Tomorrow night, in front of maybe a dozen or so people, NXT takes center stage as it holds TakeOver: In Your House.
As per usual since this pandemic started, it will air from the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. Wrestling has had a different feel for the last several months, but at least they’re trying to keep us entertained (even if some of their methods are rather questionable).
We have six official matches on the card instead of the usual five, but I think it will still give the superstars enough time to put on quite a show. The great TWM overlords have once again entrusted me with handing out predictions, so let’s get right into it!
Mia Yim, Shotzi Blackheart, & Tegan Nox vs. Candice LeRae, Dakota Kai, & Raquel González
First up is a six-woman tag match that was announced this past week.
Tempers have built for weeks and are certainly going to boil over on Sunday. Nox has had her share of problems with Kai and González for months now, with Blackheart joining the fray in recent weeks.
In addition, Yim has felt the wrath of LeRae’s sudden attitude change. The two faced off last week on NXT, but the match ended in a double count-out. The other four women showed up and all hell broke loose.
This one could honestly go either way, but I’m going with LeRae, Kai, and González this time around. While Yim, Blackheart, and Nox could use the win, LeRae needs it more. She never seemed like a legitimate threat in the division as a babyface, so I think this is her chance to prove otherwise.
The good guys will get their revenge soon enough, but for now the Poison Pixie will lead her team to victory.
Winners: Candice LeRae, Dakota Kai, & Raquel González
Tommaso Ciampa vs. Karrion Kross
Next, we look at a match that has the potential to be the most brutal one of the night.
Kross and Scarlett made their on-screen debuts for NXT back in April and boy, did they make quite the first impression. They chose to go after one of the biggest fishes in the pond, attacking Ciampa and painting a clear target on his back.
Since then, Kross has decimated his competition and shown that he should not be overlooked. Ciampa returned two weeks ago, admitting that he respected Kross trying to make a name for himself right away. However, The Blackheart also said that he made a grave mistake, and at TakeOver: In Your House the two would finally square off.
Without a doubt, Kross is winning here. You can’t have him lose his first big match, especially after the way he’s been built up over the last few months. Ciampa losing won’t hurt him at all, and for all we know he might be Raw or SmackDown-bound soon anyways.
It’s sure to be a slug-fest, but once the dust settles, Kross and Scarlett will emerge victorious.
Winner: Karrion Kross
Finn Balor vs. Damian Priest
Then comes the final non-title bout on the card.
In late April, Balor was attacked backstage by a mysterious assailant and was unable to take on The Velveteen Dream. Three weeks later, he lost his match against Cameron Grimes thanks to interference from Priest. The Archer of Infamy then hit him with the Reckoning and revealed himself as the mystery attacker.
Priest said that while he respects how Balor helped build NXT, it’s also the exact reason why he targeted him. He wants his name to live forever at The Prince’s expense.
However, I don’t think that’s going to happen, at least not right now. This feud just doesn’t feel like a one-off kind of deal. Balor will gain some measure of revenge on Sunday, but later down the line I think Priest will come out on top.
But this time around, The Prince will reign at TakeOver: In Your House.
Winner: Finn Balor
NXT North American Championship: Keith Lee (c.) vs. Johnny Gargano
Now we move on to our first title match.
Gargano’s attitude change started at TakeOver: Portland, where he cost Ciampa his NXT Championship match against Adam Cole. He then cemented his descent into darkness by using some nefarious means to defeat his former friend in their final match in April.
He went on to claim that in this NXT, good people like him are punished while horrible people are rewarded. Johnny Wrestling then told Lee that the fans are leeches and will bleed him dry. However, the North American Champion grew tired of Gargano’s tirades.
While a win for Gargano could, like his wife Candice, help establish him as a threat, I don’t see the need for it. This isn’t the first time we’ve seen him as a heel; he turned back in 2018 when he feuded with Aleister Black. He’s more than capable of shining as a bad guy, so a loss wouldn’t hurt him.
On the other hand, Lee has shown no signs of slowing down. Ever since winning the title from Roderick Strong, he’s been on an absolute roll. In my opinion, him losing it now isn’t the way to go.
So, while Gargano may try to use some underhanded tactics to win, he’ll still end up basking in the glory of Lee.
Winner: Keith Lee
NXT Women’s Championship: Charlotte Flair (c.) vs. Rhea Ripley vs. Io Shirai
Next is a triple threat match for the top prize in the NXT women’s division.
Flair defeated Ripley at WrestleMania 36 to win the NXT Women’s Championship for the second time in her career. That same week on NXT, Shirai won a ladder match to earn a shot at the title. Her opportunity came less than a month later, but she ended up winning the match by disqualification.
Ripley saved her from a post-match attack at the hands of Flair, but Shirai wasn’t very appreciative. The two faced each other a couple weeks ago, but the champ attacked them both and the match ended in a no-contest. Afterwards, the triple threat at TakeOver: In Your House was made official.
To be quite honest, I didn’t like Ripley losing the title at ‘Mania. Supposedly, they thought having Flair as champ would help NXT in the ratings war against AEW. However, that hasn’t been the case and I doubt it’s going to change anytime soon. She needs to lose the title and go back to either Raw or SmackDown, because her appearing on all three shows is not sitting well with the fans.
For prediction purposes, I’m going with Shirai. If anyone deserves a decent run with the title, it’s her. So, what better time for her to win than now?
The Joshi Judas will take her rightful place atop the NXT women’s division on Sunday night.
Winner: Io Shirai
Backlot Brawl for the NXT Championship: Adam Cole (c.) vs. The Velveteen Dream
Finally, we come to a match with some high stakes.
Dream’s issues with Cole and The Undisputed Era started last fall when the group attacked him backstage and injured him. Once he returned, he knew exactly who he was going after first. After playing some serious mind games with Cole, Dream finally got a shot at the NXT Championship last month.
However, Cole’s teammates once again helped him retain his title. They then turned their attention to Dexter Lumis, who tormented them for several weeks. But Dream returned to help Lumis, and once again looked to dethrone Cole.
The champ agreed to give him another shot, but with one condition: if he lost, Dream would never get another chance at the title. NXT General Manager William Regal agreed, and the match was set.
The build-up for this one has been… lackluster, to say the least. Once Cole beat Dream the first time, I think everyone thought that was the end of their feud. But for some reason they went back to it and have done next to nothing to get people excited for it.
Dream winning at this point doesn’t make any sense. If they wanted him to win, they should have put the title on him last month. He was riding a wave of momentum that has all but dissipated now.
The “lose and you don’t get another shot” stipulation isn’t as exciting as it sounds because it was already done before. Back in April 2019, when Kairi Sane lost to then-NXT Women’s Champion Shayna Baszler, she could no longer challenge for the title. This helped write her off NXT and move her up to the main roster.
Perhaps this is the same direction they’re going in. I say Cole retains and continues to be the top star in NXT, while Dream moves over to either Raw or SmackDown.
And that, boys and girls, is undisputed!
Winner: Adam Cole…BAY-BAY!
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