NXT TakeOver Chicago 2018 Results: Johnny Gargano and Top Highlights, Low Points
Heading into NXT TakeOver: Chicago 2018, the card wasn't as stacked as it normally is for NXT's special events.
Typically, only the best and brightest on the roster are set to compete, but this pay-per-view had a few weak spots on its advertisement.
The feud between Nikki Cross and Shayna Baszler was rushed and basic, while Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch never came off as the most prolific challengers for The Undisputed Era's tag team titles.
Thankfully, Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa facing off again, coupled with Ricochet and Velveteen Dream set to steal the show, helped balance out the negatives, allowing Aleister Black and Lars Sullivan to tip the scales in a more positive light.
It appeared as though three out of five matches were worth getting excited for, but how did things actually turn out?
With TakeOver: Chicago 2018 behind us and the dust settled, let's take a look at what transpired during Saturday's show and pinpoint the highlights and low points of the event.
Low Point: No Mauro Ranallo on Commentary
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The mainstay of NXT's commentary team, Mauro Ranallo, was unable to attend this event as the date conflicted with his work for Showtime Boxing.
In his stead was 205 Live's Vic Joseph, who is certainly capable of handling the duties of being the primary play-by-play announcer but doesn't match up as Ranallo's equal.
Joseph's style is more along the lines of Tom Phillips and Michael Cole in that he gets the job done but without the trademark energy Ranallo has.
Whenever Ranallo is on commentary, he carries the same passion that Jim Ross used to, which is a refreshing change of pace from what we hear every week on Raw, SmackDown and 205 Live.
Of course, not having Ranallo calling this show didn't mean it suffered irreparable damage, but it did lack the enthusiasm we've seen at previous TakeOver events.
The commentary team is instrumental in creating a fun atmosphere for the viewers at home, and with Joseph, Nigel McGuinness and Percy Watson, this pay-per-view was simply not quite up to par in that regard.
Highlight: NXT Tag Team Championship Match
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Going into this match, Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch didn't seem to have any chance to look like truly credible challengers.
Sure, they're talented, but they haven't had much of an opportunity to showcase that on NXT, where they're largely used as jobbers.
Despite that stigma, both they and The Undisputed Era put on a rock-solid match that gave both sides time to look strong.
Starting the night off with a ruckus audience chanting "this is awesome" is never a bad thing, and after this performance, the stock in Lorcan and Burch has to be higher than ever before.
The same goes for The Undisputed Era, who was the clear crowd favorite here even though it was the heel.
The more matches like this that exhibit the skill Roderick Strong and Kyle O'Reilly bring to the table, the better, as that only helps the credibility and legacy of The Undisputed Era as a whole.
Highlight: Ricochet vs. Velveteen Dream
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Given that this feud was all about trying to one-up each other and prove their skills, Ricochet and Velveteen Dream absolutely tore the house down in demonstrating just that.
Twice during the match, the crowd erupted with "this is awesome" chants and even had what seemed like a standing ovation for these two.
From the very start, with Velveteen Dream's parody of Hulk Hogan, to the very end, with Ricochet's flawless aerial assault, this was the type of magical fun we hope to see with WWE matches.
Some spots that stood out were the rolling Death Valley Bomb off the ropes and the vertical suplex off the apron to the outside, but even the transitional maneuvers were done with such amazing precision that there wasn't a bad moment.
It's rare that a match has a DDT in it that could feel like the end of the segment, but these two pulled it off with hard-hitting smacks and reversals out of nowhere that all felt like they meant something.
If you're not keeping your eye on these two, you're missing out on some of the best talent not just in NXT, but in the entire WWE.
Highlight: NXT Women's Championship Match
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Yours truly wasn't particularly thrilled with this feud or the potential behind the match itself but is thankful to have been proved wrong.
While this wasn't the best match of the night, it was different than what preceded it and told a different story, making it fun in a unique way.
It was important to establish the deranged Nikki Cross as a tough challenge for Shayna Baszler to overcome, while also confirming the champion's prowess by having her come out on top.
This was accomplished very well with the decision to have the match start with the confusing tension of Cross inviting Baszler's attack and even reveling in the finishing submission, which was too much for her to handle.
With a smile on her face, Cross fading away and succumbing to Baszler nicely put a definitive win in the corner of The Queen of Spades yet took nothing away from her opponent.
Low Point: NXT Championship Match
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The NXT Championship match between Aleister Black and Lars Sullivan was a bit off and felt like it lacked something.
What that missing element was is difficult to figure out, but this just didn't have the same buzz as the rest of the card.
There are only so many times you can see Black kick Sullivan and then get overpowered before it starts to feel redundant, so since most of the match revolved around that, it became somewhat boring.
The most exciting parts happened to be the botches, which, of course, aren't something to be proud of.
In particular, completely missing the Black Mass caused the audience to groan and boo, acting like a point of no return for the match to be saved.
That doesn't mean this match was without at least some charm, as a few sequences and spots were interesting and looked rough in the right way, but the sum of its parts was mostly forgettable, especially for what should have been the main event.
Highlight: Johnny Gargano vs. Tommaso Ciampa
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Considering their previous encounters and their track record of putting on great performances, it should be no surprise that Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano were able to put on an amazing match together to end the night.
This could have very easily become a repeat of their unsanctioned match, as the gimmick was the same with just a name change, yet they made sure to have more fun with it.
Sometimes, the little touches can make all the difference. For example, since this was a Street Fight, having them compete in normal clothes instead of wrestling gear gave it a more personal vibe.
Too often, WWE books a Street Fight and there isn't anything to separate it from any other Extreme Rules, No Disqualification, No Holds Barred or other stipulation that equates to the same thing.
Another fun moment was the planted fan in the crowd with a Gargano sign disguising a hidden stop sign they used as a weapon.
This is an aggressive feud, and to keep the momentum going, Gargano and Ciampa had to really punish each other and make it look brutal, which they did in both quantity and quality.
The cherry on top was the use of the wooden planks under the ring canvas, which is so rarely seen that it made this feel extra special and a terrific way to finish off a great event.
Anthony Mango is the owner of the wrestling website Smark Out Moment and the host of the podcast show Smack Talk on YouTube, iTunes and Stitcher. You can follow him on Facebook and elsewhere for more.
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