The week immediately before WWE WrestleMania means a week full of pageantry, especially given that this year’s event will be the company’s first show with a live crowd (that isn’t made up of NXT trainees and their loved ones). In recent years, the pre-Mania festivities include NXT’s signature TakeOver event, which this time will take place over two nights across two platforms. Night one of Stand and Deliver will feature on USA Network, in the brand’s usual time slot, and night two will be streamed on Peacock, which recently acquired the WWE Network in the United States.
This week, we learned the participants in night one’s Gauntlet Eliminator match, the winner of which will challenge NXT North American Champion Johnny Gargano of The Way. Among the participants are LA Knight, Dexter Lumis, Leon Ruff, Isaiah “Swerve” Scott, Bronson Reed, and Cameron Grimes. The six were the last six remaining in a twelve-man battle royal on this week’s NXT, with LA Knight winning the match to earn the right to enter the match in the last position.
See highlights from that battle royal below:
Night two will see NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions Ember Moon and Shotzi Blackheart defend their titles against The Way’s Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell, after picking up a win against Gigi Dolin and Zayda Ramier. The challenge for TakeOver was issued by The Way, and later accepted by the champions Moon and Blackheart.
See the challenge laid out by LeRae and Hartwell of The Way below:
This makes what is presumed to be the final card for NXT TakeOver: Stand and Deliver the following:
Night 1 - Wednesday, April 7th on USA Network
NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai vs. Raquel Gonzalez (w/ Dakota Kai)
Triple Threat Tag Team Match for the vacant NXT Tag Team Championship
MSK vs. Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Legado Del Fantasma
#1 Contender’s Six-Man Gauntlet Eliminator Match - Winner faces NXT North American Champion Johnny Gargano on Night 2
Leon Ruff vs. Isaiah “Swerve” Scott vs. Bronson Reed vs. Cameron Grimes vs. Dexter Lumis vs. LA Knight
NXT United Kingdom Champion WALTER vs. Tommaso Ciampa
Night 2 - Thursday, April 8th on Peacock (US only) and WWE Network (Worldwide)
NXT Champion Finn Balor vs Karrion Kross (w/ Scarlett)
Unsanctioned Match
Adam Cole vs. Kyle O’Reilly
NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions Ember Moon & Shotzi Blackheart vs. The Way (Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell)
NXT North American Champion Johnny Gargano vs. Winner of Night 1’s Eliminator Gauntlet Match
NXT Cruiserweight Championship Unification Ladder Match
Jordan Devlin vs. Santos Escobar (w/ Legado Del Fantasma)
Earlier this week, it was reported that Rob Zombie’s “The Triumph of King Freak” would be the theme song for the event. Check out our coverage here.