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WHAT SHOULD GO DOWN TONIGHT - THE WWE NXT TAKEOVER 31 TIP SHEET

Takeover 31 takes place on Sunday.  Here's our take on what will happen at the show.

WWE NXT Champion Finn Balor vs. Kyle O'Reilly.

Dave: One of the great things about NXT is that you can almost always make the case that either side should win.  That is the case here as they did as good a job as possible of elevating Kyle really quickly.  With that said, it's pretty clear the story is that Kyle has been turning face lately, as has Adam Cole.  Kyle said he would win on his own.  I could see a scenario where the match is totally even and at the end, Roddy and Fish come out to help, Cole comes out to stop it and Balor grabs the win off of the distraction.  That moves us to the battle of The Undisputed Era and Kyle can then come back to the champ down the road.

Mike:  They have let a lot of potential choices out in the open here.  I'd actually go all the way with Kyle here, because it would be a great surprise and really, does Balor need the title at this point in time?  The potential for this could be way off the charts and I suspect a kickass, gritty brawl infused with some kickass pro wrestling.  Will we find out where Adam Cole and the rest of Undisputed Era stand?  We will soon find out and that's the greatr thing about pro wrestling - when that big moment they've teased come to fruition.

Richard:  There are so many stories that can come out of this match.  If Kyle wins, how will Adam Cole react to the victory since he was the champion for more than a year?  How do Bobby and Roddy react to the win since they have been on the sidelines in the build within Undisputed Era?  They did a great job building this match on this week's show and I hope we will get a good length (not too long and not too short so get Goldilocks and the Three Bears on this one) without anything superfluous to take away from the two athletes in the ring.  Is it too soon to take the title off Finn?  What happens if Kyle fails to win the match?  The compelling story is Kyle winning, but that would only complete the change of the face of the company (when you look at my thoughts on the other matches).  Ending the show with the Undisputed Era in the ring and a tease (or red herring) of what will happen next would be a good way to end this night.

WWE NXT Women's Champion Io Shirai vs. Candice LaRae.

Dave: I am calling Title switch here.  They have done such a great job in turning Candice.  She will do anything now and if she can't find a way to do anything to take the Title, I think it will hurt her believability factor.  It may not happen but it's what I would do.

Mike:  I am in agreement with Dave here.  Candice's work in the ring and as a character has been off the charts of late and this becomes a nice full circle for her, since it was a year ago she "found herself" in the ring in NXT.  I think this has a real chance to be something truly great in the ring.

Richard:  I would do this match after Johnny and Damian so we can see if the Gargano Prophecy comes true with them being husband and wife champions (that gave away my thoughts on the North American Title match so you can skip that now).  Io has been a great champion, but as Andrew brought up on the preview audio (available on the site), Candice has always been secondary in the women's division and in the Gargano family storylines so this would be a great way to cement her as the true guiding light of the family.

WWE NXT North American Champion Damian Priest vs. Johnny Gargano.

Dave: Priest has been on fire of late and I think it's way too soon to have him lose the Title.  If they put one belt on a Gargano, they will be fine leaving having Johnny lose here.  I look forward to the interaction of the shoe being on the other foot and Candice being the champ.

Mike: I don't see a title change here.  Priest has been hitting on all cylinders and has really established himself, but needs more time to let the roots really sink in.  Gargano is already a made man here.  I don't see him getting the belt.

Richard: If you didn't skip my thoughts on the women's title match, you know where I am going on this one.  This is another match where changing the title might seem too quick, but we don't need 8 month title reigns for every belt.  I do this match early in the show and have all of the pressure on Johnny to win because if he fails, the dream of husband and wife champions ends before Candice has her shot.  I can see some desperation in Johnny to give him the desire and need to cheat to win (but he will see nothing wrong with his actions).  They could always say that Priest was too confident and was too busy partying to focus on Gargano (even though that was the Andrade/Zelina storyline in NXT).

KUSHIDA vs. The Velveteen Dream.

Dave: I have enjoyed the renewed push of Kushida.  I still feel uneasy watching Dream so I put Kushida over here.

Mike: KUSHIDA all the way.

Richard:  I know we are not getting IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion level KUSHIDA matches, but the new attitude gives me hope that he will be effective on NXT.  I liked the video package from Wednesday night and it is time to get a small taste of what we enjoyed in Japan and in ROH in an NXT ring.  

WWE NXT Cruiserweight Champion Santos Escobar vs. Isaiah "Swerve" Scott.

Dave: I like Escobar as the champion.  He carries the belt well.  Swerve has been doing good work lately and is ascending.  I have him get close but get screwed at the end, setting up an "it's not over" situation.

Mike: I don't foresee a title change here but if they give them time, they will have a great match.  To me, it's too soon to change the title, but I can see WWE doing it, since what is the Cruiser belt really worth at this stage of the game?  If I was WWE, I'd want to build it up and to do that, Escobar needs to retain after a great bout.

Richard:  The Cruiserweight Division is on par with the NXT Tag Team Division and this is a match that can make people think more of the cruiserweights (by the way, you can watch them on 205 Live each week).  Scott made Escobar think about whether he can truly beat Scott on his own because of the comments about Wilde and Mendoza or the loaded mask.  Let this be a one on one match that showcases their talents and then we see Scott prove that he is the better man.  I think a pissed off Escobar could be good for the brand.

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