Velveteen Dream vs. Ricochet at NXT Takeover: Chicago Preview

Two of NXT’s brightest stars, The Velveteen Dream and Ricochet, will finally go one-on-one at NXT Takeover: Chicago. Will they steal the show?

WWE announced yet another match for NXT Takeover: Chicago following last Wednesday’s NXT, as Ricochet vs. The Velveteen Dream was made official.

Unlike their first match, this one should have a more definitive conclusion. The two men faced one another on the May 16 NXT. Dream and Ricochet traded flashy offense for several minutes before Lars Sullivan slid into the ring and bulldozed both men.

After Ricochet defeated the debuting Chris Dijak (known as Donovan Dijak in Ring of Honor) in a glorified enhancement match on the May 30 NXT, he called out the Dream and challenged him to fight on the spot.

Dream backed away and said that they would fight on a stage better suited for their talents: NXT Takeover: Chicago.

Anything you can do, I can do better.

In earnest, this feud began when the Dream took to Twitter and scribed a “shoot” soliloquy grousing about the influx of indy wrestlers signing with NXT. Of course, Ricochet more than fits that category. He gained notoriety in New Japan Pro Wrestling with his dazzling array of aerial moves and a series of matches against Will Ospreay that sent old school wrestling purists into a tizzy. Fans also know him from his time as Prince Puma in Lucha Underground (which is the profile pic on Dream’s Twitter page).

The two crossed paths in the inaugural NXT North American Title Ladder match, but the feud really picked up on the May 9 NXT, when both men laid claim to an NXT Title match. Dream said that anything that Ricochet could do, he could do better. This led to the aforementioned singles match a week later, where Sullivan steamrolled through Dream and Ricochet.

Both men tried to exact revenge on Sullivan in a handicap match the following week, but Sullivan prevailed after Dream turned on Ricochet and crushed his sternum with a Rolling Death Valley Driver. Now both men will settle their differences in Chicago.

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Thoughts

This match could steal the show in Chicago. Since the feud has been built around one-upsmanship, I expect both men to use many of the same spots in this match that they used a couple of weeks ago. While they run the risk of possibly over-choreographing this match, I think this could be a WWE MOTY candidate.