Raw Tag Team Champions Bobby Roode and Chad Gable def. Scott Dawson and Rezar (Non-title; Kickoff Match)The Raw tag team division is in such a sad state that WWE is now pairing off members of different teams together. Of course, Dawson and Rezar have never teamed before, have no chemistry, and had no business being partners on this show. Credit to all involved for their effort, but this match was total throwaway. I have no idea who will ultimately take the titles from Roode and Gable and I can't say I care. Shinsuke Nakamura def. Rusev to Win the United States Championship (Kickoff Match)This feud has felt completely cold to me. Sure, they work well together, but I didn't much interest in this outing at all. It was fine for what it was, yet not nearly as strong as their last championship clash on Christmas night. I assumed Rusev retaining his title was a slam dunk, so Nakamura regaining the gold seemed strange to me. Nakamura did nothing of note during his last reign as champion, so his second stint with the strap is more memorable. As for Rusev, who the hell knows what's next for him.
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War Raiders def. Undisputed Era to Win the NXT Tag Team ChampionshipIn what should come as no surprise, Undisputed Era produced yet another outstanding tag team match. It makes complete sense why the company would count on them time and time again to kick off TakeOver with a bang, because all of their matches have a high standard of quality regardless of who they're up against. War Raiders have had a nice run in NXT up to this point, but they needed that one truly memorable match to stand out and this was it. Admittedly, I'm slightly disappointed The Street Profits weren't the team to beat Undisputed Era as NXT Tag Team Champions, but it was a cool moment for War Raiders, nonetheless. Matt Riddle def. Kassius OhnoI was hoping for this to be the barn-burner I know these two are capable of, but it ended up being just another good match between Riddle and Ohno. Don't get me wrong, I thought the intensity both guys brought to the table was excellent and it felt personal, but it could have been better with more time and a hotter closing stretch. That said, Riddle went over decisively as he should have and his flurry of elbow shots to Ohno's head was a unique finish that played off his past in the UFC.
Impact X-Division Champion Rich Swann def. Hijo del Vikingo (Non-title)Similar to the last set of tapings IMPACT had in Mexico, I'm sure we'll be seeing a number of new/unfamiliar faces that I'll ultimately be impressed with. Vikingo is one of those people. He had a good showing against the X-Division Champion, and although this was far from a barn-burner, it was a well-wrestled opener and a nice way to kick off the show. Afterward, Sami Callihan and oVe once again attempted to recruit Swann into their ranks with Callihan explaining how he and Swann are close outside of the ring and how Callihan helped Swann when he needed it most years ago. Swann declined the offer, but this storyline is just getting started. Impact Knockouts Champion Taya Valkyrie def. Keyra (Non-title)Keyra was in action on IMPACT! the last time they were in Mexico, and she didn't have the most memorable outing (which is probably why I barely remember her). On the bright side, she had a far better performance here and really took Taya to her limit. That dropkick in the corner was especially brutal, holy hell! It was a hard-hitting affair that saw Valkyrie win in her first match as Knockouts Champion. Valkyrie's post-match promo was great and she seemed genuinely happy to be back in Mexico. She put Tessa Blanchard for when she returns from her "suspension" and wisher her husband Johnny Impact luck in the main event.
Undisputed Era Interrupted Velveteen DreamWe haven't seen too much of Dream on NXT TV since his loss to NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa at TakeOver: WarGames II, raising questions as to what his status was on the brand. During his promo here, he announced his intentions to set his sights on the NXT North American Championship, only to be interrupted by Adam Cole and Bobby Fish. They're looking to win gold soon as well to match their stablemates Kyle O'Reilly and Roderick Strong. This was a solid segment, and if I had to guess, this will be a filler feud to keep Dream and Cole busy before they move on to something more meaningful. Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch def. Fabian Aichner and Marcel BarthelAichner and Barthel have quickly come into their own as a tag team on NXT UK and it's great to see them join the NXT tag team ranks as well. They work wonderfully together, and when it was announced they'd be doing battle with Lorcan and Aichner, I knew it'd be a barn-burner of a bout. Sure enough, they did not disappoint, as this was extremely exciting while it lasted. The crowd was electric for their innovative, high-flying offense and all four guys put forth an incredible effort. The roll-up win for Lorcan and Burch makes me hopeful that more matches between the two tandems are on the horizon.
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