WWE NXT TakeOver: 31 Live Results

Welcome to Cultaholic Wrestling's live results for WWE NXT TakeOver: 31 and join us throughout the night as we provide updates from the Capitol Wrestling Center in Orlando, Florida. The in-ring action isn't too far away and is scheduled to begin at midnight BST. 

Only five matches will take place tonight and the show will open with Damian Priest vs. Johnny Gargano for the North American Championship. In the main event, Finn Balor will defend the NXT Title against Kyle O'Reilly.

Check out the card below: 
• Finn Balor (c) vs. Kyle O'Reilly - NXT Championship
• Damian Priest (c) vs. Johnny Gargano - North American Championship
• Io Shirai (c) vs. Candice LeRae - NXT Women's Championship 
• Santos Escobar (c) vs. Isaiah "Swerve" Scott - Cruiserweight Championship
• Kushida vs. The Velveteen Dream 

Jack King will also be hoping he can retain the Cultaholic Heavyweight Championship against Sam Driver, Adam Pacitti and Tom Campbell in the latest predictions contest. Check out their picks for the event below: 

Damian Priest def. Johnny Gargano - North American Championship 

Both men used their speed in the opening moments as they tried to connect with some offence. Priest ultimately got in the first blow as he caught Johnny Gargano with a Dropkick. This allowed The Archer Of Infamy to control the matchup for the next few minutes but Johnny Wrestling fought back as he sent Priest crashing to the ringside floor by pulling the champion's leg. 

Gargano followed up with a Tope Suicida and he pushed Priest into the steel steps moments later. The action then re-entered the ring and the former NXT Champion worked over his opponent's knee with a Half Boston Crab. Priest regained some momentum as he caught the challenger with a Flatliner and a flurry of Diving Elbows into the corner. 

Priest went for the Razor's Edge but Gargano countered into a Sunset Flip Pin for a two count. Both men exchanged strikes and Enziguris in the centre of the ring. Priest got the better of the exchange but his advantage lasted mere seconds as Johnny TakeOver sent the champion crashing into the ring post. 

Priest fought back on the outside with a Spinning Kick and he caught the challenger with a Razor's Edge on to the ring apron. Somehow, Gargano kicked out before the count of three. The action re-entered the ring and Gargano caught Priest with a Salida Del Sol and a fist to the back of the head for a two count. 

Later, Gargano went for One Final Beat but Priest caught him and hit a hellacious Chokeslam for a near fall. Gargano scurried to the outside and Priest tried to hit a Diving Senton over the turnbuckle but he landed on three assistants at ringside. With the official distracted, Gargano hit Priest with a Low Blow and followed up with a Superkick but Priest kicked out at two. 

Johnny locked in the Gargano Escape but the champion made it to the bottom rope. Gargano caught Priest with some Superkicks and went for One Final Beat again. Priest countered into the Reckoning for the 1-2-3. 

Kushida def. The Velveteen Dream 

Kushida didn't even make an entrance and he attacked The Velveteen Dream from out of nowhere. A steel chair was almost used but the referee called for the bell. 

The six-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion worked over Dream's joints for the next several minutes. The former North American Champion eventually fought back into the match with a Diving Fist from the top turnbuckle to the outside. Dream rolled Kushida back into the ring and built up heel heat with a Bronco Buster. Kushida tried to fight back but Dream wore him down with a Sleeper Hold. 

Kushida eventually got in some offence with a Hip Toss and some vicious Stomps while pulling back Dream's arms. The pair called back to a moment from their feud as Kushida twice pulled Velveteen's shoulder into the ring post. Dream's hand was draped between the steel steps and the ring post. The Hustle Supernova spotted the opportunity and Dropkicked the steps into his opponent's arm. 

The Time Splitter repeatedly locked in an Armbar but Dream fought back and connected with the Dream Valley Driver. He didn't go for the pin, however, and followed up with the Purple Rainmaker. Dream couldn't make the cover straight away, though, which gave his opponent enough time to kick out. 

Velveteen went to the top rope again but Kushida caught him and locked in the Hoverboard Lock. Dream countered into another Dream Valley Driver but Kushida refused to let go of the Hoverboard Lock and the former North American Champion was forced to tap out. 

Kushida repeatedly attacked The Velveteen Dream after the bell. 

Santos Escobar def. Isaiah "Swerve" Scott - Cruiserweight Championship

Ahead of the next match, WWE announced they will host a special Halloween Havoc edition of NXT on October 28. 

Despite being on the black and gold brand for over a year, this is the first time the Cruiserweight Championship has been defended at a TakeOver. 

Both men exchanged offence in the opening moments and battled to a stalemate. Swerve gained the upper hand as he hit Escobar with a Corkscrew Moonsault to the outside. The former Killshot worked over the former King Cuerno for the next several minutes, targetting the champion's left arm. 

Santos fought back with a Suicide Dive. The action re-entered the ring and the champion hit a Frankensteiner from the top rope for a near fall. Both men exchanged strikes and Swerve unleashed all of his fury on the champion and connected with a hellacious Clothesline. 

Scott followed up with a Diving Uppercut and a Diving European Uppercut. Scott then connected with a Rolling Thunder Flatliner for a two count. Escobar tried to fight back but Swerve caught him with a DDT from the middle rope. Again, the champion kicked out. 

As Swerve looked to have the the match won, Legado Del Fantasma made their way to the ring and distracted the challenger. Escobar took advantage and connected with the Shoulderbreaker but the challenger somehow kicked out. Swerve fought back and caught Santos with a Hurricanrana onto Legado Del Fantasma. Ashante Adonis then made his way to the ring and he brawled with Joaquin Wilde and Raul Mendoza to the back.

Swerve helped but Escobar caught him with the Phantom Driver once he made his way back into the ring. Escobar tried to follow up with a Frogsplash but missed. Sweve countered with the House Call and a 450 Splash but the champion amazingly kicked out. 

Moments later, both men grappled on the ring apron and Scott's head smashed off the exposed steel on the turnbuckle. This gave Escobar the opening he needed to hit a Double Underhook Knee for the 1-2-3. 

Io Shirai def. Candice LeRae - NXT Women's Championship 

Io Shirai controlled the early going but LeRae fought back into the match with a Backstabber while the champion was hung up on the middle turnbuckle. 

LeRae worked over her opponent for the next several minutes and played up to the crowd. The challenger picked up a near fall after a Suplex and she took out her frustration on Shirai with a Headlock. Candice went for a Senton but missed and Io caught her with a Double Stomp to the midsection.  

Shirai hit a 619 moments later and followed up with a Missile Dropkick for a two count. Io asserted her dominance with a Backbreaker and she went for the Moonsault but LeRae countered with a Powerbomb. Shirai fought back again with the Double Knees into the bottom turnbuckle and the two women exchanged German Suplexes. 

LeRae almost became NXT Women's Champion after she caught Shirai with another Backstabber but Io got her shoulder up at 2 3/4. LeRae locked in the Gargano Escape soon after. Shirai made it to the bottom rope but LeRae accidentally hit the official as she let go. Shirai followed up with an Air Raid Crash. She went for the Moonsault but missed and inadvertently knocked the referee from the ring.

LeRae took advantage and had Shirai beat but there was no official to count the pin. Johnny Gargano suddenly charged to the ring in a referee's shirt but Io kicked out at two. Johnny Wrestling then collected the women's title and tossed it to his wife while he distracted the official. The Poison Pixie smashed the champion with the title but Io somehow kicked out again. 

They went to the top rope and Io hit her opponent with a Spanish Fly from the top rope and followed up with her patented Moonsault to retain the NXT Women's Title. 

As the champion celebrated in the ring, Toni Storm suddenly appeared on the titantron and announced she was coming for the title. 

Then, the former NXT Champion that has been teased in recent weeks made their way into the Capitol Wrestling Center. They then took off their biker helmet and it was revealed the person under the hood was Ember Moon. 

Finn Balor def. Kyle O'Reilly - NXT Championship 

Both men engaged in mat wrestling in the early going, with O'Reilly getting the better of the early exchanges. Balor wore down O'Reilly with a headlock but Kyle fought back and worked over Finn's arm. 

Both men continued to grapple back and forth and work over each other's joints for the next several minutes. 

It was an evenly matched contest until Balor caught the challenger with a Spinning Kick to the midsection. O'Reilly immediately collapsed to the mat and The Prince saw his opportunity and Irish Whipped him into the corner and locked in the Camel Clutch. Finn followed up with an Abdominal Stretch but O'Reilly countered with a Hip Toss and caught the champion with a Regal-Plex for a near fall. 

Balor connected with a Slingblade soon after and tried to follow up with a Dropkick but O'Reilly countered. Both men then exchanged counters until Balor locked in the Sharpshooter. O'Reilly was also bleeding from his mouth. 

Both men exchanged strikes and collapsed to the mat after the Undisputed ERA member caught Balor with a hellacious Clothesline. After they got back to their feet, O'Reilly trapped Balor in a Guillotine and followed up with a Brainbuster for a two count. Kyle then transitioned into an Armbar and he eventually broke Balor's grip. The Prince quickly broke free, though. He hit the 1916 moments later but the challenger kicked out. 

Balor tried to connect with the Coup De Grace but O'Reilly caught him and hit a Dragonscrew Leg Sweep from the top rope. He followed up with a Diving Knee while Balor was trapped in the ropes and drove his knee into Balor's knee again. He then locked in the Kneebar but the NXT Champion somehow made it to the bottom rope after over a minute. 

Despite being hobbled, Balor caught O'Reilly with the Double Stomp and connected with the Coup De Grace to retain the NXT Title. 

As both men showed some respect to each other after the match, Ridge Holland suddenly made his way to the ring with Adam Cole draped over his shoulder and dumped the former NXT Champion's body at ringside to end the show.