We’ve got ourselves another TakeOver event tonight. There’s some question as to whether this one can live up to the big expectations that are set for every NXT special, but I do think it’ll still turn out to be a great in-ring night, though probably not the best we’ve seen from the brand. I’ll be recapping the show directly after my Dynamite recap as that’s wholly more convenient. But with that in mind, let’s take a look at everything on tap.
NXT Championship: Keith Lee (c) vs. Karrion Kross
I’ve already spoken at length about my feelings on this match. But in summation, I feel like this is happening about six months too early. I don’t think either man should be losing right now and I also think a non-finish in the main event of a TakeOver would really piss off their whole fanbase. So it presents a bit of a problem from a booking standpoint, to say the least.
There is one possibility I didn’t explore there though. What if Keith Lee is moving to Raw or SmackDown soon? Everybody kinda understands that Lee is a megastar in the making and he’s somebody who could easily be in the WWE or Universal title mixes sooner rather than later. Hell, I was thinking of him among the favorites to win the Rumble this year and just explode right onto the scene.
And honestly, that’s the best explanation I could have for doing this match so blatantly early. If that is the idea, then this suddenly makes a lot more sense. And I’d really like to think, for as much as NXT is slowly becoming more and more WWE-ized every week, that they still have more sense than to book themselves into a corner like this. I feel I’m going out on a limb, but… perhaps Karrion Kross becomes the new champion after all.
Adam Cole vs. Pat McAfee
So here we are with this. This feud has encapsulated how NXT has changed of late and I don’t think it’s a change for the better. I actually think it’s a little ridiculous that their response to losing in the ratings war every week is to try and make the show more like Raw and SmackDown when those shows have been driving away viewers like it’s going out of style for years. But that is what I’m seeing. NXT is still far superior to both shows, but the influence is creeping in and it is wholly unwelcome.
I don’t have doom and gloom about watching the match itself, it’s more what it represents that I don’t approve of. I’m sure this will be just fine. They’ll plan it out to a tee and rehearse it meticulously and it’ll turn out just fine, maybe even good. But it will never be a TakeOver-caliber match. It’ll never be an Adam Cole-caliber match.
And to act like this match is okay as long as it turns out fine is to say that it’s okay for the standards of a TakeOver show to start dropping. You wouldn’t accept ‘fine’ for a WrestleMania, or a Wrestle Kingdom or a Double Or Nothing, and I don’t think it’s acceptable at a TakeOver either. But yes, it’ll be a match that would seem perfectly acceptable on a regular WWE PPV show, which is exactly what I don’t want to see TakeOver become.
Anyway. I’d rather not seriously entertain the idea of McAfee winning so Adam Cole over.
NXT North American Championship Ladder Match: Johnny Gargano vs. Damian Priest vs. Cameron Grimes vs. Bronson Reed vs. Velveteen Dream
This is certainly going to be a wild one. It’s pure spectacle and I must say I think the field is full of convincing contenders, nobody would necessarily be a big shock.
Reed is the dark horse but he’s the one who stood tall this past week and he’s definitely been trending upwards of late, the win would be enormous for him. Gargano would always be a safe place to park any title. Priest is somebody a lot of people are predicting to win, as he’s always had a lot of star potential that they had to capitalize on eventually and, I guess it just feels like it’s time to a lot of people. Cameron Grimes is actually who I’d most love to see take it personally, that guy is just a delight and he was getting over with crowds right before they disappeared. I think he’d be a wonderful North American champion.
And then there’s Velveteen Dream. It’s so wild to me that they brought him back so quickly and that they turned him heel as a means of capitalizing on the allegations made against him. It’s one of those things that I didn’t fully process until I typed it out. And no, it wouldn’t be a shock at all if they up and made him champion to fully bring that heat. But I’d like to ward off those bad vibes with good ones, so even though I don’t actually expect it I’mma pick Cameron Grimes to go straight to the moon baby~!
NXT Women’s Championship: Io Shirai (c) vs. Dakota Kai
As long as there isn’t a ton of interference from Raquel Gonzalez in this one, there’s no reason this can’t be a real good match. Kai was an obvious title contender months ago and if anything it’s surprising it took this long for her to get the shot. It’s a little sad that she doesn’t feel like a bigger deal going in. Bizarrely, she feels like less of a threat now than she did when she was on her own which is not the intended effect. Regardless, Io to retain.
Finn Balor vs. Timothy Thatcher
This will likely be the best pure wrestling match on the card by far. Finn is an NXT legend and I will say it’s a little neat to be able to actually say that about people now, and it’s definitely true. By comparison Thatcher just got here but he’s already made an impact. He’s the kind of guy that gives the show a different identity, and in a good way in this case. I’m excited to see these two mix it up. I think on balance, I’m calling Finn Balor to win this, maybe with some help from Dexter Lumis who I don’t honestly believe is actually injured.