NXT TakeOver Toronto: Adam Cole survives epic war with Johnny Gargano to retain NXT Championship

Brian Fritz

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NXT TakeOver Toronto: Adam Cole survives epic war with Johnny Gargano to retain NXT Championship image

Adam Cole and Johnny Gargano knew they were in for an epic fight. It turned into much more than that as Cole retained the NXT Championship in the main event of NXT TakeOver: Toronto.

This was a war of attrition as they split the first two falls in their 2-out-of-3 falls match, but the toughest part was yet to come with the third fall taking place inside a steel cage with plenty of weapons at their disposal. They each used everything they could get their hands on as they beat and battered one another until they both crashed off the top of the cage through a table. Cole barely mustered up enough strength to drape his arm over an unconscious Gargano to gain the pinfall and retain his title.

It was a fantastic night of wrestling from the opening bell and a good night for the champions as each retained their titles. The opening bout saw the Street Profits successfully defend the NXT tag team titles against Undisputed Era in a terrific match to kick off the show. Later, Velveteen Dream survived a Triple Threat match against Pete Dunne and Roderick Strong to keep the NXT North American championship while Shayna Baszler held off a game Mia Yim to remain the NXT women's champion.

Check out Sporting News' complete coverage NXT TakeOver: Toronto below.

(All times Eastern.)

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NXT TakeOver: Toronto results: Live updates, highlights from every match

Adam Cole defeats Johnny Gargano in a 2-out-of-3 falls match to retain the NXT championship

9:58 p.m. FINISH: They fought back and forth and then went flying off together and through a table. Both are out but Cole is laying on top of Gargano and the ref makes the three count as Cole retains the title. This was an epic war

9:57 p.m.: Gargano tried to use a kendo stick into the Gargano Lock and Cole bit him to get loose. Gargano drills him in the midsection and then sets up two tables side by side below a ladder. Gargano sets up Cole on the tables and starts climbing but Cole rolls off. But Gargano chases him down and hits a Canadian Destroyer off the top rope. He grabs a bag full of weapons and spills it out to reveal brass knuckles and wire cutters. He pulls off a piece of barbed wire from the top of the cage. Cole flees to the top of the cage and Gargano comes after him and their fighting on a table on top of the cage. ≥Ú

9:51 p.m.: And here comes Cole with a Panama Sunrise off the top rope but Gargano kicks out before the three count. Another Panama Sunrise off a ladder and Gargano kicks out again. 

9:48 p.m.: Gargano is on the top rope and sprays the fire extinguisher into Cole's face and then drops him onto an open chair with a DDT. Gargano is working him over with a kendo stick and then tries to get a sledgehammer from the top of the cage. Cole climbs up the cage too but Gargano dives over and drops him down hard with a sunset flip powerbomb. 

9:42 p.m.: They exchange shots with kendo sticks and then connect with simultaneous superkicks and both are down and the crowd is way up.

9:40 p.m.: We're going to a third and final fall and the cage is lowering down. Attached to the cage is a bevy on weapons including chairs, chains, kendo sticks, a fire extinguisher, handcuffs, a ladder, and even an axe! Plus, the top of the cage is surrounded by barbed wire to keep them in and everyone else out.

9:38 p.m.: Cole isn't even trying to get the pin as he pulls out two tables from under the ring and slides them into the ring along with some chairs. Cole comes back with a big kick and a ushigoroshi onto a sitting chair. Ouch. Gargano comes back by tossing Cole like a lawn dart into a chair in the corner and then slaps on the Gargano lock and Cole quickly taps out. Johnny Gargano wins the second fall to even the match at 1-1.

9:35 p.m.: They're fighting on top of the announcer's table and Cole goes for a suplex but gets backdropped through the other table. 

9:32 p.m.; Gargano hits Cole with the chair over and over and now it's time for the second fall which is a Street Fight and anything goes. Gargano takes the figtht outside the ring and pulls Cole through the crowd, smashing him into a guard rail before taking a fan's phone and taking a selfie. Cole takes another huge superkick. Gargano then drives Cole through the barricade with a flying spear. Reminder: a pin or submission must take place inside the ring.

9:28 p.m.: Cole grabs a chair and pulls it in the ring but the referee stops him. The ref tosses the chair outside the ring and Cole hits a low blow behind his back and makes the cover but Gargano survives. Cole has the chair again and is sitting in it and mocking Gargano. Cole finally tosses the chair away and gets into it with a chair before he eats a superkick. Gargano then picks up the chair and smashes Cole with it and gets disqualified. Adam Cole wins the first fall. 

9:26 p.m.: They collide in the center of the ring with double clotheslines and both are down. Gargano tosses Cole out of the ring and then tries for a dive but Cole kicks him in the head. Cole pulls him out of the ring but Gargano drives him face-first into the wall and they go back in the ring. Gargano goes for his diving spear through the ropes btu Cole kicks him in the head again and follows up with a ushigoroshi but can't get the win.

9:20 p.m.: Gargano keeps attacking Cole's injured leg including kicking it from the top rope and then locks in a Figure Four before Cole finally gets out of it. Cole comes back with a wheelbarrow suplex. A minute later, the two exchange big kicks before Gargano plants him with a Sunset Driver but Cole kicks out of the pin attempt.

9:15 p.m.: Cole pulls Gargano out of the ring and drives him back first into the ring apron. Brutal and now Gargano selling his back while Cole is working through his bad right knee.  And this is just the first fall.

9:11 p.m.: Nice exchange early of counters and each avoiding moves until Gargano jumps off the top rope and connects with a huracanrada and then hits a diving drop kick to Cole outside the ring. Then Gargano sends Cole's right knee into the ring apron and is going to work on that knee which is one of his big weapons.

9:06 p.m.: The first tall will be a straight, 1-on-1 match. The second fall is a Street Fight and the third fall (if needed) will be a steel cage match with weapons.

9:00 p.m.: Buckle up - this should be ridiculously great.

Shayna Baszler defeats Mia Yim to retain the NXT women's championship

8:53 p.m. FINISH: Yim with an Avalanche Code Blue off the top rope but Baszler kicks out just before the three count. Baszler comes back with a rear choke but she can't use her injured right arm and Yim gets out of it. Yim goes for an armbar but Baszler reverses and puts in the rear choke again. Again, Yim gets out but Baszler counters with a triangle choke using her legs and Yim taps out. Nice finish and a good, solid match. Too bad the tired crowd didn't cooperate and get into it.

8:50 p.m.: Yim is fired up and hits a tope and then a DDT as she comes back in the ring but can't score the pinfall. Baszler fires back with a knee to the chin. The crowd still isn't totally into this one yet. 

8:45 p.m.: Baszler is having trouble using her right arm but then she stops Yim's left arm and wrist to injure one of her limbs. The champ continues after her left arm and twists it backward but Yim won't tap out.

8:42 p.m.: Baszler quickly goes for a submission move but Yim grabs her hair to get out of it and then hits a running hurricanrana. They fight on the floor and Yim traps Baszler's right arm between the ring and the steel steps and then crushes it.

8:37 p.m.: Baszler has been a dominant champion and is expected to retain the title but maybe NXT will throw a curveball and have Yim pull the upset.

Velveteen Dream defeats Pete Dunne and Roderick Strong to retain the NXT North American championship

8:29 p.m. FINISH: Dream hits a Dream Valley Driver onto Dunne and then Strong tosses him out of the ring. Strong then hits Dunne with an End of Heartache but Dream comes back with a Purple Rainmaker on Strong and then pins Dunne to steal the win. Another fantastic match with tons of action in that one. 

8:27 p.m.: Strong dishes out forearms to both Strong and Dunne back and forth and back and forth. He then puts them simultaneously in the Stronghold submission move but he can't hold onto to it. Then Dunne with a big move onto Strong and he has the pin but Dream has the referee distracted. 

8:24 p.m.: Dunne with a triangle onto Strong as they back into a corner. Dream gets up on the top rope from the opposite corner and connects with a diving elbow onto Dunne's chest. 

8:20 p.m.: Dream with a Sharpshooter on Strong but Dunne break it up with a double stomp off the top rope onto Dream. Then Dunne gives Strong a German suplex onto Dream. Brutal.

8:16 p.m.: Strong is the king of the backbreaker. 

8:13 p.m.: All action of the gate including Dream hitting a double axe handle off the top rope on Strong. Dream and Dunne are working together against Strong until they eject him from the ring and Dream swivels his hips like "Ravishing" Rick Rude. 

8:05 p.m.: Before this one, a bunch of "mounties" come out to the old "I'm a Mountie" theme music and dance along with several others in Raptors jerseys to celebrate the NBA champions. And here comes the champ.

7:56 p.m.: A ticked off Matt Riddle comes out through the crowd and calls out Killian Dane who attacked him on this week's NXT TV show. Dain comes out through the crowd himself and the fight is on. Both men hit some big shots as they fight to the top of the ramp. Security tries to break them up but Riddle wipes most of them out before Dain drills him with a huge crossbody. Riddle jumps on his back and puts on a sleeper and then they both go off the stage through some tables. 

Io Shirai defeats Candice LeRae

7:52 p.m. FINISH: These two are pulling out all the stops with Shirai hitting an Avalanche Spanish Fly off the top rope but it's not enough to get the win. Shirai follows up with a moonsault off the top rope but LaRae kicks out of the pin. That's the first time anyone has kicked out of that in NXT. Shirai then ties her up with a Koki Clutch and LeRae finally passes out. Amazing match between these two. Pure adrenaline. 

7:48 p.m.: Shirai continues to attackLaRae's neck and picks her up but LaRae hits a reverse hurricanrana and then connects on a swinging neck breaker off the ropes. 

7:43 p.m.: Shirai hits a 619 to the back of LaRae's injured neck and then connects with a tope through the ropes into a DDT. They quickly get back in the ring and LeRae connects with a double stomp to the back of Shirai's head and almost get the win. The drama is really picking up here.

7:39 p.m.: This is a new, aggressive Shirai who has been dominating early on until she goes for a  dropkick off the top rope and LeRae just avoids it. She goes on the offensive including a brainbuster but cannot score the three count. 

7:34 p.m.: Candice hits the ring and immediately goes after Shirai. The referee finally gets her off and the bell rings. They go outside the ring and Shirai with a suplex onto the announcer's table. 

7:31 p.m.: Io is officially evil with a new outfit and entrance music.

The Street Profits defeat Undisputed Era to retain the NXT tag team championships

7:26 p.m. FINISH: Ford with a huge dive over the ropes wipes out both Fish and O'Reilly on the floor. Back in the ring, Dawkins hits a spear on both of his opponents and then Ford with a super high frog splash on O'Reilly for the win as they retain the titles. Great match to get the show going.

7:24 p.m.: Fish drops Ford with a Super Exploder off the top rope. O'Reilly with an Achilles Lock on Ford and Dawkins finally hits the ring and drops Fish on top of O"Reilly to break up the hold. Crowd is jacked now and Ford finally gets to the corner to make the tag and Dawkins is running wild. He gets caught with a knee but falls backward into a tag and Ford hits a massive Blockbuster off the top but Fish breaks up the pin. 

7:21 p.m.: Ford with a uranagi out of nowhere on Fish and almost gets the three count. Undisputed Era come back with some sweet tag team action.

7:19 p.m.: Ford gets the hot tag and goes to town on both Fish and O'Reilly. He has Fish down in the middle of the ring and teases going for a People's Elbow but O'Reilly grabs his leg when he tries to come off the ropes. 

7:17 p.m.: O'Reilly is vicious, drilling Dawkins with some open palm strikes and elbows. He's an amazing technician.

7:13 p.m.: Dawkins was hitting both of his opponents beforehe gets stopped in his tracks by a huge clothesline from Fish. 

7:10 p.m.: Ford gets tagged in an drills Fish with a massive drop kick. That guy has some huge hops.

7:05 p.m.: The Street Profits immediately go into the crowd to dance with the Toronto audience. They are a tag team of the people. 

6:56 p.m.: NXT general manager William Regal just announced that if there is a third fall in the NXT championship match, it will take place inside a steel cage with various weapons including chairs and kendo sticks while the top of the cage wrapped in barbed wire so no one can get in or out. 

6:52 p.m.: Some quick predictions: Adam Cole retains the NXT championship, Undisputed Era win the tag titles, Roderick Strong comes away with the North American championship, Shayna Baszler wins to keep his long women's title reign alive, and Candice LaRae defeats Io Shirai. 

6:45 p.m.: Cole and Gargano have always had great in-ring chemistry going back to their days on the indies. They've already headlined two TakeOver shows and had incredible matches and this one should be no different. In fact, they might have the best match of the weekend and that includes the ROH event from Friday night, SummerSlam, and the NJPW G1 shows. Big expectations but those two always deliver something special.

6:30 p.m.: Welcome to Sporting News' live coverage of NXT TakeOver: Toronto. We'll be here all night covering the entire card starting with the preshow show which is underway now. This could be a huge night for Undisputed Era as they could have all the gold by the end of the show.

Brian Fritz

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Brian Fritz is a contributor with The Sporting News covering the NBA and NFL who previously worked at BasketballNews. He is a 20-year veteran of sports talk radio in Orlando, Florida, after graduating from the University of Central Florida. He now resides in Durham, North Carolina.