WWE

WWE NXT’s Damian Priest Becomes New North American Champion at TakeOver XXX

The last few weeks have been building towards an epic NXT TakeOver XXX Ladder Match for the NXT […]

The last few weeks have been building towards an epic NXT TakeOver XXX Ladder Match for the NXT North American Championship, and the match did not disappoint once it got started. As the second match of the night, Cameron Grimes, Damian Priest, Bronson Reed, Johnny Gargano, and Velveteen Dream all lept into the ring and put their bodies on the line for the chance at Championship gold, and the bell didn’t even ring before things got started. Once Dream was knocked down onto the mat it was on, and after all was said and done it was Damian Priest who stood as the new Champion.

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Early on it was Bronson Reed and Damian Priest who looked the strongest, though Dream did get back in the fight after he was thrown down to the mat by Johnny Gargano. Grimes would be the spoiler and knock Dream and Priest down, which resulted in him, unfortunately, doing the splits and hurting himself.

Priest and Dream then threw both ladders into Reed, but Reed had the last laugh and laid out both competitors. Grimes tried to knock him down, but Reed knocked him back as well and even disrupted a try for the belt from Gargano.

At this point, the ladders started flying, with everyone getting a chance to either knock someone into one or use it as a weapon, including a brutal spot that had Gargano ramming a ladder into Dream’s face and then Priest squishing Gargano with another one. Reed would then dish out an atomic drop to Grimes and slam everyone into their ladders at once.

Priest would come close to grabbing the belt, but Dream would knock him down and try his hand at it, though Priest had enough in him to stop him. Priest would try again, but he was stopped by Grimes this time. He managed to shake Grimes, but Gargano sent him reeling with a superkick to the back.

Reed then started taking out people with the ladder, but Gargano used the ladder to slam it to the ground and Reed’s head with it. Gargano tried to knock back Dream, but Dream hit him in the eyes, and that’s when Dream sent the ladder over the top rope and off of the glass, which hit Priest full force.

Reed then dove and hit half the group outside of the ring, and Grimes capitalized and tried to get a ladder in the ring. Priest somehow recovered though and sent the ladder into Grimes, stopping him cold. Priest then used the ladder as a ramp and dove out of the ring, hitting everyone and sending them to the floor.

Candice LeRae then came out to check on Johnny, but she also knocked Grimes off the ladder and then moved the ladder so he couldn’t do anything. Then she starting wailing on Grimes, and when Grimes responded, Gargano hit Grimes with a ladder, setting up LeRae to take out everybody else with an awesome dive.

Gargano almost had the belt but Reed managed to get him down. LeRae then got on Reed’s back atop the ladder, but Reed jumped off and squashed Gargano with LeRae on his back, and then somehow got back on the ladder.

Priest met him up there though, while Grimes set up another ladder. None of them would grab it though, but at one point Dream was just out of it at the top of the ladder. Priest would send him crashing down, and then Priest would find himself with a chance at it, but Grimes stopped him in his tracks.

Grimes would try and climb, but Gargano got back into the ring. Gargano climbed the ladder and flipped Grimes onto another ladder, leaving both laid out on the ground.

At this point Reed made his way back into the ring, as did Dream. Dream started climbing and had it in his hands, but Reed sent him flying into the side of the arena. Reed started to climb but Grimes dropkicked him off of it and then started climbing. Grimes had the belt in hand but was stopped by Gargano, who used the belt as a weapon to knock off Grimes.

Priest then showed up and the two fought, as the belt was loose. Gargano lost his grip and Priest held on and became North American Champion.

You can find the official description for tonight’s TakeOver below.

NXT Champion Keith Lee will face his most dangerous challenge yet against Karrion Kross at NXT TakeOver XXX. Plus, Adam Cole and Pat McAfee finally take their heated rivalry to the ring, Io Shirai defends the NXT Women’s Title against Dakota Kai, five Superstars battle for the North American Championship in a Ladder Match, and more. Catch it all tonight at 7 ET/4 PT on the award-winning WWE Network!

Here’s the full lineup:

Finn Balor vs Timothy Thatcher

Adam Cole vs Pat McAfee

Breezango vs Danny Burch vs Oney Lorcan vs Legado del Fantasma – NXT Tag Team Championship

NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai vs Dakota Kai

NXT North American Championship Ladder Match

NXT Champion Keith Lee vs Karrion Kross with Scarlett

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