NXT Takeover Chicago Predictions
The Authors of Pain VS DIY
I'm going to sit here and say right now that this tag team title match is the match I'm honestly most looking forward to. I have previously spoken greatly of the NXT tag team division and its work and not been shy of the fact that I believe NXT is the place to go for brilliant tag team wrestling. While we don 't often get treated to strong tag team wrestling week in and week out on episodes of NXT what the division deliver at live events/takeover shows proves to the world that this is the roster to turn to if you want to sit back and watch some fantastic tag team wrestling. Lets also not take away the fact that every now and then on a Wednesday night we do witness strong world from the division. Over the past year the Revival and DIY have without a shadow of a doubt been the dominant teams over in NXT and have actually earned the right to be named two of the best tag teams in the wrestling world today. Every single time the two teams stepped in the ring they created magic and I can honestly say I was able to witness some of the best wrestling matches I have ever seen thanks to these four men. Now, while The Revival are now apart of the Monday night RAW roster DIY remain a huge part of NXT and its tag team division and this coming Saturday they will once again take on the Authors of pain for the NXT Tag Team Championships, this time in a ladder match! I understand that there will be a number of fans not happy about the fact we are getting the same two teams competing at a Takeover event but as far as I can see it this booking was simple. There really is no other team but DIY that right now, in this current moment are more worthy of a title match. We have over the past month or so seen a couple more teams given more TV time and it will be interesting seeing those teams grow in popularity and work their way up the roster. However, right now, DIY and The Authors of pain are the dominant team in NXT and the collision at this weekends NXT Takeover Chicago event will for sure be one no one will want to miss out on.Again, we have seen these two teams face off in the past on numerous different occasions and I personally have always enjoyed the work we have seen. While their matches haven't been as strong as what we saw between DIY and the Revival I have still much enjoyed their bouts. The Authors of Pain haven't been given enough credit what so ever. Of course when you pit them against Gargano and Ciampa they're going to appear a little weaker in regards to wrestling ability. They haven't been wrestling for half as long and so clearly don't have the same experience the former Indie stars have but lets cut these guys some slack. Both men are very young and they have gone from being completely unknown to the most dominant team in NXT. They perfectly show what the performance center and NXT is all about. We as fans have gotten lost in the world of seeing past WWE superstars and men and women who have been apart of the indie scene coming to NXT and making impact forgetting that the entire point of NXT and the performance center was to create the future, to take a bunch of men and women and turn them into stars, the Authors of pain are just that. The WWE took a risk, pushed them to the stars and now they really do have to prove themselves. The pressure has been on for these since day one but every time we see them I do strongly believe they are getting better and making a stand. They have delivered some strong performances over the past year or so but they are yet to have "that" match. The match that establishes them as top performers, the match that gets everyone's attention and gains them the fans respect. Do I believe this could be the match? Yeah. DIY without a shadow of a doubt have what it takes to put these two over. Now, a ladder match is really interesting. The WWE have a history of putting on some brilliant tag team ladder matches and I'm confident this could join the list of greats. Of course both these teams are under a heck of a lot of presser especially considering the last tag team ladder match we saw was that epic Wrestlemania match. I do as always worry. This is one of those match that could really go either way; we could watch one of the best matches of the year or it could end up being one of the worse or at least most disappointing. Both these teams are bringing something completely different and of course the match stipulation favors DIY but I'm most certainly expecting the titles to remain on the shoulders of the Authors of Pain. I'm expecting some fantastic spots throughout and this so easily could be the match of the night considering they are given enough time to really push the boundaries. I strongly believe this is going to be a killer of a match, one that will get the crowd loud and on their feet and raise the bar for the rest of the night.
Tyler Bate VS Pete Dunne
One of the matches I am most looking forward to this weekend without a shadow of a doubt is the WWE United Kingdom Championship bout between current champ Tyler Bate and one of the most talked about wrestlers in the world today Pete Dunne. Back in January the WWE host a UK tournament where the first United Kingdom champion would be crowned. The tournament lasted two days over a weekend at the start of the year and went down a treat! The first night was good. We had a couple of real standout matches and what we saw was most certainly enough to keep me wanting more and leaving me coming back for night two. The second show was much much stronger. The matches were much more intense and all round better and the night was a heck of a lot more entertaining. The finals saw the standouts of the entire weekend Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate battle it out to make history and walk out as champion. For me personally, this remains one of the best matches of the year. I haven't been that emotionally invested in a match in a very long time and I was honestly completely hooked right from the very start and throughout. Personal favourite of mine Tyler Bate did walk out as the first ever WWE United kingdom champion and I for one was a happy bunny.... a very very happy bunny. Since that night Bate has walked around with the title killing it! He has continued to work as one of the most talked about and beloved men in the wrestling world and his title deference have been very very strong. It's still crazy to think Tyler is so young and what we have seen from him in such a short space of time really has been fantastic! Now, while Tyler has been champion and one brilliant champion at that there has been one other man the wrestling community has been obsessed with. After making a name for himself prior tot he UK Tournament Pete Dunne was a favourite over that weekend back in January but over the course of those two days he got the whole world talking and if you hadn't heard his name before the tournament you sure ended up a big fan of the one and only Pete Dunne. I did talk about Dunne in more detail in a recent blog post which will be linked bellow so make sure to check that out!During last weeks European Pete Dunne and other fan favourite Trent Seven went toe to toe during a house show where the winner would become the brand new number one contender and face Tyler Bate at this weekends up and coming NXT Takeover Chicago event for the WWE United Kingdom Championship. Of course Dunne walked away with the win and we now look to be in for a real treat this Saturday. Now, regardless of who won that match we were going to be in for something real special after seeing Bate face off against both these men however there's a real story to be told between Dunne and Bate.The two were the standouts of the UK tournament and Dunne really do a fantastic job kick starting a story right there during that night. Attacking Tyler before the finals Pete made an impact once again and made sure the entire world knew he what he wanted and how far he was willing to go get his hands on the title. While his attempts failed and Bate left the winner everyone was still talking about Pete Dunne. He had done what he set out to do, make a name for himself and this weekend he finally gets another shot. Honestly, this is the one match I'm expecting to see the title change hands. Bate has been a good champion and if we had seen more from the division over the past four months than things may be different but it seems to make sense to have the title change hands. Dunne has been featured in several WWE YouTube Videos, remained a strong talking point and of course he is extremely over with fans all around the world. I recently mentioned that Dunne will be a huge star to watch in the future and I believe his reign at the top will kick start this weekend. I do hope that the WWE start to do more with the British guys and I'm confident that this Saturday Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate will once again put the focus back on the division and deliver the match of the night. I also have to mention how glad I am that this match will be apart of the NXT Takeover card this weekend, it's a perfect fit and will give these two superstars and the division the exposer they deserve.
Asuka VS Nikki Cross VS Ruby Riot
The NXT Women's Championship match at this weekend's Takeover event was origanlly set out to be a fatal four way but after Ember Moon suffered an injury the match has now been made a triple threat between Nikki Cross, Ruby Riot ad current champ Asuka. I'll be honest, I was looking forward to this far more when it was booked as a fatal four way. It kinda feels as though something is missing now and the match doesn't quite feel as big or as complete. Personally I haven't been the biggest fan of Asuka's reign. While I believe she will go down as one of the best and easily the most dominant women's Champion in NXT history her booking and her storyline's just haven't been for me and her work does some very repetitive. I haven't enjoyed as many of her matches as I have done other past champions such as Sasha Banks and Bayley. When you're trying to live up to those expectations it can be difficult to fill those boots. However, Asuka has been a strong champion and she continues to make history. For me personally though, I would love to see her reign end as soon as possible and for a fresh start to begin in the NXT Women's division. They do have a stacked roster down in the performance center right now and I strongly believe that the moment Asuka loses that title those other women will be able to shine and we will see a change in the dynamics.Now, the match this weekend is probably not going to be the best. I'm not expecting much from this if I'm being honest. I do as always hope we will see a great all round night for the women's division but my expectations are rather low this time round. Saying that, I am confident that these three women will impress and for Nikki and Ruby in particular this is a big night. This is the night these two really do need to make an impact and get people talking. Nikki has such a fantastic character at the moment and naturally has a huge following because of so but I do want to see more from Ruby this weekend, apart of me is actually expecting her to be the standout performer of this match. We haven't seen all that much of her as of yet but she already has heads turning and her unique look is allowing her to standout early. I do believe that there will be a few really impressive spots but I'm not expecting this to be the match of the night at all and we're going to have to wait a little longer for the female talent to steal the show at a Takeover event. As far as the title changing hands goes we can expect Asuka to retain for sure. I would love for Nikki to walk out as champion and she will be the one I back this weekend but I'm most certainly not really expecting a title change here. I am however expecting to see Ember Moon eventually take the title from Asuka. I know it will still be some time before we see that and I really don't want to have to see Asuka's title reign that much longer but the story we are being told and everything we have been seeing leads to Ember claiming the title. Again, I do think this is still a match to tune into but could be one of the weaker matches of the night.
Bobby Roode VS Hideo Itami
Again, this is a match I'm not looking forward to as much as I should. The NXT main event picture is huge right now, there is so much talent down in NXT and while this is a good thing it does make it difficult to use them all the way they deserve to be used/ booked and many are being left behind this weekend. The competetion right now is so stiff with so many big names all worthy of a title shot and with so many personal favourites of mine now apart of the roster there are so many men I would love to see as the next NXT Champion. This weekend we will see Bobby Roode defend his NXT Championship against Hideo Itami at NXT Takeover Chicago. Roode has actually been a fantastic champion as expected. His promos, mic work, and character make him a standout and if only we got to see more of him than I'm confident he could go down as one of the best champions in NXT history. He's the type of guy that just feels like a huge deal, the type of guy you could call up to Monday night RAW or Smackdown LIVE and shove him in the main event and it would work perfectly fine. This weekend he will however look to retain his title when he goes one on one with Hideo Itami. Itami is someone I have mixed opinion on. He really is a brilliant in ring performer. He has a strong following and has the potential to be a huge star in the WWE. He's problem has been his history of injuries. Over the past two years he really has had so many setbacks and if he had remained injury free he most likely could have been up on the main roster as we speak. Now, the WWE clearly still see a lot in him and are very high on him and It's clear as to why. he really does have it all. Personally I was expecting to see him go up to the main roster upon his return but this really does work. There's a natural story there and it does feel right that he challenges Roode for the title. Is there another man I would love to see taking his place in this match? Yeah, most certainly but right now this is the best booking decision and I can completely understand why this move was made.I do believe this could easily be a very strong match. Both these men are extremely talented yet very different in the ring. I'm not expecting to see the title change hands but this will be a match full of close calls and will most certainly have us all on the edge of our seats. This is also likely to be the match that surprises us the most. While it may not be the bout of the night it will for sure be a standout and I'm expecting this to be a pretty solid championship match up. Hideo has been waiting a long time for this moment, massively delayed he is looking to prove himself and prove to the world that he has always deserved to be champion and that he has what it takes to do so. Now, I would love to see both these men up on the main roster by the end of the year and I can most certainly see that happening but right now it's all about NXT Takeover Chicago and I think we have a pretty promising main event on our hands this weekend.
Overall I as usual am looking forward to NXT Takeover. More recently the cards haven't been looking strong at the start but by the end of the show I always say how much love it and I don't expect this to be any different. I will as always be live tweeting throughout Saturday's show and throughout Backlash on Sunday! You can follow me at @TezangiVictoria for more and you can also let me know what your predictions are for NXT Takeover Chicago by leaving a comment bellow!
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