NXT TakeOver Toronto 2019: Match Results, Review, and Analysis

By Caitlin Cole

August 10 2019

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NXT TakeOver: Toronto 2019, out of the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, just wrapped up. We’ve got the match results, as well as our overall thoughts on the show, for you to check out below. Let us know what you thought about TakeOver by tweeting us, @TheRumbleRamble.

The Street Profits (c) vs. The Undisputed Era

NXT Tag Team Championship Match

Proof that, sometimes, gravity just stops.#NXTTakeOver pic.twitter.com/KYZlZUMbtK
— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) August 10, 2019

Angelo Dawkins and Kyle O’Reilly kicked off the show, O’Reilly wasting no time attempting mind games with the champ, but it backfired, as Dawkins was having none of it, driving a terrified Kyle into the corner of the ring and screaming in his face.

O’Reilly brought Dawkins into his corner hoping for some double team action with Bobby Fish, but Dawkins escaped before much damage was done, tagging in Montez Ford.

Montez beat down Bobby Fish, but when Kyle O’Reilly took over, he was able to get the better of Ford. And though Ford came back quickly, he was taken out again on the apron and left laid out at ringside while Angelo Dawkins suffered from the double team maneuvers that O’Reilly and Fish finally achieved.

From here, Kyle O’Reilly rained down strikes on Angelo Dawkins, refusing to allow him to leave the mat, let alone tag out of the match.

Angelo was eventually able to reach his partner, who came in ready to avenge him. After taking some time to wear Kyle O’Reilly down, he went for a People’s Elbow, but Bobby Fish grabbed his ankle, preventing the attack. Montez wasn’t down for long, however, and came back with a Rock Bottom (incredible).

Sadly for The Street Profits, Undisputed Era began to gain steam at this point, Kyle O’Reilly throwing Montez Ford off the top rope with an avalanche exploder and then trapping him in a –. Montez came close to escaping the hold, but Bobby Fish elbow dropped him to keep him in it.

Montez’s knee was severely damaged at this point, so it was extremely lucky that he was able to gather enough strength to leap to his corner and tag out of the match. Angelo Dawkins, having had enough time to recover completely, came in guns blazing, literally throwing Kyle at Bobby.

Kyle thought he would gain control with a knee strike to Angelo, but Montez had gotten the blind tag, and broke up the Dragon Sleeper that Kyle had locked Dawkins in.

Both teams frustrated and exhausted, all four men broke into a furious strike exchange in the middle of the ring. It could have gone either way, but it was The Street Profits who got the edge in the final moments.

Angelo Dawkins speared Kyle O’Reilly, setting Montez Ford up for a frog splash, then speared Bobby Fish to ensure he wouldn’t be interfering, allowing Montez Ford to hit the splash and pin Kyle for a count of three.

Winner: The Street Profits

Io Shirai vs. Candice LeRae

Hell has officially risen in Toronto.@shirai_io @CandiceLeRae #NXTTakeOver pic.twitter.com/X9wLdro4jw
— WWE (@WWE) August 10, 2019

In an interesting turn of events, the match got a hot start, but not by an attack from Io Shirai, Candice LeRae was the one to attack Io before the bell. Once the match had officially begun, the action quickly spilled to ringside, where Io Shirai viciously suplexed Candice into one of the announce tables.

LeRae barely made it back into the ring before the 10 count, and the moment she rolled under the ropes, she was met by another merciless assault at the hands of Io Shirai.

Shirai fired off attack after attack, foregoing strikes and going straight for her heaviest hitting offense. And though Candice refused to give up, she struggled to gain any momentum whatsoever.

Candice eventually found a window of opportunity and hit a few strikes followed by a brainbuster and an octopus hold, but still couldn’t put a damper on Io Shirai’s fiery new in-ring approach.

LeRae dodged Shirai’s first 619 attempt, and Shirai hit the second one, but at this point, Candice LeRae was incensed, jumping back into the action almost immediately.

Both women’s drive to win was so strong that they were able to push themselves to overcome even the most brutal attacks thrown from their opponent. Io Shirai dodged several attempts at a takedown from Candice, but eventually caught a poison rana and a top rope swinging neck breaker, the latter of which laying out both women for several moments.

Once she had her breath back, Shirai responded with a nasty spanish fly, but it only won her a two count. Enraged, Shirai destroyed Candice with a backbreaker, immediately following it with a moonsault, but Candice kicked out.

At this, Io Shirai had just about enough of Candice’s resolve and trapped her in a Koji Clutch, rendering Candice unconscious and scoring the win.

Winner: Io Shirai

Matt Riddle Calls Out Killian Dain

From @SuperKingOfBros calling out @KillianDain…

To a brawl up the entrance ramp…

To THIS! #NXTTakeOver pic.twitter.com/npsKYFrdGv
— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) August 10, 2019

As the North American Championship Match was about to begin, Matt Riddle stormed to the ring and demanded that Killian Dain come down to the ring and fight him right then.

Ruthless as Killian Dain is, he went straight for Matt Riddle’s exposed feet, shoving his fingers in Riddle’s eyes when that didn’t keep him down. Officials surrounded Riddle and Dain, trying to break up the brawl, but everyone who came close was laid out.

Killian Dain then threw himself, Matt Riddle, and an unfortunate official off the stage and through two tables set up beneath it. Riddle and the official appeared to be knocked out, but Dain stood up with a malevolent smile, leaving the scene on his own two feet.

Velveteen Dream (c) vs. Roderick Strong (c) Pete Dunne

North American Championship Match

From sea to shining sea…
Coast to coast…
The NXT #NorthAmericanChampion JUST DID THAT.#NXTTakeOver @VelveteenWWE pic.twitter.com/jArsDmtTdM
— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) August 11, 2019

As usual, Velveteen Dream went way over the top with his entrance (in the best way possible), the Toronto Raptors cheerleaders leading him out before he made his debut – dressed as The Mountie.

Similar to the match previous, this one started off hot, all three competitors launching themselves at each other the second the bell rang. True to form, Velveteen Dream employed mind games from the start, forming a (brief) alliance with Pete Dunne to take Roderick Strong out, heightening his chances of wearing Dunne down.

Roderick Strong did not appreciate this mutiny, throwing Pete Dunne onto Dream as he rested against the apron before taking to the ring to whittle away at Pete’s stamina with a combination of strikes and submission holds.

With Pete regaining his strength at ringside, Roderick Strong turned his attention toward Velveteen Dream, who locked in a Sharpshooter a la Bret Hart, which Dunne broke up with a top rope dive.

The Bruiserweight took this opportunity to wear down both of his opponents, attempting a double submission on them, but couldn’t lock it in, as Dream and Strong teamed up to pummel him. Dunne eventually achieved his goals, however, stomping on both Dream and Strong’s hands at they struggled to return to their feet.

Roderick Strong suplexed Dunne from the top rope, but Velveteen was right behind them, throwing himself onto them and incapacitating Pete Dunne. While Dunne attempted to submit Strong in one corner, Velveteen Dream threw a Coast to Coast elbow drop from the other.

Extremely wounded at this point, Dunne and Velveteen fell victim to Roderick Strong, who hit a few running strikes before locking in a double Stronghold.

Velveteen tried to follow up with a double Death Valley Driver but lacked the energy to follow through. Dunne pinned Roddy while Velveteen caught his breath, but Velveteen got it together just in time to break it up.

Angry that Velveteen stole his win, Dunne clobbered The Dream, dumping him out of the ring before focusing on Roderick Strong. Sensing the match was coming to an end, all three men made a mad dash for the win, but every time one had another pinned, the third competitor broke it up.

Until finally, Roderick hit Dunne with a backbreaker and looked like he was about to take the title when Velveteen flew out of nowhere with an elbow, landing on Pete Dunne and retaining his championship purely by his position on impact.

Winner: Velveteen Dream

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Shayna Baszler (c) vs. Mia Yim

NXT Women’s Championship Match

That was COLD, @MiaYim! #NXTTakeOver pic.twitter.com/p8hkh2kPeq
— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) August 11, 2019

Disgusted with Mia Yim due to Yim’s attack on her (only) friends, Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir, Shayna Baszler came in looking for an early victory, but The HBIC was fully prepared to give Baszler the same treatment she did Baszler’s henchmen.

After trading blows in the ring, the action spilled to the outside, where Mia Yim crushed Baszler’s arm between the ring and the steel steps. Unable to use the arm, Shayna Baszler resorted to kicking and stomping on Mia Yim, possibly doing more damage than she would have with her hands.

Baszler did her best to lock in her submissions, but with an injured arm, she struggled to lock them in as tightly as she needed to tap out her opponent. The Queen of Spades was relentless in her quest to conquer Yim, but Yim had no intention of accepting defeat.

Mia Yim hit a sick Code Blue, but Shayna Baszler escaped the pin. Baszler responded with the Kirafuda Clutch, but couldn’t keep a tight enough grip, allowing Yim to make an escape from the submission. Yim stomped on Baszler hand, then tried her hardest to lock in an armbar while she was ahead, but Shayna fought out of it.

Shayna’s arm mangled, her signature Kirafuda Clutch having already failed her, she opted for a triangle hold on Yim, which proved a sound decision, as Yim tapped out, leaving Shayna Baszler the reigning champion.

Winner: Shayna Baszler

Adam Cole (c) vs. Johnny Gargano

NXT Championship 2-Out-Of-3 Falls Match

This match is serving up ALL the punishment!#NXTTakeOver #NXTChampionship @JohnnyGargano @AdamColePro pic.twitter.com/klyksFaIr2
— WWE Network (@WWENetwork) August 11, 2019

First Fall: Adam Cole’s Choice – Classic Singles Match

Starting off a little bit slower than the previous matches, Adam Cole and Johnny Gargano took a moment to size each other up before breaking into the action.

And when they got going, Gargano and Cole were locked in a power struggle, neither able to pull away. Eventually, Adam Cole was standing outside of the ring and Johnny Gargano saw this as an invitation to connect with Cole’s face in a dropkick.

From here on out, Johnny Gargano had complete control, bringing Cole further and further away from validating his argument that he could have beaten Johnny easily in a classic match.

Adam Cole managed to drag Gargano out of the ring, sending him back first into the apron, but couldn’t be quite as ruthless as he probably wanted to be, as he had a pronounced limp from all of the damage done by Johnny.

Cole hit a neckbreaker, following it with a scissors submission hold, but this move required the use of his legs, which Johnny used to his advantage, and broke free. The two exchanged strikes, Johnny getting the better of Cole, Cole dodging Gargano’s particularly devastating moves, but still catching plenty of strikes.

That is until Johnny Gargano double stomped on Cole’s injured knee, nearly taking the victory with a Figure Four, but Cole reached the ropes before being forced to tap out.

Gargano came close to scoring the first fall again and again, Cole gaining a near fall of his own with a Michinoku driver, but neither could successfully keep the other down for three.

With a few kicks and an ushigoroshi, Adam Cole was certain that he’d won the fall, but Johnny Gargano persevered. Visibly frustrated, Adam Cole left the ring to get a steel chair, distracting the referee long enough to low blow Gargano.

Cole then set up the steel chair in the middle of the ring and sat in it, mocking Gargano. The referee and Cole got into an argument, giving Johnny enough time to get back to his feet, grabbing the steel chair for himself and hitting Cole with it, sacrificing the first fall, but (hopefully) damaging Cole enough to make the second fall easy on himself.

Second Fall: Johnny Gargano’s Choice – Street Fight

Kicking off the second fall by hitting Adam Cole with the steel chair again, Johnny Gargano’s plan appeared to be falling into place, as instead of fighting back, Cole was so crippled that he made a break for it into the crowd instead of fighting back.

Gargano followed him into the audience, laying Cole out with a superkick when he seemed to be getting his feet back under him. Once they were closer to ringside, Gargano launched himself into Cole, putting him through the barricade. Johnny tried to finish Cole off on the announce tables, and when Cole fought back, he backdropped Adam into the neighboring table.

After throwing Cole back in the ring, Johnny introduced a table and a few steel chairs into the match. But he took a little too long interacting with the crowd, allowing Adam to hit an ushigoroshi onto one of the chairs.

Johnny Gargano’s response was just as vicious – he lawn darted Cole into a steel chair wedged in one of the corners, locking Cole in a Gargano Escape then and there, tapping Cole out and taking the second fall for himself.

Third Fall: General Manager Regal’s Choice – Extreme Cage Match

Cole and Gargano watched with trepidation as the steel cage lowered around them, packed with weapons and foreign objects of all kinds, from steel chairs to sledgehammers to fire extinguishers, with barbed wire coating the top to prevent victory by escape.

Wasting no time utilizing the weapons, Gargano and Cole each armed themselves with kendo sticks and violently swung them at each other’s heads. With Cole laid out, Johnny Gargano began assembling weapons to use against him, but just as he had his hands on a ladder hung from the top of the cage, Adam Cole threw him back down to the mat.

This did not gain Cole the immediate upper hand he had hoped for, as Johnny Gargano set him up in a chair and superkicked him. But with a little persistence, Cole managed to make a comeback, flattening Johnny with a chair, using a kendo stick to assist him in a backstabber, and then heading toward the top rope, planning to throw Gargano into a set of chairs set up in the ring.

But Cole did not anticipate Gargano grabbing the fire extinguisher just within reach, spraying it directly in his face, and then throwing Adam onto the chairs meant for him with a tornado DDT.

And Johnny Gargano didn’t stop there, slamming Cole with a sunset flip powerbomb before picking up a sledgehammer. Cole knocked Gargano down before he was able to use it, and climbed the ropes to grab the ladder Johnny had hoped to get earlier.

Before climbing the ladder, Cole tried the easy way out with a Panama Sunrise and Johnny kicked out of the pin. Prepared for this outcome, Cole climbed the ladder with a smirk, leaping from the top into another Panama Sunrise, but again, Johnny didn’t stay down.

Gargano had Cole locked in an STO with a kendo stick across Cole’s face, but a desperate Cole bit Johnny’s hand to force a release. Responding with the same level of desperation, Johnny Gargano launched Cole from the top rope in a Panama Sunrise, and when Cole broke free of the pin, Gargano took it to an even more sadistic level.

Pulling a pair of pliers from a bag, Gargano climbed the cage and cut a section of barbed wire away, bringing it back down to use as a weapon against Cole. Seeing this, Cole ascended the cage in a last-ditch effort to escape the coming disfigurement, but Johnny followed.

The two struggled at the top of the cage until, throwing each other through a table to the mat, Cole just happened to land on top of Johnny Gargano, retaining his championship but barely able to walk up the ramp. Luckily, the rest of Undisputed Era was right there to help him up.

Winner: Adam Cole