Welcome one and all to my preview and predictions blog for the upcoming NXT Takeover: New York event that will take place the night before Wrestlemania. As always if you have any comments or feedback leave a comment in the section below or by following me on Twitter and Instagram.
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This years Wrestlemania Takeover event is another stacked card that features the best and brightest on offer from the NXT brand. There are a few big names missing from this years event namely Tomasso Ciampa who will be out for a year with a neck injury which is a real shame as the original main event would have more than likely been a match of the year candidate. 3 of the 4 members of The Undisputed Era will be sitting out this year and also Keith Lee will be absent from the event. As always I will be talking about the matches in no particular order.
1. NXT Tag Team Championship: War Raiders (C) Vs. Aleister Black And Ricochet: This match is a strange combination of competitors that whilst should be a great match is the match that has the least attention on it. The War Raiders have marched through the competition since arriving in NXT nearly a year ago and they are proving just how great they are. Aleister Black and Ricochet were thrown together recently and have both been having great matches on RAW and Smackdown Live recently as well as becoming the winners of The Dusty Rhodes Classic this year. Both Black and Ricochet will more than likely be heading up to the main roster full time after Wrestlemania weekend and I feel whilst it would be great to see them win the tag team championships I highly doubt it. That won't stop this match being a great mix of hard hitting action and fast paced high spots. As I said I think War Raiders will retain but, I feel The Forgotten Sons will be the deciding outcome of this match.
2. WWE UK Championship: Pete Dunne (C) Vs. WALTER: I don't think anyone could have predicted how much of a success the first NXT UK Takeover event would have been but, the big news that came from the event was the arrival of WALTER. Not that the roster needed any boosting, WALTER has brought some huge star power to the brand and really is a huge acquisition on WWE's part. Pete Dunne continues to have outstanding matches with every defence of the Championship he won nearly 2 years ago and deserves every success he has had. This match should be a fantastic, much talked about match that will draw huge attention to the young NXT UK brand. I fully expect a lot of hard hitting action and classic European style wrestling. Whilst I think WALTER would be more than deserving of becoming only the 3rd WWE UK champion I don't think Pete Dunne will drop the championship before the 2 year mark. Dunne to win.
3. NXT North American Championship: The Velveteen Dream (C) Vs. Matt Riddle: Matt Riddle has had a fast rise to the top end of the NXT roster, gaining his first chance at a NXT championship less than a year into his career in NXT. The Velveteen Dream has to be one of the most popular competitors on the NXT roster and a really refreshing change to the low key, wrestler style characters, Dream is a larger than life character that would have fit perfectly in the Attitude Era. This match has been built very subtly but, has peaked my interest fully. I think it was a great idea to introduce a second singles championship on NXT as it allows talent such as Dream and Riddle a chance to increase their profile on the brand. This should be a great mix of hard hitting action and classic pro wrestling with both complementing each others style. I think Riddle will have easily the best showing of his NXT career but, I think we still have a lot to see as The Velveteen Dream as champion so I think he will retain.
4. NXT Women's Championship Fatal Four Way: Shayna Baszler (C) Vs. Io Shirai Vs. Kairi Sane Vs. Bianca Belair: This match has had the most story line build for Takeover and I feel will be one of the best displays of future talent for not only NXT but, for the WWE in general. Baszler has really gone from strength to strength over the last year or so, really becoming a tremendous heel character in an other wise mostly ambiguous division. The reason I say that is because Bianca Belair has flip flopped between heel and face over the past few months, not really settling on either. Maybe I'm wrong and this event will reveal her true colours but, I feel that Belair is ready to be a top heel on the brand. Io Shirai and Kairi Sane have had a decent run of things lately but, I think Shirai may be in line to replace Sane is she heads up to the main roster, hopefully not before teaming together for a shot at the women's tag team championships. This will be a decent match that will really help build each competitors profile. I have loved Baszler as champion however, I think her time might be up as champion and I think Io Shirai may come out with the win.
5. NXT Championship Two Out Of Three Falls: Johnny Gargano Vs. Adam Cole: Whilst the original plans for the main event had to change I think this match is more than a decent replacement. Adam Cole has had a bit of a mediocre run in NXT since his debut, not that he hasn't had some noteworthy matches he has just flown a little under the radar in a swollen division. Johnny Gargano has never really had a bad match in NXT and has really proven why he has been near the top for so long. Whilst I would have loved to have seen the conclusion of the epic rivalry of Gargano and Ciampa this match will more than likely be on a lot of peoples match of the year lists. Both men have the ability to prove why they are the future of the WWE and I fully expect this match to be filled with a lot of drama and interference on both sides. I think Gargano might be heading to the main roster after Wrestlemania and for that reason I think Adam Cole might kick off the prophecy that 2019 will be the year that The Undisputed Era are dripping with gold.
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