Even with a small card, WWE NXT will put its best foot forward with their showcase on Saturday night at NXT TakeOver: Orlando.
Perhaps one of the more anticipated events of WrestleMania weekend is NXT TakeOver: Orlando. Since its inception, the NXT TakeOver series has been putting on quality shows that propel their stars to great heights before coming on to the WWE main roster. TakeOver has been the platform for many of today’s stars to put on some of their best performances, especially if it’s a final match for the developmental brand.
This TakeOver is no exception, with rumors of Shinsuke Nakamura, Asuka and even more possibly making their transition to the main roster as early as WrestleMania. Nakamura has been dethroned as King of NXT courtesy of Bobby Roode back in January at TakeOver: San Antonio. Roode has been dominant since coming into NXT, with his arrogance on full display, backed up with performances that are nothing short of glorious. Asuka, on the other hand, has just passed one year of her historic NXT Women’s Championship reign. There has been no one that could stop the Empress of Tomorrow, but that could very well change with Ember Moon.
I will be the first to admit that I haven’t kept up too much with NXT lately. Just life takes over on my end. Anyways, I caught an episode this week when I had some time. The United Kingdom division being on NXT was the right call, and their matches have been impressive. So to see that there isn’t a United Kingdom Championship match on this card, I was a little disappointed about that. If anything, I feel that there is very little emphasis on the Championship since Tyler Bate was crowned the first Champion two months prior. That is something NXT can improve on post-TakeOver.
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Billie Kay and Peyton Royce have definitely grown on me, and I feel that post-TakeOver they will have more of an impact in the Women’s Championship picture. However, when it comes to that, the Iconic duo may fall apart when opportunity arises for them once more. Royce has had some great showings in her matches. Both ladies have unique looks and hopefully, there will be more of them over the summer. Kay has also improved, but Royce is the star of the iconic duo.
There is also the return of Kassius Ohno, who has been antagonizing Roode as of late. There has been significant concentration on the former Indy star as he looks for redemption a second time around in NXT. With the brand in need of a heir apparent post-Mania, Ohno could go either way and he will definitely be a factor in the NXT Championship picture sooner rather than later.
With the inevitable main roster call-ups, NXT will go through another shift filled with new talent and build towards SummerSlam weekend. TakeOver: Brooklyn will be their next stop but before that, there is much work to be done. Even though this is a small card, the term “less is more” is going through my head because of it being WrestleMania weekend and all. If there are going to be some who are wrestling for NXT a final time, then the impact of their performances will be greater.
With that being said, here are some predictions that may come out of NXT TakeOver: Orlando this weekend.