Welcome one and all to my NXT Takeover: Toronto preview. Now as always these are simply my thoughts and predictions on the matches to be featured on the WWE Network special, Please let me know what you think by commenting on the post or by contacting me through my social media links that you can find on the right hand side of the page.
1. Two out of Three Falls For The NXT Tag Team Championship: The Revival (C) Vs. Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa
This is one of two tag team matches on the card and sadly this isn't for The Dusty Rhodes Classic trophy as well as the NXT Tag Team Championship. I really believe that this should have been for both championships, this would have added even more significance to the match. The Revival have been a bit hit or miss in my opinion. They have had a lot of exposure on NXT proving time and time again that they might well be one of the best heel tag teams in WWE as a whole, however for some reason they've not been on TV an awful lot as of late and didn't even compete in the Dusty Classic, simply conceding defeat due to "injury". Gargano and Ciampa, or #DIY as they've been ridiculously called, are in the same boat; having not really had a great deal of time on TV despite being another great team in not only NXT but, WWE. This match will be a fantastic contest if it's anything like the last contest between the two at Takeover: Brooklyn. Whilst I would like to see Gargano and Ciampa come away with the win I think this might be their last hurrah in NXT before heading to the Cruiserweight division next week and The Revival will head into a feud with the winner of the Dusty Classic.
2. Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Final: The Authors Of Pain Vs. TM-61
As I mentioned previously the NXT Tag Team Championship should have also been the final for the Dusty Classic but, I can see why this didn't happen as both The Authors Of Pain and TM-61 are future leaders of the NXT Tag Team division and they need to be pushed a lot more. I wasn't really impressed with The Authors Of Pain upon arrival, I think bringing Paul Ellering was a great idea as he can help cement them as a team to be reckoned with. TM-61 are a great team, however they've not had a lot of time to show off more than a little bit of a quirky foreigner gimmick. Expect a great back and forth match that might steal the show. I fully expect Authors Of Pain to win this match with a little help from Ellering.
3. Bobby Roode Vs Tye Dillinger
I've been pleasantly surprised with this feud, I saw it a mile off but, both men have shown how great they really are. Bobby Roode has come into NXT and added some real foundation to the card outside of the main event picture. I'm really happy that Tye Dillinger is finally getting the recognition he deserves and I would like to see him maybe pushing toward a main event spot or even being brought back onto the main roster for a run at the Intercontinental Championship. This is going to be a great homecoming for both and fully expect that this will bring the house down and have a lot of people talking for a while to come.
4. NXT Womens Championship: Asuka (C) Vs Mickie James
When this match was announced I was a little puzzled by Mickie James being brought back in and put straight into the main event picture. Whilst I appreciate Mickie has had a hell of a career inside and out of WWE I think there are a few more people deserving of getting a Womens Championship match if a little more time had been put into building a storyline that would lead to a title match. With that being said Asuka has been on a roll since her debut and rightfully so, she brings a physicality all her own in her matches showing why she was a great acquisition for WWE and is deserving of head lining the NXT womens division. Mickie James can put a hell of a match, but she hasn't been on the big stage for a while. I think Asuka will retain, but I've been proven wrong before.
5. NXT Championship: Shinsuke Nakamura (C) Vs Samoa Joe
This match has been built so well and showed both sides in a great light. Nakamura has been a great champion, however has had very few matches on TV of late. Samoa Joe is great as always and has really shown why he is one of the best heels in the industry today. This match will be really hard hitting, might not be the quickest of matches, I fully expect a real drag out match with a lot of strikes and impact. I have no idea how this match will go, both could do really well on the main roster and slot into the main event picture with ease. I doubt this will happen anytime soon but, I can dream can't I ? I think Nakamura will retain and move onto to a new feud with Joe maybe heading up to the main roster to take on AJ Styles on Smackdown as I think the Raw main event picture is already pretty crowded.
Overall this is not the strongest of cards but, it's not too bad. The tag team matches will be good enough and hopefully revive a tag team division that is lacking something despite the sheer enormity of teams. The womens match will be a strange one as I don't really know what to expect from Mickie James. The two matches I'm really looking forward to are Roode Vs Dillinger and Nakamura Vs Joe which will hopefully follow each other and prove why NXT is so far gone from being a development brand and should be a stand alone brand of its own.
1. Two out of Three Falls For The NXT Tag Team Championship: The Revival (C) Vs. Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa
This is one of two tag team matches on the card and sadly this isn't for The Dusty Rhodes Classic trophy as well as the NXT Tag Team Championship. I really believe that this should have been for both championships, this would have added even more significance to the match. The Revival have been a bit hit or miss in my opinion. They have had a lot of exposure on NXT proving time and time again that they might well be one of the best heel tag teams in WWE as a whole, however for some reason they've not been on TV an awful lot as of late and didn't even compete in the Dusty Classic, simply conceding defeat due to "injury". Gargano and Ciampa, or #DIY as they've been ridiculously called, are in the same boat; having not really had a great deal of time on TV despite being another great team in not only NXT but, WWE. This match will be a fantastic contest if it's anything like the last contest between the two at Takeover: Brooklyn. Whilst I would like to see Gargano and Ciampa come away with the win I think this might be their last hurrah in NXT before heading to the Cruiserweight division next week and The Revival will head into a feud with the winner of the Dusty Classic.
2. Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Final: The Authors Of Pain Vs. TM-61
As I mentioned previously the NXT Tag Team Championship should have also been the final for the Dusty Classic but, I can see why this didn't happen as both The Authors Of Pain and TM-61 are future leaders of the NXT Tag Team division and they need to be pushed a lot more. I wasn't really impressed with The Authors Of Pain upon arrival, I think bringing Paul Ellering was a great idea as he can help cement them as a team to be reckoned with. TM-61 are a great team, however they've not had a lot of time to show off more than a little bit of a quirky foreigner gimmick. Expect a great back and forth match that might steal the show. I fully expect Authors Of Pain to win this match with a little help from Ellering.
3. Bobby Roode Vs Tye Dillinger
I've been pleasantly surprised with this feud, I saw it a mile off but, both men have shown how great they really are. Bobby Roode has come into NXT and added some real foundation to the card outside of the main event picture. I'm really happy that Tye Dillinger is finally getting the recognition he deserves and I would like to see him maybe pushing toward a main event spot or even being brought back onto the main roster for a run at the Intercontinental Championship. This is going to be a great homecoming for both and fully expect that this will bring the house down and have a lot of people talking for a while to come.
4. NXT Womens Championship: Asuka (C) Vs Mickie James
When this match was announced I was a little puzzled by Mickie James being brought back in and put straight into the main event picture. Whilst I appreciate Mickie has had a hell of a career inside and out of WWE I think there are a few more people deserving of getting a Womens Championship match if a little more time had been put into building a storyline that would lead to a title match. With that being said Asuka has been on a roll since her debut and rightfully so, she brings a physicality all her own in her matches showing why she was a great acquisition for WWE and is deserving of head lining the NXT womens division. Mickie James can put a hell of a match, but she hasn't been on the big stage for a while. I think Asuka will retain, but I've been proven wrong before.
5. NXT Championship: Shinsuke Nakamura (C) Vs Samoa Joe
This match has been built so well and showed both sides in a great light. Nakamura has been a great champion, however has had very few matches on TV of late. Samoa Joe is great as always and has really shown why he is one of the best heels in the industry today. This match will be really hard hitting, might not be the quickest of matches, I fully expect a real drag out match with a lot of strikes and impact. I have no idea how this match will go, both could do really well on the main roster and slot into the main event picture with ease. I doubt this will happen anytime soon but, I can dream can't I ? I think Nakamura will retain and move onto to a new feud with Joe maybe heading up to the main roster to take on AJ Styles on Smackdown as I think the Raw main event picture is already pretty crowded.
Overall this is not the strongest of cards but, it's not too bad. The tag team matches will be good enough and hopefully revive a tag team division that is lacking something despite the sheer enormity of teams. The womens match will be a strange one as I don't really know what to expect from Mickie James. The two matches I'm really looking forward to are Roode Vs Dillinger and Nakamura Vs Joe which will hopefully follow each other and prove why NXT is so far gone from being a development brand and should be a stand alone brand of its own.
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