NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn 4 (2018): Five Matches, Two Title Changes, and Another Night NXT Refuses to Miss

The match begins at a pace most teams would save for a finishing stretch, then becomes more sophisticated as O'Reilly and Strong isolate Trent Seven and attack Tyler Bate's leg. The towel tease calls back to their previous title match without simply repeating it, because Seven refuses to surrender and throws the towel into the crowd. Bate's eventual hot tag is spectacular, combining strength, speed, and desperation while the champions keep finding new ways to interrupt him. The final minutes are relentless without becoming shapeless. Strong knocks Bate from the ring with a knee, O'Reilly and Strong hit the High-Low on Seven, and the champions retain. Every major near fall has context, every save matters, and the crowd is completely invested. It is tag-team wrestling operating at an elite level.

Dream and EC3 work a slower character match in the only spot on the card that never threatens greatness. The crowd is firmly behind Dream, whose entrance and presentation give every taunt more weight than the actual offense. EC3 controls long stretches with power and tries to turn Dream's theatrics against him, while Dream gradually becomes more aggressive as the match moves outside. The most memorable sequence is the finish. Dream hits the Dream Valley Driver on the apron, leaves EC3 draped across the edge, then launches the Purple Rainmaker from the top rope onto the exposed target for the pin. It is a meaningful win for Dream after several TakeOver losses. The match is solid, but fifteen minutes exposes the limited chemistry between them and creates the only real lull of the night.

Cole spends the first half proving that he has studied Ricochet, repeatedly cutting off the champion's challenger whenever he tries to leave the ground. That makes Ricochet's eventual breakthrough feel earned rather than inevitable. The match explodes after Cole catches a handspring moonsault with a perfectly timed superkick, and from there both men trade strikes, counters, and near falls at an extraordinary pace. Ricochet finally stops reacting to Cole's traps and begins creating his own. When Cole rolls outside to avoid the 630, Ricochet sprints across the ring and hits a breathtaking hurricanrana from the apron to the floor. One 630 back inside ends the reign. The spectacle is obvious, but the intelligence underneath it is what makes the match special.

Baszler works the match around destroying Sane's leg, twisting the knee and forcing the challenger to fight from positions where her explosiveness should be compromised. Sane sells the damage well and gradually turns desperation into aggression, slapping Baszler and throwing herself into increasingly risky offense. The Insane Elbow creates believable near falls, while Baszler's Kirifuda Clutch remains the constant threat that can end the match at any moment. The finish is excellent because it comes from Baszler's own refusal to release the hold. Sane shifts her weight, traps the champion's shoulders, and wins the title while still caught in the submission. The first half is methodical, but the closing stretch and emotional payoff elevate the entire match. Brooklyn gets a genuine underdog championship celebration.

Ciampa and Gargano begin as if the previous ninety minutes of violence between them never ended, immediately turning the arena into a weapon. They revisit exposed boards, tables, chairs, barricades, crutches, and signature moves, but the match's real story is Gargano's inability to stop once victory is available. Ciampa survives increasingly impossible counts, including a table crash and the rubble of the timekeeper's area. Gargano finally handcuffs him to the stage, superkicks him repeatedly, and appears to have total control. Then obsession beats strategy. Gargano charges with one more knee, flies off the stage into equipment, and cannot stand. Ciampa rolls to his feet with the handcuff helping support him and survives the count. The finish is elaborate, but it completes the story: Johnny destroys himself trying to destroy Tommaso.