NXT TakeOver: XXX Early full match card predictions

NXT Cruiserweight Championship Match: Santos Escobar (c) vs. Isaiah “Swerve” Scott

To get things started, we’ve got the NXT Cruiserweight Championship on the line as the recently crowned and increasingly confident Santos Escobar defends against Isaiah “Swerve” Scott. The seeds for this match at NXT TakeOver: XXX were laid this week on WWE NXT with a segment featuring Scott and putting the spotlight on him.

Santos Escobar has been a force to be reckoned with since destroying Drake Maverick and capturing the NXT Cruiserweight Championship, but Scott is an altogether different kind of competitor. He’ll have an uphill climb to be sure with the rest of El Legado del Fantasma at ringside, but “Swerve” is no stranger to struggle.

These two could absolutely set things on fire to open the show, and if it takes Raul Mendoza and Joaquin Wilde to help Escobar retain the title, it’ll show just how capable Scott can be.

No Disqualification Match to determine the #1 Contender for the NXT Women’s Championship: Shotzi Blackheart vs. Mercedes Martinez

Another match that had seeds planted this week could see Shotzi Blackheart taking on Mercedes Martinez. After Blackheart’s victory over Aliyah, it was the shocking appearance of Mercedes Martinez that decked Blackheart and brought her celebration to a halt.

Backstage, Martinez approached Robert Stone and made it clear that she wants him to handle things outside of the ring so Mercedes can focus on hurting people inside the ring. I’m sure Stone will try to leverage a title match right off the bat, but I doubt he’s got the managerial skill to make that happen just yet.

Instead, unfinished business between Blackheart and Martinez could spill into NXT TakeOver: XXX. After a matchup between the two on an episode of WWE NXT is inconclusive, a No Disqualification Match would be the perfect way to settle things, and Stone could convince Regal to add in a shot at the NXT Women’s Championship for the victor.