# NXT TakeOver XXX
**NXT TakeOver XXX** was a professional wrestling event produced by WWE for its NXT brand, held on August 22, 2020 at [Full Sail University](https://www.edgepedia.org/full-sail-university) in [Winter Park, Florida](https://www.edgepedia.org/winter-park-florida), and streamed on the [WWE Network](https://www.edgepedia.org/wwe-network). It was the 30th installment of the NXT TakeOver series, the black-and-gold brand's banner event.[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12769734) • [2](https://www.wwe.com/shows/wwenxt/article/nxt-takeover-xxx-to-take-place-saturday-aug-22) In its main event, Karrion Kross defeated Keith Lee to win the NXT Championship, while Damian Priest won the vacant North American Championship in a five-man Ladder Match and Io Shirai retained the NXT Women's Championship against Dakota Kai.[3](https://www.wwe.com/shows/wwenxt/nxt-takeover-xxx/article/full-nxt-takeover-xxx-results-videos-and-photos)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Date and venue | Saturday, August 22, 2020, Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida; 7 pm ET on WWE Network[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12769734) • [4](https://corporate.wwe.com/about/news/2020/08-17-2020) |
| Edition | 30th NXT TakeOver event; originally titled NXT TakeOver: Boston[2](https://www.wwe.com/shows/wwenxt/article/nxt-takeover-xxx-to-take-place-saturday-aug-22) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12769734) |
| Main event | Karrion Kross (with Scarlett) def. Keith Lee (c) to win the NXT Championship[3](https://www.wwe.com/shows/wwenxt/nxt-takeover-xxx/article/full-nxt-takeover-xxx-results-videos-and-photos) |
| Title changes | Two new champions crowned: Kross (NXT) and Damian Priest (North American, Ladder Match)[3](https://www.wwe.com/shows/wwenxt/nxt-takeover-xxx/article/full-nxt-takeover-xxx-results-videos-and-photos) |
| Retained title | Io Shirai def. Dakota Kai for the NXT Women's Championship[3](https://www.wwe.com/shows/wwenxt/nxt-takeover-xxx/article/full-nxt-takeover-xxx-results-videos-and-photos) |
| Notable debut | Pat McAfee's first WWE match, a loss to Adam Cole[3](https://www.wwe.com/shows/wwenxt/nxt-takeover-xxx/article/full-nxt-takeover-xxx-results-videos-and-photos) |
| Aftermath | Kross worked the match with a separated shoulder; Lee's reign ended at 52 days[5](https://www.wwe.com/shows/wwenxt/2020-08-26/article/wwe-nxt-results-aug-26-2020) • [6](https://tjrwrestling.net/review/tjr-wwe-nxt-takeover-xxx-2020-review/) |
## Background and production
The event was announced for August 22, 2020, with NXT General Manager William Regal and NXT Champion Keith Lee confirming a Ladder Match to decide a new NXT North American Champion. Lee had relinquished that title to create more opportunities for deserving Superstars, leaving it vacant for the TakeOver card.[2](https://www.wwe.com/shows/wwenxt/article/nxt-takeover-xxx-to-take-place-saturday-aug-22)
The show ran during the COVID-19 pandemic, when WWE produced its programming on closed sets. WWE's health and safety protocols for talent, crew, and employees included PCR testing for COVID-19, social distancing, and wearing masks.[4](https://corporate.wwe.com/about/news/2020/08-17-2020) With no ticketed audience, the crowd at the NXT Arena consisted of developmental trainees.[7](https://www.wrestlinginc.com/news/2020/08/wwe-nxt-takeover-xxx-live-results-673873/) The event took place on [SummerSlam](https://www.edgepedia.org/summerslam) weekend, one day before WWE's main-roster pay-per-view at the Amway Center.[4](https://corporate.wwe.com/about/news/2020/08-17-2020) The show was originally titled [NXT TakeOver](https://www.edgepedia.org/nxt-takeover): Boston before pandemic conditions forced the change of plans.[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12769734)
## Results
The full card, in match order:[3](https://www.wwe.com/shows/wwenxt/nxt-takeover-xxx/article/full-nxt-takeover-xxx-results-videos-and-photos)
1. **Pre-show, Triple Threat Tag Team No. 1 Contender's Match**: Breezango ([Tyler Breeze](https://www.edgepedia.org/tyler-breeze) and Fandango) def. Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch and Legado del Fantasma, earning a future NXT Tag Team Title match against Imperium's Marcel Barthel and Fabian Aichner.[3](https://www.wwe.com/shows/wwenxt/nxt-takeover-xxx/article/full-nxt-takeover-xxx-results-videos-and-photos) • [6](https://tjrwrestling.net/review/tjr-wwe-nxt-takeover-xxx-2020-review/)
2. **Finn Bálor def. Timothy Thatcher**, a technical wrestling opener to the main card.[3](https://www.wwe.com/shows/wwenxt/nxt-takeover-xxx/article/full-nxt-takeover-xxx-results-videos-and-photos) • [8](https://wrestlefile.com/events/nxt-takeover-xxx-2020/)
3. **North American Championship Ladder Match**: [Damian Priest](https://www.edgepedia.org/damian-priest) def. [Johnny Gargano](https://www.edgepedia.org/johnny-gargano), Bronson Reed, Velveteen Dream, and Cameron Grimes to claim the vacant title.[3](https://www.wwe.com/shows/wwenxt/nxt-takeover-xxx/article/full-nxt-takeover-xxx-results-videos-and-photos)
4. **Adam Cole def.
5. **NXT Women's Championship**: Io Shirai (c) def. Dakota Kai.[3](https://www.wwe.com/shows/wwenxt/nxt-takeover-xxx/article/full-nxt-takeover-xxx-results-videos-and-photos)
6. **NXT Championship main event**: Karrion Kross (with Scarlett) def. Keith Lee (c).[3](https://www.wwe.com/shows/wwenxt/nxt-takeover-xxx/article/full-nxt-takeover-xxx-results-videos-and-photos)
The opening video package was set to "Moth Into Flame" by [Metallica](https://www.edgepedia.org/metallica) and covered highlights of the previous 29 TakeOver events.[7](https://www.wrestlinginc.com/news/2020/08/wwe-nxt-takeover-xxx-live-results-673873/)
## Main event: Keith Lee vs. Karrion Kross
Lee came out aggressively at the bell, knocking Kross down with a tackle and pressing the attack until Kross retreated to ringside. On the arena floor, Kross evaded a charging Lee and sent the champion shoulder-first into the steel ring post, then worked over Lee's left arm with a series of submissions. Lee fought through the pain, survived the Kross-Jacket submission and hit a Spirit Bomb, but Kross drove him down with a Doomsday Saito and, after the fight moved to the ropes, planted Lee with a second Doomsday Saito for the three-count.[9](https://www.wwe.com/shows/wwenxt/nxt-takeover-xxx/article/keith-lee-karrion-kross-results)
The title change ended Lee's reign at 52 days, shortly after he had unified attention by holding both the NXT and North American Championships.[6](https://tjrwrestling.net/review/tjr-wwe-nxt-takeover-xxx-2020-review/)
## Reception
**Critical response favored the undercard.** In a Pro Wrestling Dot Net post-show poll, 42 percent of voters gave the event an A grade and 37 percent a B, with only 10 percent rating it below average. The Ladder Match was voted best match of the night by 45 percent of voters, [Adam Cole](https://www.edgepedia.org/adam-cole) vs. [Pat McAfee](https://www.edgepedia.org/pat-mcafee) finished second at 29 percent, and the [NXT Championship](https://www.edgepedia.org/nxt-championship) main event third at 16 percent.[10](https://prowrestling.net/site/2020/08/25/nxt-takeover-xxx-poll-results-for-best-match-and-overall-grade/)
Reviewers singled out the same hierarchy. TJR [Wrestling](https://www.edgepedia.org/wrestling) scored the show 7.5 out of 10, ranking it third among the 2020 TakeOver events behind Portland (9) and [In Your House](https://www.edgepedia.org/in-your-house) (7.75), praising the Ladder Match, the women's match, and Cole/McAfee while calling the main event the worst match of the night and too long.[6](https://tjrwrestling.net/review/tjr-wwe-nxt-takeover-xxx-2020-review/) The WrestleFile retrospective graded the event B+ (8.2), describing a strong but imperfect show in which four of six matches were strong to excellent and only the main event fell meaningfully below expectations.[8](https://wrestlefile.com/events/nxt-takeover-xxx-2020/) On IMDb the special holds a 7.1/10 rating from 119 users, with a runtime of 2 hours 23 minutes.[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12769734)
## Historical significance
NXT TakeOver XXX was the final TakeOver held at Full Sail University and the last one distributed exclusively through the WWE Network, marking a transition point for the brand's event production.[8](https://wrestlefile.com/events/nxt-takeover-xxx-2020/) The North American Championship Ladder Match carries the strongest historical star rating of the night at four-and-a-half stars, with Bálor-Thatcher also reaching that range.[8](https://wrestlefile.com/events/nxt-takeover-xxx-2020/) Kross's victory began what WWE's own coverage called the black-and-gold brand's "doomsday era."
## References
1. [NXT TakeOver: XXX (TV Special 2020), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12769734)
2. [NXT TakeOver XXX to take place Saturday, Aug. 22, WWE.com](https://www.wwe.com/shows/wwenxt/article/nxt-takeover-xxx-to-take-place-saturday-aug-22)
3. [Full NXT TakeOver XXX results, videos and photos, WWE.com](https://www.wwe.com/shows/wwenxt/nxt-takeover-xxx/article/full-nxt-takeover-xxx-results-videos-and-photos)
4. [WWE Brings the Thunder, WWE Corporate (August 17, 2020)](https://corporate.wwe.com/about/news/2020/08-17-2020)
5. [WWE NXT results, Aug. 26, 2020, WWE.com](https://www.wwe.com/shows/wwenxt/2020-08-26/article/wwe-nxt-results-aug-26-2020)
6. [TJR: WWE NXT Takeover XXX 2020 Review, TJR Wrestling](https://tjrwrestling.net/review/tjr-wwe-nxt-takeover-xxx-2020-review/)
7. [WWE NXT "Takeover: XXX" Results, Wrestling Inc.](https://www.wrestlinginc.com/news/2020/08/wwe-nxt-takeover-xxx-live-results-673873/)
8. [NXT TakeOver XXX (2020) Review & Final Grade, WrestleFile](https://wrestlefile.com/events/nxt-takeover-xxx-2020/)
9. [Karrion Kross def. Keith Lee to become NXT Champion, WWE.com](https://www.wwe.com/shows/wwenxt/nxt-takeover-xxx/article/keith-lee-karrion-kross-results)
10. [NXT Takeover XXX poll results for best match and overall grade, Pro Wrestling Dot Net](https://prowrestling.net/site/2020/08/25/nxt-takeover-xxx-poll-results-for-best-match-and-overall-grade/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Individual sports and outdoor recreation › Combat sports and professional wrestling › Professional wrestling promotions and championships › WWE promotion and brands › NXT and NXT UK events*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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