NXT

Tommaso Ciampa beat Aleister Black at NXT TakeOver: Phoenix on Saturday to retain the NXT Championship.

Black seemed poised to hit Ciampa with Black Mass for the win after kicking out of the Fairy Tale Ending on multiple occasions, but his leg buckled, and Ciampa took advantage by hitting another Fairy Tale Ending for the victory.

Ciampa had the perfect game plan Saturday, as he worked over Black's leg throughout and took away perhaps his greatest weapon:

At the conclusion of the pay-per-view, Johnny Gargano made his way to the stage to celebrate with Ciampa, as he beat Ricochet for the North American Championship earlier in the night.

Saturday's match was several months in the making, dating back to Ciampa defeating Black for the title in July.

Black originally won the NXT Championship at NXT TakeOver: New Orleans the night before WrestleMania 34, but he dropped it to Ciampa 102 days later due in large part to Gargano getting involved and accidentally costing him the match.

While Black was set to get his rematch for the title in a Triple Threat against Ciampa and Gargano at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn 4, a legitimate injury forced the NXT writers to shoot an angle in which Black was attacked outside the arena.

That resulted in Ciampa facing Gargano in a singles match instead, but Black returned with a vengeance in October with an eye toward capturing the NXT Championship.

It was eventually revealed that Gargano was Black's attacker, and a loose affiliation between Ciampa and Gargano formed against Black.

Ciampa did everything he could to avoid a rematch against The Dutch Destroyer, but after Black defeated Gargano in a grudge match at NXT TakeOver: WarGames, NXT general manager William Regal decreed that Black would receive his title shot.

Black is among the most intense and dangerous Superstars NXT has to offer, making him the perfect person to chase Ciampa for the title.

Ever since he beat Black for the NXT Championship, Ciampa has been obsessed with hanging on to "Goldie" and proving that he is the greatest sports entertainer of all time.

That desperation was apparent during Saturday's match, but it was also clear that Black was out for revenge.

With Ciampa retaining, he remains atop the mountain in NXT and will continue to be under fire from the rest of the roster.

As for Black, there is likely to be speculation regarding a call-up to the main roster, perhaps as early as Sunday's Royal Rumble.

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Shayna Baszler handed Bianca Belair her first televised NXT loss at NXT TakeOver: Phoenix on Saturday night and retained the NXT Women's Championship in the process.

Baszler made Belair pass out in the Kirifuda Clutch after Belair previously used her strength to break out of the hold.

Belair appeared to have Baszler beaten at one point, but with the referee knocked out, the match continued:

Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir interfered multiple times on Baszler's behalf, and while Belair was close to overcoming it, she could not find her way out of Baszler's finisher a second time.

Saturday's title match was a long time coming for Belair, who has slowly worked her way up the ranks in NXT since making her first big splash as a participant in the 2017 Mae Young Classic.

Her strength, athleticism and look have made her stand out as one of WWE's biggest potential future stars, but she was passed over on several occasions in favor of other women receiving title shots.

Although she appeared in the women's Battle Royal at WrestleMania last year, Belair had never competed at an NXT TakeOver until Saturday night against Baszler in Phoenix.

After running through essentially the entire NXT women's division, Belair finally became No. 1 contender for the NXT Women's Championship by beating Io Shirai, Lacey Evans and Mia Yim in a Fatal 4-Way match.

With that win, The EST of NXT stood up to Baszler and made it clear that she wasn't intimidated by her or Duke and Shafir.

Belair was so confident entering the match that she said the following about Baszler in a WWE.com interview: "Shayna is irrelevant to me in the sense that all I see is a competitor that I have to go through to get what I want: the NXT Women's Championship."

While Belair is the total package, she had never gone up against someone as accomplished and dominant as Baszler prior to Saturday.

Baszler is the only two-time NXT Women's champion in the history of the brand, and her background as a former UFC star makes her one of the most technically sound and vicious women in all of wrestling.

Belair is an elite athlete in her own right, though, dating back to her time as a collegiate track and field star, as well as a CrossFit competitor.

Due to their backgrounds, the matchup between Belair and Baszler made for one of the most intriguing clashes to occur in the NXT women's division in recent memory.

Although Baszler retained and left with her title reign intact, Belair likely isn't going anywhere any time soon, and it may be only a matter of time before she captures the NXT Women's Championship.

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Johnny Gargano defeated Ricochet at NXT TakeOver: Phoenix on Saturday night to win the NXT North American Championship.

Gargano and Ricochet went move for move in what was perhaps the match of the year in all of wrestling in 2019 thus far.

The self-professed Johnny TakeOver channeled his inner villain by suplexing Ricochet onto the exposed floor late in the match:

In the end, Gargano hit Ricochet with a slingshot DDT to hand The One and Only his first televised singles loss in NXT.

Fans have clamored for a bout between Gargano and Ricochet ever since the latter signed with WWE last year, and they finally got their wish in Phoenix.

It initially seemed unlikely that they would lock horns since both Gargano and Ricochet were beloved faces who were among the most popular Superstars in all of WWE.

Things have changed on that front for Johnny Wrestling in recent months, however, as he was revealed to be the one who attacked Aleister Black last year and left him on the shelf for several weeks.

Gargano has been embroiled in a rivalry with Black because of his actions, and it has even led to him forming a loose alliance with former best friend and bitter rival Tommaso Ciampa.

Since Ciampa was set to defend the NXT Championship against Black at NXT TakeOver: Phoenix, though, it left Gargano without a dance partner.

That quickly changed when Gargano announced he was setting his sights on the North American title.

Ricochet wasted little time in granting Gargano a championship match, but Johnny Wrestling showed his gratitude by laying out The One and Only with a superkick flush to the chin.

A fight ensued the next time they saw each other, but Ciampa intervened to help his former DIY teammate. Gargano and Ciampa teamed up to take out Black as well, which nearly resulted in them shaking hands until Candice LeRae prevented Gargano from doing so.

With that, the stage was set perfectly for a match between Gargano and Ricochet that had the potential to steal the show at TakeOver and enter the early conversation for match of the year.

Both Superstars put on some memorable classics in 2018, especially Gargano's series against Ciampa, as well as his match against Andrade one year ago.

Ricochet did some special things as well, and he was dominant en route to winning the North American title for Adam Cole and going on to defend it successfully on multiple occasions.

Saturday marked perhaps Ricochet's biggest challenge to date, and it resulted in him dropping the title.

There is seemingly still unfinished business between Gargano and Ricochet given what happened in Phoenix, which means the stage may be set for a long-term feud that could potentially culminate two nights before WrestleMania.

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The hot start to Matt Riddle's WWE career continued Saturday, as he defeated Kassius Ohno at NXT TakeOver: Phoenix.

Ohno pushed Riddle to the limit by pulling out all the stops, including stomping on Riddle's foot and biting his toes.

Despite that, Riddle fought back and showed off his pure power against the bigger Ohno:

In the end, Ohno tapped out in the midst of Riddle mounting him and raining punches down on the back of his head.

Riddle made his NXT debut in October to tons of fanfare, which didn't sit well with Ohno, who felt as though he had been overlooked.

Ohno constantly pestered NXT general manager William Regal and made it clear that he wanted to be the gatekeeper new signees had to go through.

After getting interrupted by Ohno during the pre-show prior to NXT TakeOver: WarGames II in November, Riddle challenged Ohno to a match to open the event.

Ohno accepted, but Riddle dropped and defeated him in mere seconds, which only served to further their rivalry.

Riddle beat Ohno in a rematch as well, and that set the stage for Ohno to snap.

After Riddle beat Punishment Martinez on NXT programming, Ohno appeared and brutally attacked The King of Bros, which set the stage for a rematch at NXT TakeOver: Phoenix.

Ohno continued to show off his ruthless side in a match against Keith Lee that saw him pick up the win after hitting Lee with a low blow.

Riddle ran down and attempted to take out Ohno after the match despite not being medically cleared from the beatdown he suffered previously, but Ohno escaped, which left the fans wanting more ahead of their clash in Phoenix.

It can be argued that Riddle and Ohno were in a tough spot given how stacked the TakeOver card was on paper, but their story was as good as almost any other leading up to the event, and that created plenty of intrigue despite the lack of a title on the line.

Riddle has been brought along slowly and smartly since debuting, and Saturday's match was by far the biggest showcase of his abilities.

He may still need some time before becoming a main event player on the stacked NXT roster, but after beating Ohno in impressive fashion, he is well on his way to moving up the card.

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The War Raiders defeated Undisputed Era at NXT TakeOver: Phoenix on Saturday night to win the NXT Tag Team Championships for the first time.

After taking down Undisputed Era, Hanson and Rowe celebrated with the titles in their grasp:

The victory came after a captivating, Viking-inspired entrance that got the live crowd firmly behind The War Raiders:

With the win, The War Raiders ended a reign that stretched over 400 days, with the exception of a two-day title run by Moustache Mountain in between.

Undisputed Era and The War Raiders have been feuding for the past several months dating back to NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn 4 in August.

After Kyle O'Reilly and Roderick Strong beat Moustache Mountain at that show to retain the NXT tag team titles, they were attacked by Hanson and Rowe, which set the stage for a lengthy rivalry.

The War Raiders finally received a title shot in October after torturing Undisputed Era for several weeks, but they were unable to take the championships because Bobby Fish returned from injury to attack them, resulting in a disqualification win.

That led to a huge match at NXT TakeOver: WarGames, pitting War Raiders, Ricochet and Pete Dunne against Adam Cole, O'Reilly, Strong and Fish of Undisputed Era.

The War Raiders' team won the match, but due to the brutal nature of it, Hanson and Rowe were on the shelf for a few weeks, which caused a delay in their NXT tag team title rematch.

Upon returning to NXT programming recently, however, NXT general manager William Regal granted The War Raiders their rematch, which put Undisputed Era in a precarious position entering NXT TakeOver: Phoenix.

While strength in numbers always tends to give Undisputed Era an advantage, The War Raiders are two of the toughest and hardest-hitting Superstars in the business, and they have a propensity for overcoming the odds because of that.

While The War Raiders have been brought along somewhat slowly since joining NXT in terms of getting built up little by little, their dominance has still been apparent.

Hanson and Rowe were essentially unbeatable entering TakeOver: Phoenix, which made them the perfect opponents for Undisputed Era given the fact that the heel faction worked itself into a corner.

That played directly into The War Raiders' hands en route to winning the titles, and given the notion that they may be in line for a long and dominant title reign, there figures to be speculation regarding all of Undisputed Era getting called up to the main roster in the near future.

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The Grizzled Young Veterans upset Moustache Mountain at NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool on Saturday to become the inaugural NXT UK tag team champions.

After taking Tyler Bate out of the equation, Zack Gibson and James Drake hit Trent Seven with Ticket to Mayhem to pick up the victory.

While Moustache Mountain fell short, it energized the crowd in the first match in NXT UK TakeOver history with moves like Bate's Double Airplane Spin:

Saturday's bout represented the finals of a four-team tournament that also included Gallus and the duo of Mark Andrews and Flash Morgan Webster.

Bate and Seven beat Wolfgang and Mark Coffey of Gallus to qualify for the finals, while Gibson and Drake took down Andrews and Webster.

Moustache Mountain entered the tournament as the overwhelming favorite to win, as well as the fan favorite given its popularity in the UK.

Both Bate and Seven debuted on WWE programming as part of the tournament to declare the first WWE United Kingdom champion in 2017, and Bate prevailed by beating Pete Dunne in the finals.

Although Bate dropped the strap to Dunne a few months later, he remained a relevant performer in WWE by joining forces with Seven on the NXT brand.

Moustache Mountain quickly worked its way through the NXT tag ranks and went on to defeat Undisputed Era for the NXT Tag Team Championships last year at the United Kingdom Championship tournament in London.

While Bate and Seven only held the titles for two days before dropping them back to Undisputed Era, their title win was celebrated by fans, and it went a long way toward making casual viewers of the product better aware of their talent.

The Grizzled Young Veterans began appearing on NXT UK to far less fanfare than Moustache Mountain, but it didn't take them long to make their presence felt.

Gibson received nuclear heat from the fans as soon as he debuted on NXT UK, and that helped make him and Drake the perfect opponents for the highly popular Bate and Seven.

The live crowd was firmly behind Moustache Mountain at TakeOver: Blackpool, but supporters were not able to celebrate a victory.

With Gibson and Drake at the top of the NXT UK tag division, it may set the stage for a long-term feud against Moustache Mountain or perhaps open the door for another team to step up as the No. 1 contenders.

Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below (warning: some language NSFW).