BROOKLYN, N.Y. — It was a party in Brooklyn from the moment NXT TakeOver went on the air, as No Way Jose led a conga line around the sold-out Barclays Center before the biggest fight of his career. But the fiesta turned into a fight as soon as the bell rang for his battle with Austin Aries.
“The Greatest Man That Ever Lived” taunted Jose at the outset of the match, taking the fun-loving Superstar down to the canvas and slapping him around. Jose gave Aries a taste of his medicine with a slap of his own, before stunning A-Double with a big right hand. Though the NXT Universe was firmly behind Jose, chanting “Si, se puede” in support of the Dominican brawler, the veteran Aries gained the upper hand.
Aries slowed the bout down to his preferred pace, but the resilient Jose fought back. A desperate Aries locked on the Last Chancery, only for the dancing Superstar to force a rope break and hit a TKO. “The Greatest Man That Ever Lived” stayed on top of Jose and hit a dive to the arena floor, but soon realized he was at a strength disadvantage when Jose reversed a suplex attempt into a Falcon Arrow. When Jose went to the top rope to cut off Aries’ offense, A-Double dazed Jose with an elbow to the jaw, then hit a sunset-flip powerbomb and floated over into the Last Chancery to earn a submission victory.
Aries was not done with his rival, though, pummeling No Way Jose after the bell and locking on Last Chancery again as the referee tried to remove it. Aries’ post-match assault was cut short when Hideo Itami arrived to the Barclays Center. “The Greatest Man That Ever Lived” attempted to cut Itami off, but Hideo unleashed a flurry of devastating strikes on Aries. And, much to the delight of the sold-out crowd, Itami floored Aries with Go To Sleep, the move he invented!