NXT TakeOver: In Your House kicked off with Todd Pettengill announcing that the show is the largest attended event in the history of the Capitol Wrestling Center. A night of thrilling in-ring action followed. There wasn't a bad match on the card, and every wrestler on the show significantly increased their value.
Winner: Bronson Reed and MSK Vs. Legado Del Fantasma
Another star-making performance from the NXT North American Champion Bronson Reed in this perfectly paced and well-laid-out match that easily could have gone off the rails. It was just as long as it needed to be, and all six guys got a chance to shine.
Reed and MSK got the win, but the defeat probably won't hard Legado too much. No doubt Santos Escobar will want to challenge the Aussie behemoth to a one-on-one title match, but if that doesn't happen, it's difficult to predict what Legado does next.
Winner/Loser: Tian Sha/Mercedes Martinez
Xia Lee got an important win over Mercedes Martinez in a solid match. After the bell, Xia Lee grabbed a steel chair with the intention of hurting Martinez, Martinez dodged the blow and took possession of the chair, which she used to fend off Xia Lee's henchman. Martinez gave Xia a few wacks with the chair and then switched her attention to Mei Ying, the leader of the mysterious group known as Tian Sha. Ying had been observing the action from a throne at the top of the ramp. When Martine called her out, she stood up and slowly moved towards Martinez. Martinez tried to hit Ying, but Ying grabbed her by the throat and launched her into the plexiglass barrier from high up on the ramp.
Xia Lee has improved a lot since losing to Martinez in the Mae Young Classic four years ago. She was a worthy victor tonight, and the post-match was well done if a tad hokey (still miles better than the doll stuff on Raw though).
Tian Sha is being booked well as a mysterious, formidable force who will no doubt run roughshod over the NXT roster in the coming months.
Mercedes Martinez is a veteran and an incredibly talented wrestler. The defeat won't harm her at all, but it would make sense for her to take a few weeks off or even move to Raw or SmackDown.
Winner: LA Knight Vs. Cameron Grimes (Million Dollar Championship Ladder Match)
This match featured some brutal spots and excellent performances from both competitors, who were each vying for the approval of "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase. The finish came when Knight tipped over a ladder on which Grimes was standing. Grimes fell down into a ladder on the outside that had been set up earlier in the match -- Checkov's Ladder.
A thoroughly entertaining ladder match that ticked most of the boxes you'd expect to be ticked in a WWE ladder match. Grimes has a great schtick that he's executing damn near perfect and his in-ring work is a joy to behold. Sadly, he came up short against an older, more experienced opponent, but LA Knight needs the Million Dollar Championship more than Grimes, who can let his ring/character work do the talking.
Winner: Ember Moon Vs. Raquel González
Ember had the match won on a couple of occasions and would have walked out of the CWC with the gold if Dakota Kai had not been at ringside providing assistance to her partner Raquel González.
Eventually, Ember's tag partner Shotzi Blackheart appeared and chased Dakota Kai away. Ember then hit González with a tornado DDT from the top rope to the ramp and slowly rolled her larger opponent back into the ring and covered her for a near fall. Ember then climbed the ropes and attempted to hit The Eclipse, but González countered it into a one-armed powerbomb which was enough to put Ember down for a three count.
This was a really great match that showed how good Raquel González can be when she's in the ring with a worker as clever and dependable as Ember Moon. It was the first big win of her reign, and hopefully, they have a few more competent opponents line up for her before the inevitable match with Dakota.
Winner: Karrion Kross Vs. Adam Cole Vs. Johnny Gargano Vs. Kyle O'Reilly Vs. Pete Dunne
Fears of Karrion Kross being called up to the main roster any time soon were alleviated when the NXT Champion successfully defended his title against two former champions and two hungry young men a the same time.
A rewatch is necessary, but this match could potentially be a Match Of The Year candidate. It was booked to perfection and all five competitors were given chances to shine and show what they're capable of. Kross remains dominant, but not at the expense of anyone else's reputation. Everyone was protected.
Kross choked out O'Reilly with a Kross Jacket for the win.
