NXT TakeOver: Phoenix Match Card Predictions

Ricochet (c) vs. Matt Riddle – NXT North American Championship Match

Following he and WWE United Kingdom Champion Pete Dunne pinning Adam Cole at the same time inside WarGames, NXT North American Champion Ricochet does not have a clear number one contender for his title.

Sure, Cole could say that he never received a “one-on-one rematch” with Ricochet, but that would be a flimsy way for him to worm his way into another North American Title match. It’s a level of laziness that fans usually expect on the main roster, but not in NXT (I am a bit biased as I’m not a big fan of the “rematch clause” trope).

If the NXT writers choose to give Ricochet a fresh opponent for the next TakeOver, then Matt Riddle makes the most sense given how he’s been pushed over his first couple of weeks. I actually predicted that this match would occur at WarGames, but it makes more sense to have this match in Phoenix.

Even though the writers would probably prefer to pair the North American Champ up with a heel, the black and yellow brand simply doesn’t have enough credible rule breakers that could realistically challenge Ricochet for the gold on the TakeOver stage.

Perhaps they could give a new act like the soon-to-debut Dominik Dijakovic (f.k.a Donovan Dijak) some wins over the next month to get him ready for Ricochet — which would also give the flashy champion a monster to overcome — but the creative team could also keep it simple and give the fans yet another dream match.