Whilst all is glum in the world of wrestling, there is always a positive in the shape of an NXT Takeover. This installment of NXT Takeover is reminding every fan that they are indeed old with the brand Celebrating its 30th event- if its anything like NXT Takeover XXV then we are in for a treat.
Today we have our resident predictor The Wrestling Brain Teaming up with the all-new War talk to give their predictions for NXT Takeover XXX.
The Wrestling Brain’s Predictions: TWB
War Talk’s Predictions: WT
PRE-SHOW
Number One Contender Match for the NXT Tag Team Championships (Breezango vs Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan vs Legando del Fantasma)
WT: Yes, you are reading this correctly, a triple threat tag-team match on an NXT pre-show! This matchup being announced last night on NXT certainly sent me into an overdrive of excitement. All three tag teams are incredibly strong in the ring and deserve the opportunity to face Imperium for the titles in the future, my pick for this match is Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan.
Burch and Lorcan have been looking incredibly strong in recent weeks and months, with both superstars getting impressive offensive in singles matches with the likes of Karion Kross thus indicating their Wrestling capabilities. NXT has been teasing a title run for the two for over a year with their showing in the Ladder Title Match at XXV (a match where I thought they were going to walk out as champs) being incredibly strong and their growth together over the year has been noticeably impressive. Lorcan has come out of his shell in terms of promo work in the ring and outside of NXT, with his sarcastic nature on Twitter being a highlight of my week.
The two can easily go in the ring and if given the right time and freedom, can easily deliver on the mic- something needed if facing Imperium for the titles. To conclude, it seems fitting for Lorcan and Burch to get another title shot due to their hard work over the COVID-19 period of wrestling, constantly keeping the audience entertained in unique ways. Breezango needs more development in their NXT characters for them to get a title shot and Legando del Fantasma should be given more time to develop in the ring and on the mic for them to get a title shot.
WT Picks: Danny Burch & Oney Lorcan
Finn Balor vs Timothy Thatcher
WT: TAKE MY MONEY!
Another match that was put together last minute but the competitors involved make up for it. This matchup doesn’t have the greatest of builds but in recent years that hasn’t been a problem, take Balor vs Styles at TLC for example, one of the greatest matches on the card and was announced a couple of days before the event due to illness, Balor can go on short notice!
The scenario is different for Balor, with NXT being his home for the second time means that the match will be given enough time to develop a story solely on the wrestling capabilities of the two. Thatcher’s style of wrestling can easily work with Balor, a technical vs strong style type of match is expected with a vast amount of holds and interesting spots to come.
In my opinion, I’d like to see Balor win in order to slowly build momentum towards the NXT title picture, as for Thatcher, its clear that he can go in the ring and had also surprised the NXT Universe with his comedic character work so I’d like him to receive an NXT North American Title match in the near future- this matchup will be beneficial for both superstars.
WT Picks: Finn Balor
TWB: So this one got added just as I was finishing up the article, so I’ll just give you my brief thoughts on it. Finn and Thatcher were part of a qualifying Triple Threat for a chance to be in the North American Championship Ladder match, but it was won by Dexter Lumis. Then last night on NXT in Balor’s match against Velveteen Dream, Thatcher would attack Balor and cost him the last space in the aforementioned ladder match.
Whilst Balor Vs Thatcher will be great, I actually wish they’d build the feud up a little more, and instead of having them fight on a Takeover, save it for the main event on an episode of NXT.
Balor seems to be still one of the top stars on the brand, and I guess and hope there’s still plans for him Vs WALTER whenever the UK Champion can travel to the US or NXT UK restarting so Finn can come over here. But I can’t see that happening in the near future, unfortunately, so let’s say Thatcher wins this one, but over the course of the next few months, we see their feud continue.
TWB Picks: Timothy Thatcher
Women’s Championship: Io Shirai vs Dakota Kai
WT: It is a pretty short prediction for this matchup. Kai isn’t ready for a title run and should only win if Teagan Nox is the champ or vice versa and Shirai is too early on in her reign to lose the title- her loosing could destroy the prestige of the Women’s Championship. There is no doubt that the match is going to be impressive due to the Superstars involved, but it’s too soon for a Dakota Kai title reign.
WT Picks: Io Shirai
TWB: Dakota Kai earned the right to a title shot by defeating former champion Rhea Ripley, in a Number One Contenders match on the 5th August episode of NXT, as she sets her sights on ‘The Genius of the Sky’ and current NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai.
Shirai who has held the title for close to 3 months following her win over Ripley and Charlotte Flair at NXT Takeover In Your House, has had a good reign but I think needs more to time for it judged whether it’ll be a memorable one like Asuka’s, Baszler’s or Bayley’s. That’s why I am picking Shirai in this one, it’s bound to be a really enjoyable bout as both are great wrestlers, and there’s definitely more that I want to see out of Io as champion, whether it’s taking on ex-rival and friend Candice LeRae or Mercedes Martinez.
TWB Picks: Io Shirai
North American Championship Ladder Match:
Johnny Gargano vs Bronson Reed vs Velveteen Dream vs Damian Priest vs Cameron Grimes
WT: The North American Title has prestige once again. I’ve been critical in the past about Keith Lee winning the title and then giving it up when there was an NXT Title around his waist but the triple threat and singles match to determine who was involved in this match has reinvented the title. The stipulation alone is paying homage to the birth of the title in 2018 and hopefully, the match itself can follow in the footsteps on the New Orleans encounter that occurred two years ago.
Now onto the match, all of the competitors involved can easily be seen as a North American Champion (thanks to the triple threats in recent weeks) but with hopefully the North American Championship being taken down a serious route (hopefully) there needs to be a workhorse as champion. This is because NXT will want to mould the championship into a competitor to AEW’s TNT Championship which is having open challenges every week and luring more audience for the brand.
Cameron Grimes is a perfect figurehead as a defending champion with Grimes taking the championship ‘to the sky’ weekly will bring excitement for the black and gold brand. The matchup will be full of interesting spots due to the competitors involved. I personally think Bronson Reed will be built strongly in this matchup as a future challenger for the title, like Ricochet in 2018. All competitors will have their own impressive spots but Grimes winning will generate the most excitement for NXT as Gargano and Dream have held the championship before, Priest has challenged for it several times and Reed hasn’t had enough time on NXT to be classed as a challenger for the title.
WT Picks: Cameron Grimes
TWB: This ladder match could realistically be won by any one of the 5 competitors, Bronson Reed, Cameron Grimes or Damian Priest winning would elevate their careers, whereas former champions Dream or Gargano holding the title again, would keep them away from the main event picture, but still have a prominent role in the NXT division.
NXT finished this week with Bronson Reed standing tall, so using usual WWE logic he won’t win, the allegations surrounding Velveteen Dream should really mean that he shouldn’t even be on this card, so he definitely isn’t going to be my prediction, Gargano as champion again would be cool and he could do an open challenge every week which would guarantee a good match but I feel it’s time for someone new to hold the title and have a lengthy reign.
Cameron Grimes is one of my favourites in NXT currently, and I wouldn’t mind him winning, however, my prediction is Damian Priest will be become the new North American Champion, and I think we’ll see ‘The Archer of Infamy’ hold the title for the rest of the year.
TWB Picks: Damian Priest
Adam Cole Vs Pat McAfee
TWB: I’ve always been an Adam Cole fan since he joined NXT, and it seems like he’s slowly turning babyface, which I think could make him an even bigger star to what he is now.
I’m not an NFL guy so I don’t know much about Pat McAfee besides what he’s done in WWE, and I must say I’m a fan, he’s definitely got the mic skills to go far in wrestling if that’s something he wants to do and I think It says a lot that the two matches over Summerslam weekend that I’m most intrigued in watching features two men making their in-ring debut in Dominik Mysterio and McAfee.
I think Cole wins this one, then maybe him and Undisputed Era move to Raw or Smackdown, although I’d prefer their debuts to take place in front of a live crowd, if he does stay on NXT, a one-off match between babyface Cole flanked by Undisputed Era facing Karrion Kross at the next Takeover in October is something I’d quite like to see.
TWB Picks: Adam Cole
NXT Championship: Keith Lee vs Karrion Kross
WT: It may seem too early for this matchup to occur due to Kross being on the brand for a short time and also Lee only having the championship for a short amount of time but this match can work for both competitors. It’s clear that WWE has bigger ideas for Keith Lee due to his powerful showing on the main roster on numerous occasions (Survivor Series and Royal Rumble) so I have Keith Lee dropping the title to Kross.
Lee’s run in NXT has been very successful in such a short amount of time, he has a unique look and move set (the man is 300 plus pounds and can fly) and a callup to the main roster is imminent. Dropping the title to Kross can seem stupid due to how short the feud has been and also the short surge to the title picture for Karrion but I can’t think of anyone better at this moment in time for Lee to drop it too.
I am hopeful that Kross will feud with a demon Finn Balor going into war games because that feud would be amazing. Lee can look back at his NXT career in a positive fashion, with him being the first NXT Champion and North American Champion deems him as an impressive and strong force to be reckoned with. Please book Kross vs Demon Balor!
WT Picks: Karrion Kross
TWB: I feel bad for Keith Lee, he was the hottest superstar after Survivor Series last year, and really the WWE should’ve been pulled the trigger on him straight away, instead they waited another 8 months for him to win the NXT Championship, and almost everybody knew he was winning because someone spoiled the result online, so him beating Adam Cole didn’t feel as important as it would’ve done if nobody knew the finish.
Unfortunately, he’s facing the undefeated and really unstoppable Karrion Kross, so unless there’s a screwy finish I just can’t see Lee retaining on Saturday night.
Karrion Kross has the potential of being the next big star in WWE, but you wonder whether it’s too soon for him to be in the title picture, and he could have a similar fate as The Fiend, who was the hot new thing then had that match against Seth Rollins at Hell In A Cell, and then got squashed by Goldberg and a lost a lot of his mystique and momentum. I’d have rather have seen Kross take on maybe a Demon Balor at this Takeover before going for the championship towards the end of the year.
I think Kross has to win this one, and go on a lengthy title run before dropping it to someone that probably isn’t even on the NXT roster right now, as for Lee move him to Smackdown to feud with AJ Styles for the Intercontinental Championship.
TWB Picks: Karrion Kross
There are The Wrestling Brain & War Talk’s NXT Takeover Predictions, but what are yours? Let us know in the comments below or tweet us @SLTDWrestling.
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