NXT TakeOver: In Your House (2020)

NXT TakeOver: In Your House
Promotional poster featuring Adam Cole and Velveteen Dream
Promotion	WWE
Brand(s)	NXT
Date	June 7, 2020
City	Winter Park, Florida
Venue	Full Sail University
Attendance	0 (behind closed doors)[Note 1]
WWE Network event chronology
← Previous Money in the Bank Next → Backlash
NXT TakeOver chronology
← Previous Tampa Bay (cancelled) Next → XXX
In Your House chronology
← Previous St. Valentine's Day Massacre Next → NXT TakeOver (2021)

The 2020 NXT TakeOver: In Your House was the 29th NXT TakeOver and 28th In Your House professional wrestling event produced by WWE, and the inaugural In Your House held for the promotion's NXT brand division. The event was streamed exclusively on the WWE Network on June 7, 2020. While the majority of the event aired live from Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida, the Backlot Brawl match was pre-recorded on May 28 in the parking lot of Full Sail.

The event marked the 25th anniversary of the first In Your House pay-per-view event. It was also the first In Your House branded event since February 1999, thus being the first In Your House to air on the WWE Network. It was also the first TakeOver event to be held at Full Sail University since TakeOver: The End in June 2016. That event had been promoted as the final TakeOver to be held at Full Sail; however, the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated all of NXT's events to be held here behind closed doors until NXT's events were relocated to the WWE Performance Center in Orlando in October. As a result, it was the first TakeOver to be held during the pandemic.

Six matches were contested at the event. In the main event, Io Shirai defeated defending champion Charlotte Flair and Rhea Ripley in a triple threat match to win the NXT Women's Championship. On the undercard, Karrion Kross defeated Tommaso Ciampa by technical submission, Keith Lee defeated Johnny Gargano to retain the NXT North American Championship, and Adam Cole defeated Velveteen Dream in a Last Chance Backlot Brawl to retain the NXT Championship, which was a cinematic match.

NXT TakeOver was a series of professional wrestling events that began in May 2014, as WWE's NXT brand held its second WWE Network-exclusive event, billed as TakeOver.^[1] In subsequent months, the "TakeOver" moniker became the brand used by WWE for all of its major NXT events. On May 13, 2020, for the 25th anniversary of the first In Your House pay-per-view (PPV) event, WWE announced that it had revived the In Your House name for the 29th NXT TakeOver event to be held on June 7, 2020.^[2][3]

In Your House was a series of monthly professional wrestling PPV events that were held by WWE from May 1995 to February 1999. They aired when the promotion was not holding one of its then-five major PPVs at the time (WrestleMania, King of the Ring, SummerSlam, Survivor Series, and Royal Rumble), and were sold at a lower cost. The branding was retired following February 1999's St. Valentine's Day Massacre: In Your House event, as the company moved to install permanent names for each of its monthly PPVs.^[4] TakeOver: In Your House marked the first In Your House-branded event in 21 years and subsequently the 28th event to carry the name. It was in turn the first In Your House to air on the WWE Network.^[2]

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic that began affecting the industry in mid-March, WWE had to present the majority of its programming from a behind closed doors set. Broadcasts of NXT were subsequently held at NXT's home base of Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida. The pandemic also forced the cancelation of the previously scheduled TakeOver event, TakeOver: Tampa Bay.^[5] In Your House was subsequently scheduled to be held at Full Sail University, marking the first TakeOver event to take place during the pandemic, as well as the first TakeOver event to be hosted at Full Sail since TakeOver: The End in June 2016.^[2][6] While the majority of the event aired live on June 7, 2020, the Backlot Brawl match was pre-recorded on May 28 as a cinematic match.^[7]

The event comprised six matches that resulted from scripted storylines. Results were predetermined by WWE's writers on the NXT brand, while storylines were produced on WWE's weekly television program, NXT.^[8][9]

On the April 15 episode of NXT, after Tommaso Ciampa admitted that Johnny Gargano was the better man following their One Final Beat match the previous week, he was attacked backstage by the debuting Karrion Kross.^[10] After Kross' match on the May 20 episode, Ciampa challenged Kross to a match at TakeOver: In Your House.^[11]

During WrestleMania 36 Part 2, Charlotte Flair defeated Rhea Ripley by submission to win the NXT Women's Championship.^[12] On the following episode of NXT, Io Shirai won a six-woman ladder match to earn a championship match against Flair,^[13] which Shirai won by disqualification on the May 6 episode after which, Ripley returned and saved Shirai.^[14] On the May 20 episode, the match between Shirai and Ripley ended in a no-contest when Flair attacked both.^[11] A triple threat match between the three women was then scheduled for TakeOver: In Your House.^[15]

The event opened with Mia Yim, Tegan Nox, and Shotzi Blackheart facing the team of Candice LeRae, Dakota Kai, and Raquel González. In the climax, Nox performed the Shiniest Wizard on both Gonzalez and Kai, followed by Nox pinning Kai to win the match.^[16]

Next, Finn Bálor faced Damian Priest. During Bálor's entrance, Priest threw Bálor out of the ring. In the climax, Bálor knocked Priest, who was poised atop a turnbuckle, onto the steel steps. As Priest came back in the ring, Bálor performed two Coup de Grâces on Priest to win the match.^[16]

After that, Keith Lee defended the NXT North American Championship against Johnny Gargano. Late in the match, Gargano's wife Candice LeRae emerged to distract Lee; however, Mia Yim came out and brawled with LeRae. This distracted the referee and Gargano took advantage of the situation and gouged Lee's eyes with a key. Gargano performed One Final Beat and a superkick on Lee for a near-fall. In the closing moments, Lee performed a Spirit Bomb and a Big Bang Catastrophe on Gargano to retain the title.^[16]

Next was the Last Chance Backlot Brawl in which Adam Cole defended the NXT Championship against Velveteen Dream. The match occurred in the parking lot of Full Sail University with a wrestling ring set up surrounded by cars; the match could only be won by a pinfall or submission in the ring. Dream got three roll-ups to start the match, but then Cole came back with a boot to the face followed by punches. Stating that Dream did not deserve the title, Cole got in a car and attempted to leave, but Dream went after him with a baseball bat and smashed in a window. Later, Dream slammed Cole onto the hood of a car. Dream brought a ladder around the ringside area. Dream set up the ladder by the hood of the car that Cole was lying on. As Dream climbed the ladder, another car drove up and began honking. Cole's Undisputed Era teammates Roderick Strong and Bobby Fish then emerged from the car. Cole also ascended the ladder but was knocked off by Dream and landed onto the windshield, causing Cole's right arm to bleed. Strong and Fish then attacked Dream. Strong and Fish then threw several chairs into the ring. Dexter Lumis would then show up from under the ring and beat up Strong and Fish with a steel chair and threw Strong and Fish in the trunk of a car and drove off. In the ring, Cole attempted a Panama Sunrise, but Dream caught him and hit the Dream Valley Driver for a two count. Dream then hit a diving elbow from the top rope for another nearfall. Cole then hit a low blow on Dream and followed with a Panama Sunrise onto the steel chairs to win and retain the title. Due to the stipulation of the match, Dream could no longer challenge for the NXT Championship as long as Cole was champion.^[16]

In the penultimate match, Tommaso Ciampa faced Karrion Kross, who was accompanied to the ring by Scarlett. Ciampa struck with hard strikes to the head, Kross sold it a bit and Kross hit a full extension kick to the head. Kross delivered an overhead suplex across the ring. Ciampa struck with another hard kick, then a clothesline over the top to the floor and Kross followed him out of the ring. Kross picked up Ciampa and sent him back first into the edge of the ring apron. Back in the ring, Kross delivered another belly-to-belly suplex across the ring. Kross continued the attack with another belly-to-belly suplex across the ring as he smiled at the violence he was causing. Kross delivered repeated knees to the face against the turnbuckle. Kross dared Ciampa to hit him, then Kross hit a Northern Lights Suplex into a clothesline. Ciampa responded with hard chops and strikes to the face, then a kick that sent Kross out of the ring. Kross was on the apron and Ciampa hit Widow's Bell for a two count. Ciampa struck with a running knee to the face, then another running knee to the face, but Kross blocked a move from Ciampa. Kross would put Ciampa on his shoulders and hit a Doomsday Saito. Kross would then apply the Kross Jacket. Ciampa passed out, giving the win to Kross by technical submission.^[16]

In the main event, Charlotte Flair defended the NXT Women's Championship against Io Shirai and Rhea Ripley in a triple threat match. In the climax, Flair performed a Spear on Ripley and then applied the Figure Eight submission on her. During this, Shirai performed a moonsault on Ripley from the top rope and pinned Ripley to win the title while Flair was tied up with the submission. The show ended with Shirai embracing with her newly won title belt as streamers and confetti filled the arena.^[16]

The 2020 TakeOver: In Your House would be the first in a subseries of TakeOvers titled TakeOver: In Your House. The second event was also held in June.^[17] The TakeOver series was discontinued in late 2021,^[18] but In Your House continued on as NXT's annual June event^[19] before it was discontinued in 2023.

• WWE NXT Official Website