NXT TakeOver: New Orleans

## NXT Women's Championship: Ember Moon vs. Shayna Baszler

The sun finally set on Ember Moon’s hard-won reign as NXT Women’s Champion in New Orleans, leaving Shayna Baszler to hoist the prestigious title at the end of a grueling slugfest between two of NXT’s bitterest rivals.

Baszler’s trek to the title was, in many ways, as arduous as Moon’s, though marked by a ferocity that the vanquished champion had largely managed to abstain from. Moon seemed to have learned her lesson, however, when their latest match began; she took the fight to Baszler almost immediately and even tried to lock in some submissions on the noted grappler. When The Queen of Spades answered in kind — a Kirifuda Clutch left Ember out on her feet — Moon used Baszler’s own secret weapon against her, administering the same excruciating elbow stomp Baszler had punished her with in the past.

Baszler, however, would not be denied a second time. The Queen of Spades served as her own field medic, popping her shoulder joint back into place by charging the turnbuckle and setting out with the goal of Kirifuda Clutch or bust. Moon turned to her own ace in the hole — the Eclipse — twice, with wildly different results. The first attempt hit its mark, though it was outside the ring and therefore didn’t lead to a pinfall. The second one was thwarted in unprecedented fashion, as Baszler countered it into a Kirifuda Clutch that she modified by grabbing her own head to compensate for the injured arm.

Moon, to her credit, did not go quietly into the goodnight, fighting to the very last breath in her lungs. She even made it close enough to the rope to tag it with her toe (not enough to break the hold) and attempted a last-ditch defensive pin (only good enough for a one-count) before she finally succumbed to the hold and lost consciousness, leaving Baszler to celebrate with longtime friends Ronda Rousey and Jessamyn Duke at ringside. When Ember finally came to, she was watching Baszler walk up the ramp with title in hand, proclaiming her supremacy to the world. With the display that had preceded it, it was a difficult boast to dispute.

## NXT Championship: Aleister Black vs. Andrade “Cien” Almas

In one of the hardest-hitting NXT Championship Matches in recent memory, Aleister Black managed to wrest the title from devious brawler Andrade “Cien” Almas, though not before the champion and challenger beat each other black and blue over the course of 20 minutes in a battle that saw each Superstar empty the entirety of their proverbial bag of tricks.

For Black, that was the blistering kicks and strikes — to say nothing of his otherworldly presence — he uses to clear the way for his ironclad Black Mass kick to the face. Standing opposite the same man he defeated in his NXT televised debut one year prior, Black picked up where he left off, raining punishment down upon the champion at every possible opportunity. All that El Ídolo could do was try to dodge Black Mass by hook or by crook, as Black’s multifaceted offense made him tough for the champion to pin down.

This is not to say Almas was helpless in the contest — his targeting of Black’s arm to set up the Hammerlock DDT was expert — but it’s no secret that Almas’ business manager Zelina Vega has been the cornerstone upon which his reinvention and title reign were built. Her presence paid dividends in Almas’ matches against the likes of Drew McIntyre and Johnny Gargano in prior months, and it did so again in New Orleans. Vega interfered no less than four times in the title match: administering a pair of hurricanranas to Black that stopped him in his tracks, placing Almas’ foot on the ropes after the challenger landed Black Mass, and tying Black’s ankle up on the ropes — a maneuver that allowed the champion to place his opponent in the Tree of Woe and execute a massive double-stomp.

Unfortunately for El Ídolo, Black slowly wised up to the champion’s game as the match went long. So when Vega went for her boldest interference yet — a crossbody off the top rope after Black kicked out of the Hammerlock DDT — the challenger simply ducked, leaving Almas to catch Vega in his arms, and spin unwittingly straight into the path of Black Mass. Three seconds later, Black was the winner; fittingly, he becomes the lucky 13th man to hold the NXT Championship. Now, the devil is finally off his back, and anyone wishing to enter the NXT promised land must first pass the cross-legged demon sitting at its gates.

## Results

* NXT Women’s Championship Match: Shayna Baszler def. Ember Moon to win the NXT Women's Title (12:56)
* Aleister Black def. Andrade “Cien” Almas (w/ Zelina Vega) to win the NXT Title