NXT TakeOver: Unstoppable Preview and Predictions

Who names these shows?

Giving their thoughts and predictions on what to expect from the PPV are members of the site @JoeySplashwater, @TimWelcomed and @TomBlargh.

Baron Corbin vs. Rhyno

Joey:

My interest level rating is based upon Rhyno hitting this jaybrone with a sick GORE GORE GORE!!! If it doesn’t happen, we’re in for a sad night.

Side note: Rhyno needs to face John Cena for the United States Championship in Philly, Chicago or one of the other places that ECW fans reside in.

Interest Level: 10/10
Prediction: Rhyno GORES this motherfucker.

Tim:

I’m all in on Rhyno beating the hell out of The Lone Wolf. I want a gore through the NXT set. Unfortunately, I see them letting B-Cor get the win here to help establish him as a completely bland sack of domination.

Interest Level: 3/10
Prediction: Baron Corbin wins.

Tom:

The Motorcycle Wolf has got this. Hopefully Rhyno breaks the ring apron video screen thing or gores a shopping cart again (STILL THE GREATEST SPOT OF ALL TIME).

Interest Level: 4/10
Prediction: Baron Corbin wins.

Bayley and Charlotte vs. Dana Brooke and Emma

Joey:

This match being made is disappointing. I was expecting Emma vs. Bayley. I love ironic ironic Emma being a parody of her former self blaming the NXT world for her downfall on RAW. I think there’s a great story with potential there. Sadly this tag match could be rotten. I don’t have an opinion on Dana Brooke but people whine about her a lot which means she’ll likely be successful. Charlotte has nothing to do in NXT anymore except main event house shows.

Interest Level: 2/10
Prediction: Emma and Dana Brooke win.

Tim:

Bailey, Charlotte, and Emma are more than capable of having an entertaining match and being in the ring with these women will only help Dana Brooke who I think has some potential. This wasn’t my ideal match for some of the ladies involved (Bayley and Emma have great characters that should be put in a place to grow here) but I’ll take it as I’m sure it won’t be a stinker. I feel like it’s a toss-up for who is going to win here so I’ll default to them giving the faces a win although more could probably be made out of giving Emma and Brooke the big “w.”

Interest Level: 6/10
Prediction: Bayley and Charlotte win.

Tom:

I really like Bayley, but I’m not that fussed about anyone else in this match. They’re all pretty good – the jury’s still out on young Dana Brooke, but she seems to have potential – but there’s nothing too compelling about the story behind this. The Emma character is bewildering, though I’m not sure that’s enough for me to want to watch her wrestle.

Interest Level: 5/10
Prediction: Emma and Dana Brooke win.

Blake and Murphy vs. Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady for the NXT Tag Team Championship

Joey:

This match has everything that prevents me from fully diving into the NXT fandom. The SAWFT guys seem like wonderful folks who work hard and are over in the NXT culture but no one else in wrestling annoys me as much. The Blake and Murphy dudes are the definition of “just a guy” status x2. No thanks.

Interest Level: 0/10
Prediction: The SAWFT guys win.

Tim:

Blake and Murphy are so boring to me. Enzo Amore is incredible at his character and I can’t help but find someone that good entertaining although I’m not sure I see the character going anywhere in the long run. He goes all in. I’m off and on with Big Cass. There are rare moments where I see something special there and then other times he’s just filling up space. Maybe as he grows he’ll find that perfect groove because WWE is in need of a guy his size and build to round out the roster a bit more. Anyway, I don’t care about watching any of these people wrestle right now. In the ring they most likely won’t be doing anything for me but here’s to surprises! At least put the belts on Amore and Cassady because they can entertain.

Interest Level: 4/10

Prediction: Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady win.

Tom:

I’m alright with Enzo and Big Cass, even though I’m slightly disappointed Enzo’s meant to be from Jersey, rather than Brooklyn- the dream is a wrestling faction made up with a representative from each NYC borough. Their first action could be destroying Zack Ryder, representing Long Island, imagine that.

ANYWAY, THIS MATCH. I’m sure it’ll be fine and I can’t imagine it’ll go too long. Neither team is one I’m particularly crazy about though and the NXT tag division seems a little barren right now so hopefully that’s the next area of developmental that gets put under the old Triple H spotlight.

Interest Level: 5/10
Prediction: Blake and Murphy win.

Finn Bálor vs. Tyler Breeze in a #1 contenders match (Hideo Itami is reported to be removed from this match due to injury)

Joey:

This match could have been a classic if Hideo Itami was in it but it seems he’s to miss it. His injury timetable suggest he’s out at least 6 months. Without the triple threat fun and Itami, it should still be quite good but it’s hard to have as much expectations or excitement of it being a special match.

Interest Level: 7/10
Prediction: Tyler Breeze wins.

Tim:

I’m really sad Itami isn’t going to be in this and I hope he gets well soon. He’s truly something special and I’m sure he and Bálor would’ve left it all in the ring. I don’t mind Tyler Breeze though. I’ve seen him in enough enjoyable matches to see he has some redeemable qualities and a good foundation to grow on. I really wish they’d start fleshing out his character though. He can be funny but I want to see more dimensions at this point. Him and Bálor should be decent to great and I’m looking forward to it even though it’s existing in the shadow of a match that I was really wanting.

Interest Level: 7/10
Prediction: Finn Bálor wins.

Tom:

Itami being gone is a real bummer, especially since it seemed like he was getting very confident and comfortable in his place in NXT and like he was next in line for a title program with Owens. Bálor and Breeze should be good, though it doesn’t feel like anything particularly exceptional. I’d love for us all to be proven wrong, but it’s nothing we haven’t seen before.

Interest Level: 7/10
Prediction: Finn Bálor wins.

Sasha Banks vs. Becky Lynch for the NXT Women’s Championship

Joey:

The NXT Women’s division is always trustworthy of a great match. This month’s match seems a little less hyped than the past Women’s title matches but I’m sure it will deliver. Sasha Banks may be the MVP of NXT.

Interest Level: 8/10
Prediction: Sasha Banks wins.

Tim:

Sasha Banks is still one of the most enjoyable people to watch and Becky Lynch can definitely keep up. You can bet this will be worth watching and maybe it can raise Lynch up a bit more. I see Banks retaining here. I wouldn’t take the belt off of her until she for sure moves up to the main roster. She’s just too good.

Interest Level: 9/10
Prediction: Sasha Banks wins.

Tom:

I’m excited for this – the Becky turn was a little rushed, but they did a good job with the video package about her and she seems naturally likeable. However, I’m just not sure that there’s any woman on the NXT roster who can compete with Sasha’s star power right now, so it puts Lynch in a slightly weird place. Regardless, match should be great!

Interest Level: 8/10
Prediction: Sasha Banks wins.

Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn for the NXT Championship

(Sami Zayn was recently injured but we’re going under the assumption the match takes place.)

Joey:

These two make magic together. The first match was very good but definitely more of an effort to establish the foundation for their story going forward. I expect this match to be even better and more of a classic that we think back on as the year ends, if Zayn is healthy enough to perform at his usual level.

Interest Level: 10/10
Prediction: Kevin Owens wins.

Tim:

I’m so ready for this round. This has been months in the making and there aren’t many other wrestlers that could deliver like they need to in the end like Zayn and Owens. I have high hopes for this one. I can see pros and cons for it going either way. I’m a huge fan of both and always love watching Owens beat the hell out of Zayn but I think the ending here needs to be Zayn’s redemption unless they plan on having another go at it in a near-future NXT special.

Interest Level: 10/10
Prediction: Sami Zayn wins.

Tom:

I hadn’t even considered that Sami would be winning this, given that the Raw appearance indicated that he was main roster bound (albeit likely taking some time off to recuperate beforehand). However, Owens showing up on Raw too adds an interesting twist to things – if Sami’s healthy and both guys are imminently Raw-bound, the idea of either one remaining NXT champ while on the main roster is interesting and I think having NXT become less of its own entity and more mixed in with general WWE goings on could be fun.

As far as the match goes, it almost goes without saying that tonight should be fantastic, but I can’t imagine tonight will be a definitive end to this chapter of Owens/Zayn. I’m really interested to see how they work Sami being hurt into the match without it being a detriment to the action, since if there’s any guys who could do that in a really compelling way, it’s these two. Hopefully they carry the feud onto Raw and we get to see what this match looks like on a “real” PPV in a month or two.

Interest Level: 10/10
Prediction: Kevin Owens wins.