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NXT TakeOver War Games 2 will feature just four matches, but each of these matches is must-see. It will be a tall task to steal the show from Tommaso Ciampa and The Velveteen Dream, but Kairi Sane and Shayna Baszler have more than a fighting chance of wowing everyone at War Games.
Last year, NXT TakeOver War Games was voted by the fans as the best NXT show of the year, so TakeOver War Games 2 has quite a high standard to meet this year. With just four matches on the card, Triple H and Co. have clearly taken a “less is more” approach to the numbers of matches on the card, but a “more is more” approach to the amount of time allotted per match.
Johnny Gargano vs. Aleister Black, The Velveteen Dream vs. Tommaso Ciampa, and the War Games match itself will undoubtedly be classics. However, another match that will undoubtedly get plenty of time, which will be a welcome site, is the 2-out-of-3 falls blow-off match between Kairi Sane and Shayna Baszler.
Sane and Baszler have put together three tremendous matches on a big stage in the Mae Young Classic finals, at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn 4, and at the Evolution PPV last month. Their match at TakeOver: War Games could be even better, noting the stipulation, and here are three reasons why they could steal the show.
1. Kairi Sane and Shayna Baszler have special chemistry
“Fight forever” has almost become a cliche in professional wrestling, and it’s no surprise that Kairi Sane and Shayna Baszler get put into this category by fans. This is a story that has been told for well over a year, dating back to Sane’s triumph in the first Mae Young Classic, and it’s worth noting that both women are 2-2 against each other.
Traditionally, feuds are usually fought over three matches, but Baszler and Sane have been such great opponents that they’ve made this last for more than 12 months for five total matches.
Sane is the technically gifted wrestler who makes up for her lack of size with tenacity, resiliency, exceptionally quick-thinking, and blinding speed. She hits hard and has a killer instinct that Baszler overlooked until she witnessed just what Sane is capable of at TakeOver: Brooklyn IV.
Meanwhile, Baszler is the perfect foil for Sane, because she’s widely praised as one of the best heels in WWE, perhaps even the best. Occasionally compared to main roster star Samoa Joe, Baszler, a two-time NXT Women’s Champion, cuts bone-chilling promos and stares into the soul of opponents who are destined to pass out to the Kirifuda Clutch.
But Baszler, ever the bully, has awakened the most passionate, determined version of Sane yet. Sane screamed at Baszler with every last bit of strength she could muster after Baszler blatantly cheated to win the title at Evolution, and Baszler should consider herself marked for the ultimate vengeance at War Games.
Chemistry doesn’t just lead to great counters or call-backs during matches; it also lends itself to poetic, complex story-telling. On a TakeOver card that features Gargano vs. Black, Sane and Baszler may have told the most poignant story leading into this month’s show.
2. They Should Get 20-30 Minutes To Work With
With just four matches on the NXT TakeOver card, Baszler vs. Sane could get 30 minutes as two-out-of-three falls match between two wrestlers who have no quit in them. I’d wager that this match should be the second-longest of the night behind the War Games match, though Velveteen Dream vs. Ciampa and Gargano vs. Black are also epics waiting to be told.
Still, Sane and Baszler have shown what they can do in 15 minutes, and while longer matches aren’t always better, the NXT Universe should wholeheartedly believe that a two-out-of-three falls match that lasts 30 minutes would indeed be twice as good.
Most two-out-of-three-falls matches end up falling short of the half-hour mark, but Baszler vs. Sane feels different, given the emotions involved. After the actions of Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir at Evolution, this match has become even more personal for Sane, and it will be scary to see what she’ll do in order to win the NXT Women’s Championship back from WWE’s newest heel stable.
The structure of a two-out-of-three falls match is always intriguing, especially when it involves two technical wrestlers with clashing styles but equal levels of skill. Sane and Baszler told a masterful story at TakeOver: Brooklyn IV that our Laura Mauro analyzed, but this match at War Games will have even higher expectations, given the enticing stipulation.
3. Jessamyn Duke And Marina Shafir Loom
Last year at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III, Adam Cole made his debut, forming the “Undisputed Era” with Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly. Since then, the Undisputed Era has won championships, survived War Games, added Roderick Strong to the group, and taken over NXT.
I bring up the Undisputed Era, because their dominance in NXT might not be able to hold a candle to what Shayna Baszler, Jessamyn Duke, and Marina Shafir have in store for the wrestling world. A cutthroat, talented heel stable of women in NXT has been a long time coming, and their presentation as a trio with legitimate fighting experience could create a dramatic rift in the NXT Women’s Division that leads to some epic battles and stories going forward.
Duke and Shafir helped Baszler regain the NXT Women’s Championship at Evolution against Sane, and it will be interesting to see if they distract Sane either blatantly (again) or in a less direct manner. Sane has to pin or submit Baszler twice in order to win this match, but could her focus drift towards obtaining vengeance against Duke and Shafir for their actions last month?
This internal struggle is yet another intricacy to this fifth match between Sane and Baszler, and Shafir and Duke have subtly shown that they can be excellent supporting characters. The spotlight will hit them in the near future, but, for now, they are important pieces of the puzzle, and they could play a pivotal role at TakeOver: War Games.
This additional dynamic adds a layer to the match that finalizes its potential as yet another a show-stealing encounter between two of the most gifted wrestlers in WWE.