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WWE NXT will present Takeover: Portland tomorrow evening on the WWE Network. Here's our take on what will happen.
WWE NXT Champion Adam Cole vs. Tommaso Ciampa.
Dave: When you look at the card there are a lot of matches that could legitimately go either way. This is certainly one of them. You have the guy who never lost his Title against the guy who has held the belt like an all timer. I am going to go with this: Cole somehow holds onto his Title through nefarious means, setting up a big time stip match for the Mania weekend Takeover. With that said, I wouldn't be shocked to see them do the exact opposite and set Cole up to put something on the line to get the Title back. That is why I enjoy NXT so much, most of the time you could book it strongly either way.
Mike: I don't see a title change here, and here's why. Ciampa needs to have his heart broken in order to get back to being the villain everyone expects him to be. His natural place in the order of NXT is to battle Gargano...and for that to happen, Adam Cole needs to retain. I expect this will be amazing.
Richard: They have done a good job to build the story for this match with Ciampa wanting the title he never lost and to get it back by any means necessary and Cole willing to do anything to keep that title. I have a feeling this won't be the last time we see this match over the next two months because I think we see this again in Tampa. The question is does Ciampa have Goldie with him or not. Since Undisputed Era has had a bit of bad luck recently, I would not be surprised to Roddy, Kyle, or Bobby get involved and get Cole disqualified or see their interference backfire. I don't see NXT ending a show with a DQ finish so if Cole retains, he will get help the ref doesn't see. Then Ciampa can demand a match in Tampa with a stip that does not benefit Cole as champion. With the way Ciampa has portrayed his road to get the title back, a loss would not fit the narrative. If Ciampa does lose, do we get the return of the Blackheart?
Johnny Gargano vs Finn Balor.
Dave: This has been a big time grudge match and I expect the match to be fantastic. Who wins......good question. The story thus far is that Finn is heartless while Johnny is Johnny. Will he once again let his passion get the better of him, cost him the match? I will go with yes, and Balor gets the win. Like the previous match however I am glad I don't have to bet on it.
Mike: I have to go with Gargano here. He's Mr. Takeover avenging that he missed Takeover because of Balor. To me, Balor should be the bridge to get Gargano back into position to face the NXT Champion down the line. This should be very good to excellent, especially if they give them a lot of time. I'll even predict this might be Balor's best WWE match to date.
Richard: The man who is known as Mr. Takeover facing the man who ended his streak of appearing at Takeovers and the battle between the icons of the brand. Balor has more to prove in this match. He needs to justify his move from the main roster to NXT and a strong performance might not be enough. Gargano is teflon on the brand so a victory is not needed. However, Gargano is not going to lay down for his opponent because when you are Mr. Takeover, you are not going to go through the motions on 'your show'.
WWE NXT Champion Rhea Ripley vs. Bianca Belair.
Dave: If Charlotte Flair hadn't won the Rumble and they hadn't done the angle setting up Rhea vs. her at Mania, I would feel there was a better chance of Bianca winning. She has been rolling lately, big time, but the money match is Charlotte vs. Rhea at this point. Plus, Rhea hasn't had the belt long enough to lose it yet. I expect a very competitive match. I expect Charlotte will be there. Maybe she will even interfere in the finish and then choose Rhea because she wants to beat her ass. No matter how they get there, Rhea wins. I just hope that they don't turn the Mania match into a three way. That would take the luster off, like it did last Mania.
Mike: I don't see a title change here, since it would be too vast a change after they've spent the last few weeks on Raw building up Rhea Ripley. I do think Bianca will have an excellent showing. If it's me, Charlotte Flair shows up and tries to interfere to get at Rhea, but inadvertantly causes Bianca's loss. That leaves everyone with something else to avenge down the line.
Richard: I agree with Dave that with Charlotte Flair looming over the NXT Women's Title, Rhea is the more likely match for Wrestlemania. I think Bianca's promos have been her best over the last few weeks and she stood up to Charlotte to say that she is not an afterthought and Charlotte better not focus only on facing Rhea in April, and then telling Rhea not to look past her in Portland. I expect to see Bianca's best performance in this match, but Rhea will be a little better and retain the title. I don't want to see the powers that be say that Bianca's performance justifies a Triple Threat match (and in the same way, if Bianca wins, make it Bianca vs Flair). The build to the NXT title match at Mania should continue on Monday since Everett isn't that far from Portland.
WWE NXT Tag Team Champions The Undisputed Era vs. Dusty Tag Classic 2020 winners Pete Dunne & Matt Riddle.
Dave: I love the Era but the Broserweight stuff has been so much fun. Them stowing away on HHH's plane was great and the kind of fun stuff you usually don't see on NXT (and that I would like to see more of). Riddle and Dunne interact so well with each other. I don't want to see that end so I have them score the win here and become the tag champions.
Mike: I am calling a title change here. NXT is onto something fun with the Dunne and Riddle tandem and UE don't need the belts to be seen as special. This should be a fun war, but in the end, I expect new champs.
Richard: I hope Matt and Pete made it safely to Portland in the baggage compartment of Air HHH. Since tag teams don't have to be partners for years to win titles (other than the New Day). If this is not going to be a good night for the Undisputed Era, they should take the titles off Bobby and Kyle, even though I would like to see them retain. With the way that Pete and Matt interact, I almost want them to win to see the celebration on Wednesday's NXT (I am hoping for Matt to hold a 'proper British celebration' for Party Pete).
WWE NXT North American Champion Keith Lee vs. Dominik Dijakovic.
Dave: These two have had a great rivalry and this will be no different. They are both amazing in what they can do at their sizes. Lee is the shining star on the ascent, and he just won the Title. It's way too soon to take it off of him here (with the caveat being that he isn't being moved to Raw or Smackdown obviously).
Mike: I don't see a title change here. These two have an incredible chemistry and I've enjoyed their matches from EVOLVE to the present, but Lee is just building up steam as champion. I think Dijakovic having a great showing here, even in losing, will mean more than just a title win. This should be a really entertaining hoss fight.
Richard: I have a feeling that this match will steal the show based on what we have seen from both of them in the past. I don't see Lee losing the title so soon, but Dijakovic will throw everything at Keith to try to get the title from him. I loved Mark Henry's video on this week's NXT highlighting both men and how they are examples of the hybrid athletes we are seeing in wrestling. Since we have seen crossovers to tease a Flair/Ripley match, why not have Keith Lee show up on Smackdown and challenge Roman Reigns, to throw a potential detour from the expected Universal Title Match for Roman in Tampa (or Keith Lee getting the torch passed from John Cena? [or Lee versus WALTER?])
Tegan Nox vs. Dakota Kai - Street Fight.
Dave: Does Nox get her full revenge on her former friend? I say no! This feud has been so much fun I don't want it blown off yet. They can easily build to a big stip match at Takeover Tampa. They could use the Gargano booking of Nox gets so wrapped up in revenge it leads to Kai using it against her and getting the win. Kai has been great since she turned by the way, just great,
Mike: The documentary on Nox's return has been great, first of all, so if you haven't seen it, go out of your way. A few weeks ago, Richard and I talked about in audio how their last match was too quick and felt deflated. This is their chance to redeem themselves and as long as they are given time, I expect this is going to be something special. But, who should go over? If it's my call, it's way too late for this feud to end. In my mind, Kai should get the win in some nefarious way and they should blow this off Mania weekend.
Richard: This is the match this feud needs because their last match was a bit of a let down. Dakota's heel turn has been good for her with the aesthetic change, but in terms of her in ring work, she loses way too much. I hope they have Tegan go to the ring first so Dakota can get into her head with her HunterTron video of the WarGames attack. Dakota needs this win a lot more than Tegan. I think Dakota is in the same spot as Finn where a win and strong performance is what is desperately needed in Portland. Not that she needs an ally, but I wouldn't be against seeing Dakota form an alliance with Io Shirai to torment the rest of the women's roster.
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