Another year, another swath of predictions for WWE’s biggest shows. I could write some soliloquy on the grandeur of the weekend, or the growth of NXT since last year’s flagship TakeOver, but let’s skip all that fluff and get straight to business, shall we?
NXT NORTH AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIP
6-MAN LADDER MATCH
EC3 vs. Adam Cole vs. Lars Sullivan vs. Velveteen Dream vs. Ricochet vs. Killian Dain
What do you get for the promotion that has everything?
MORE CHAMPIONSHIPS!
In addition to the 382 titles currently circulating around the Raw and Smackdown rosters, NXT feels like its lagging behind. That’s the only explanation for William Regal’s institution of yet another hunk of gold.
I get it. There’s no “midcard” titles to speak of, so anyone who’s not in the NXT Championship picture has nothing to fight for but pride and cake, but did we really need yet another title? I totally get that the U.K. Title can really only be contested by European-bred wrestlers (Brexit notwithstanding, apparently), but the roster is far too thin to start splitting up competitors by region.
And yet here its, and here we go. And to NXT’s credit, their roster—particularly for this match—is stacked. When the least-auspicious name on this list is arguably Killian Dain, you know you’ve got some serious talent vying for this inaugural win.
You could make a case for just about everyone here. Adam Cole (baybay!) winning the title would give the Undisputed Era a solid stack of gold to back up their dominance of the roster. Velveteen Dream is almost due for a title run of some kind considering how popular he’s become. Lars Sullivan clearly has all the support of the people behind the scenes and looks groomed to be NXT’s next big monster. Ricochet will be the standout in this match as his reputation has clearly preceded him. It’ll be hard work to prove himself to anyone who (for some reason) hasn’t seen a match of his yet. I assume he’ll take on the “Jeff Hardy” role in this match.
Killian Dain isn’t from North America, so he’s disqualified (sorry, mate).
Which brings me to Derrick Batema—err, uh—EC3. The Impact Wrestling standout is destined for superstardom in WWE, and this could be a perfect way to kickoff a run that cements him as the obnoxious heel to beat. If you wanna make Ricochet a star, have him win this match. If you wanna make two stars, have EC3 win this match so Ricochet can beat him later after a long and nasty feud.
SHOULD WIN: EC3
WILL WIN: EC3
NXT TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
DUSTY RHODES TAG TEAM CLASSIC TOURNAMENT FINAL
TRIPLE-THREAT TAG TEAM MATCH
NXT Tag Team Champions Undisputed Era (Adam Cole & Kyle O’Reilly) vs. The Authors of Pain (Akam & Rezar w/ Paul Ellering) vs. Roderick Strong & WWE United Kingdom Champion Pete Dunne
Okay, so to be clear, the winners here get the Dusty Cup as well as the NXT Tag Team Championship.
All I can say is, if Adam Cole somehow manages to survive the 6-man ladder match and this bout, he’s officially the new Iron Man of WWE (which is why this match will probably open the show).
It’s pretty obvious at this point that AOP are destined for the main roster, so I’m going to go ahead and rule them out as possible winners (though they may take the pin on their way out to protect the other two teams). That leaves us with Adam Cole (filing in for the injured Bobby Fish) and Kyle O’Reilly or Strong and Dunne.
While watching Strong and Dunne’s chemistry slowly deteriorate over the next few months could be fun, it’s far more comfortable to have Undisputed Era retain. They feel much more like a cohesive unit, which means anyone that beats them cough—War Machine—cough looks much better than if they had simply dismantled a slapped-together (albeit friggin awesome) team like Strong and Dunne.
SHOULD WIN: Roderick Strong & Pete Dunne
WILL WIN: Undisputed Era (Adam Cole & Kyle O’Reilly)
UNSANCTIONED MATCH
Tommaso Ciampa vs. Johnny Gargano
I’m probably not alone in saying this is the match I’m most looking forward to on this entire card.
If NXT was looking for its own Daniel Bryan, they found it in Johnny Gargano. I’m not sure there’s ever been a wrestler more over with the fans in NXT than Johnny Wrestling. It was initially frustrating to see there was no payoff after Ciampa’s beatdown of Johnny last year. But, as always, NXT proved they knew what they were doing by holding him back and bringing out the Psycho Killer when we least expected it.
I don’t expect this match to be the masterpiece that was Gargano vs. Almas from the last TakeOver, but it will probably be the match we remember for its brutality moreso than athleticism.
I personally hope we get to watch these two spend about fifteen minutes beating the unholy hell out of each other. The match is unsanctioned, so that may be WWE’s way of letting its audience know this is gonna get messy.
I have to believe Triple H is too smart to let someone like Gargano go to the main roster at the height of his popularity (though he may not have a choice). Nobody on the current NXT roster comes close to having the kind of fan support Gargano has garnered over the last year.
But how much would they hate…I mean hate Ciampa if he sent their hero packing for good?
SHOULD WIN: Tomaso Ciampa
WILL WIN: Johnny Gargano
NXT WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP
NXT Women’s Champion Ember Moon vs. Shayna Baszler
I’ll be honest, as great as Ember Moon is, it’s been a tough transition from the sheer spectacle of Asuka’s undefeated reign as Women’s Champion. I don’t envy anyone who was tasked with filling those shoes.
That said, Shayna Baszler is exactly what this women’s division needs to help everyone shine.
In sharp contrast to the main roster’s former UFC star, Shayna has no problems turning full heel and letting the crowd know she couldn’t care less what they think about her. That is the kind of self-serving personality that will allow heels and faces alike to stand up and make their mark against her.
It’s been difficult to get invested in this division because of the lack of distinctive personalities in it. Most women fall into two categories: the plucky upstart, and the tough powerhouse. Peyton Royce, Billie Kay, and Nikki Cross are a few exceptions, but by and large there’s been little opportunity for new faces to be anything but unremarkable.
Shayna has a chance to change all that by being something the fans haven’t seen before. Not only can we established characters for anyone that comes to face her, but whoever knocks her down to take her title gains instant credibility.
SHOULD WIN: Shayna Baszler
WILL WIN: Shayna Baszler
NXT CHAMPIONSHIP
NXT Champion Andradé “Cien” Almas w/ Zelina Vega vs. Aleister Black
If there has ever been a physical representation of the difference in tone between NXT and the main roster, it’s Aleister Black. If you took Bray Wyatt and sucked out all the campy BS, you’d have Aleister Black’s laid-back cousin. Whereas other “goth” personas have relied on heavy imagery and loquacious personas, Black’s entire aura is conveyed in his silence and demeanor. His feud with Velveteen Dream was built not on what was said, but on what Dream wanted him to say.
Meanwhile, Almas has had to rely on Zelina Vega to get his messages across—which is great for anybody watching at home. If the powers that be insist on keeping the title on Almas, Vega is the perfect scapegoat.
But that begs the question: assuming Aleister Black isn’t the one to wrest the title off Almas’ waist, who else on the NXT roster could?
SHOUDL WIN: Aleister Black
WILL WIN: Andradé “Cien” Almas
