Photo credit via WWE
Saturday night, NXT will be live at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto. This event will make history and it will be another entertaining chapter in the long list of NXT TakeOver series of specials. Here’s a breakdown of every match on the card along with thoughts and predictions.
Bobby Roode vs. Tye Dillinger:
This will be an interesting match-up between two fellow Canadians, this rivalry took place at the beginning of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. Tye Dillinger was looking for a tag team partner and so was Bobby Roode so they decided to join forces. However, Roode had different plans and backstabbed his so-called tag team partner in the back.
Fast forward to NXT TakeOver, they will go one-on-one against each other. I can only imagine the thunderous crowd ovation, for both men because this match takes place in their respective hometowns. I expect this to be a fantastic match between quality workers in the ring, Bobby Roode will officially make his NXT debut in his hometown, therefore, it will be glorious and Roode will walk out victorious.
NXT Women’s Championship:
Mickie James vs. Asuka
This will be a dream match, as two of the very best women wrestlers in the world square off . Asuka has dominated everybody in her way but Mickie James will be her hardest test to date. Mickie James will make her long-awaited WWE return since she left back in 2010, she made a name for herself over the years by putting on entertaining matches with WWE Hall Of Famers Trish Stratus and Lita and several other women wrestlers.
Mickie James left a mark on WWE history during her time she became a five-time WWE Women’s Champion. It will be interesting to witness the difference in styles that both women possess in the ring with Asuka hard hitting style compared to James more traditional approach of wrestling. This match will be a tossup; my only issue is that, if James were to win the NXT Women’s Championship over Asuka, would she be back on a regular basis?
Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Finals: The Authors of Pain vs. TM-61:
The fact that the WWE paid tribute to the late great Dusty Rhodes with a Dusty Rhodes tag team tournament last year was great. The inaugural winners of this tournament last year was the unlikely tag team of Finn Balor and Samoa Joe. This year fans will get to witness a unique matchup between The Authors of Pain against TM-61. The Authors of Pain destroyed everybody in their way throughout in the tournament. They defeated The Bollywood Boyz in the first round and then defeated No Way Jose in the quarterfinals.
In the semi-finals, I was shocked as The Authors of Pain defeated DIY with an assist from their rivals the NXT Tag Team Champions The Revival. Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa were fan favorites throughout the tournament. On the other hand, TM-61 has been the Cinderella of the tournament, which nobody expected. TM-61 defeated Riddick Moss and Tino Sabbatelli in the opening round, upset Austin Aries and Roderick Strong in the quarterfinals. In the semi-finals, TM-61 pulled off another massive upset against SAnitY.
It’s difficult to predict the finals matchup between these two tag teams because it can go either way. I am leaning towards The Authors of Pain coming out victorious because the WWE has built them up as a dominate tag team in NXT. At the same time, I can see the WWE pulling the trigger on TM-61 and have them win the tournament.
2 out of 3 falls match NXT Tag Team Championship:
Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa vs. The Revival
This feud has been unbelievable and it all started back at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn II back in August. I thought at that time Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa should have won the NXT Tag Team Championships. However, The Revival stole a win in order to retain their titles at any cost. Then The Revival got involved in Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa business, once again they cost them another match against The Authors of Pain in the Dusty Rhodes Classic Tag Team Classic.
I was very skeptical about The Revival for the longest time but not anymore. I appreciate their old school mentally as a tag team they are amazing they have made history in NXT as the only tag team that has won the NXT Tag Team Championship twice. It is time for a change Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa to win the NXT Tag Team Champions. This match will be off the charts and it will steal the show and fans will be talking about for years to come. This will result in a great outcome because The Revival deserves to move on to the main roster because they have already made their legacy in NXT.
NXT Championship
Samoa Joe vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
This main event will live up to the hype; it will exceed the expectations of their first encounter since NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn II. I absolutely love the build up to this match after Joe lost the NXT Championship he officially snapped and brutally assaulted Nakamura. This assault on Nakamura resulted in getting carried off on a stretcher the week after their match.
It took Nakamura a couple of weeks to finally recover. Therefore this has caused the anticipation for this match to be at an all-time high. Due to the fact that these two hate each and the bad blood they have. It will be fascinating to witness their similar but different styles in the ring. Nakamura will retain his NXT Championship and continue to take NXT to higher levels moving forward.
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