NXT TakeOver: Survival

Promotional poster featuring Aleister Black

### Last Event

**NXT TakeOver: Survival** was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event and WWE Network event, produced by Creeps and Apecs for the NXT brand. It took place on November 9, 2019.

Seven matches were contested at the event. The main event consisted of an NXT Tag Team Championship Ladder match between Champions TM-61 and Challengers The Authors Of Pain. The event also featured a Triple Threat NXT Championship match as Apollo Crews defended against Aleister Black and Velveteen Dream.

## Storylines

At NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn on August 10, 2019, Apollo Crews defeated Aleister Black in the finals of the NXT Gold Rush Tournament to become the inaugural NXT Champion. On the first NXT after NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn, Apollo Crews was confronted by Velveteen Dream, who offered a handshake, only to move it away and slap Apollo, proceeding to run off up the ramp. Later that night Velveteen Dream defeated Aleister Black with The Purple Rainmaker. After the match, Apollo Crews ran down and began beating down Velveteen Dream before Velveteen escaped out of the ring. The next week on the August 21st episode of NXT, Velveteen Dream defeated the NXT Champion Apollo Crews. Following this, the two were stared down by Aleister Black from the stage. NXT General Manager Eric Bischoff would announce the week after, that Apollo Crews would defend his NXT Championship against both Aleister Black and Velveteen Dream at NXT TakeOver: Survival. On the September 18th NXT, Velveteen Dream called out Apollo Crews just after stating that "Apollo Crews is a disgrace to the NXT brand", after Apollo confronted Velveteen, the two brawled and another match was made between the two, which Apollo would go on to win. After this match, Velveteen would beat down Crews, he would then hold up the NXT Championship before Aleister Black came running down, hitting Velveteen Dream with a Black Mass and holding up the NXT Championship himself. The next week, new NXT General Manager William Regal made Velveteen Dream battle both Black and Crews in a handicap match, which Velveteen Dream was able to secure victory in. After the match, Apollo Crews would help up his partner Aleister Black just before Black would hit Crews with the Black Mass, he told Crews that "he should have never even beaten him at Brooklyn and that Velveteen and him will fade to black at NXT TakeOver: Survival".

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TM-61 overcame the odds at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn, defeating Authors Of Pain in a 5-Team Gauntlet Match (also featuring SAnitY The Ascension and The Bludgeon Brothers) to become the first ever NXT Tag Team Champions. On the following episode of NXT, The Authors Of Pain challenged TM-61 for the NXT Tag Team Championships, the match would go on to end in a disqualification as Akam hit Shane Thorne in the back with a chair as he was pinning Rezar. The Authors Of Pain would go on to beat down TM-61 with chairs after the match. The next week on NXT, TM-61 got retribution on The Authors Of Pain, attacking them backstage with chairs. On the August 28th NXT, TM-61 defeated The Authors Of Pain by pinfall. After the match The Authors Of Pain would again assault TM-61, this time hitting them with a Double Powerbomb on the outside of the ring. 2 weeks later as TM-61 was about to make their entrance, The Authors Of Pain would continue to collide with TM-61 as the two teams brawled during TM-61's entrance, causing the entire NXT roster to split the two teams up. After the brawl was broken up, NXT General Manager Eric Bischoff announced that TM-61 would once again defend their NXT Tag Team Championships against The Authors Of Pain at NXT TakeOver: Survival. On the September 26th episode of NXT, The Authors Of Pain would clash again with TM-61, however this time the winners would be able to pick the stipulation for their Championship bout at NXT TakeOver: Survival. The Authors Of Pain would go on to win and pick a Tag Team Ladder Match as the stipulation. The week after, the two teams would engage in a massive brawl involving multiple Ladders, which TM-61 stood tall at the end of. On October 16th, TM-61 and Authors Of Pain would engage in a contract signing for their match at Survival. After both teams had signed the contract, the Authors Of Pain would viciously assault TM-61, hitting them with a massive Super Collider and holding up the NXT Tag Team Championships.

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At NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn, Elias defended the NXT North American Championship (a Championship which had recently been transferred from RAW to NXT) against Ted Dibiase Jr. in an open challenge. On the August 21st edition of NXT, just after Elias had defeated Sami Zayn, Lars Sullivan would run down and assault both men in the ring. The next week on NXT, General Manager Eric Bischoff would announce that Elias would defend his NXT North American Championship at NXT TakeOver: Survival against Sami Zayn and Lars Sullivan. The week after, Sami Zayn pulled off a huge upset over Lars Sullivan. After this match, Elias would run down, looking to hit Sami Zayn with his guitar. This plan was stopped by Lars Sullivan who stormed back into the ring and beat down both Elias and Zayn. On the September 25th NXT, Lars Sullivan would defeat Elias and Sami Zayn in a handicap match, shortly after Elias would walk out on Sami Zayn, leading him to being manhandled by Lars. The next week, just as Sami Zayn was set to face his former best friend Kevin Owens, Lars Sullivan would run down and beat down both Zayn and Owens in the middle of the ring with Elias watching on from the stage. On the October 16th episode of NXT, Elias would get involved In a match between Sullivan and Zayn, leading to a no contest between the two. Sami Zayn would eventually hit a Helluva Kick on Elias after Lars Sullivan would chase him around the ring. After Sami had hit the Helluva Kick, Lars Sullivan would get into the ring and hit him with a massive Powerslam, standing tall over Elias and Zayn.

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On the August 28th episode of NXT, Liv Morgan defeated Carmella, as Liv Morgan was celebrating, Carmella would assault her from behind, both women got punches in as they brawled around ringside, with Carmella coming out on top due to Carmella hitting Liv Morgan with a chair. The week after, the two would engage in a backstage altercation that would lead to yet another brawl between the two, yet again Carmella got the upper hand when she threw Liv Morgan into a television. Carmella would later say that Liv was "nothing more than a cheap Carmella rip-off". Liv Morgan took a week off to heal from her injuries and returned on the September 18th NXT to address Carmella's words about her. Morgan would say that she's "her own person, unique in her own way". Liv Morgan would then challenge Carmella to a match at NXT TakeOver: Survival, so they could "settle their differences". Just after Liv was finished challenging Carmella, she was assaulted from behind by the NXT Womens Champion Peyton Royce and Billie Kay with Royce telling Liv that "this was her ring". The week after, Carmella would go on to accept Liv Morgan's challenge for NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn, stating that she was going to "leave Liv Morgan hurting in severe pain". As Carmella was walking up the ramp, she was tackled by Liv Morgan, who got retribution on Carmella, hitting her with a Suplex onto the steel ramp. Carmella and Liv Morgan would later be announced for a 6-Woman Battle Royal that would take place at Evolution, to decide which NXT Woman would go on to face a main roster Womens Champion at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view.

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On the October 16th NXT, Kevin Owens would walk down to the ring and express his displeasure with being a part of the NXT brand, stating that "being on the NXT brand sucks, I'm having even less chances here than I did on RAW or Smackdown". Kevin Owens would eventually be interrupted by Tye Dillinger who said that "The world doesn't revolve around Owens". The two would stare down before being interrupted by various other NXT Superstars, those Superstars being Baron Corbin, Kyle O'Reilly, Neville, Bo Dallas, Rusev and Samoa Joe. A huge brawl started by Owens and Neville would commence between all 8 men in the ring, leading William Regal to coming out, Regal would announce that at NXT TakeOver: Survival, all 8 of the men in the ring would compete in an 8-man Ladder match to determine who would be moving up to either RAW or Smackdown. Regal then announced a match between Kevin Owens and Neville. Kevin Owens would go on to defeat Neville and then proceed to Powerbomb an already hurt Bo Dallas off of the NXT stage.

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On the October 16th episode of NXT, EC3 would address how he felt as though he should be the face of NXT and that he should be on banners all over the world, representing NXT. He said that he's the reality check that NXT very much needs. After EC3 was wrapping up, he was confronted by NXT General Manager William Regal, who gave EC3 the chance to showcase himself to the NXT Universe. Regal told EC3 that he would face an opponent of his choosing, he would go on to accept the deal, later finding out that Regal had chosen a debuting Zack Sabre Jr. for his opponent at NXT TakeOver: Survival.

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