Rezar takes out both members of Undisputed ERA with a vicious combination of blows: Courtesy of the award-winning WWE Network.

PHIALDELPHIA – NXT Tag Team Champions Undisputed ERA navigated the destructive path of The Authors of Pain en route to an impressive and hard-fought title defense at TakeOver: Philadelphia.

This huge title showdown proved to be every bit as brutal as imagined. The combination of Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly’s damaging strikes colliding with Akam & Rezar’s dominating power made this contest one of the hardest-hitting battles in recent memory.

Akam & Rezar wasted no time going on the offensive, knocking the titleholders from the ring before the bell even rang. The Authors of Pain lived up to their name early on, dominating the champions with a devastating ground and pound attack.

The NXT Tag Team Champions seemed overwhelmed by the strength and aggressiveness of their challengers but found an opening after Akam appeared to injure his left knee when he landed off the top rope.

The wily Fish & O’Reilly wasted no time pouncing on the injured AOP member, targeting the weakened limb with a litany of kicks and submission holds.

Akam eventually managed to tag Rezar into the contest as the rested AOP monster proceeded to decimate both Fish & O’Reilly. The numbers advantage would become too much, however, as Undisputed ERA neutralized Rezar to bring the match back to a standoff.

After a furious back-and-forth, Paul Ellering’s monsters seemed destined to become two-time NXT Tag Team Champions as they set up Undisputed ERA for the Super Collider. Rezar delivered a powerbomb to Fish, but Akam’s knee appeared to give out, allowing O’Reilly to hurricanrana him into his tag team partner. O’Reilly instantaneously rolled up Akam to pick up the pinfall.

With Fish & O’Reilly overcoming one of NXT’s most commanding and feared tag teams ever, is there anyone who can stop Undisputed ERA?