Show
Time and location
CHICAGO — After enduring one of the most grueling weeks imaginable — which included a Ladder Match on Wednesday and a brutal WarGames Match less than 24 hours ago, plus a locker room-clearing brawl on Raw and a tag team match on SmackDown — Adam Cole not only survived his debut at WWE’s Fall Classic, but he did so in undisputed fashion, successfully defending the NXT Championship against Pete Dunne.
Both Superstars entered the title match at less than 100 percent and showed the effects of their battles at last night’s TakeOver: WarGames. Cole’s ribs sported spools’ worth of medical tape (in addition to the soft cast adorning his recently broken right wrist), while Dunne’s left leg was heavily bandaged as a result of his Triple Threat Match against Killian Dain and Damian Priest.
The conspicuous injuries nagged both Superstars, but they also gave each warrior a clear vulnerability to attack. Dunne targeted Cole’s wrist, stomping it onto the steel rings steps, while The Panama City Playboy repeatedly went after The BruiserWeight’s bad leg.
As the battle wore on, the action intensified, and the risks grew substantially. Late in the match, Cole drilled Dunne with a Panama Sunrise on the unforgiving ring apron, but despite the dreadful impact, The BruiserWeight beat the referee’s count of 10 and returned to the ring, only to be greeted by a superkick.
Miraculously, Dunne stayed in the fight and even splayed Cole’s fingers, causing anguish to wash across the champion’s face. However, when The BruiserWeight attempted to hit the Bitter End (the second one of the match), Cole somehow wriggled into another Panama Sunrise. Cole then swiftly plastered Dunne in the back of the head with the Last Shot to claim the pinfall, finally bringing a close to a week he won’t soon forget.