NXT TakeOver: New York Full Match Card Prediction
Credit: WWE.com
Grudge Match: Keith Lee vs. Kassius Ohno
NXT TakeOver events have a tendency to have at least one non-title grudge match. It varies from show to show exactly what brings that rivalry and subsequent match to fruition, but it would make perfect sense for New York’s grudge match to act as a continuation of NXT TakeOver: Phoenix.
In Phoenix, we saw Matt Riddle face off against Kassius Ohno for the third time. While Riddle defeated him in a shocking six-second upset after opening the match with a perfectly timed knee strike, that was only the beginning of their bitter rivalry. Ohno garnered a rematch, but came up short yet again after tapping out to the Bro-mission.
It looked like Kassius Ohno was ready to acknowledge and give his respect to Riddle, but instead he showed his true colors by attacking The Original Bro after his loss. With a beatdown that saw Riddle go careening into the steel steps on the outside two separate times, Ohno had made his opinion quite clear.
After their issues heated up on NXT, we saw Ohno go toe to toe with a good friend of Riddle’s, “The Limitless” Keith Lee. Another relative newcomer to NXT, Lee had already shown how special he is inside the ring. Despite the size and power of a superheavyweight, Keith Lee moves like a cruiserweight and draws the adoration of the fans with every effortless action.
In hopes of getting revenge for Ohno’s attack on Riddle, it was Lee who took on Ohno, but came just shy of victory. Keith Lee looked poised to force Kassius Ohno to bask in the glory of his victory, but a well-timed referee distraction allowed Kassius to hit a low blow that helped him secure the victory.
Kassius Ohno started to attack Keith Lee after the match, but was interrupted by Matt Riddle who sent Ohno fleeing to the back. While Matt Riddle has avenged that moment and cleansed himself of Ohno, Keith Lee still has a loss he’ll likely want to remedy by trying Ohno once more.
Unless another new NXT star gets this opening contest, it would be a natural progression to see Keith Lee go after Kassius Ohno looking for revenge. Keith Lee is an absolute star in the making, and a program with Kassius Ohno can only help him in the long run.