NXT Takeover: San Antonio
January 28, 2017
Preview and Predictions
NXT takes over San
Antonio this Saturday for its first of four scheduled Takeover events for the
2017 calendar year. With one of the most highly anticipated Royal Rumble
matches in recent memory scheduled for Sunday night, the pressure will be on
the superstars of NXT to set the stage with a memorable show. This is no new
task however, as three of NXT’s four Takeover specials in 2016 took place on
the same weekend as a main roster pay per view. Did I mention that those three
PPVs were Wrestlemania 32, Summerslam, and Survivor Series? And to top it off,
Takeover arguably outperformed each of the main roster shows. With three title
matches en tow, NXT Takeover looks poised to go toe to toe with Sunday’s Rumble
match. Let’s take a closer look at each of the five bouts that make up the San
Antonio card.
Roderick Strong vs Andrande “Cien” Almas
The
night kicks off with a strong bout between two highly underrated performers on
the NXT roster. The definition of an “indy darling”, Strong toiled away in Ring
of Honor for over a decade, winning each of their top titles. Almas, who
started wrestling at the age of 13, spent eight years wowing audiences in
Mexico as La Sombra. While each man has yet to connect with the audience, their
ability in the ring is undeniable.
Almas high flying
ability paired with Strong’s technical proficiency ensure that we will be in
for a great match. One of the best aspects of NXT is they tend to give their
performers ample match time, so we can expect these two to craft a story in the
ring.
While many diehard
fans know who Strong is, he remains relatively unknown to the NXT audience. For
that reason, expect Strong to pick up the win here to get himself over. Don’t
be surprised if it comes by a roll-up, leaving Almas angered and hellbent on
getting revenge against Strong down the road. This could develop into a solid
midcard feud, something NXT has consistently failed to establish outside of
their main event scene.
Winner: Roderick Strong, likely by
rollup.
Tye Dillinger vs Eric Young
This
is a very interesting match depending on what WWE has in line for Dillinger on
Sunday night. Everyone is dying to see Dillinger be the tenth entrant into the
Rumble, and it would no doubt get a huge pop from the crowd. If the plan is for
Dillinger to finally go up to the main roster, then it makes sense for Young to
go over here. Young is still in need of a signature win to not only put him
over, but his stable as well. A win over an establish babyface like Dillinger
would do just that.
On the other hand,
if Dillinger is not yet destined for the main roster, it’s tough to see him
losing here. After Shinsuke Nakamura, Dillinger is the next top face in NXT,
and needs to be groomed as such. While No Way Jose is over with audiences, he
isn’t ready for a run at the title just yet. Dillinger needs to remain near the
top of the division, a potential feud with Bobby Roode for the title being far
too enticing to pass up.
Look for Dillinger
to put on a gutsy performance, but succumb to interference from Young’s Sanity
teammates. A DQ seems the best finish here, allowing Dillinger to pick up the
win while Young and Sanity continue to look strong and destructive. It would be
great to see Dillinger make an appearance at the Rumble but remain in NXT long
enough to have a feud with Uncle Bobby for the title.
Winner: Tye Dillinger due to DQ when
Sanity interfere and injure him.
#DIY vs Authors of Pain – NXT Tag Team
Championship
The
first of three title fights presents NXT’s top babyfaces against the company’s
biggest monsters. Gargano and Ciampa have developed an organic relationship
with fans that will not soon be broken. Their bouts with Revival rank as some
of the best of the year. Across the ring, Authors of Pain have been presented
as nothing short of destroyers since they first appeared on NXT, steamrolling
American Alpha. The David vs Goliath storyline is immediately present in this
matchup.
While AoP have been presented as monsters, their
matches with TM61 proved that the duo can be brought down with the proper
offensive attack. Following their matches with the Revival in which Gargano and
Ciampa pulled out all their tricks, there’s no doubt they have the crafty
offensive arsenal to give the Authors of Pain fits.
Although the Authors are more than formidable
opponents, it’s not quite their time to rule the division. DIY are far too over
right now, and it would be a travesty to take the belts from them. Expect the
Authors to come out strong early, dishing out a lot of damage to Johnny
Wrestling in particular. It’s doubtful this match will last as long as some of
the twenty minute classics the division has featured in the past, so we can
expect roughly 8-10 minutes of DIY trying to survive before finally seizing
their opportunity and picking up the win to hang on to their titles.
Winner: DIY by late match comeback.
Asuka vs Peyton Royce vs Billie Kay vs
Nikki Cross – NXT Women’s Championship
After
winning the NXT Women’s title at NXT Dallas last April, Asuka’s reign as
champion has just eclipsed 300 days, and she is just a week away from passing
Paige as the longest reigning women’s champion in NXT history. To this point,
she has been untouchable, each of her foes seemingly more hopeless than the
last. The Fatal Four Way stipulation raises an interesting scenario, as Asuka
can now lose the championship without being pinned herself.
If ever there was
a time to take the belt off of Asuka, it would be now. While it would be a
shame to end her current title run, it would be a breath of fresh air for the
division. There is no doubt Asuka is ready to go up to the main roster, but unfortunately
there’s no room there for her right now. With Charlotte, Sasha, Bayley and Nia
on Raw, and Becky, Nikki, Alexa and Mickie on Smackdown, the divisions are
crowded enough. By having someone else eat the pinfall or submission, NXT can
keep Asuka safe while simultaneously boosting the stock tremendously of one of
the other three women.
Royce and Kay have
been the top heels around town ever since Sasha, Nia and Alexa went to the main
roster. While they have filled the role well, they seem to work better as a
pair, with Royce appearing to be the slightly better performer. While it’s very
possible either of them could take the title, the more likely scenario sees the
two women being divided by their own desire to become women’s champion. Look
for Royce to turn on Kay, throwing her friend to the wolves in some manner,
ultimately leading to a split between the two and a feud.
Though Nikki Cross
is new to the scene, she has instantly come across as a formidable foe to
Asuka. The unhinged psychopath could be the one to not only unseat Asuka from
her throne, but also be the first to bring gold to Sanity, establishing them as
the company’s top stable. Look for Cross to take advantage of Royce and Kay’s
dissension to become the new NXT Women’s Champion. Asuka will win the title
back, becoming the first ever two time Women’s champion, before losing the belt
cleanly in Orlando to Ember Moon and making her way up to Smackdown to dominate
for the summer.
Winner: Nikki Cross pins Billie Kaye to
become the new NXT Women’s Champion.
Shinsuke
Nakamura vs Bobby Roode – NXT Heavyweight Championship
For
the first time since October of 2015, the main event of Takeover does not
feature Samoa Joe. Joe’s absence from the card has led many to believe he is a
lock to enter the Royal Rumble, and is rumored to be in line for a “monster
push”. Having overcome Joe in Osaka, Japan, current NXT Champion Shinsuke
Nakamura now moves on to his newest foe, the Glorious Bobby Roode. Having
already vanquished the likes of Sami Zayn, Finn Balor, and Joe, Roode appears
to be the last viable foe for Nakamura before he moves up.
Following a twelve
year run with TNA in which he won eleven championships, Bobby Roode stormed
into NXT Brooklyn with the presence of a superstar. Even as a heel, the
Glorious One had NXT fans on his side from the moment his music hit the
speakers. Believe me, I was there. Since his arrival in August, Roode has
toppled midcard opposition like “Cien” Almas and Tye Dillinger. On December 21,
Roode locked up his title shot by winning a fatal four way, with Almas and
Dillinger being two of his three opponents.
While Nakamura is
clearly ready for the main roster, he remains in a similar situation to Asuka.
With the company building towards one of its most stacked Wrestlemanias of all
time, it’s hard to imagine where Nakamura could fit on that card. His presence
atop the Takeover: Orlando card seems much more warranted.
These two are
absolute showmen, so expect an entertaining brawl with plenty of back and forth
and plenty of banter between the two. It’s hard to see Nakamura losing here, as
another championship loss this soon would surely hurt his stock a bit. At the
same time, Roode seems to be too over with audiences to lose clean here as
well. It’s a shot in the dark, but we could see Sanity interfere in the main
event, taking out both competitors with Eric Young establishing himself in the
main event picture. This allows Roode to request another match, while also
posing a potential triple threat match in Orlando where Nakamura can pass off
the title to either of the opposing heels.
Winner: Match ends in DQ when Eric
Young/Sanity interfere. Sanity establishes themselves as top heels in NXT with
beatdowns of Dillinger, Nakamura, Roode, and Cross’s women’s championship.
