Tag: Killer Kross

AEW has shot their shot, now it’s time for NXT to fire back. This should be a loaded one.

Like always, looking at the card for this Takeover has me very excited. I honestly think that NXT had suffered significantly more than Raw, Smackdown or AEW since we’ve been forced into empty arena shows. So much of NXT relies on the performers at Full Sail feeding off one of the most dedicated crowds in modern wrestling and it feels like everyone’s performance has been lacking something since the fans were forced out. Of course, this is happening all across wrestling right now, but for some reason, the issue really stands out to me when I watch NXT.

That said, all of these matches have ‘match of the year’ potential as far as I’m concerned, so I sincerely hope this show blows me away like almost every Takeover from the past few years has.

Mia Yim & Tegan Nox & Shotzi Blackheart vs Candice LaRae & Dakota Kai & Raquel Gonzalez

I mean, it’s good that the women’s division is finally getting more representation on Takeovers than just the one title match but…was this really the best way to go about it? Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure it’ll be an entertaining match but, unless it’s a fight between duelling factions, 6-person tag matches always feel really unimportant.

As for the competitors, I like them, but I can’t see how this will do much in benefitting any of their stories. I know the Yim vs LaRae feud is still pretty fresh right now, and I would’ve preferred a one on one match between these two rather than a fairly pointless match that just gets everybody involved for no real reason. Nox and Kai remain firmly opposed, but after their match in January, the shine has come off the apple somewhat in regards to their feuds, and I don’t really fancy seeing it again. Blackheart, on the other hand, is a wrestler that I can’t get enough of, so more of her, please.

As for picking a winner, it’s pretty tricky purely because it’s such an unimportant match. It’s not like anything significant will be gained for the victors. It probably won’t even be mentioned on Wednesday. I’m going with Mia Yim & Tegan Nox & Shotzi Blackheart, purely to balance out the face/heel wins that I’ve predicted throughout the other matches.

Finn Balor vs Damian Priest

While it’s impossible to deny that Finn Balor has been given a fantastic new lease on life since joining NXT, he seems to have ended up floating around without a purpose more than I’d have hoped. Until a few weeks ago, Balor had basically no role on the show. While I’m happy that he was finally given a solid storyline in the form of searching for his attacker, I’m not sure this match will do anything to help his position in NXT long-term.

Damian Priest, on the other hand, can pretty much only gain from having this match. He’s been teasing a slow and steady rise to the top for about 6-8 months now and just being a part of a big match with Balor should give him some form of a boost, even if it isn’t the biggest. I’m not sure what kind of match these two will produce either. I’ve always found Balor’s style hard to define, it’s a bit hard-hitting, but also quite technical and there’s a lot of high-flying stuff in there too. Meanwhile, Priest focuses more on the quick but brutal style of offence that people like Aleister Black use to great effect, so as long as these two guys click in the ring, we should be in for a treat.

As for a winner, I think it’s got to be Damian Priest. Unless there are plans for Balor to chase the NXT title anytime soon, then I don’t think there’s anything to be gained from Balor winning. Priest is still an up-and-comer with all the potential in the world to be a star and NXT are usually good at valuing their fresher stars over the established guys on the brand. Speaking of…

Tommaso Ciampa vs Karrion Kross

If you need any indication as to how much NXT are investing in Kross, just watch his entrance. It’s a veritable rock-opera that takes the mystique and cool factor of Aleister Black’s entrance and turns it up as high as it can possibly go. Like most people who show up in NXT, I know basically nothing about any of Kross’ previous work, but I’ve heard only good things, so I’m excited to see what he can do in his first big match.

Looking at Ciampa, his return has been pretty underwhelming all things considered. WarGames was a fantastic standout performance for him, but then he lost Cole in his big title match. That was fine, as it led to the final payoff (hopefully) to the Gargano/Ciampa series which was…actually quite boring. I know this divided opinion somewhat, and it was by no means an awful match, but it didn’t bring the excitement out of me like all of their previous encounters had.

I don’t think that’s going to change following this feud with Kross either. He’s said several times that he never wants to leave NXT (and will basically quit wrestling if anyone forces him to) so the only thing left for him to do for the foreseeable future is put over the younger guys. It will undoubtedly help NXT has a whole, that much is undeniable, but I think it could cause people to lose interest in Ciampa pretty quickly.

If I hadn’t already made it clear, I’m confident that Karrion Kross is going to walk away from this one as the winner. Unless someone unexpected costs Kross the match, then I see absolutely no value in Ciampa winning this one.

Keith Lee(c) vs Johnny Gargano
(North American Championship)

So Gargano vs Ciampa also gave us the brand new heel Gargano. Something that would’ve been awesome if it had happened a couple of years ago but now…eh. The promos he’s been cutting with LaRae have been alright. What he’s actually been saying has been good enough, although the presentation of it is a bit weird. The main problem I have with it is that he doesn’t feel like he’s doing anything unique as a heel. When he was skirting the line between the two early last year, it was incredibly compelling, but now it just feels like he’s doing heel things for generic heel reasons. Keith Lee, meanwhile, is still the greatest human ever. Everything about him is just absolutely lovable, and nothing will ever make me stop rooting for the guy.

These two have very different in-ring styles, but I think it they’ll mesh well in this match. Gargano’s style is one that I don’t think needs to be altered all that much now he’s a heel, it’ll still make for a fantastic match where he’s able to look like an arsehole the entire time. Conversely, Lee’s power and agility will work wonders against Gargano’s frantic style, so I think this is going to be an exciting match to watch.

This is probably the one I’m struggling the most with in terms of picking a winner. After beating Ciampa and taking his character in a new direction, it would make sense for Gargano to get the belt and do something interesting with it. However, Keith Lee is still wildly popular, and I don’t think we’re even close to seeing everything he can do with the title. It’s a tough call, but I’m leaning more towards Keith Lee retaining. As much as I think Gargano could benefit from holding the title, I don’t think it’s in any way essential, especially considering he’s already won it once before. Plus, I really like Keith Lee, you guys.

Adam Cole(c) vs Velveteen Dream
(NXT Championship)
(Backlot Brawl)

When it comes to feuds that have suffered thanks to the pandemic, I really think this one does it. Everything was primed and ready for Dream to take the title from Cole at Tampa Bay, it would’ve felt like a proper culmination of the story. Then, the real world intervened, and that match was put on hold. So now, the NXT creative team had to scramble to put together another two month’s worth of story to get us here. The promos have been pretty good, which is to be expected given who’s involved, but the elements like the first match ending in a DQ have been uninspired and hurt the story in the long run.

In regards to what this match will be like, I’m not optimistic if I’m being honest. Were we going to get a straight wrestling match then I’d be anticipating a match of the year, but it’s not. I’ve tried my best to avoid any spoilers, but from what I’ve heard, it’s going to be an arena with cars. I’m not sure if there’s going to be an actual ring in there, or if it’s going to be more like an Iron Circle match (I hope it’s the former). For the most part, these pre-taped matches have been awesome, but NXT has produced the only one I didn’t like so far (Gargano vs Ciampa), so I’m a bit worried my opinion of this one will come out similar.

Velveteen Dream has undoubtedly got to win this. I think Cole has been a spectacular champion, but his time is over now. Not only has he already beaten almost every face NXT has to offer, but this just feels like Dream’s time. I felt it when the Tampa Bay show was still a thing, and NXT isn’t the kind of place to change all of their plans on a whim. With the added stipulation that Dream will never get another shot at the title if he loses too, there’s nothing to be gained from him losing. The only possibility is if he’s joining Raw or Smackdown soon, but that would be a colossal mistake on WWE’s part. I desperately hope he gets to have a stellar run with the NXT title first.

Charlotte Flair(c) vs Rhea Ripley vs Io Shirai
(NXT Women’s Championship)

Now, this is something I can really get excited about.

I mentioned it in my Wrestlemania review, but Ripley vs Charlotte is easily my favourite pure-wrestling match of the year so far. Their chemistry in the ring is outstanding. Both women have such a firm grasp on their characters that it made for a brilliant watch. So this match looks to top the efforts of the Wrestlemania match by throwing in an element of chaos known as Io Shirai.

While Shayna Baszler was running strong over the NXT women’s division, Shirai felt like she had her legs cut out from under her. She was a brutal heel wrestler in a division that was already dominated by one of the best heel wrestlers in the business, so she felt somewhat out of place. Now, she has more of a chance to shine. While it’s true that she still has to contend with a strong heel champion, they’re distinctly different types of heels. Charlotte is the stuck-up “I’m superior to you” kind of heel, while Shirai is the “I’m going to try and kill you” kind of heel. All three of these characters are so perfectly conflicting, and it’s created some strong heat going into this match.

I imagine we’re going to get a little bit of everything in this match. It’s a triple threat, so it’s sure to have plenty of fast-paced action, but there’s also going to be room for slower, technical-based moments. I imagine Ripley and Charlotte will pick up right where they left off at Wrestlemania, and I’m really looking forward to seeing what Charlotte and Shirai can do together when given a proper platform to show their stuff.

I’m reasonably confident in picking Charlotte Flair to retain the title in this one. I think the end-goal of this feud will be for Ripley to get the title back, getting a huge win over Charlotte and making her even more of a star than she was before, but I think that has to happen in a one-on-one match. To solidify Charlotte’s reign as champion, she has to get a strong-looking win here, probably by pinning/submitting Io Shirai. As much as I’m not happy about Io being sacrificed to help boost the Flair/Ripley storyline, I think the eventual payoff will be worth it.

And there you have it! Thank you very much for taking the time to read this. Please, let me know what you think is going to happen, either in the comments below or on Twitter @10ryawoo! Finally, make sure to come back here on Monday, where I’ll be giving my review!