Tomorrow, NXT returns to the Barclays Center to once again take over Brooklyn, and you know what that means: PREDICTION TIME. As always, we’ll be looking at each match in the card, and we’ll be making our picks for who’s going over. Let’s get right to it:
Johnny Gargano vs. Andrade “Cien” Almas (w/ Zelina Vega)
This one’s easy. Johnny Wrestling can afford to eat the loss here, while Cien needs the win bad. Almas’s new partnership with Vega can be solidified with a big win here, and El Ídolo can finally get back on track as an important heel in the midcard/main event scene. On the other hand, a loss for Gargano can be booked as part of his larger angle with Tommaso Ciampa, and it could be used to further the feud between the two former partners. I don’t think there’ll be a run-in, but let’s not write the possibility off. Andrade Almas goes over here.
Aleister Black vs. Hideo Itami
This is another easy prediction. Black’s been on a roll, and I don’t see it stopping anytime soon. A win over an established name in the brand will only push the Dutch striker closer to the top of the card. I hate to say this, but it’s not hard to think of Itami as broken goods at this point. It’s not his fault that injuries have derailed his momentum, but it’s easy to see that the NXT Universe’s support in him is waning. The heel turn was a good call, but it might be too little too late for the Japanese superstar to be a main eventer in NXT. Aleister Black picks up the win.
The Authors of Pain (c) vs. SAnitY for the NXT Tag Team Championship
This title match is a lot trickier than the previous bouts. The heel vs. heel match up is a bit tough to pull off, and I don’t think AoP has the chops to play tweener here. It also doesn’t help that Eric Young’s crew had been getting the louder pops from the NXT Universe. That said, the tag division is too shallow at the moment, and AoP have destroyed every potential challenger. There’s nothing left for them to do, and it’ll be better for them to drop the titles now while the crowd hasn’t completely soured on them. SAnitY also needs the big win here to put the team back on track as legitimate threats. Expect the numbers game come in play as the challengers overwhelm the champions. SAnitY’s walking out as your new Tag Team Champions.
Asuka (c) vs. Ember Moon for the NXT Women's Championship
As much as I want Asuka to continue her historic title run, I know that all good things must come to an end. It’s time for our Empress to step down from her throne and venture into greener pastures. With a rumored Superstar Shakeup in the works again, it’ll be the perfect time to bring Asuka up to the main roster. On the other hand, Moon should be a suitable champion for the brand. She can be a good babyface champion who can deliver on solid matches and make the women’s division appear more competitive. Ember Moon will be your new Women’s Champion.
Bobby Roode (c) vs. Drew McIntyre for the NXT Championship
I agree with our Editor-in-Chief Ro Moran’s idea here: this should’ve been a Triple Threat match including Roderick Strong, but this is the main event we have. The Glorious One’s championship reign is one of the best things going on for NXT, and while McIntyre had been white hot since returning, I don’t think this is the right time for him to take the title from Roode. With Strong still waiting in the wings (and my personal choice to be the one to dethrone Roode), it makes more sense to let Roode retain here, and have the Triple Threat down the road, maybe at TakeOver: Houston. Bobby Roode will still be your NXT Champion at the end of the night.
Possible surprises
*****
Many of the matches might be predictable, but that doesn’t mean they’ll be bad. If anything, expect one of these matches to steal the thunder and come out as the weekend’s best, as TakeOvers are wont to do. Don’t sleep on the non-title matches as they’re between great and reliable ring workers. The Tag Team Championship match promises to be a hard hitting affair, while the Women’s Title match should be fun as well. Of course, expect Roode to come out in the weekend’s best entrance. All in all, this should be a great show.
Do you agree with our predictions? Let us know and drop us a comment below!
*****
Jocs Boncodin (@caboncodin) is a Managing Editor of Smark Henry. He answers tweets by day and watches wrestling by night. An aspiring writer, Jocs spends most of his idle time fantasy booking angles and overthinking wrestling storylines. A big fan of the WWE, his introduction to the local online wrestling community Smark Gilas-Pilipinas has opened his eyes to the wonders of puroresu and lucha libre. He currently handles Smark Hen-XT, smarkhenry.ph's weekly NXT review.
