Am I the only one that looks forward to the NXT Takeover the night before a main roster PPV more than the actual PPV itself? Add the fact that this is WrestleMania weekend, & now I’m just going be excited no matter what. This card has the potential to make this a really good weekend, bot that a Takeover has ever disappointed before. As your resident NXT Correspondent, I feel we MUST get into what could happen Saturday night. So, without further ado, let’s get started boys & girls!!!!
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Ciampa Vs. Gargano has been building for months to be a classic! Who walks out of New Orleans as the winner! (Photo Owned By WWE)
Unsanctioned Match (If Gargano wins, he is reinstated; if Ciampa wins, Gargano is banished forever)
Johnny Gargano vs. Tommaso Ciampa
I would never wish a major injury on anybody, but sometimes it works out for the best. Ciampa tearing his ACL & MCL last year in Chicago was a blessing for wrestling fans in disguise. After he became the turncoat of the century, turning on Gargano after a failed bid to win back the Tag Team belts, this matchup became too big for any regular takeover card. It was destined for WrestleMania weekend. It is the ultimate good guy, in Johnny Gargano, versus the ultimate bad guy, in Tommaso Ciampa. We’ve seen former best friend’s face-off before in WWE, but it’s nice when it doesn’t feel like that. We know the kind of match they can put on when they’re together, as a tag team or singles against each other. I know I’m not the only one who remembers the Cruiserweight Classic. You could pick this as match of the night, but have you seen the rest of the card?? In a match that has almost been building for a year, it is easily the best storyline going into Saturday, especially considering what Gargano’s been through since Ciampa was out with the injury. While I would love to see the good guy get the victory here, I’m picking the blackheart of Tommaso Ciampa to win here & send Gargano on forward to the main roster. I used to be afraid of him on 205 Live, but not so much anymore recently. Now, only if they only if they weren’t on the preshow still. . .
Statman’s Pick: Tommaso Ciampa. Can’t wait to see on the main roster Johnny!!
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6 of the Top young superstars in the Wrestling today will battle for the NXT North American Championship! EC3,Adam Cole,Velveteen Dream,Ricochet, Lars Sullivan, and Killian Dain! Who will win? (Photo Owned By: WWE)
Six-Man Ladder Match for the Inaugural NXT North American Championship
EC3 vs. Adam Cole vs. Ricochet vs. Velveteen Dream vs. Lars Sullivan vs. Killian Dain
**Match of the Night pick, but I’m hoping I’m wrong in the best way possible
First of all, if there was thing I could knock NXT for, it’s the fact that they have too much talent & not enough belts to go around. I’ve been saying for a while (along with a lot of other people) that one more singles championship would be perfect. With all the recent big signings, & more rumors of more to come, now is the perfect time for this new belt. The design was officially revealed on Tuesday. To be honest, I’m not in love with the brown strap, but other than that, it’s pretty cool. I think I’m just excited they finally have another belt. Second of all, HOW COULD I NOT PICK THIS AS MATCH OF THE NIGHT?? If you know wrestling, then you know the names in this match, & the type of match they can put on. Each man has the potential to takeover (no pun intended) the match at any moment in their own way. As far as picking a winner, that’s a hard one. Gun to my head, I would say Ricochet. EC3 is a close second favorite for me; even though we haven’t seen either actually wrestle on NXT yet.
Statman’s pick: Ricochet is the first NXT North American Champion
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Potential the best match of the night! Who will be NXT Tag Team Champs at the end of the night? The Undisputed Era, Pete Dunne & Rodrick Strong or Authors Of Pain! (Photo Owned by WWE)
Triple Threat Tag Team Match for the NXT Tag Team Championship and Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic trophy
The Undisputed ERA (Adam Cole and Kyle O’Reilly) (c) vs. Roderick Strong & Pete Dunne vs. The Authors of Pain
As much as a blessing as Ciampa’s injury was, it’s not so much the same for Bobby Fish. His torn ACL & MCL is definitely a curse. The way him & O’Reilly work off each other is a beautiful sight to see. Thank god there is a back-up plan here by the name of Adam Cole. Not only will he be in 2 matches, but he’ll be in 2 title matches. This man will earn his paycheck & some well-deserved time off by the end of the night, regardless of winning either match. Authors of Pain themselves have easily been the most physically dominant team in NXT history. Them being given Hall of Famer Paul Ellering as a manager has been a great for them. Having won the last Dusty Rhodes Classic in 2016, aside from a chance to win a second one, they also have a chance to become only the second team to be multiple NXT Tag Team Champions. That leaves the last minute team of Roderick Strong & UK Champion Pete Dunne. While they were probably the most unlikely team in this year’s Classic, they dam sure are a good one & shouldn’t be taken lightly. My rule of thumb is to normally pick the tag match as match of the night & it generally hasn’t let me down. Either way, this match is guaranteed to be a good one. At least a solid 3.5-4 stats in my book, & while I didn’t give him the nod in the ladder match, I do see Adam Cole & Kyle O’Reilly retaining the belts here. The match order will be interesting to see though.
Statman’s Pick: Undisputed Era retains the belts & maybe we finally see AoP go up the main roster
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Shanya Braszer vs. Ember Moon for the NXT Women’s Title should be interesting…depending on what WWE wants Ember Moon’s next move will be (Photo By:WWE)
Singles match for the NXT Women’s Championship
Ember Moon (c) vs. Shayna Baszler
Not to be outdone by the guys, the women still have a pretty big match on the card too. After Asuka vacated the title last summer, it felt like it was only a matter of time before Ember Moon somehow won it for herself. She’s been a great addition since joining NXT, & she kept showing that the closer she got to the belt. Her matches with Asuka, especially the second one, showed how much of a fierce & tough competitor she is. Those qualities make a great champion. While she has defended the belt once before facing Baszler, this is her first major rivalry since becoming champion at WarGames. Being that I’ve watched MMA for over a decade now, I’ve heard of Shayna Baszler before. To be honest, she’s taken to wrestling better than I expected. I’m not saying that she would’ve been bad; I just didn’t expect her to be this good this soon. I see her as a MUCH better version of Sonya Deville, which I must make clear, does NOT mean I don’t like Deville. I just don’t like her character, even though she’s from Jersey ;). I just feel that Baszler is better at playing the part of MMA fighter turned wrestler. She’s been putting on very solid matches, with great ring psychology. Her mic work also good too #TapNapOrSnap. I feel NXT hasn’t quite seen a female badass like her before & she’s actually believable. The way she’s punked the other female talent to get to Moon was awesome. I feel really confident in saying that we see a new champion here, maybe even reminiscent of how Asuka won the title herself #NapTime
Statman’s Pick: Shayna Baszler defeats Ember Moon to become the new NXT Women’s Champion, but it isn’t the last we see of Moon that weekend. I think we’ll see her in the Women’s Battle Royal the next night, maybe even win it!!
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Black vs Almas should be a good match…but who will be NXT Champion after New Orleans? (Photo By:WWE)
Singles match for the NXT Championship
Andrade “Cien” Almas (c) (with Zelina Vega) vs. Aleister Black
I myself have always been a fan of Almas’ in ring ability. He’s always been able to excite me in a match. Not so much though outside the ring. His character as always felt a little flat to me. I’d like to say it wasn’t because he couldn’t speak English clearly, but that’s not a viable excuse not to be a top star these days (See results of 2018 Men’s & Women’s Royal Rumbles here). In came Zelina Vega though. She has been a blessing for his NXT career. I’ll be honest though, I wasn’t a big fan of him coming into title contention so quickly after the losing streak he was on. I felt like the little rivalry with McIntyre was a bit rushed before WarGames. I’d say the match ended up being pretty decent. Then the storyline with Gargano & Philadelphia happened & I’m ready to admit that every doubt I had about him was wrong. I loved the evolution of his character since then & I feel it’s only gotten better with Vega & that match was INCREDBILE!! Believe it or not, that was NXT’s first 5-star match from Dave Meltzer, & WWE’s first since CM Punk vs. John Cena at Money in the Bank 2011. Now, take out Gargano & add Aleister Black instead. I would say that Gargano is definitely the better pure wrestler, but what Black lacks there, he’ll make up in pure fighting ability. His kicks, especially the Black Mass, are extremely dangerous. Every time lands the Black Mass, I wouldn’t be surprised if the victim has a concussion, so keep him away from Daniel Bryan!! I think he would’ve had Match of the Year last year had it not been for Tyler Bate & Pete Dunne. This Dutchman definitely has a bright future, & I think that future starts now!!
Statman’s Pick: I’m going with Aleister Black to become the new NXT Champion here. Wouldn’t be surprised though to see Almas & Vega on Sunday, Monday, or Tuesday night after this
