NXT Takeover New York Preview

It's that time of year for us wrestling marks, our Christmas season if you will. Wrestlemania season! A whole year's worth of storylines being paid off on the grandest stage of them all. And it should come as no surprise that the lowkey crown jewel of the weekend has been the NXT Takeover shows. Although this year is kind of tainted with the injury to the NXT champion Tommaso Ciammpa, that however has not dulled the shine on this card. Without further adieu I give you my humble thoughts.

Aleister Black and Ricochet VS The War Raiders (NXT Tag Team Championship)

The annual teaming up of two singles stars to form a tag team has been pretty damn entertaining actually. Ricochet is one of the most amazing athletes that I have ever seen, while Black can throw some kicks that make your bones hurt just to watch. The War Raiders have been traveling the globe together for quite a while as War Machine in Ring of Honor and New Japan and have been a remarkably dominant team putting on amazing performance after performance. Given that Black and Ricochet have been called up I expect this to be a great back and forth but in the the Raiders will retain.
Winner: War Raiders

WALTER VS Pete Dunne (WWE UK Championship)
The bruiserweight has had an amazing reign, he is currently the longest reigning current champion, almost coming up to the two year mark. He has risen to every challenge and put on a 5 star effort in the process.

We're talking here!

Now he faces the Ring General himself WALTER. This wrestling Frankenstein is a freak in the best sense of the word. Remarkably agile for a man his size and pound for pound has the best chop in the business. I imagine this is going to pit the speed and joint manipulation of Dunne against the power and unbeatable aura of WALTER. By the end of the night I expect the strings of Dvorak's symphony to be playing and the reign of the Ring General to begin.
Winner: WALTER

Matt Riddle VS Velveteen Dream (NXT North American Championship)
This is the hardest match of the evening for me to predict. The Puma is a long time fan of both the Dream and Riddle.

This was the entire match.

Dream for going all in on this character which could in the hands of a lesser performer could have become a running gay joke but Dream is a complex, psycho-sexual weirdo that has crowds eating out the palm of his hands. Matt Riddle is an aloof bro, yet on paper when we should hate this guy, he is so genuine that you can't help but love the guy. I think that we are close to a Dream call up so given that I think we will see the Bro get his first title win.
Winner: Matt Riddle

Io Shirai VS Bianca Belair VS Kairi Sane VS Shayna Bayzler (NXT Women's Championship)
I could make a compelling case for all of the women in this match to take the title. Io Shirai is the hot shot winner of the Mae Young Classic, Belair is the popular and athletically superior upstart, Kairi Sane has been to the mountaintop and knows what it takes to beat Bayzler and Bayzler has become a pretty damn intense and sometimes terrifying performer.

Given that she has become more and more unhinged as the build has gone on I would say that her emotions are going to betray her. Sane has already won the title so it really comes down to two choices for me. Belair may be a little green for the title right now, so I think we get another title change and Io Shirai continues her very succesful rookie year.
Winner: Io Shirai

Johnny Gargano VS Adam Cole (NXT Championship)
This was supposed to be the moment that Johnny Gargano finally overcame his own personal demon in Tommaso Ciampa and won the NXT Title. Injuries have scrapped that plan so far. So now we shift into the the story of Adam Cole, slimy leader of the Undisputed Era trying to bring to pass his prophecy that every member of the Era would have gold in NXT and the redemption of Johnny Wrestling.

I don't see really see a reason to keep Gargano around NXT without the Ciampa storyline so I think that Cole will take the title and a new reign begins 2 years after he made his debut at the biggest Takeover of the year.
Winner: Adam Cole

Well folks there you have it, I'm sitting anxiously waiting for the biggest wrestling weekend of the year so feel free to let a brother know what you think is going to happen.