It’s that time again where the wrestling community will feel blessed with the amazing matches coming out of the black and gold brand.
Even though there is little personality to the event itself due to the lack of a name, I am sure the quality of wrestling and storytelling will shine. Make sure you follow @SLTDWrestling on twitter for more articles like this and don’t forget to follow me on twitter (@tomcallan16)
Kushida vs Velveteen Dream
A matchup that would have excited thousands this time last year, it does not feel the same with the allegations and controversy. Looking onto the positive side, the two have a real connection with the recent promos and exchanges they have had, and this makes me hope they can replicate it in the ring.
I do not see why NXT would want Dream to get the win in this exchange with there being no real direction going forward for the young superstar. It makes perfect sense for Kushida to pick up the victory here with the hope of momentum being built to challenge for the North American title or NXT Championship in the coming months.
Winner: Kushida
Santos Escobar (C) vs Isaiah “Swerve” Scott
NXT Cruiserweight Championship
The build towards this matchup has been surprisingly strong given the lack of thought the Cruiserweight Championship has had in the past months. NXT perfectly planted the seeds for this match in the 6-man tag team match of Swerve Scott and Breezango vs Legando del Fantasma with Scott pinning Escobar in an excellent street fight. I’ve got the feeling that creatives are waiting for Jordan Devlin to return to NXT in order to build towards Escobar (the current champion) vs Devlin (the champion who never lost his title) in a feud that if executed correctly could be a feud of 2021 if given the correct time.
With this in mind, it doesn’t seem logical to give Scott the title if these potential plans are for Devlin to reclaim the title he never lost- if Scott was the champion he would chase then it wouldn’t work as well as Escobar due to Escobar being the Champion who was only in the position of challenging for the title due to Devlin being stripped of the title.
Winner: Santos Escobar
Damian Priest (C) vs Johnny Gargano
North American Championship Match
Damian Priest has slowly changed my opinion on him in recent months. I had the opinion that he was boring around the period of Survivor Series last year – this was when he was in the triple threat match at War Games for an NXT championship opportunity against Adam Cole the next night at Survivor Series.
Priest felt like a reduced version of Roman Reigns and the appearance did not help him either. During the lockdown period, it was clear that NXT was hot on Priest with the constant wins over Grimes (an established workhorse of NXT) and the future looked bright for him. The ladder match victory in which he captured the North American title was the elevation his character needed- this championship win allowed Priest to become cockier and channel the annoying heel he played so well in Ring of Honor.
In relation to the match, Gargano seems like the type of Challenger Priest needs to establish himself as a promising Champion. Gargano (in my opinion) will benefit the most if he loses this exchange with Priest as I believe it will allow him to turn towards a darker mental state like his wife- Candice LeRae. Gargano’s heel character feels as if it has not reached its full potential and could easily work with Candice’s psychotic character well, but he needs to lose to get to this position.
The loss to Priest at Takeover 31 could lead Gargano to a darker place mentally due to the hunger he has to prove himself as the best in the division. It’s clear that this match needs to be a transitional match for the feud between Gargano and Priest with the outcome of this exchange being Gargano reflecting and wanting one more match with Priest- this time with a new psychotic mentality.
Winner: Damian Priest
Io Shirai (C) vs Candice LeRae
NXT Women’s Championship Match
Io Shirai’s title defence has been promising even though there have been restrictions (lack of promo) but as a Champion, she has shown the NXT Universe that the women’s division is something to be impressed by. Her constant battles with Bayley and Sasha Banks was impressive and indicated that if she were to lose the title then it would take a strong competitor to do so.
Regarding her feud with Candice, I feel like there needs to be more depth towards it so they can get the most out of it for both competitors. This matchup was arguably the hardest to predict due to the possibilities that would occur if Candice had won. If Candice is to win then it’s clear that she would’ve continued her program with Teagan Knox (this time for the title) but with her recent injury, it doesn’t seem like there is a purpose for her winning the title at this moment in time.
LeRae could easily defend the title consistently against babyfaces such as Shotzi Blackheart but if the title was put on LeRae it would be to elevate Knox due to the recent feud they have been having. However, Io seems to be in the position of transition in her WWE career and with the draft coming soon it seems like she will be calling Raw or Smackdown her home in the future. This matchup can go either way and depends on whether WWE wants Shirai on the main roster as the draft happens or hold onto her debut for Royal Rumble weekend for example in order to set her up for a WrestleMania feud potentially.
If they do go for the later call up then it seems logical for them to keep the title on Shirai until Knox comes back ( hopefully soon) so they can then transition into the feud of a champion LeRae vs Knox.
(This was hard to call)
Winner: Io Shirai
Finn Balor (C) vs Kyle O’Reilly
NXT Championship
I have been saying this for 2 years now – Kyle O’Reilly deserves a title match. The man has been the heart and soul of NXT for 2 years and never fails to amaze me. I remember watching his matches in ROH and was amazed by the way he can tell a story in such a unique way and even as a heel, he is a badass.
This reinvented Kyle we have seen this past month is something I was worried about at first as I felt like NXT wouldn’t understand how simple it is to book a babyface Kyle O’Reilly due to the years of heelish acts he’s been a part of. I felt as if NXT would have tried to get Kyle over too much and shove him down our throats every available second, they had but they surprised me by letting his wrestling capabilities to do the talking.
Inserting him into the Gauntlet match was incredible storytelling as it allowed the NXT universe into the heart O’Reilly has for the sport and how much it means to him to win the title. His promo work with Finn has been excellent and the recent debate/talk he had with Finn was an excellent way to portray the diversity he has as a sports entertainer.
Focusing on the matchup, I strongly believe it could go two ways- Adam Cole could intervene and cost O’Reilly the match to set up a heel Cole vs babyface O’Reilly at WarGames or have Finn win but have several occasions where Kyle was close to winning either way, it seems as if Finn will be winning and hopefully building towards exchange with Karrion Kross in the future when he returns from injury.
Winner: Finn Balor
Do you agree with War Talk? Let us know below or tweet us @SLTDWrestling
SLTD Wrestling brings you all the greatest wrestling content. from blogs, to podcasts to exclusive Predictions and Fantasy Leagues.
Recent Comments