TJRWrestling WWE NXT Takeover XXX Preview (Lee vs. Kross, NXT North American Title Ladder Match)

John: It’s pretty cool to be here today to write about the 30th WWE NXT Takeover event. There have been so many amazing Takeover shows and moments that I’ll never forget. This is the second they have done without any real fans at the shows, so it feels like a different era because you just don’t get as much noise from the developmental wrestlers in the crowd banging on the plexiglass. I did like the Takeover In Your House event, though, and I am optimistic about some things on this event.

There are six matches on this Takeover event counting the Kickoff Show match. The usual amount for the main card is five, so it looks like it will be business as usual for the NXT crew. We know there will be at least one new champion because there’s a 5-man Ladder Match for the Vacant NXT North American Title. The Tag Team Titles are missing from the card. Even though the Imperium duo holding the titles are a good team, NXT has done a poor job of developing their men’s tag team division in the last few months. The show should be headlined by the NXT Championship match between Keith Lee and Karrion Kross, who is already getting a NXT Title match in just his second Takeover match. That’s pretty impressive.

Joining me for the preview are two guys that used to write about NXT weekly for us on TJRWrestling: Kurt Zamora and Lance Augustine. Let’s get to it.

(Note: All graphics are from WWE.)

KICKOFF SHOW – Number One Contender’s Match For The WWE NXT Tag Team Championships: Danny Burch & Oney Lorcan vs. Legado del Fantasma (Joaquin Wilde & Raul Mendoza) vs. Breezango (Tyler Breeze & Fandango)

Kurt: This match was announced Wednesday night. Breezango and Legado Del Fantasma have been feuding a bit as Breezango have backed up the two challengers for Santos Escobar’s title. Legado Del Fantasma is low key one of my top three favorite acts in NXT right now. I love their presentation, I love that they make the Cruiserweight Title mean something, and I’ve been a huge fan of Santos Escobar since his days in Lucha Underground as King Cuerno. They have a lot of talent in that division and I’m glad they’re getting a spotlight in NXT solely. Breezango is the perfect NXT team. Lots of entertainment, but can go in the ring when needed. Breeze has that aura of being an NXT OG, which adds to their credibility on the brand. However, my absolute sentimental favorite perhaps in all of WWE, is Oney Lorcan. That is a guy who wrestles in a way that makes you feel it’s real, and in a way that comes across that he’s fighting for his life every time. I love everything he does, and always root for his success. He and Burch were a legitimate contender a while back, and had a banger of a match with Undisputed Era, before injuries set them back. I would love to see them become a prominent tag team again in the division, so I’m going with them to win. Should be a fun match and set the tone for the night.

Prediction: Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch

Lance: This match being on the Kickoff Show is the biggest difference between NXT and AEW. AEW has put an emphasis on tag team wrestling, and while NXT has had some standout matches, it seems underutilized most of the time. Burch and Lorcan are solid wrestlers from across the pond and I had a treat watching their matches when I covered NXT UK for the site. Wilde and Mendoza are a team that have been on the rise as of late, and of course Breezango made their return when both men requested to go back to NXT after stints on the main roster. This should be a good back and forth match with all three of the teams complimenting each other well. It’s a toss-up for me on who wins, but in the end, I think Lorcan and Burch have their time to shine.

Winner(s): Danny Burch & Oney Lorcan

John: The champions are the heel Imperium duo of Marcel Barthel and Fabian Aichner, so it would make sense for a face team to win. As much as I like Legado del Fantasma as a group, that takes them out of the mix as the winners. Breezango have had a title shot recently and came up short, so maybe it is time for Burch and Lorcan? The thing is, when I think of Breezango teaming up for the majority of the last five years or so, they have never won any tag team gold. I think it would be a cool story if they were finally able to do it in NXT. I’m not sure when or where, but I think this is the year where Breezango finally does it. This should be a solid match although without a story going into it, this doesn’t feel that interesting to me.

Winners: Breezango

Finn Balor vs. Timothy Thatcher

Kurt: I’m not sure if this was worthy of being on Takeover, but they had to get to their five matches I suppose. The story behind this is that Thatcher feels Balor cost him a spot in the ladder match in their Triple Threat entry match, so Thatcher cost Balor his second chance match against Velveteen Dream this past week.

Balor is the definition of floundering. It’s so odd how he came back to NXT, almost as a savior. Arguably the greatest NXT performer of all time, coming back home, and then… nothing. No titles, no big matches, just kind of jumping from match to match. I know the Walter angle got derailed by COVID, and that probably would’ve been massive for the UK Takeover that was supposed to happen, but even his turn back to babyface out of nowhere made no sense. Thatcher’s vignettes of teaching the “Thatch As as Thatch Can” wrestling style have been fun. It gives him a little personality even though he’s a no nonsense character. I thought the fight pit was a lot of fun with Riddle and I’d like to see more of him. For these reasons combined, I’m going with Thatcher getting a big win against a big name, but honestly, I don’t know what a win over Balor means anymore.

Prediction: Timothy Thatcher

Lance: Finn Balor has kind of been a mixed bag since returning to NXT. It seemed like he was on a collision course with Walter during Wrestlemania weekend, but Covid had something to say about that. He has had some main event level matches, but nothing has really stood out. Balor is one of the best wrestlers in the company so I would expect him to be challenging for the title, or at least be in a marquee match. I do like what Thatcher has brought to the table recently though, with being a replacement for Pete Dunne in the Broserweights, as well as battling Matt Riddle in the cage fight on NXT TV recently. Balor will have revenge on his mind after Thatcher cost him a chance to be in the ladder match for the North American Title. Thatcher is a brawler, and Balor will use his athleticism throughout. As far as a winner, I can see Balor putting his ego aside and putting over a guy on his way up.

Winner: Timothy Thatcher

John: This should be pretty good and there’s at least a decent story here as the guys mentioned above. I think in Thatcher’s case, a win would be one of the biggest of his NXT career so far because Balor is one of the greatest wrestlers in NXT history. It’s a case of the veteran putting over the guy that’s relatively new in NXT. However, I think it’s too early in the story for that and that Balor should get the win to avenge Thatcher costing Balor the win on NXT this past week. It will probably be a match where Thatcher comes close to winning many times, but Balor will find a way to overcome all of the submission attempts and I think Balor will win with the Coup de Grace double foot stomp. I can also see the feud continuing either with a post match attack by Thatcher or it continues on NXT next week. It doesn’t have to end here.

Winner: Finn Balor

Adam Cole vs. Pat McAfee

Kurt: I had a completely different opinion of this match heading into Wednesday’s show. Then McAfee shows up, cuts what arguably could be considered the greatest celebrity/athlete promo of all time, and somehow got me fully invested in this match. I still have gripes, mainly surrounding whether this is supposed to be the start of the Adam Cole/Undisputed Era babyface turn. Even without fans in the crowd to dictate it, I don’t understand how this is supposed to make Cole a babyface. He’s going from being the longest-reigning NXT Champion of all time, being in the main event of 6 of the last 8 Takeovers (and one of the two he wasn’t main event, he was still defending the NXT Title), to a match with a non-wrestler who isn’t all that mainstream. He’s a former NFL Punter. A damn good one if you’re a football junkie, but how many wrestling fans were clamoring to see him in the ring? Lawrence Taylor, he is not. So how does that make him seem sympathetic to fans? It just comes across as a major cool down on what was the biggest push on the brand. I concede that using a punt to knock Cole out, looked good and legit, but until this promo, I was very meh about it. Now though, I actually believe McAfee thinks he’s going to win this match. He’s not nervous about it. So this might surprise some people. All that being said though, there’s only one result to this match.

Prediction: Adam Cole

Lance: I am a mixed bag on this one, much to the chagrin of my peers. On one hand, Adam Cole is one of the top wrestlers in the world right now and a personal favorite of mine. He has been built up as the longest-reigning NXT Champion of all time and hasn’t really had a bad match the entire time with the brand. Pat McAfee is also the man, but obviously using a different medium. He used to play in the NFL and even though he is a punter, he will probably hold his own in the ring. On the other hand, I think this shows how NXT is lacking star power near the top right now. Obviously, they are going head to head with AEW and both companies are trying to do what they can to get the edge. McAfee is great at what he does, but I am not clamoring to see him get in the ring. Cole can pull a good match out of anyone, and with McAfee’s background athletically, I don’t think it’ll be a total disaster. It just bothers me that they are pulling from the outside when you have guys that you could push to this spot, other than Cole and Keith Lee. I don’t want this to sound like a harsh critique, it just feels very WWE. I will say though, Cole going on the Pat McAfee Show and cutting a great promo made me smile because it was done pretty great. Pat McAfee wasn’t too shabby himself cutting the promo last week on NXT TV. I can’t see McAfee getting the win here unless they want to stretch this out, and I don’t think that is what is in the cards. Losing to McAfee could be another reason why they took the belt off of Cole, but I just think Cole should get the win here.

Winner: Adam Cole

John: Pat McAfee is the first of two men having their first televised WWE matches this weekend. The other one is Dominik Mysterio at SummerSlam on Sunday, but at least in Dominik’s case, he has been training to be a professional wrestler for several years now. In McAfee’s case, he’s a retired NFL punter (who was very good at that job) that’s 33 years old. That’s not old by any means, but this is still his first match. McAfee’s talk show/internet show is very popular, so the angle did get a lot of attention. The good thing for McAfee is that he’s going to be in the ring with one of the best in Adam Cole, who will bump his ass off to make McAfee look credible and I’m sure they’ve been practicing the match for several weeks now. It looks like I’m the most optimistic among the three of us for this match and that’s okay.

I have enjoyed the feud a lot from the moment they set up the angle on McAfee’s sports talk show and then had it continue on NXT TV. McAfee is a gifted talker that is a lifelong wrestling fan that has also done some on-camera commentary in WWE, so I’m sure this has been discussed for a long time. As I stated in this week’s NXT Review, I loved McAfee’s promo just like I enjoyed the appearance two weeks earlier where he booted Cole to knock him out (great sell by Cole). A big reason why this was done was to turn Adam Cole babyface and I think if there were fans in the crowd, it would have worked perfectly. It’s a simple story that works because Cole’s one of the best NXT wrestlers ever while McAfee is an outside that is talking shit about him since Cole has had Undisputed Era helping for years and of course Pat has been making a lot of short jokes. I expect McAfee to put up a fight, I think he’ll do pretty well for a celebrity and maybe it will lead to more matches. I just think it makes a lot of sense for Cole to win a match that goes around 10-12 minutes. There’s no need to go that long. I think they’re going to impress and surprise a lot of people with how good it is.

Winner: Adam Cole…bay bay

WWE NXT Women’s Championship: Io Shirai (c) vs. Dakota Kai

Kurt: Another match on the card that I had a completely different opinion on before Wednesday’s show. Dakota and Raquel had a legit vibe of the female version of HBK & Diesel when Diesel first debuted. You don’t see too many versions of female heaters that are Raquel’s size. It made Dakota’s heel turn successful, and gave her some real credibility as Raquel looks intimidating by her side. Not sure if Raquel was a COVID victim or what took her off TV, but Dakota was not the same without her. She was just a woman trying to find her way again and I was surprised they gave her a title shot, especially on a Takeover. With Raquel’s return and picking up right where she left off, I’m thinking I would go with a title change here. Dakota, to me, is completely different with Raquel. She’s more confident and the presentation of them together really works. I think it’s something new for the women’s title and the division as a whole. Io is absolutely fantastic. I love scenarios when you’re so good as a heel, it turns you babyface. Sometimes it doesn’t work, how you doin’ Miz? But for Io, her complete character overhaul really worked and she’s been just as good as a babyface again as she was as a heel. I wouldn’t complain if Io retained, especially for a rematch with Rhea, but there’s more options with a title change here.

Prediction: New NXT Women’s Champion, Dakota Kai

Lance: Io Shirai won the NXT Women’s Title in somewhat surprising fashion at NXT: In Your House by beating Charlotte Flair and Rhea Ripley in a Triple Threat Match. I don’t mean to brag, but I think your boy called it. Shirai was a long shot in that match and always seems to be for some reason. She has been a good champion since then and hasn’t had many bad matches. Dakota Kai and Tegan Nox had a series of matches that were very solid over the latter part of last year and the beginning of this year, so it doesn’t surprise me that she is getting a title shot here. Her work was solid in those matches and has been solid all around leading up to this match. It’ll be interesting to see if Raquel plays a part in the finish, but my money is on that she will. I feel like a title change is brewing, and although Shirai hasn’t had the belt long, Kai might be the one to dethrone her.

Winner and NEW NXT Women’s Champion: Dakota Kai

John: I see my friends above picking Dakota Kai and while I certainly wouldn’t mind seeing that because I enjoy her heel run, I think Io Shirai should have a longer title reign. It’s only been two months since she won the title in the main event of Takeover In Your House and there hasn’t been that many title defenses. I also think about what happened on the last NXT when Shirai was attacked by Kai and her buddy Raquel Gonzalez, so that makes me lean towards Shirai retaining. I think Kai may be the next woman to hold the title, but it doesn’t have to happen right now. Let’s see Shirai have a meaningful title reign. I could see another woman like Candice LeRae or Mercedes Martinez getting a title shot in the future as well.

It should be a well worked match because Shirai is one of the best in WWE – man or woman – and whenever she’s given the chance to have a meaningful match you know she’s going to deliver a strong performance. Kai is right in her prime, she’s gotten more comfortable as a heel as the year has gone on and she might have the best match of her career right here. However, I’m going with Shirai to retain because I think there’s a lot more she can do as the champion and I want to see her against some different opponents later in the year.

Winner: Io Shirai

Ladder Match For The Vacant WWE NXT North American Championship: Damian Priest vs. Cameron Grimes vs. Johnny Gargano vs. Bronson Reed vs. The Velveteen Dream

Kurt: Let’s just get the elephant in the room out of the way first. No, I don’t think Dream should be in this match. I think Triple H should’ve read the room a little better. Trips can say they did an investigation and found nothing, but I still wouldn’t have played the “nothing to see here” game and act like he wasn’t gone for a reason and instantly put him back at the top of the card. Turning Dream heel almost seems like an admission of, “well, I don’t think anyone really wants to cheer this guy right now.” Even #FireVelveteenDream was trending on Twitter after NXT concluded this week. So it’s an unfortunate cloud over this match. I just hope they don’t double down on the decision and decide to give him the title to spark said heel turn. I also just want to say how thankful I am that Gargano is going to be healthy enough to participate in this match, after that horrific botched powerslam. That was terrifying. There’s no real story involved between the participants, so much like any NXT Ladder Match, it’s going to be a car crash. With new blood in this match that want to showcase their talents on a big stage finally, I expect some scary chances to be taken. All 5 men could realistically win this match, so that’s what I like most about it. I’m going with my gut on this one, and I think that Priest has been the most showcased out of the new blood, but has come up short quite a bit. He needs a big win and I think a title win here will help establish him as a top babyface for the brand. I think he’s got a lot of untapped potential.

Prediction: New North American Champion, Damian Priest

Lance: This is one of the better matches, on paper, on the night. You have two former North American Champions, Dream and Gargano, and a slew of newcomers looking to make their mark on the NXT brand. Cameron Grimes and Damien Priest have been standouts for me since they have debuted. Both have been in the ring with some NXT heavy hitters as of late, and have really shown they can hold their own. Bronson Reed is another great up and comer and to see some new blood getting some spotlight on a big show is always good. With all of that out of the way, I think it’s Gargano’s match to lose. He had an injury scare a few weeks ago and he is coming with a chip on his shoulder for this one. He is in NXT for the long haul and with the recent controversies surrounding Dream, I just can’t see them putting the belt back on him. The young guys will get their shot, just not right this second.

Winner and NEW NXT North American Champion: Johnny Gargano

John: Any time there’s a multi-person Ladder Match like this I like to break it down in order of who I think is the least likely winner leading up to my choice. Before that, I just want to say that I have high expectations for the match and I think it will be the best match from a quality standpoint in terms of my star ratings. Past NXT Ladder Matches have been amazing. After all, ladder match master Shawn Michaels is one of the main bookers of NXT (Triple H said it’s him, Shawn and Road Dogg this week), so they know how to set up these matches. Some of the guys in this match are bigger and not going to take crazy bumps, but I think it will be booked in a smart way. Anyway, a breakdown of the competitors.

Velveteen Dream – I really hope this doesn’t happen because frankly, the guy is hated by a lot of wrestling fans right now for allegations of inappropriate conversations and images sent to minors. I’m not saying he’s guilty. I’m just saying if you search for his name on social media, there’s a lot of negativity about Velveteen Dream rather than people talking about the 25-year-old superstar as a future top guy. Don’t put the title on him. He has held it before and doesn’t really need it.

Bronson Reed – Since Reed ended NXT this week as the guy standing tall with the North American Title in his hands, that makes me think he’s not going to win. I think at some point in the future, perhaps later this year or next year, Reed is going to get a massive push in NXT because they obviously like him as a bigger guy that is athletic and looks impressive at everything he does. It wouldn’t shock me if he had a big moment in the match where he did a high spot that makes people say “wow” and it might be the spot of the show. I think Reed is there to have some moments, but he’s not going to win.

Cameron Grimes – I would love to see Grimes win. I think it’s certainly possible because he’s this unique heel that separates himself from everybody else by not acting like a typical bad guy. He’s got that chickenshit heel quality about him, I like the look and the way he carries himself as somebody you want to see getting beat up, yet he is able to find ways to win matches. If he won I would be very happy about it. I almost picked him to win.

Johnny Gargano – This is Gargano’s record 18th NXT Takeover match. Gargano is a former NXT North American Champion, so you could make the point that he doesn’t “need” the title, but if they put the title on him then that’s a way to elevate a babyface like Reed, Priest or somebody else in the future by having them beat Gargano to win the title. Use the value of Gargano as “Mr. NXT” to try to make somebody else into a bigger star. That’s the advantage of having a guy like Gargano on the show that has done it all in NXT and can elevate the others in the company. If Johnny wins, it should be in a cheap way where he capitalizes on a big move by somebody else and then he finds himself winning. It’s certainly possible.

Damian Priest – As soon as he qualified for the match, my gut feeling was that this was Damian Priest’s time to win a title in NXT. Priest wasn’t that interesting during his heel run, then he became more of a face, his confidence seemed to grow in terms of his in-ring performance and I liked his rivalry with Grimes. They worked well together. I can see Priest taking that next step in his NXT career by winning this Ladder Match as NXT’s decision makers put him in a position where he is one of the featured stars of the brand. Priest is a tall, athletic guy with an impressive look and I think it’s easy to see why WWE would want to back him. A win for Priest makes a lot of sense and then he can feud with Gargano or Grimes. That’s my pick.

I’m looking forward to this match. It should be the best of the night.

Winner AND NEW NXT North American Champion: Damian Priest

WWE NXT Championship:Keith Lee (c) vs. Karrion Kross (w/Scarlett)

Kurt: I’m sure a lot of people think this is the coronation of Kross as The Guy in NXT. If they do that though, they will have officially made Keith Lee’s title reign the worst in WWE history. First off, it shows the incredibly short sighted booking they had. Just to pop a rating, they had the Winner Take All match, only to have Keith Lee voluntarily give up the North American Title. If you weren’t planning on doing something similar to what NJPW is doing with their double champion, then why do the Winner Take All to begin with? Because if Keith loses the title on Saturday, he’ll have gone from a double champion to a no champion in about 7 weeks. There was a ton of potential to really explore Keith’s true Limitless capabilities to make him defend both titles. Imagine if he had to compete in this Ladder Match, or any type of multi-man match for the North American Title, and then had to defend the title against Kross afterwards as well? That’s a compelling story. THEN if Kross wins the title, Keith has the North American title to fall back on, and loses no steam by having to compete in two tough title matches. On the flip side for a Keith win here, Kross has to lose sometime. If Keith Lee can’t defeat him, who can? From a realistic standpoint, there’s not many men of Kross’ size that will be credible to defeat him. Also the presentation of Kross and Scarlett belongs on a bigger stage. With everything we’re hearing about the Thunderdome, I would have plans in place to move Kross and Scarlett to Raw or Smackdown after SummerSlam. Have Kross take out a top name, and go from there. That entrance and presentation is made for a big stage, which NXT can’t give him right now.

I won’t be mad if Kross wins, because I love everything about him and Scarlett, I just feel he and NXT are limited together. My hope is that they pushed Kross this quickly to the moon, just to get him ready for a big spot on either Raw or Smackdown. Keith NEEDS a big title defense here to justify the push they have been giving him this year. This should be the ultimate slugfest and they should take their best shots from one another. Even to a point where maybe we roll our eyes at what they’re kicking out of. But Both men need to come out looking strong, and if Kross loses, it needs to be earned by Keith. Vice versa for sure, but I’m just convinced the best route to go here is Keith retaining.

Prediction: Keith Lee Retains

Lance: Keith Lee has been on a roll this year and he would be even more over if the fans had been in the building the whole time. His match with Dominik Dijakovic in January was an outstanding affair and was the first glimpse at what Keith Lee could do in a big spot. I believe I mentioned in our last NXT preview that I wasn’t as in tune with Karrion Kross on the indy scene, other than him going by the name Killer Kross. He has impressed me though and had a pretty solid match with Finn Balor at NXT: In Your House. Taking the belt off of Keith Lee this early into his reign would be interesting, and Kross may be the person they are pushing after Lee makes his inevitable jump to the main roster. Breaking it down, I could see scenarios with both men winning.

Keith Lee wins and he remains at the top of the NXT brand for the remainder of the year, more than likely. He is over with the fans and a suitable champion in NXT. Kross wins and it brings Lee’s NXT future into question and cements Kross as a threat in NXT for a while. I can’t see them making Lee a transitional champion, so I think he picks up the win here when it is all said and done. I feel like if they were going to pull him up, they would have done it already. I do think Kross will have a run with the title, but this isn’t his time or place. I do think the match will be a standout and both men will work well off of each other.

Winner and STILL NXT Champion: Keith Lee

John: They have done a great job of building up both wrestlers as dominant forces on the NXT brand. Lee won two titles at the same time, he now defends the NXT Title for the first time at a Takeover and Kross is getting an NXT Title shot in just his second match at a Takeover. It feels like a possibility that Kross’ undefeated run in NXT could lead to him winning the NXT Title, but I don’t want that to happen. Like Kurt said above, I don’t think Kross is a guy that is going to be in NXT for that long and even in Keith Lee’s case, I would like to see him on Raw or Smackdown maybe after the Royal Rumble next year. Kross and Scarlett have such a cool presentation as a heel act that is dark, demonic, evil and also cool to watch. I’m happy they’ve had a lot of success in NXT already although it wouldn’t shock me if they are on Raw against Drew McIntyre or Smackdown against Roman Reigns (if he comes back soon) in the near future.

I think Lee should win after a hard-hitting battle where Kross comes close to winning multiple times. If this was booked as a Street Fight or Hardcore Match where they brawled all around the building that might make it even better, but I’m fine with a regular match setting too. There are some Lee matches that are outstanding just because the chemistry is there, he is an agile big man that can sell for anybody and Kross has a lot of credibility already. With that said, some Kross matches have been on the short side because I don’t think they want to book him in a 20-minute battle. I think going in the range of 12-15 minutes is most likely. Lee wins, but I think Kross will remain one of the strongest booked wrestlers whether he’s in NXT or if he’s on Raw or Smackdown in the near future. I’m definitely interested to see how they book this.

Winner: Keith Lee

If you missed the amazing video package that WWE aired about Lee vs. Kross on NXT TV this week, please check it out below. Great song choice!

BONUS TOPICS!

The Match I’m Looking Forward To The Most

Kurt: Despite my nervousness on whether they’ll mess up the result, it’s still Keith Lee vs. Karrion Kross.

Lance: I would probably say Lee vs. Cross or McAfee vs. Cole for the sheer spectacle of it.

John: The North American NXT Ladder Match. I’m a Ladder Match kind of guy. However, I do like Lee vs. Kross and I’m intrigued by Cole vs. McAfee as well.

The Match I Care About The Least

Kurt: Finn vs. Thatcher.

Lance: I am going to go with the tag team match to start the show.

John: The six-man tag on the Kickoff Show. If I had to pick a main show match, then Balor vs. Thatcher.

Longest Match

Kurt: It should be the Ladder Match.

Lance: The Ladder Match for the North American Title.

John: I think the North American Title Ladder Match will be over 20 minutes or close to that, so that’s my pick.

Shortest Match

Kurt: Based on my nervousness for the result, I’m tempted to say Lee vs. Kross, but I think Cole vs. McAfee. McAfee isn’t going 25 minutes.

Lance: Io Shirai vs. Dakota Kai.

John: Adam Cole vs. Pat McAfee should be around ten minutes at the most.

Excitement Level on a Scale of 1-10 (1 being low, 10 being high)

Kurt: As with the last Takeover, no fans in the crowd drops it down by default. I think it’s a mistake not to use Thunderdome for this show. It’s probably a 6.5 or 7. I know the matches will be good, but this isn’t their strongest card obviously.

Lance: Takeover’s always deliver and I don’t think they will disappoint now. I’ll go 7.5.

John: I don’t think I could ever go that low for an NXT Takeover show because they have been so amazing for the most part over the first 29 Takeover events. I like this card, but I don’t think there’s that one match that might be an epic match of the year contender that we get on some Takeover shows. I’ll go with a 7.5 out of 10 and if all goes well, then the show will be rated higher than that when I watch it on Saturday night.

In Closing

John: I’ll be back with a review of WWE NXT Takeover XXX on TJRWrestling.net on Saturday, so check that out during the show or after it’s over.

Our Twitter handles are: Kurt Zamora – @KTankTJR, Lance Augustine – @CollectiveHeel and John Canton – @johnreport.

If you want to send an email, send it to me at mrjohncanton@gmail.com as well. Thanks for reading.