Hello, it’s me TWB here once again, for another NXT Takeover predictions article, I hope you are all doing well, and are looking forward to another night of wrestling action. Let’s not waste any more time, and get going with our first match of the night which is between Kushida and The Velveteen Dream.
Kushida Vs The Velveteen Dream
The fact this is going to be Kushida’s first match on an NXT Takeover is really crazy to think about considering he’s been signed with the company for 18 months, besides him reuniting with Alex Shelley to reform The Time Splitters for the Dusty Rhodes Classic, he’s not really been involved frequently enough on the NXT roster.
On the other hand, despite being only 25 years old, The Velveteen Dream, could be considered as a Takeover veteran by now, and really ought to either going to Raw or Smackdown, however, the allegations surrounding the Dream are still very prevalent, and anything he does is scrutinized, so really I think he should be kept off TV for the indefinite future as him being associated with NXT could continue to hurt the brand.
Kushida has to win this one, he’s too good of a wrestler to just hang around in NXT, he needs to be a focal point of that roster, maybe have him go after the North American Title, or even put him against the Cruiserweight champion and give that division a bit of a boost.
Winner – Kushida
Santos Escobar (C) Vs Isaiah “Swerve” Scott
Cruiserweight Championship Match
It wasn’t really until this week’s episode of NXT, that I knew that is match was going down on Sunday night, it definitely feels to me at least that the Cruiserweight Championship has taken a significant back seat since the tournament to crown a new champion took place a few months ago.
I don’t watch 205 Live so I don’t know if the feud has progressed on that show at all, but out of all the matches on this card this is the one I’m least interested in, and yet it does have the potential of being a really good bout.
I think Escobar retains and maybe enters into a feud with Kushida, which hopefully gets both men more time on NXT, which they and the Cruiserweight Title both need.
Winner (Still Cruiserweight Champion) – Santos Escobar
Damian Priest (C) Vs Johnny Gargano
NXT North American Championship Match
Damian Priest has only been North American Championship for 2 months, and personally, I think we’ll see a long title reign out of him, as really the title has been a bit of an afterthought, in my opinion, mainly stemming from Keith Lee and Adam Cole having a ‘title for title’ match, which Lee won but then relinquished the North American Championship, which I felt devalued it a bit.
Johnny Gargano as a heel I’m not sure works, I loved him as the underdog babyface and really being the best wrestler in NXT for practically 3 years, I understand that with a change of character there needs to be a change of in-ring style, but I prefer Johnny Wrestling over whatever this Johnny is.
My prediction is Gargano could go to Raw or Smackdown in the upcoming draft, he’s done everything possible in NXT and it feels he needs a fresh start, therefore using that logic Priest will retain.
Winner (still NXT North American Champion) – Damian Priest
Io Shirai (C) Vs Candice LeRae
NXT Women’s Championship Match
These two had a fantastic match last year, this time its roles reversed with Io as a face and LeRae as the heel, but I’m sure this will still be an instant classic.
Io has been champion for around 4 months, and personally, I feel that she could keep the title for the rest of the year, and considering how well-liked she is, I hope there is a crowd whilst she is still holding the championship.
I think Candice could be in the same boat as her husband, if Gargano heads to Raw or Smackdown, LeRae should join him, especially if it’s a move to the blue brand, they’ve taken a bit of a hit losing Mandy, Dana and Sonya.
I’m taking Io for the win here, and maybe she’s confronted by the returning Ember Moon.
Winner (Still NXT Women’s Champion) – Io Shirai
Finn Balor (C) Vs Kyle O’Reilly
NXT Championship Match
Quoting Barney from The Simpsons “Just hook it to my veins” this is definitely going to be a contender for match of the year, within 3 weeks, O’Reilly has gone from being really a tag team wrestler to being a top face and believable contender to the NXT Championship.
Seeing Finn as NXT Champion is really cool, he was one of the first wrestlers I supported when I began watching NXT in late 2014/early 2015, and having an established name on the roster makes it feels less developmental.
This one is really tough to call, Balor doesn’t need the title and really unless it’s Tommaso Ciampa he feuds with, I’m not really sure who goes after the championship with Finn as the titleholder.
Whereas if Kyle becomes champion, you could have a jealous Cole, Fish or Strong turn on O’Reilly and feud with him.
That’s my prediction, Kyle wins in a back and forth match, then the rest of Undisputed Era come out to celebrate, then similar to Evolution in 2004, Fish, Cole and Strong attack him and take his UE band off him. This can lead to Kyle being the top babyface on the brand, feuding against his former best friends.
Winner (New NXT Champion) – Kyle O’Reilly
So, there are my NXT Takeover predictions, I hope you all enjoy the show, I’ll be live-tweeting tomorrow night @callumowen98 also follow @SLTDWrestling for more wrestling content
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