source: WWE
Just days before NXT’s event this Saturday, I’m predicting the match card order, possible main roster call-ups, results, and everything in between.
source: WWE
NXT North American Championship Ladder Match—Adam Cole vs. Velveteen Dream vs. Killian Dane vs. Lars Sullivan vs. Ricochet vs. EC3
Winner: EC3
Opening the show with a ladder match is a great way to get fans super excited for the show altogether, and gives Adam Cole more time to rest before his tag match.
I think a new NXT title has been a long time coming. While it’s not necessary, a new title always brings opportunity for stars who may not have been granted opportunities at other titles. It’s almost impossible to predict who will win this match because it is full of stars.
When predicting a winner here, there are only two guarantees: it won’t be Lars Sullivan and it won’t be Killian Dain. Neither of these guys are ready for a title yet, and it would be a travesty for the title to be put on either of them instead of Dream, Cole, EC3 or Ricochet.
If EC3 is the first person to hold this championship, he can do what he’s best at: being a rude and terrible heel. In his promo on NXT last week, he emphasized how great he is, how he’s the top 1%, and how the title is basically his. Having that title belt on him would just back up his claims, making him even more arrogant and allowing him to dominate the NXT brand.
As the leader of the Undisputed Era, Adam Cole already is prominent in NXT, and with Bobby Fish’s injury, he can stay in the tag team title picture without damaging his character at all. Velveteen Dream is definitely a challenger for a title in the near future, but he isn’t right to be the first holder of the North American Championship. Ricochet is full of charisma and could also challenge for a title soon, but he doesn’t need to back up his greatness just yet.
source: WWE
NXT Women’s Championship Match—Ember Moon vs. Shayna Baszler
Winner: Shayna Baszler
Since her last shot at the title, Shayna Baszler has proven to be more and more vicious and intimidating. Over the past year or so Ember Moon has proved that she is ready for the main roster. By having Baszler go over at TakeOver, Moon is freed from NXT and can thrive on Raw or Smackdown.
Giving Baszler the title makes her even more dominant, as well as opening the NXT women’s division up for the rise of more stars. Women like Kairi Sane, Candice LeRae, Peyton Royce and Billie Kay and more are all waiting in the wings for their opportunity at the title, and a new champion gives them one more chance.
source: WWE
NXT Championship—Andrade “Cien” Almas vs. Aleister Black
Winner: Aleister Black
Much like Moon, Almas has greatly improved over the past year. Zelina Vega has greatly elevated his character, working as a mouthpiece for the champion and assisting him in his rise to the title picture. In the meantime, Almas has been developing his own microphone skills, which have been used more and more in his feud with Black.
If Almas drops the title to Black, he can transition to the main roster with Vega and hopefully make it into a title picture there. Zelina Vega can continue to elevate Almas, and eventually begin to wrestle herself. Alister Black has proven that he’s ready in the past year, and he can move on to face people like Ricochet, Drew McIntyre, and Roderick Strong.
source: WWE
NXT Tag Team Championship Match/Dusty Rhodes Classic Finals—Undisputed Era (Adam Cole and Kyle O’Reilly) vs. Authors of Pain vs. Roderick Strong and Pete Dunne
Winners: Undisputed Era
In an attempt to get out of their match at TakeOver, the scheming O’Reilly and Cole attacked both teams in the finals of the Dusty Classic. This was a great way to get out of having either team win the Dusty Classic, because honestly, they don’t need the extra notch on their belt.
The team of Akam and Rezar have been bound for a call up for months now, and after winning the tournament last year, it doesn’t seem necessary to give it to them again. The last-minute teaming of Strong and Dunne was great to watch—they’re two of the best on the NXT roster—but they aren’t an actual tag team.
Cole and O’Reilly should win because they’re an actual team and not only do they deserve more notches on their belt, but it would also establish them as an even bigger force to be reckoned with.
source: WWE
Unsanctioned match—Johnny Gargano vs. Tommaso Ciampa
Winner: Johnny Gargano
Johnny Wrestling is the next big underdog. With all of the fans behind him, Gargano has proven to be one of the best wrestlers who hasn’t been able to get the job done in the long run. He fell short of winning the NXT Championship four times, but everyone wants to see him succeed so badly.
Enter Tommaso Ciampa. Ciampa has arguably the biggest heat in NXT history, at least since Kevin Owens. NXT has proven that the one way to get everyone to hate you is to turn on your best friend. No matter what, it would take a long time for Ciampa not to be hated by everyone, and he’s solidified as a bad guy for a while now.
That being said, Ciampa doesn’t need this victory. Johnny Wrestling has been the underdog too long, and this could be his Daniel Bryan moment. Gargano has clearly shown his heart after bothering Ciampa everywhere—from the Performance Center parking lot to his own house at 3 am—and begging him for a chance to compete with him.
After this, Gargano could easily show up at Raw or Smackdown and fans would go wild. He could even take Candice with him and she can fulfill dream matches with Charlotte, Sasha, etc.
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