NXT's Shotzi Blackheart Wins TakeOver Advantage and Reveals Final Member of WarGames Team

The main event of tonight's NXT had big ramifications for TakeOver WarGames, as Shotzi Blackheart [...]

By Matthew Aguilar

The main event of tonight's NXT had big ramifications for TakeOver WarGames, as Shotzi Blackheart battled Raquel Gonzalez for an advantage at WarGames in a ladder match. The two teams watched the match unfold from the stands, which consists of Team Shotzi's Rhea Ripley and Ember Moon and Team LeRae's Toni Storm and Dakota Kai. Blackheart and Gonzalez charged right ahead, and Blackheart focused her kicks on Gonzalez's legs, attempting to weaken her. It was working for a bit but Gonzalez caught her and turned the tide, and Blackheart's next evasion went poorly, as Gonzalez caught her and bent Blackheart's back, followed by a battle over the ropes that sent Blackheart to the outside.

Gonzalez tried to grab a ladder but Blackheart stopped her. Gonzalez picked Blackheart up and sent to throw her into the ladder but Blackheart evaded, sending Gonzalez into it instead. Blackheart capitalized, hitting the ropes and jump kicking the ladder into Gonzalez, sending her to the floor.

Gonzalez would recover, and she would catch a diving Blackheart and slam her onto the ladder hanging over the ring apron. Blackheart would jump on Gonzalez's back, and the two made their way to the outside. Gonzalez slammed Blackheart's back into the apron but she wouldn't move. Gonzalez then got her up by the ring and slammed Blackheart's spin into the post, but she would follow it up by picking Blackheart up and slamming her into the barrier.

Blackheart was near the ladder when Gonzalez charged forward, but Blackheart evaded and then caught Gonzalez's leg and slammed it into the steel steps. Gonzalez would try and slam Blackheart into the barrier once more, but Blackheart caught the fencing around the arena, and then dove backward, sending Gonzalez to the floor.

Gonzalez kept kicking Blackheart down. to the floor but she kept getting back up. Gonzalez did get enough space to move a ladder into the ring, but Blackheart stopped her before she could use it. Gonzalez got space again by raking Blackheart's eyes, and then she went hunting for another ladder. She pushed that one into the ring as well and proceeded to slam it into Blackheart's body on the ground. Blackheart was able to create some distance, and she would use it to slam a ladder into Gonzalez on the other side of the ropes.

Gonzalez caught it at one point, but Blackheart kicked her in the head and placed a ladder on the ring apron. She then got atop the rope and flipped over, sending Gonzalez hard to the floor with a creative DDT. Blackheart then tried another innovative move, but Gonzalez sent her face-first into the ring apron. Gonzalez then picked up some steel steps and slammed them into Blackheart's side, using the opportunity to get into the ring and set up a ladder.

She started climbing but Blackheart climbed up quickly, grabbing her hand and pulling it through the ladder and doing damage. Gonzalez would halt it but then Blackheart grabbed her head and slammed it into the top of the ladder, and both fell to the mat. Blackheart would cut off another attempt from Gonzalez by kicking over the ladder, though Gonzalez would kick the ladder into Blackheart in the corner, but Blackheart would evade again, and then she would use the ladder in the corner to knock Gonzalez out of the ring with a fantastic move.

Blackheart went to the top rope with Gonzalez outside and then hit double knees on Gonzalez, sending her to the floor. Blackheart was also down, and then Indi Hartwell put up a ladder to the area where Team LeRae was, and they all flocked to Gonzalez. Ripley and Moon soon joined the fray, and then Hartwell was seen in the middle of the ring moving up the ladder. Blackheart caught her and knocked her out with a kick to the head, but Gonzalez then clotheslined her.

Gonzalez ascended up the ladder, but then Io Shirai jumped off the top rope and onto her back, choking her until she cleared the ladder. Gonzalez charged her but Shirai pulled the top rope and sent her to the floor, and she followed that up with a flip off the top rope, clearing out everyone, even the security personnel. That left Blackheart in the ring with the ladder, and she quickly went up and nabbed the briefcase and the advantage at WarGames.

Shirai was also announced as the final piece of team Blackheart for WarGames, and it's going to be quite a clash.

What did you think of the match? Let us know in the comments or as always you can talk all things NXT with me on Twitter @MattAguilarCB!

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