WWE NXT TAKEOVER: CHICAGO - May 20th, 2017

Matches

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NXT Champion Bobby Roode vs. Hideo Itami

Hideo Itami will enter TakeOver: Chicago on Saturday, May 20, intent not just on dethroning Bobby Roode as NXT Champion, but on showing the world why he deserves to be considered one of the very best.

The main-event opportunity has been a long time coming for the hard-hitting Superstar, a seeming inevitability delayed for years by untimely injuries. Itami’s rise up the ranks in NXT has been stymied since his widely publicized signing in 2014, with the latest setback occurring last fall.

That helps explain the dangerous sense of urgency with which Itami has operated since returning last month to confront (and put to sleep) The Glorious One. Focused on making up for lost time, Itami demolished Kona Reeves in his first bout back on WWE Network on May 3, then prevailed over a gutsy Roderick Strong in a closely fought No. 1 Contender’s Match on May 10.

It was Roode’s claim that nobody belongs in “his” NXT that seemingly drew Itami’s ire in the first place. Arrogant and brash though he might be, Roode has backed up his big words when the time comes. Still, Itami turned out Roode’s lights with his soporific strike, the Go-To-Sleep, once before. Can the Japanese Superstar do the same in Chicago and claim NXT’s top prize in the process? Or will the era of The Glorious One continue to reign?

Watch NXT Champion Bobby Roode defend against Hideo Itami at NXT TakeOver: Chicago, live on the award-winning WWE Network tonight, at 8 ET/5 PT.

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NXT Women’s Champion Asuka vs. Ruby Riot vs. Nikki Cross

NXT Women’s Champion Asuka’s attempt to eradicate her competition was successful in eliminating at least one challenger to the throne.

As a result of a shoulder injury sustained by Ember Moon, Asuka’s title defense at TakeOver: Chicago will now be a Triple Threat Match against Ruby Riot and Nikki Cross.

The Empress of Tomorrow was originally slated to defend the championship in a Fatal 4-Way Match against Riot, Cross and Moon on May 20, but Moon’s shoulder sprain, suffered at the hands of Asuka, removes her from the equation.

Riot, Cross and Moon were the finalists in a No. 1 Contender’s Battle Royal on May 3, but before a winner could be decided, Asuka entered the ring to unleash a brutal attack on all three – particularly Moon, whom the champion sent flying from the ring in vicious fashion. Asuka’s plan seemed to be to wipe out any viable opponent, but instead, a rankled Regal repaid her by scheduling her to face all three Superstars.

News of Moon’s injury removes one major obstacle for the dominant Empress of Tomorrow, whose historic title reign recently passed the 400-day mark. Yet, she still must contend with the Women’s division’s most crazed fighters, Riot and Cross, who seem as focused on battering each other as they do on scoring championship gold. Will their mutual rage prove to be their undoing, or will it simply make matters that much more dangerous for Asuka?

Don’t miss this high-stakes showdown when NXT TakeOver: Chicago streams live on the award-winning WWE Network tonight at 8 ET/5 PT.

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NXT Tag Team Champions The Authors of Pain vs. #DIY (Ladder Match)

#DIY will risk life and limb when they enter a Ladder Match against NXT Tag Team Champions The Authors of Pain tonight, at TakeOver: Chicago.

Though the conditions are threatening — the first team to scale a ladder and gain possession of the titles hanging high above the ring will leave as the victors — putting it all on the line is nothing new for Tommaso Ciampa & Johnny Gargano.

The perennial underdogs’ intrepid spirit won them the titles once before, and not to mention, won them the hearts of the NXT Universe. AOP ended #DIY’s reign in January, but since that defeat, and a subsequent loss at TakeOver: Orlando in a Triple Threat Match involving The Revival, Ciampa & Gargano have rebuilt their win-loss record in hopes of securing a straight-up, two-on-two rematch with the champions. On May 10, NXT General Manager William Regal granted their wish, announcing TakeOver: Chicago’s Ladder Match.

Authors manager Paul Ellering declared the match will spell the end of #DIY and said the blood of Ciampa & Gargano will be on Regal’s hands, and he could be right on at least one count.

The Authors have been unstoppable since arriving in NXT, nothing less than insatiable plagues of destruction. There’s no questioning that #DIY are faster and more agile than AOP, but the size and strength advantage clearly belongs to the 290-pound Akam and the 330-pound Rezar.

The question remains: How will the presence of steel ladders factor into the action? Which team stands to benefit most? The only certainty is that both duos will feel the effects of the match for weeks, if not months, to follow.

Don’t miss NXT TakeOver: Chicago’s huge NXT Tag Team Championship Ladder Match when it streams live on the award-winning WWE Network tonight at 8 ET/5 PT.

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WWE United Kingdom Champion Tyler Bate vs. Pete Dunne

Keep calm, because this rematch is bound to be anything but.

WWE United Kingdom Champion Tyler Bate and Pete Dunne provided the WWE Universe with an absolute classic earlier this year to crown the first WWE United Kingdom Champion on WWE Network. Now, following Dunne’s victory over Trent Seven in No. 1 Contender’s Match and Bate defending his titel against Mark Andrews, both in Norwich, England, the two Superstars will throw down yet again, this time at NXT TakeOver: Chicago.

Bate and Dunne became instant impact players in their first meeting in January. The two had severe bad blood heading into the inaugural WWE United Kingdom Championship Match as the always-sinister Dunne blindsided Bate before their final-round contest began.

However, The Bruiserweight’s plan wound up being nullified by an unbelievably gutsy performance by Bate, who became the inaugural WWE U.K. Champion after a match that could have swung in either competitor’s direction.

Will Bate keep the momentum rolling as the WWE United Kingdom Champion and defeat Dunne yet again? Or, will the ultra-aggressive Bruiserweight break through and break Bate en route to capturing the title?

Find out at NXT TakeOver: Chicago, streaming live on WWE Network tonight at 8 ET/5 PT.

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Roderick Strong vs. Eric Young

Roderick Strong’s mental and physical strength will be put to the test when he goes head-to-head with Eric Young at NXT TakeOver: Chicago.

After Strong ended up on the losing end of a grueling NXT Championship No. 1 Contender’s Match against Hideo Itami, Young and his SAnitY cohorts Nikki Cross, Alexander Wolfe and Killian Dain attacked the embattled Superstar, leaving him laid out in the middle of the ring. As a result, The Messiah of the Backbreaker made it clear that he wanted SAnitY, an overture that Young gleefully and somewhat creepily acceped a week later.

The NXT Universe learned a lot about Strong both inside and outside the ring over the last few weeks, from his emotional foray into fatherhood to his unrelenting desire to be the best wrestler in the world. Feel good stories aside, it remains to be seen just how much chaos and insanity the determined Strong can withstand when faced with the deranged Young.

On paper, both Strong and Young seem evenly matched. However, Young is no normal opponent. As the leader of SAnitY, he is always surrounded by his group of crazed anarchists who are eager to attack at a moment’s notice.

Strong’s conflict with SAnitY has been ongoing for the last few months, but in the past, it’s included Tye Dillinger and other allies. With The Perfect 10 now at SmackDown LIVE, Strong seems to be facing this battle on his own. This also begs the question, what does SAnitY want with Strong in the first place?

Find out if Roderick Strong can overcome Eric Young at NXT TakeOver: Chicago, tonight at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT, streaming live on the award-winning WWE Network.

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