Samoa Joe defeated Shinsuke Nakamura to regain the NXT Championship in the main event of this weekend’s NXT Takeover: Toronto live special, exclusively on the WWE Network. Joe is now a two-time champion, having dropped the title to former New Japan Pro Wrestling mega star Nakamura back in August at NXT Takeover: Brooklyn II.
Joe wasn’t the only wrestler to leave Takeover with a new title however, as Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa finally completed a several months journey to become the new NXT Tag Team Champions. This is the first WWE title for both Gargano and Ciampa, having signed from the U.S. independent scene earlier this year. This ends the Revival’s second reign as champions at 164 days, having won the straps back from American Alpha at this summer’s NXT Takeover: The End live special.
Mickie James also made her highly anticipated return to WWE on Saturday, after honing her craft on Impact Wrestling since 2010. While James put up a fight, even channeling the offence of some of the all-time Japanese greats in her match against reigning champion and Japanese sensation Asuka, it wasn’t quite enough to dethrone the champ in her return.
If you didn’t catch NXT Takeover this weekend, make sure to catch the replay or on-demand on the WWE Network. The show was solid from top to bottom with an outstanding, vocal Canadian crowd, and a tag team title match that may go down as a Match of the Year candidate. Eat your heart out, Young Bucks!
