NXT TakeOver: WarGames (2017): The Match Returns, Andrade Arrives, and Velveteen Dream Makes His Name

The opener is designed to prove Sullivan can survive a credible striker rather than simply destroy another enhancement opponent. Ohno unloads with elbows, boots, and forearms that would normally finish a smaller wrestler, while Sullivan absorbs enough punishment to make his power feel abnormal instead of cartoonish. The match never becomes especially layered because five minutes does not allow much room for escalation. Ohno finally lines up the rolling elbow, Sullivan avoids it, and the Freak Accident ends the match cleanly. That is exactly the result NXT needs for the push. The crowd accepts Sullivan as dangerous without being asked to believe he has suddenly become a complete main-event wrestler. It is functional developmental booking with a premium-event gloss.

The match works because the story is not really about winning. Dream wants Black to acknowledge his name, so every pose, imitation, and insult becomes part of the competition. Black initially refuses to engage, grounding Dream and treating the theatrics like noise. Dream gradually forces respect by surviving the striking, countering cleanly, and creating several near falls that make the crowd believe the upset is possible. The final exchange is sharp rather than overloaded. Dream takes too long on the top rope, Black recovers, and Black Mass ends the match. Then Black finally speaks the name Dream has demanded for weeks. The loser receives the emotional payoff, and the winner keeps his undefeated aura. Fifteen minutes turns a gimmick-heavy rivalry into a breakout performance.

The four-way moves fast because every woman has a distinct role. Royce looks for opportunistic openings, Cross brings chaos, Sane supplies explosive aerial offense, and Moon wrestles like the woman who has spent months preparing for another title chance. The match is strongest when three- and four-person combinations replace the usual one-on-one rotation. Sane's elbow drop creates a convincing near fall, while Cross repeatedly re-enters at the worst possible time for everyone else. Moon finally climbs the turnbuckle and lands the Eclipse across both Cross and Royce, pinning Cross to win the vacant championship. The finish protects Sane and gives Moon a decisive visual. Asuka presenting the title afterward turns a good ten-minute match into a satisfying passing-of-the-torch moment.

McIntyre and Almas build the match around the idea that the champion's size advantage can be solved only through precision and Vega's timing. Almas attacks the arm, uses speed to create angles, and repeatedly forces McIntyre to reset. McIntyre responds with throws and the Claymore, making every clean connection look capable of ending the match. Vega becomes essential without turning the challenger into a passenger. She saves Almas by putting his foot on the rope after a Claymore and creates enough uncertainty for the final exchange. McIntyre charges again, misses, and Almas catches him draped across the turnbuckle before landing the elevated hammerlock DDT. The upset feels shocking but earned, and the new champion suddenly looks like the center of NXT.

The revived WarGames match accepts that nostalgia alone will not carry thirty-six minutes. Cole, Young, and Strong establish the opening geometry, then each new entry changes the balance until all nine men can finally fight for a decision. Once the last team arrives, the match becomes controlled destruction. Dain introduces the weapons, Wolfe bleeds through the table spot, Strong launches from the cage, and the Authors of Pain use the space between rings as another weapon. The density is high, but the teams remain identifiable through their combinations. The finish also serves the future. Cole catches Young after the chaos, drives him into a chair, and scores the pin for Undisputed ERA. The new faction survives the war and leaves looking like NXT's next dominant force.