7 Ups And 0 Downs For WWE NXT TakeOver: Stand And Deliver Night 1 (Apr 7)
4. Reed It And Weep
On the back of a main event battle royal which saw 11 of the black and gold brand's most talented faces go to war, the final six and their entrance order was officially decided for last night's Gauntlet Eliminator to decided Johnny Gargano's challenger on Night 2 of Stand and Deliver.
Before the first two men could get us underway, however, Isaiah 'Swerve' Scott returned the favour to his frequent sparring partner Leon Ruff from last week, beating the underdog down the entrance ramp. As you'd expect, Ruff refused to stay down, launching himself off the raised entrance way, landing on the barricade and then connecting with a kick like the devastating cat he is.
The match would finally get going during the commercial break, with Bronson Reed eventually joining the action next, catching Ruff in mid-air and launching him at his nemesis during his physical introduction. Not content with resting on his laurels, the colossal star would fire both men half way across the ring with a double-German suplex soon after.
The GameStop millionaire then entered the contest, equipped with a fistful of effective cash, announcing his arrival with a moonsault on Reed. Grimes then appeared to bribe Scott into joining forces with the big spending a-hole, a decision which resulted in a Ruff spell for Bronson and Leon.
As the following entrant, Dexter Lumis, eerily made his way to the ring, Ruff was then unceremoniously eliminated by the combined efforts of Grimes and Scott, a moment the NXT technical team opted to pass up on in favour of staring into the steely gaze of the new arrival.
After Lumis' leg appeared to bend in ways they're clearly not supposed to, LA Knight rounded out the field with a typically arrogant promo. The freshest man then managed to roll-up the seemingly unstoppable Lumis mid-Silence on Grimes, before himself falling to the combined efforts of the remaining competitors.
Grimes was next to suffer, this time at the hands of his supposed paid ally as Scott rolled up his cash cow to seal a place in the final two. A frankly ridiculous powerslam from Scott to Reed on the apron, coupled with a 450 splash still couldn't earn the former the all-important win though. This only served to fire up the monstrous Reed, with the massive star putting together a powerbomb, air raid crash and Tsunami splash for the victory; perhaps literally killing Scott in the process.
As far as North American Championship matches go, the despicable weasel Gargano attempting to stay alive opposite the surprisingly over Reed - given the reaction from those in attendance - should make for Night 2 magic and perhaps a new king of the mountain.