on Baszler’s behalf. Yim attacked both from behind on separate occasions in order to even the playing field. During the match, Yim targeted one of Baszler’s arms to hinder Baszler’s expert submission abilities. Yim came so close to capturing her first championship by breaking out of two of Baszler’s Coquina Clutches, but she fell victim to a third and final Coquina Clutch. Baszler has been dominating the women’s division of the NXT. The question is: will anyone stop Baszler’s reign as the NXT Women’s Champion? 

Grade: B 

Adam Cole defeated Johnny Gargano in a 2-out-of-3 Falls Match to retain the NXT Championship: 

There aren’t  the words to describe  this main event. It was one of the best matches of the decade. There were three stipulations for the match. Cole chose the first pinfall stipulation as a regular match to test Gargano’s skill. Gargano chose a street fight as the second pinfall stipulation as a way to punish Cole with weapons of his choosing. The general manager of NXT, William Regal, would choose the third stipulation if the match needed  a third pinfall. Gargano lost the first fall by purposely disqualified himself by hitting Cole with a steel chair in order to quickly get to his street fight stipulation. Cole and Gargano battled all over the arena until they found themselves back in the ring. Gargano capitalized by getting the pinfall on Cole. Out of nowhere, a steel cage armed to the teeth with weapons and barbed wires descended onto the ring. Seriously, this cage was something out of Mick Foley’s nightmares. There was no escaping the steel cage until the match was over. In one of the corners of the ring, Gargano set up a ladder with two tables that were below. He tried doing a move from the top, but Cole rolled off in time. The two then battled again below. When Gargano found an opening, he acquired some bolt cutters to clip off a piece of barbed wire. Even though they couldn’t escape, Cole still made an effort to climb out. Gargano caught up to them, and they battled on a slab that was right above those two tables. Both superstars fell onto the two tables in a climatic fashion. With Gargano laying flat on his back, Cole willed himself to move his arm to cover Gargano winning the bout. Cole and Gargano brought the house down with their main event match. It was a great night for wrestling in Toronto! 

Grade: A+