“The Undisputed Finale” between Adam Cole and Kyle O’Reilly was one of the most buzzworthy matches on the card for WWE NXT TakeOver 36. The bitter rivalry between Adam Cole and Kyle O’Reilly culminated in a two-out-of-three-falls match on Sunday night.
In the first fall, O’Reilly and Cole faced off in a traditional wrestling match. Both men took the fight to each other right away. A diving knee strike off the apron helped O’Reilly gain momentum early on, but a superkick rocked the former NXT Tag Team Champion.
Still, Cole went for a destroyer, and O’Reilly countered it into a pin that Cole was unable to kick out of. As a result, O’Reilly scored the first fall.
AND JUST LIKE THAT!@KORcombat picks up a quick first fall in the straight-up match! Bring on the STREET FIGHT!!!#UndisputedFinale#NXTTakeOver pic.twitter.com/jk5lXsDsVr
— WWE (@WWE) August 23, 2021
The next “stage” of the match was a Street Fight. Cole quickly hit O’Reilly with a chair, but KOR gained the upper hand and got Cole back in the ring. Another superkick floored O’Reilly, and he painfully fell chest-first onto the apron. Cole took control and punished O’Reilly with a chair. The former NXT Champion continued to target O’Reilly’s wounded chest, and he drilled his foe with some nasty elbows to the head. He then put O’Reilly in the Lockjaw, Britt Baker’s signature submission hold, to inflict even more punishment.
https://twitter.com/btsportwwe/status/1429620589535322114?s=20
O’Reilly kept fighting, and both men eventually wrapped chains around their hands. They traded chain-asssted punches, and the fight spilled onto the ramp. O’Reilly threw Cole and sent him crashing into the security barricade. But Cole regained momentumby throwing O’Reilly spine-first onto a chair. He then hit the Last Shot and pinned O’Reilly for the second fall.
THESE MADMEN WILL DO WHATEVER IT TAKES!!!@AdamColePro@KORcombat#NXTTakeOver pic.twitter.com/LEhpAhXmuW
— WWE (@WWE) August 23, 2021
With the score evened up, the match went to the third fall, which would be settled in a steel cage match. While medical officials checked on O’Reilly, Cole attacked his rival and powerbombed him onto the broadcast table before the steel cage came down. Once the third fall started, Cole beat O’Reilly down and threw him into the cage. O’Reilly persevered and launched Cole into the cage wall. He floored Cole with a diving knee to the neck. He then dodged a Last Shot and nailed Cole with his own move.
WOW.@AdamColePro could have tried to escape the #SteelCage, but he chose to dish out more punishment in the form of a #PanamaSunrise to @KORcombat!
? https://t.co/O4Pyhh5k3P
? https://t.co/aEwGYUp0uE pic.twitter.com/UC9PU23pif— WWE (@WWE) August 23, 2021
A low blow derailed O’Reilly’s momentum, and Cole floored him with the Panama Sunrise for a two count. Desperate to put his enemy down, Cole handcuffed O’Reilly to the rope and blasted him with two superkicks. O’Reilly dodged a third and locked in a heel hook, and he made Cole tap out for the deciding fall.
2️⃣-1️⃣@KORcombat gets the submission victory against @AdamColePro while HANDCUFFED to the #SteelCage!#NXTTakeOver pic.twitter.com/g1VZOVGena
— WWE (@WWE) August 23, 2021
Cole’s contract is set to expire this weekend, so it’s possible this match marked his final contest in an NXT ring.
