Pre-Show:
The NXT TakeOver: War Games II Pre-show opens up live from The Staples Center in Los Angeles, California as Charly Caruso welcomes us to the show. She is joined by Sam Roberts & Pat McAfee. We see fans filing into the arena as the panel hypes up tonight’s show. The panel then talks about tonight’s NXT Title Match and we get a promo. McAfee believes that The Velveteen Dream could go all the way tonight.
Musician Nita Strauss joins the panel and talks about some of the happenings in NXT and tonight’s card. We get a promo for The Aleister Black vs. Johnny Gargano feud now. We come back and Matt Riddle has joined the panel. He does a “bro!” chant with McAfee. Kassius Ohno interrupts and runs Riddle down, saying that it will take him just one second to expose Riddle when they step in the ring. Riddle then says that he used to think Ohno was cool but now he sees that Ohno is just bitter. Their match is confirmed for Wednesday. We come back from a break and Sarah Schreiber is on the floor with a bunch of excited fans. We see The War Games Cage hanging high from above the ring. We come back to the panel for more talk on tonight’s main event. That’s it for The Pre-Show.
Main Show:
The NXT TakeOver: War Games II Main Show opens up with a video package featuring all of the matches that will be taking place on tonight’s show.
We are live from The Staples Center in Los Angeles, California as Mauro Ranallo welcomes us to the show. He is joined by Percy Watson & Nigel McGuinness. Commentary then hypes up tonight’s show.
Matt Riddle makes his entrance and gets on the mic. He says that he is not scheduled to have a match tonight on TakeOver, but if you watched The Pre-Show, a certain Kassius Ohno interrupted him. Riddle then says that they are scheduled to wrestle on Wednesday, but they got two rings down here and he will knock Ohno out in both of them, bro. Ohno comes out and bellows at him that Matt is too stupid to be out here but he will beat him up, so ring the bell.
Matt Riddle vs. Kassius Ohno: The bell rings and Riddle immediately hits a jumping knee strike and pins Ohno. Riddle scores the three count after a very short one-move match. Winner: Matt Riddle
Oh, OKAY! A match that ended just as quickly as it started, @SuperKingofBros gets the better of @KassiusOhno! #NXTTakeOver pic.twitter.com/teHE9OoVK7
— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) November 18, 2018
After the match, Riddle celebrates as his music hits. Ohno can’t believe what just happened as we get a replay. Riddle heads to the back.
Kairi Sane makes her way down to the ring first for The 2-Out-Of-3 Falls Match for The NXT Women’s Title. NXT Women’s Champion Shayna Baszler makes her way down to the ring next.
Shayna Baszler (c) vs. Kairi Sane (2-Out-Of-3 Falls Match): The NXT Women’s Title is on the line in this one. The opening bell sounds and Kairi starts off strong with a flurry of offense on Shayna. The fight spills out to ringside and Shayna’s training partners attack Kairi on the outside when the referee isn’t looking. Back in the ring, Shayna immediately applies the choke hold and Kairi submits for the first fall of the match. Shayna follows up with a running knee to the face for a two count. Shayna stomps a mud hole in Kairi on the mat now. Kairi comes back with some strikes in the corner and they fight out to the apron. Kairi hits a DDT on the apron and Shayna is down on the floor. Kairi hits a dive off the top rope onto Shayna and her Four Horsewomen partners. Back in the ring, Kairi hits a flying elbow drop for a three count. The fall count is now tied at 1-1. More interference from the outside, but Dakota Kai and Io Shirai come out for the save. Kairi goes for the flying elbow off the top on Shayna, but Shayna catches her and pins her down for the three count to win the match. Winner & Still The NXT Women’s Champion: Shayna Baszler
THE QUEEN REIGNS. ♠?@QoSBaszler gets the final fall to RETAIN the #WWENXT #WomensTitle! #NXTTakeOver #2OutOf3Falls @jessamynduke @MarinaShafir pic.twitter.com/jddeEbrwx0
— WWE (@WWE) November 18, 2018
After the match, Baszler takes the title and regroups with Duke and Shafir at ringside. Shirai and Kai check on Sane in the ring as some fans boo. We go to replays. The Horsewomen stand tall on the stage as the others look on. Baszler raises the title.
A house ad for The Marine 6: Close Quarters follows.
We see X-Pac sitting in the front row with his pet dog on his lap.
NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa is shown backstage with his NXT Title Belt.
We go to a video package looking at the feud between Aleister Black & Johnny Gargano.
Aleister Black vs. Johnny Gargano: Black and Gargano go back and forth with offensive attempts in the opening moments. The fight spills out to ringside and Black hits a big suicide dive on Gargano. Back in the ring, Black hits a springboard moonsault on Gargano for a two count. They fight up to the top rope and Gargano looks for a slam but Black escapes. Gargano hits a back elbow, but Black answers with a kick to the face. Gargano rolls outside and Black looks for a moonsault off the apron, but Gargano dodges it. Gargano slides in the ring and runs back out to hit a tornado DDT on Black on the floor. Back in the ring, Gargano hits another DDT for a two count. Gargano kicks Black while he’s down until Black catches a kick and fires back with some strikes of his own. Gargano hits a hurricanrana and then runs the ropes, but Black gets up and fires back with a knee to the face. Black follows up with more strikes and then a bridging German suplex for a two count. Black misses a couple of shots and Gargano comes back with a lariat. Gargano drops Black again and applies the Gargano Escape, but Black reverses it. Gargano comes back with some kicks and then a running knee strikes for a two count. Black and Gargano fight up to their feet and trade strikes to the face now. Black hits a knee to the face and then he goes to springboard off the middle rope, but Gargano shoves him to the outside. Gargano looks for a suicide dive, but Black leaps up and knees Gargano in the face in mid-air. Back in the ring, Gargano seems to beg for mercy. Black goes for a kick, but Gargano ducks it and applies the Gargano Escape. Black reverses into a pin for a two count. Black follows up with a knee strike to the face for a two count. Black removes his knee pad and knees Gargano in the face and then he follows up with the Black Mass. Black hits the Black Mass a second time for the three count. Winner: Aleister Black
He knows your sins…
He knows your weaknesses…@JohnnyGargano met a #BlackMass, and @WWEAleister met a victory. #NXTTakeOver pic.twitter.com/bCNi2y5uIH
— WWE (@WWE) November 18, 2018
REDEMPTION. #NXTTakeOver @JohnnyGargano @WWEAleister pic.twitter.com/iOg6pK9bqk
— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) November 18, 2018
After the match, Black sits up and gets to his feet as the music plays. We go to replays. Black stands tall and yells out.
A house ad for WWE 2K19 follows and then a Red Cross Video Package to urge folks to support people affected by the wildfires in California.
We see The Undisputed ERA hanging out in the locker room and getting ready for their match for later on tonight.
We get a promo for The NXT Title Match which is coming up next.
Tommaso Ciampa (c) vs. Velveteen Dream: The NXT Title is on the line in this one. The opening bell sounds and they trade holds on the mat in the opening moments until Dream slams Ciampa on the back of the head and backs off. Dream slaps Ciampa across the face and Ciampa fights back. Ciampa rips off Dream’s headband. Dream wrestles Ciampa down and takes his headband back. Dream hits some strikes and a scoop slam, then taunts Ciampa. Dream hits a dropkick and a double axe handle off the top. Dream looks for a leg drop, but Ciampa rolls outside. Dream follows him and Ciampa drops him on the apron. Back in the ring, Ciampa hits a running knee strike in the corner. Instead of pinning, Ciampa wastes some time and lets Dream start to get up. Ciampa knocks Dream out to the apron and hits a neckbreaker over the top rope and Dream falls down to the floor. Ciampa beats down Dream on the floor before taking him back in the ring. Dream comes back with a swinging neckbreaker and some strikes. Dream looks for a DDT but Ciampa escapes. Dream fires back with some punches and a big boot, then runs off the ropes and hits the leg drop. Dream hits some more leg drops off the ropes. Ciampa gets up and Dream hits a spinebuster for a two count. They fight out to ringside and Dream hits a suicide plancha. Back in the ring, Dream goes up top, but Ciampa rolls away so Dream hops down. Dream goes after Ciampa’s bad knee now and and he applies a Figure Four around the ring post. The referee hops outside to break the hold and Ciampa taps out but the referee doesn’t see. Back in the ring, Dream looks for the Figure Four on the mat, but Ciampa fights out and hits a shot to the face. Dream comes back and successfully applies the Figure Four. Ciampa fights out and they brawl down to the ringside floor. Ciampa appears to be selling his knee on the floor and he also unties his boot. Back in the ring, Dream hits a boot to the face of Ciampa. Dream goes off the top but Ciampa kicks him out of mid-air. Ciampa grabs his Title Belt from ringside to use as a weapon, but the referee grabs it and Dream comes back with a DDT. Dream pins but Ciampa kicks out at two. Ciampa comes back with a DDT for a two count of his own. They fight out to ringside again and brawl over the announce table. Ciampa throws something in Mauro’s face at the announce table. The distraction leads to Dream hitting the Death Valley Driver on the ringside floor. Back in the ring, Dream hits the flying elbow off the top for a two count. Ciampa rolls out to the apron and Dream looks for an elbow drop on the apron, but Ciampa moves and Dream crashes down to the floor. Back in the ring, Ciampa DDTs Dream onto the steel platform in between the two rings for The WarGames Match later. Ciampa pins Dream for the three count. Winner & Still The NXT Champion: Tomasso Ciampa
The dream is still a NIGHTMARE. @ProjectCiampa is STILL your #NXTChampion! #NXTTakeOver #AndStill @VelveteenWWE pic.twitter.com/0epilj3QTv
— WWE (@WWE) November 18, 2018
He told you.
The. Greatest. Sports. Entertainer. Of. All. Time. #AndStill #NXTTakeOver @ProjectCiampa pic.twitter.com/FQJxlpWyAF
— WWE (@WWE) November 18, 2018
thank u, n(e)xt#NXTTakeOver #AndStill @ProjectCiampa @VelveteenWWE pic.twitter.com/DROfH1ZFK9
— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) November 18, 2018
After the match, Ciampa is laid out on top of Dream as his music hits. We go to replays. We come back and Ciampa is still down on top of Dream. The referee hands him the title and he clutches it, laughing. Ciampa talks some trash and kisses the title before getting back up to his feet. Ciampa raises the title and looks down at Dream before leaving the ring. Ciampa makes his exit but stops to tell the cameraman that he’s the greatest sports entertainer of all-time.
We see a preview of A Team NXT vs. Team WWE League Of Legends Video Game Battle on Xavier Woods’ UpUpDownDown YouTube channel.
Nita Strauss is shown in the crowd.
Commentary hypes up Triple H’s traditional Facebook Live stream after the show.
The sirens start going off inside The Staples Center as The WarGames Cage is lowered around the double-ring.
We get a video package for tonight’s main event.
The Undisputed ERA (Adam Cole, Bobby Fish, Kyle O’Reilly & Roderick Strong) vs. WWE United Kingdom Champion Pete Dunne, NXT North American Champion Ricochet & The War Raiders (Hanson & Ray Rowe) (WarGames Match): Adam Cole and Ricochet start this one off and Ricochet takes control with a series of strikes. Ricochet goes for a springboard move off the middle rope, but Cole catches him with a backstabber in mid-air. Ricochet comes back with a flying clothesline and both men are down. The next entrant into the cage is Kyle O’Reilly. Kyle hits the ring and tackles Ricochet then pummels on him. Kyle and Adam double-team Ricochet now and stomp on him in the corner. Ricochet starts to fight back until Cole hits a bicycle kick to the face and then Kyle lays into Ricochet with more kicks. Cole hits a Death Valley Driver onto Ricochet’s knee. Hanson from The War Raiders is the next one in the ring. Hanson cleans house and repeatedly slams down both members of The Undisputed Era. Hanson stacks them up in the corner and hits a bronco buster on both O’Reilly and Cole. Kyle and Adam finally fire up and drop Hanson with a double team kick. Ricochet is back up and he starts beating on Kyle and Adam, but then Roderick Strong is in next. Roderick hits a backbreaker and starts cleaning house. The Undisputed Era takes control of this one now until Hanson hulks up and starts throwing out kicks. Rowe comes in the ring next and helps Hanson clean house. They hit a double team powerslam and powerbomb on Strong and O’Reilly. Ricochet beats on Strong in the corner. Up on the cages at the stage, Bobby Fish and Dunne get into it and Fish appears to steal the key for Dunne’s cage. Fish goes down to the ring and grabs steel chairs and takes them in the ring with him. The Undisputed Era members all gang up with steel chairs on The War Raiders and Ricochet. Dunne is supposed to be in next, but the referees are unable to open his cage to let him out. Strong and Fish hit superplexes in tandem on The War Raiders off opposite corners. The referees take bolt cutters to Dunne’s cage and Dunne runs down to ringside and grabs a kendo stick. Dunne lays out everyone who comes near him, then he goes under the ring for more weapons. Meanwhile in the ring, Ricochet comes off the top with a splash on The Undisputed Era. Dunne throws some trash cans in the ring, then grabs tables from under the ring. Dunne finally enters the ring, so the match officially starts now. Dunne and The War Raiders lay out everyone in their paths with kendo sticks and trash cans and The War Raiders set up a table upright between the two rings. Hanson boots a chair into O’Reilly’s face, then he beats on Cole in the corner. The Undisputed Era starts to fight back and Fish and O’Reilly hit a double team kick on Rowe. Cole hits backstabbers on Ricochet and Hanson. All four Undisputed Era members surround Dunne now but Dunne is able to fight them off. O’Reilly finally drops Dunne and he wraps a chain around Dunne’s bad knee. Dunne latches on to O’Reilly with an arm lock, but Fish breaks it up with a chair shot to Dunne. The War Raiders and Ricochet all get to their feet now and they brawl with Cole and Fish in between the rings. Strong and O’Reilly double team Dunne. Ricochet hits a dive on The Undisputed Era in the other ring, but then Strong drops him with a chair shot. Strong charges at Hanson, but Hanson hits a big back body drop into the other ring. Dunne and Ricochet take Fish and Strong up to opposite corners and suplex them off for a two count. The War Raiders set up another table. Rowe looks to powerbomb Cole through a table, but Cole escapes, so The War Raiders hit a double team powerbomb on Cole onto the mat. Bobby comes over and hits The War Raiders with a kendo stick, then he spears Rowe into the upright table between the rings. Hanson hits a splash on Fish through the table in the ring. Ricochet and Cole fight up to the top of the cage and trade punches. The other team members all gather around the cage near Ricochet and Cole, which leads to a big superplex/powerbomb pyramid and everyone crashes down to the mat except for Ricochet. Ricochet comes flying off the top of the cage with a double-rotation moonsault onto the pile of wrestlers below and everyone goes down. The two teams finally get to their feet and start brawling in between the two rings. Rowe is the last man standing and he hits a knee to the face of Bobby. The War Raiders double team O’Reilly, but then Strong and Fish double team Rowe. Hanson then hits a springboard back elbow on Fish and Strong. Ricochet goes flying off the top towards Cole, but Cole kicks him out of mid-air. Cole hits a running knee to the face of Ricochet next for a two count. Dunne comes back with the Bitter End on Cole and then Ricochet immediately comes off the top with a 450 splash on Cole for the three count. Winners: WWE United Kingdom Champion Pete Dunne, NXT North American Champion Ricochet & The War Raiders (Hanson & Ray Rowe)
We said all’s fair in love and WarGames…@PeteDunneYxB & @KingRicochet pin @AdamColePro to WIN #WarGames! #NXTTakeOver pic.twitter.com/wGFPTUFORL
— WWE (@WWE) November 18, 2018
With war comes respect. #WarGames #NXTTakeOver @PeteDunneYxB @KingRicochet pic.twitter.com/aEnk4902xz
— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) November 18, 2018
What a battle, what a WAR.#NXTTakeOver #WarGames #WeAreNXT @PeteDunneYxB @KingRicochet pic.twitter.com/e1heNBdlt2
— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) November 18, 2018
After the match, Dunne and Ricochet start getting up first after a minute or so. They clutch their titles over Cole and stand up over him. They have a show of respect and we go to replays. We come back to Dunne and Ricochet posing with their titles on top of the structure. Dunne takes a look at Ricochet’s title and Ricochet nods. They don’t show much of The War Raiders but they are also up to their feet by now. The Undisputed Era is still down. NXT TakeOver: WarGames II goes off the air with Ricochet and Dunne standing on top of the cage.