This weekend, NXT revives a beloved mid-’90s staple with the debut of NXT TakeOver: In Your House. Thanks to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic that is continuing to bar actual fans from ringside, WWE has decided to play into it a bit by taking a page out of their own past. There are a number of big matches going down this weekend from the WWE Performance Center, so let’s get to it:
Tommaso Ciampa vs. Karrion Kross w/Scarlett
WWE
Vishal: Daddy’s home again! I’m not super sold on Karrion Kross, and I’m a bit of a Ciampa mark, so I definitely have a favorite going in. That being said, I feel like they’re going to want to put Kross over pretty hard, even if it means Scarlett has to interfere to win him the match. It looks like they’re investing pretty darn hard into Kross, considering his theme has already been officially released, even though Io Shirai’s still hasn’t. I won’t be super happy if he wins, but I’ve been conditioned to not expect to be happy.
Winner: Karrion Kross through interference
Shane: As much as I love Ciampa, I just don’t see him going over Kross on this one. It looks like WWE is invested in the Kross/Scarlett duo, so I can’t see them eating a loss this quick, especially in their first TakeOver appearance. With that in mind, as much as I want Ciampa to win, I think it’s going to be Kross.
Winner: Karrion Kross
Jay: Karrion Kross. They clearly have ideations to make Kross a fixture in NXT and a win over Ciampa will do just that. Ciampa has been very, very giving since his return in October in that he seems to be more interested in building NXT than building himself, which likely means he will have no problem making Kross look like NXT’s newest pillar. Kross, furthermore, is the villain that NXT needs. NXT, for better or worse, is supported by the Undisputed Era but they simply can’t be the visceral, dangerous threat that is needed to properly carry out that role. Hence, Kross has to be that threat. Kross will take it, not just because he needs it, but because NXT as a whole needs it.
Winner: Karrion Kross
Mia Yim, Shotzi Blackheart, & Tegan Nox vs. Candice LeRae, Dakota Kai, & Raquel Gonzalez
WWE
Vishal: Dakota and Raquel have gotten so many wins in their feud with Tegan and Shotzi that I feel like they just can’t win the big TakeOver match. This combines nicely with Candice LeRae’s new gimmick of trying to be a heel and just not being great at it. It’s a fantastic gimmick that I love from both Johnny and Candice, but it does mean that I feel like Candice won’t be winning this one. Honestly, I think Johnny might try to get involved, but fail to help his wife’s team secure the victory.
Winner: Mia Yim, Shotzi Blackheart, and Tegan Nox
Shane: I’m beginning to feel like this is going to be a very “heel heavy” TakeOver… Mia Yim, Shotzi Blackheart and Tegan Nox do nothing for me. I also feel that NXT needs to do more to establish Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzalez as a dominant duo since Shayna Baszler is now on Raw. Plus, with Candice LeRae’s heel turn still so fresh, a victory here would be nice to help make it feel more concrete. The babyface team might win here, but I think the heels make a more logical sense.
Winner: Candice LeRae, Dakota Kai, and Raquel Gonzalez
Jay: Candice LeRae, Dakota Kai, and Raquel Gonzalez will take it. Candice LeRae is the strongest character here considering they squandered the white-hot heat Dakota Kai had at the end of last year. Thus her team will take it with specific emphasis on wrecking Mia Yim of Tegan Nox.
Winner: Candice LeRae, Dakota Kai, and Raquel Gonzalez
Finn Balor vs. Damian Priest
WWE
Vishal: I can’t see how Damian Priest wins this. Finn was going to have an exciting feud with WALTER, based on how pre-COVID plans seemed to be headed, and this just feels like a consolation feud because the one I was waiting for couldn’t happen. Priest isn’t a bad talent by any means, but Finn can run circles around him both on the mic and in the ring, based on everything I’ve seen of the two of them since they first joined NXT. Priest winning this one just wouldn’t really work, neither in story or in booking.
Winner: Finn Balor
Shane: This one has a Finn Balor victory written all over it. Since the (assumed) feud with WALTER hasn’t happened (yet) as planned, I think they are going to give Finn the win here in order to keep him strong till we finally get the WALTER feud down the road. While this will not be a complete squash, Finn will win in a decisive fashion.
Winner: Finn Balor
Jay: Remember that create-a-wrestler you made in middle school when you were playing No Mercy or Here Comes the Pain? You know, the one who was tall, long haired, and plastered with meaningless tattoos? Every move was some sort of suplex, brainbuster, or chokeslam variation because why would your created wrestler have to worry about transition moves and psychology in a video game? And his finisher? The Overdrive, of course. Damn, what was his name again? Something edgy cause it was 2002, like, Jax Grell? Or Butch Titus? No, no it was Max Manic, right? No. It was Damian Priest!
Damian Priest is your sh*tty CAW from the early 2000s. He comes complete with a Linkin Park era aesthetic, delivers promos written by that brain trust of edgelords that used to play Yu-Gi-Oh! during PE, and probably blogs on Xanga. He’s clearly very athletic and with time will progress, but he stands no chance against Finn Balor in his current form of MySpace incarnate.
Expect a match where Finn takes a beating from Priest, Finn will rally with 2-5 slingblades as he transitions to the Coup de Grâce, and will celebrate by pointing angrily at the camera as he thrusts his pelvis forward to prevent himself from defecating.
Winner: Finn Balor
Keith Lee (c) vs. Johnny Gargano (NXT North American Championship)
WWE
Vishal: While I don’t think Johnny will be able to help Candice win her match, I do think he’s going to walk out with the title here. Johnny’s current gimmick is the opposite of his classic Babyface who keeps losing important matches, and I feel like to cement this as the new direction for him, he needs to win here. There’s definitely some good potential story if he loses, but I think right now Johnny taking the belt would be a great way to give Lee a long term feud that isn’t with Dijakovic.
Winner: Johnny Gargano
Shane: I still think it is too early in Keith Lee’s Championship reign for him to lose it yet. He won the belt capitalizing off a momentous Survivor Series, and honestly, his reign has been kinda lackluster since then, especially after his thirty matches with Dijakovic. Hopefully his match with Gargano adds some much-needed flavor to Keith Lee’s title reign moving forward. Plus, as has been proven time and time again, Gargano can eat a loss.
Winner: Keith Lee
Jay: Gargano’s turn has been awkward thus far, but he has potential. He is clearly committed to the character, unlike his prior turn in early 2019. I love Keith Lee with the North American title, but Gargano does need the win to solidify the character. The question is then, does Gargano need to win now? I think there is more money in prolonging the feud and giving Gargano the opportunity to be more whiny after Lee beats him with the advantage of giving Lee a watershed victory. Gargano will win the title, but it’s more productive to delay the inevitable in this case.
Winner: Keith Lee
Adam Cole (c) vs. Velveteen Dream (Last Chance Backlot Brawl for NXT Championship)
WWE
Vishal: Dream had a bit of a situation in the real world in the last month or so, but it looks like WWE and NXT haven’t turned on him or lowered him down the card. I think he wins this one, not because NXT is shy about following through with stipulations like this, but because honestly, Adam Cole’s had the belt for too long. I think the Undisputed Era needs to go without any gold for a bit again.
Winner: Velveteen Dream
Shane: I think it’s time for a new NXT Champion. Adam Cole has been great in the role, but I think that they have done everything they can with him as champion and it’s time for someone fresh. NXT does seem to be fairly heel heavy these days, and having a fresh NXT Champion creates some new feuds moving forward. I can see Dream winning the belt here and keeping it for a while till Karrion Kross is ready.
Winner: Velveteen Dream
Jay: Adam Cole. The feud has zero momentum. No one is currently clamoring for Velveteen Dream to win at this time. And in a period of uncertainty, NXT needs to focus on people it can rely on. Adam Cole, along with Ciampa, Gargano, and Lee, is one of the main pillars that is needed to keep NXT standing. Taking it off Cole now in an undramatic and underwhelming fashion would put NXT as a whole at significant risk and undo much of what they have built with Adam Cole.
Winner: Adam Cole
Charlotte Flair (c) vs. Rhea Ripley vs. Io Shirai
WWE
Vishal: My favorite going into this is Io Shirai, but I can’t help but feel like they won’t let her win this one. I can’t see Charlotte keeping the belt because honestly she needs to go back to Raw, but I think this also feeds into Rhea’s redemption story. I was shocked when she lost at WrestleMania, and I think Rhea needs this win after tapping out to Charlotte on the biggest stage there is.
Winner: Rhea Ripley
Shane: I’m not convinced Charlotte did what WWE was hoping she was going to after winning the NXT Women’s Championship at WrestleMania, but I am also not sure if WWE is willing to cut its losses yet either. Charlotte has proven time and time again to be a strong team player and I can see her holding onto the title for a little longer, at least until we get back to live crowds to lose it in a big moment. Even though I am going with Charlotte, I would absolutely LOVE it if Io Shirai was able to pull out a shocking win here. Fingers crossed!
Winner: Charlotte Flair
Jay: Charlotte Flair. Charlotte Flair is slowly but surely returning to her place at the center of the women’s division and is using the NXT title to carve her pathway back to her throne, and with Becky Lynch exiting the spotlight, WWE has never needed her more. Via the NXT title, she is able to appear on both Raw and NXT to the betterment of both brands and, like her father before her, is working actively to build the division around her. Taking the belt of her now would be premature as she still has so much left to give with this title reign. Ripley and Shirai’s times will come, but they aren’t now.
Winner: Charlotte Flair
NXT TakeOver: In Your House airs June 7, 2020 at 7pm on the WWE Network.
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