NXT TakeOver: Rival

Background

The NXT TakeOver series of professional wrestling shows started on May 29, 2014 as the WWE developmental league WWE NXT held their second ever WWE Network exclusive live broadcast billed as NXT TakeOver. In subsequent months the "TakeOver" moniker became the brand used by NXT and WWE for all of their NXT live specials as they held NXT TakeOver: Fatal 4-Way and NXT TakeOver: R Evolution prior to Rival.

Storylines

The main event of the NXT TakeOver: Rival show was a storyline between long time real life friends and often in-ring opponents Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens. The storyline played off the decade long friendship between the two, predating both of them working for WWE, back when they were known as Kevin Steen (Owens) and El Generico (Zayn). The two became friends when they worked for the Canadian International Wrestling Syndicate IWS and later on won several tag team championships as Kevin Steen and El Generico including the PWG World Tag Team Championship twice and the ROH World Tag Team Championship. While they were close friends the two also had a very intense storyline feud in Ring of Honor (ROH) that lasted from late 2009 until late 2012 where Zayn signed a contract with WWE. Steen, given the ring name Kevin Owens signed a WWE contract during the summer of 2014, joining Zayn in NXT. During the build to Owens' debut at NXT TakeOver: R Evolution they acknowledge the past history of Zayn and Owens, citing their friendship. At "R Evolution" Owens won his debut match against CJ Parker and then later on in the night Zayn defeated Adrian Neville to win the NXT Championship. After the victory Owens came to the ring to congratulate Zayn on the victory, but then turned on him and attacked Zayn, slamming him hard on the edge of the ring. On January 14, 2015 Zayn successfully defended the championship against Neville, only to be attacked by Owens after the match once more. At the following NXT show Zayn demanded a match against Owens, with Owens pushing back saying he was a "prize figher" and would only fight Zayn if the NXT Championship was on the line, a stipulation Zayn agreed to.

In the weeks prior to the TakeOver: Rival show NXT held a tournament to determine the next challenger to the NXT Championship, announcing the tournament before Owens goaded Zayn into giving him a match for the championship. The eight man tournament included Finn Bálor, Curtis Axel, Hideo Itami, Tyler Breeze, Tyson Kidd, Adrian Neville, Baron Corbin and Bull Dempsey. The first round of the tournament was broadcast on January 21 and 28 with Balor, Itami, Neville and Corbin all advancing to the semi-finals. The semi-finals of the tournament was shown on the WWE Network on February 4 and saw Balor and Neville qualify for the finals that would take place at TakeOver: Rival.

On January 15, 2015 (shown on January 28) the team of Blake and Murphy upset the reigning NXT Tag Team Champions The Lucha Dragons (Kalisto and Sin Cara) to win the championship. Prior to the victory the team had only won a few matches since they became a regular tag team six months prior, so the title victory was seen as a surprise. Following the title change NXT quickly announced a rematch between the two teams for TakeOver: Rival.

Preliminary matches

The event opened with Hideo Itami facing Tyler Breeze. Itami executed a Shotgun Kick on Breeze for the win.

A No-Disqualification match between Baron Corbin and Bull Dempsey followed. Corbin executed the Ends of Days to win the match.

After that, Blake and Murphy defended the NXT Tag Team Championship against The Lucha Dragons (Kalisto and Sin Cara). After Murphy executed a Brainbuster on Sin Cara, Blake followed with a Six Star Frog Splash for the pinfall to retain the title.

The next match between Adrian Neville and Finn Bálor was to determine the #1 Contender for the NXT Championship. During the match, Bálor performed a Running Front Dropkick on Neville, who was leaning against the guardrail. Balor performed a Diving Double Foot Stomp to the back of Neville's head for a near-fall. Neville executed a Phoenix Splash off the middle rope for a near-fall. In the end, Bálor performed a Running Front Dropkick on Neville, knocking him into the turnbuckles, followed by a Coup De Grace for a pinfall.

A Fatal Four Way match that saw NXT Women's Champion Charlotte defend her title against Sasha Banks, Bayley and Becky Lynch followed. During the match, Lynch performed an Exploder Suplex on Charlotte for a near-fall. Bayley performed a Bayley-to-Belly Suplex off the top rope on Charlotte but Banks broke up the pinfall attempt. Banks pinned Charlotte with a Crucifx to win the title.

Main event

In the main event, Sami Zayn defended his NXT Championship against Kevin Owens. During the match, Zayn performed a Blue Thunder Bomb on Owens for a near-fall. After Owens executed a Pop Up Powerbomb for a near-fall, Zayn appeared to be injured. Medical personnel repeatedly checked on him. After Owens performed another four Powerbombs, the Referee declared Owens the winner by technical knockout. As a result, Owens won the NXT Championship.

Aftermath

Owens defended the NXT Championship against Sami Zayn at the following TakeOver, NXT TakeOver: Unstoppable, again the match ended without a pinfall as Owens injured Zayn, attacking him until Samoa Joe made his surprise debut for NXT and stopped Owens from attacking further.