WWE NXT TakeOver 36 Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors

At the bell, Adam Cole and Kyle O'Reilly ran at each other with intention. Cole immediately went to the steel steps, hoping to cripple his former friend with a piledriver. Luckily for KOR, he escaped and pulled his rival back into the center of the ring.

Cole hit a superkick and went for a Panama Sunrise, but O'Reilly got one up on him by rolling through and stacking him up for a surprise three. The two did not hesitate to go for weapons as the second fall began. Kendo sticks, steel chairs, and trash cans came in early.

The two battered each other with strikes with and without weapons in hand. The two each grabbed steel chains and wrapped them around their fists to batter each other with steel fists. The fight moved to the ramp where KOR locked in a guillotine before throwing his rival off the stage into the barricade.

As O'Reilly prepared to dive onto Cole, his rival caught him and threw him hard onto a pair of steel steps. He hit the Last Shot to take the second fall of the match. Officials were uncertain KOR could recover. Cole struck and powerbombed him onto the announce table before the cage could fall.

KOR mocked his opponent, ready to see this match handed to him. O'Reilly would not quit, but that just motivated Cole to throw his opponent hard into the cage repeatedly. KOR found a moment to go for a diving knee and missed, but he ducked the Lost Shot and hit one of his own for two.

Cole immediately stopped his opponent's growing momentum with a low blow. Off the top rope, Cole hit the Panama Sunrise for a nearfall. The former leader of the Undisputed Era showed his final trick when handcuffed KOR to the top rope.

However, rather than using this moment to his advantage to escape, Cole taunted O'Reilly. He struck him with repeated knee strikes. With a final burst of energy, O'Reilly caught Cole in a knee bar and force him to tap out.

O'Reilly def. Cole by a final score of two to one.

This looked to be an indulgent mess on the surface. The three fall format seemed to sell that this would go on for nearly an hour, especially given the length of the previous two matches these men had. Instead, it was a fast-paced, action-heavy clash.

Cole and KOR clearly took it to heart what they were following, and they weren't going to be the ones to ruin the crowd energy. It was about as well put together as a 2-out-of-3 Falls match can be.

O'Reilly needed to win whether Cole re-signs with WWE or not. NXT has built him up as a true threat to the top prize. If he lost when it mattered most to the man that is forever established in NXT, it would ruin any chance of KOR getting to the main event level.