With only a few days to go until NXT TakeOver: In Your House, WWE's black and gold brand had to make the most of its final two hours of television before the big show. Tonight's edition of NXT was light on thrilling in-ring action, but they crammed a lot of narrative into two hours and did just enough to get people pumped for Sunday.

Winner/Loser: Oney Lorcan Vs. Austin Theory

We kick off with cocky upstart Austin Theory taking on technical brawler Oney Lorcan. Before the show began, Theory and his The Way stablemate Johnny Gargano brawled backstage with Lorcan and his associate Pete Dunne. Dunne appeared at ringside a few minutes into the match, and Gargano soon followed to even up the odds. Both Dunne and Gargano will be involved in the NXT Championship Fatal Five-Way match at Sunday's NXT TakeOver: In Your House, so naturally, they started fighting at ringside and had to be separated by officials.

A solid opener that showcased the strengths of both men. Theory hit Lorcan with a modified Spanish Fly off the turnbuckle at one point, but Lorcan ultimately got the win. Lorcan and Theory beat the hell out of each other, and Theory proved that he can hold his own against more experienced competitors. It's unfortunate that the match was overshadowed by the Dunne/Gargano stuff, but the Fatal Five-Way has had very little build, so any excuse to give its participants a reason to fight is valid.

NXT Superstars Oney Lorcan and Austin Theory after their match on NXT 6/8/2021

Winner: Doc Hendrix

He's still got it.

Winners: Legado Del Phantasma Get Title Shots

Next up is another showdown between Legado Del Fantasma and the team of Bronson Reed, and MSK. The segment began with Legado leader Santos Escobar calling out Bronson Reed. Reed came out and rolled footage of him squashing Escobar with a big splash on the ringside perspex last week. Reed got in the ring and was on the verge of being jumped by Legado when his MSK buddies made the save.

Escobar challenged Reed and MSK to a six-man tag match at TakeOver in which MSK would defend their tag titles and Bronson Reed would defend his North American Championship against all three members of Legado Del Fantasma. Reed and MSK accepted for some reason but hey, nobody said babyfaces had to be smart.

Having two championships on the line in the same match feels a little demeaning to both titles, but the match will almost certainly be a banger so it's a forgivable decision.

Winners: Swerve Scott And Hit Row

To send a message to Legado, MSK, and Bronson Reed, Swerve and his stable Hit Row made their way to the ring before the previous segment had even finished. Swerve got a win over the gargantuan Killian Dain thanks to a distraction from Top Dolla, who laid out Dain's partner Drake Maverick. Swerve finished Dain off with a brutal-looking kick to the head.

There's no question that Swerve is a star, and thanks to his new attitude and new companions,  he continues to climb the charts in NXT. He's absolutely nailing this new character, and if he keeps it up, he'll be main-eventing in no time. If you didn't know ... now you know.

NXT Superstar Isaiah "Swerve" Scott on NXT 6/8/2021

Winner/Loser: Mercedes Martinez Vs. A Jobber

Martinez was attacked by Xia Lee as she was making her way to the ring for a match against a jobber. Lee beat Martinez up pretty badly, but Martinez demanded that the ref start the match anyway. Martinez beat her opponent in about 10 seconds.

They clearly have pretty big plans for Xia Lee, and it seems inevitable that she'll beat Martinez on Sunday, but this segment did a good job of presenting Matinez as a force to be reckoned with, which is exactly how she should be presented.

RELATED: NXT TakeOver In Your House 2021 Guide: Match Card And Predictions

Winner: Ted DiBiase Revives The Million Dollar Championship 

The LA Knight vs. Cameron Grimes feud finally has some stakes after "The Million Dollar Man" Red DiBiase announced that the two men would compete in a ladder match for his Million Dollar Championship at NXT TakeOver: In Your House on Sunday.

Of course, ultimately this entire angle boils down to two young rich guys vying for the attention of an old rich guy. And of course, both guys recently lost to Jake Atlas, so if anyone deserves the Million Dollar Championship, it's probably him.

A fun segment with thoroughly entertaining mic work from all three men. And what's a TakeOver without a ladder match?

NXT Superstars Cameron Grimes and LA Knight with WWE Hall of Famer Ted DiBiase

Winners: Tommaso Ciampa, Timothy Thatcher, James Drake, and Zack Gibson

The Grizzled Young Veterans (Zack Gibson and James Drake) made short work of their opponents August Grey and Ikemen Jiro. Ciampa and Thatcher pulled up a couple of chairs and watched from ringside in an attempt to psyche out the men they will face on Sunday.

After the bell, the two teams exchanged words and agreed to do battle in a tag team tornado match at TakeOver. These two teams are going to beat the absolute crap out of each other on Sunday. It will not be pretty, but you won't be able to take your eyes off it.

NXT Superstars Timothy thatcher and Tommaso Ciampa on NXT 6/8/2021

Winner: Io Shirai Returns To Help Poppy  

Musician Poppy dropped her new EP during the show and was involved in a backstage segment with Triple H, William Regal, Dexter Lumis, and Indi Hartwell. Dexter presented Poppy with a picture he had drawn of her, and Poppy hugged him as a thank you. The Lumis-obsessed Indi Hartwell showed up as Poppy and Lumis were hugging and ran away distraught.

Later, Indi's tag team partner Candice LeRae called stood in the ring and called Poppy out. Poppy arrived on the ramp, mic in hand. "I'm not a wrestler, but I know somebody who is," she said. Io Shirai came returned to NXT for the first time in several months. She attacked LeRae, who fled the scene, leaving Shirai and Poppy to celebrate in the ring.

Winner: Ember Moon Knocks Out The NXT Women's Champion

Ember Moon's match with Dakota Kai ended in disqualification after NXT Women's Champion Raquel González attacked Moon. Moon and González exchanged blows, but Moon got the upper hand and laid the champ out with The Eclipse Ember then picked up the NXT Women's title and draped it over Raquel.

Ember Moon will get a chance to reclaim the NXT Women's Championship at TakeOver: In Your House on Sunday.

NXT Superstar Ember Moon with the NXT Women's Championship on NXT 6/8/2021

Winner/Losers: Adam Cole Vs. Everyone Else

Last week, the return of Adam Cole captured the attention of NXT Champion Karrion Kross, and this week the show went off the air with Adam standing tall over Kross and the other four men competing in the Fatal Five-Way NXT Championship on Sunday. It's unlikely that Kross will lose the title, as he's clearly being prepped for a long, dominant reign, but the closing moments of the show exposed a tiny slither of vulnerability. If anyone can steal a victory from Kross while he's busy fighting three other men, it's the gas station weasel Adam Cole.

NEXT: Ranking The First 10 NXT Championship Matches, From Worst To Best