Credit: WWE.com
With the developmental brand’s annual pre-SummerSlam supercard fast approaching, what will Triple H and company have in store for us at WWE NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn IV?
Note: The author wrote this piece independent of any spoilers from the last set of NXT tapings.
We are a little more than a month away from WWE NXT returning to the Barclays Center for the fourth annual TakeOver event in that building. The previous TakeOver: Brooklyn shows have given fans classics such as Sasha Banks vs. Bayley, The Revival vs. #DIY, Aleister Black vs.Hideo Itami and Ember Moon vs. Asuka. I have no doubt that this year’s TakeOver event will create similar memories.
With so much time between now and TakeOver: Brooklyn, it leaves plenty of room to speculate which matches make the card. Some of the build for this show has already begun as of the most recent episode of NXT. Based on the way Triple H and the rest of the creative team book, it actually isn’t that hard to figure out which direction the storylines are going either. However, I still think that it’s worth predicting which matches make the card based on what Helmsley and company have already done.
Who will challenge Aleister Black next? Which woman will step up to face Shayna Baszler? Will Adam Cole defend the North American Championship? I don’t know, but I can make educated guesses based on the booking.
EC3 vs. The Velveteen Dream
Toward the end of EC3 and Velveteen Dream’s tag team match against Ricochet and NXT Champion Aleister Black, Dream left his tag partner hanging and limped to the back, leaving the one-percenter to fend for himself and ultimately eat a Black Mass for his troubles.
If this match took place on the main roster, I would safely assume that Dream walking out on EC3 wouldn’t lead to anything. However, this is NXT, where nothing that happens accidentally; there is always a purpose. Between Dream walking out on EC3 and the former TNA World Heavyweight Champion’s vow to “end” the D.C. native immediately afterward, the ingredients for a potential singles match between the two has begun to brew.
The beauty of this potential feud is that the creative team can script this storyline without really turning either man face. While both men currently sit on the heel side of the ledger, Dream and EC3 often receive audible babyface reactions when they wrestle. The writers could turn one of them for this feud–if it happens–but it isn’t a necessity.
I find it hard to believe that EC3 or Velveteen Dream would miss the TakeOver: Brooklyn card. I don’t see either man getting a title match, so a singles match between these two charismatic stars makes the most sense.
Moustache Mountain (Tyler Bate and Trent Seven) (c) vs. Undisputed Era (Kyle O’Reilly and Roderick Strong)- NXT Tag Team Championship Match
Hey, dear reader, do me a favor. When you get a chance (preferably after you’ve finished reading this piece), please go and watch the Moustache Mountain vs. Undisputed Era tag title match from the night two of the U.K. Championship tournament show from earlier this week. If you don’t come out of that match thinking that it was one of the best tag team bouts of the year, then I don’t know what to tell you.
These four men have unbelievable chemistry with one another. If this match didn’t convince you of that, then maybe the six-man tag which also featured Adam Cole (BAY BAY!) and Ricochet (more on them later) will. I could watch these men wrestle every day of the week.
As the former champions, Kyle O’Reilly and Roderick Strong are entitled to a championship rematch, which means these two teams will meet again for the titles in the near future. As much as I dislike that overused trope, I’m fine with it as long as it means these four get to tussle again.
Even if they have the rematch on television, I could still see the writers booking this match for TakeOver. Hopefully, they have another classic in them.
Adam Cole (c) vs. Ricochet- NXT North American Championship Match
Based on last night’s NXT, it appears that the writing team is headed in this direction. In the six-man tag main event, where the Undisputed Era faced Ricochet and Moustache Mountain, the former Lucha Underground standout had Cole beat before O’Reilly saved his teammate from eating a pinfall loss. The finish of this match–in which Cole pinned Ricochet after Strong dropped Ricochet on the apron with an End of Heartache–leads me to think that these two aren’t done.
Ricochet has a signature win over Velveteen Dream in his back pocket, so him stepping up to face Cole isn’t much of a surprise. However, I assume that he will win a few more matches en route to becoming number one contender to Cole’s North American Title, setting the stage for an epic showdown between the two.
Both of these men are stars in the making. Cole has all of the necessary attributes to be a future WWE Heavyweight Champion. He cuts tremendous promos, has a star look, and is one of the best workers in the company. Ricochet, on the other hand, is the most athletic high-flyer I’ve ever seen not named Will Ospreay. He has vastly improved on the mic and also possesses the star quality of a future world champion.
These two may wrestle in the middle of TakeOver Brooklyn, but I could see them main eventing a main roster pay-per-view in the next several years.
Shayna Baszler (c) vs. Candice LeRae
Before last night’s episode of NXT, I thought that Kairi Sane challenging Shayna Baszler for the NXT Women’s Championship made the most sense. While I still think that Sane vs. Baszler is a possibility, I now believe that Candice LeRae will challenge the former mixed martial artist in Brooklyn. LeRae’s decree that she was chasing the NXT Women’s Title following her win over Lacey Evans caused me to change my mind.
Whether Sane or LeRae challenges Baszler, it really doesn’t matter that much. Both women are great natural babyfaces. They know how to work from underneath and they possess a likable charm that endears them to the audience in a way that doesn’t seem corny. Not to mention that they are two of the best workers in the company.
Both women are perfect foils for the domineering Baszler, who has emerged as one of the best heel champions in the history of the NXT brand. Like her pal Ronda Rousey, Baszler is amazing for someone with a small handful of wrestling experience. The writers have also done a great job maintaining her dominant mystique without making her seem unbeatable.
(For a recent example of her work, go back and watch her title match against Toni Storm from earlier this week. You’ll see how important it is to play to a talent’s strengths with good character work and smart booking. Plus, you get to see Toni Storm, who’s awesome at pro wrestling.)
No matter who gets the title shot at TakeOver: Brooklyn, I won’t complain. But I think they will give the spot to LeRae.
Aleister Black (c) vs. Tommaso Ciampa- NXT Championship Match
I sort of predicted that the NXT writers would go this route in my TakeOver: Chicago predictions piece. Ciampa getting a title shot against Black after his victory earlier this month makes a lot of sense, especially since there aren’t too many other credible heels that could challenge Black for the NXT Title.
The writers have already started the build for this match with Black and Ciampa exchanging words on last night’s NXT. I expect these two will to verbally joust some more between now and TakeOver.
A call-up for Black seems imminent. He has a cool, unique look and could instantly establish himself as a top guy on either RAW or SmackDown. He has little else to accomplish at the NXT level, but that would accurately describe many members of that roster.
I brought up the possibility of Black getting called up because I expect Ciampa to take the title from him in Brooklyn. From there, Ciampa would face Johnny Gargano for a third time at the TakeOver before Survivor Series with the NXT Title at stake. If that were to happen, I would assume that Gargano would earn the decisive win over his bitter rival along with the coveted gold.
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Putting that bit of fantasy booking aside, I do think that Black vs. Ciampa at TakeOver: Brooklyn is a strong possibility.