Appropriately, TakeOver: War Games kicked off with the namesake match featuring the most talented women’s division in professional wrestling. Team Candice’s Toni Storm, Dakota Kai, Raquel Gonzalez and captain Candice LeRae battled Team Blackheart’s Rhea Ripley, Io Shirai, Ember Moon and captain Shotzi Blackheart in a match months in the making.
By way of Blackheart’s win on Wednesday, the babyfaces held the rare one-woman advantage. Shotzi emerged from the locker room on a brand new tank, rebuilding it after LeRae ran it over a few weeks back.
Moon and Kai started the match for their respective teams, further intensifying their own rivalry.
Kai weathered the storm of Moon first, raking her face into the mat, but the arrival of Blackheart (toolbox in-hand) brought with it a two-on-one disadvantage for the heels. She found herself on the shoulders of Moon, then flat on the mat following a dropkick from Blackheart.
Gonzalez joined the fray next, overpowering both babyfaces and bowling over them with clothesline and big boots. A slam to Moon gave way to a powerbomb into the cage on Blackheart as Gonzalez wreaked havoc.
With the help of Gonzalez, Kai launched herself from one ring to the next, wiping out Moon and Blackheart with a double clothesline.
Ripley entered the match and immediately came face-to-face with Gonzalez. With Moon and Blackheart immobilizing the heel, Ripley rocked her with a pump kick. A pair of clotheslines and a ripcord dropkick flattened Kai as the Aussie rolled.
Ripley opened up the toolbox, retrieved a mallet and blasted Kai with it. She strapped in the arms of Captain Kota and womanhandled her right into the cage. Again, Ripley and Gonzalez teed off on each other, the titans of the division engaging in a relentless brawl.
Storm entered next for Team Candice and retrieved a handful of kendo sticks. After working on a turnbuckle pad, she joined Gonazlez in punishing Ripley with the stick. She whipped Ripley into the exposed turnbuckle, driving the air out of her in the process.
All six women in the match came together for a stereo tower of doom spots, leaving the competitors laid out on the mat. Just in time for NXT Women’s Champion Shirai to enter the battle, bringing a ladder with her.
Gonzalez prevented Shirai from entering, kicking the door back into The Genius of the Sky and knocking her off the apron. Repeatedly, Gonzalez prevented Shirai from entering the match, despite eating a dropkick that drove a chair into her head.
LeRae finally entered the match, but came face-to-face with Shirai. Luckily for her, Indi Hartwell attacked from out of nowhere, leaving Shirai lying on the floor. She locked the door to the cage and stuck the key in her shirt, making it difficult for Shirai to enter the squared circle.
In the ring, the heels took turns pummeling Blackheart with kendo stick shots, obliterating her. LeRae tried for the pin but the referee refused, citing the fact that not all eight competitors had actually entered the ring.
Shirai, with a garbage can over her head, launched herself off the top of the cage and wiped out all other competitors as War Games officially began.
The babyfaces came together to unleash hell on the opposition, punishing them one-by-one en route to a moonsault by Shirai to Gonzalez. The LeRae and Co. broke up the pin, though, ensuring the bout would continue.
Blackheart and Moon trapped Storm in a double submission, but LeRae broke it up. Blackheart unloaded on the heels with a kendo stick until a chair shot from Kai halted her momentum. She followed up with a big kick to Shirai, followed by a top-rope double stomp into the trash can, driving it into the body of the women’s champion.
Moon delivered an Eclipse onto two chairs but Storm broke it up with a trash can. Toni delivered Storm Zero to Moon onto a trash can, but Shirai narrowly broke up the fall.
LeRae wiped out Ripley, but was knocked off a ladder. Blackheart delivered the senton, back came back-first into a well-place chair positioned expertly by LeRae. Shirai delivered a moonsault onto Kai but Storm speared Ripley into the champion, breaking up the pin.
Shirai tried to deliver a headscissors onto Gonzalez, between the rings, but the unstoppable force powerbombed her through a ladder and scored the win for Team Candice.
Result
Team Candice defeated Team Blackheart
Grade
A
Analysis
Wade Barrett pointed out that Gonzalez’s victory elevated her from the insurance policy to a genuine threat in the women’s division, and he is absolutely right. If the war with Ripley a month ago was not enough, this match served as her coming out party.
Gonzalez was a star here, overwhelming the competition and obliterating anyone in her path en route to the defining victory of her young career. Do not be surprised for a moment if she channels this win into an NXT Women’s Championship victory over Shirai somewhere in the near future.
Major props to Dakota Kai, who was very much the glue that held this one together, taking big bumps and popping up just in time to stay relevant throughout, despite being one of the first two competitors into the match.
While some would insist the babyface team should go over, none of the participants on that side of the match loses anything in defeat. They were all established, while the heels needed a big win to set up challengers for Shirai. The finish was the right call and now, the NXT women’s division has yet another star it can build around.
Great booking, creative violence and strong performances from the performers involved help make this a fantastic way to kick things off. A late-surging challenger to NXT Match of the Year, for sure.
