Just please…..let it be over.

Please, please, PLEASE let this be the end of this stupid feud. As is usually the case with anything the Fiend does, this has gone on WAY too long and gotten far too ridiculous. They need to just let this this wrap up already because I’m almost scared to know what they would think of next. The feud isn’t working and hasn’t for a long time now, so just let it be over.

Speaking of over, I’ll say Fiend goes over, as he deserves some revenge after what happened to him last year. Throw in deserving some revenge after the awful Wrestlemania match they had before and Fiend should absolutely get the win here. I’m not sure what is next for either of them but all that matters is that they do something else, because this needed to end a long time ago.

It’s a long time coming.

This is kind of cool to see as these two have spent their entire careers joined at the hip. How awesome is it going to be for them to get to face each other at Wrestlemania after all these years? There’s also the Logan Paul factor but is isn’t like he can do that much damage to the whole thing. This is going to be about two old friends getting to do something they talked about since they were kids and that is great.

I’ll take Owens here, likely with some shenanigans from Paul, whether intentional or not. Let Zayn have something else to get annoyed about while Owens FINALLY gets a win after losing to Roman Reigns time after time. All this needs to be is a nice match as either of them winning would be fine enough. Owens seems to be more fun though and as long as Paul doesn’t do anything stupid, they’ll be fine.

Bring on the headliners.

I think this one might headline and that would be a pretty cool moment. It isn’t quite the same as main eventing Wrestlemania but it is something you can claim and get away with it well enough. Unfortunately you can’t claim that this has been a well done build to the show, because they had to spent about a month dealing with Nia Jax/Shayna Baszler and Reginald because…..like anyone knows that.

They almost have to pull the trigger on Belair here because Banks doesn’t need the title and Belair has never actually won a championship. Just give her the belt already because that is the kind of thing that can make her feel like a star instead of just an athletic marvel. Belair needs this, just like the women’s division REALLY needs some fresh blood. WWE kinds of needs to get this right and having the match headline would be even better.

Somehow this is opening.

I’m not sure what to think about this as they are really pushing this as a big match. I just don’t know if they have done enough to make it work. It’s a match we have seen before and McIntyre is already a two time World Champion. Lashley needs to keep the title for a bit and as nice as it would be for McIntyre to have his moment in front of people, we have already seen him as the top guy for a year. Let someone else do it already.

In something I’ll likely regret, I’ll go with Lashley as the winner here, though I would be surprised if McIntyre didn’t get the title back soon. Lashley has waited for a long time to get this title run and I would love for it to go longer than about five weeks. McIntyre has had his day and is basically a made man at the moment, so don’t mess up something that needs a chance. I wouldn’t hate McIntyre winning, but he really shouldn’t/doesn’t need to.

Hip Hop Hooray?

This is your big celebrity match of the year and for once it seems like something that could do some good for both the celebrity and the wrestlers involved. Bunny is a mainstream star and that could give Priest a rather nice rub. We’ll have to wait and see what happens when Bunny is finally gone, but the question is how they get to that point. And something about an expensive car.

Of course Bunny and Priest win here, because there is no reason for them not to. I’ve been a big fan of Miz and Morrison for a long time now but they need to lose here for the sake of Priest. He is hardly the youngest guy in the world but he has some serious potential. What he needs is something to get some attention though and that can happen by helping Bunny beat a former World Champion, or maybe just doing it himself. Either way, Bunny and Priest win.

Giants are fun right?

The idea here is the debut of Omos, who is getting a title shot in his first match because WWE….or maybe because Styles is his partner. This is hardly the most thrilling idea, but all the need to do with a giant like Omos is having him stand there and do like two things well. If he can make that work, Styles and the New Day can do the rest. But what about who actually wins?

For the sake of sanity, I’ll go with Styles and Omos winning here because, as has been the case for the better part of ever, New Day continues to feel like a team ready to move on and let someone else take over. There is no reason for them to retain here so let’s see what Styles and Omos can do as the champs. It isn’t like there is a division either way, so just do what makes the most sense here.

Aren’t we just so lucky?

Let’s just get this stupid thing out of the way. These two have been having one of the worst feuds in recent memory in WWE and for some reason they are getting a Wrestlemania match out of the thing. I mean, granted the meaning is that there is a McMahon involved, but egads I don’t think there is anyone actually interested in this thing. I’m sure we’ll see it again later because yay rematches, but we need to get this one out of the way.

I’ll take Strowman to win here because as likely as WWE is to go with McMahon to win here, I think Vince McMahon might be too happy with the train noises to not want to push Strowman for the win here. The match isn’t going to be good, but let’s get the thing over with already so we can all move on to something better. There must be some kind of broken bone I can suffer instead of watching this again.

I’m sure something called TURMOIL will turn out great.

The winners of a four (or five depending on if you believe WWE’s accidental spoiler) team gauntlet match get a shot at the Women’s Tag Team Titles on the second night. The fact that these teams are mostly horrible should tell you almost everything you need to know about the sad state of these titles, but that has never stopped WWE before. This is going to be a mess, but how else are they getting this many people on the show without a battle royal?

As much as I would like for it to be the Riott Squad (because they’re a team who has been together for a good while and they work well together), odds are this goes to Naomi and Lana, because WWE thinks there is something left in Lana vs. Nia Jax. The team has been treated as losers since they formed, but that is the case for most of the teams in the division. Another surprise addition with Bayley and/or Charlotte wouldn’t surprise me, but the last thing the division needs is ANOTHER thrown together team.

This time for sure, right?

We’ll start with a fun one which could go either way. Cesaro has seemed to be ready for that next step into the main event scene for the better part of ten years now and here it is again. This time around he is up against a guy with main event credentials, but unfortunately it is Seth Rollins and that isn’t the best thing in the world right now. Rollins has been at this messiah deal for over a year now and it just isn’t work, which is why WWE keeps running with the thing. A win over him would matter, but I’m not sure Cesaro is getting it.

For the sake of making myself smile, I’ll take Cesaro here as to say he needs the win more is about as big of an understatement as you can make. Rollins is a made man for the rest of his career, but Cesaro is now in his 40s and isn’t going to have much longer to get his big break. There is no guarantee that he will, but it would be nice to see him being able to do something, and a win over Rollins might be a start.

This is a different kind of Takeover as the whole thing is spread over two nights. That has caused a few issues with the build to the show as it is a little bit difficult to focus on two shows at once. Throw in the fact that this means we have twice as many matches as usual for a Takeover and I’m not sure how something like this is going to go. Then again, you don’t bet against Takeover so let’s get to it.

Night One

Kickoff Show: Toni Storm vs. Zoey Stark

Stark continues to be one of the more interesting cases in NXT at the moment as it is clear that they see something in her (because it’s there) but she keeps losing to one big name after another. At some point that is going to stop working out for her and the stock is going to drop, meaning she needs to win something. I’m just not sure if she is going to get that win here.

I think I’ll go with Storm to win here, as she has been kind of floating since the feud with Io Shirai, meaning she is going to need something to get her back on track. Beating Stark is not exactly the kind of thing that is going to be the big saving grace for her, but it is going to help her out a bit. Stark is going to get a win of her own someday, though I’m really not sure when that is going to be the case.

Tag Team Titles: MSK vs. Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Legado del Fantasma

This is for the vacant titles thanks to Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch being injured. We’re starting off with a confusing one here too as I have no idea who is winning the titles. You really could go with all three as possible winners and that is a great thing to see. MSK would seem to be the likely winners here as they were guaranteed a title shot thanks to winning the Dusty Classic….but things have changed since then.

As much as I want to pick Legado as the team who could pick up the titles because the other two seem like the likely winners, I’ll go with MSK winning the titles here for a nice feel good moment. I’m not sure if that is the best idea though as the Veterans need to win something after coming up short time after time, but MSK seems popular enough that a win would be a nice energy boost to the show.

Gauntlet Eliminator: Leon Ruff vs. Isaiah Scott vs. Bronson Reed vs. Cameron Grimes vs. Dexter Lumis vs. LA Knight

This is something similar to a Royal Rumble, but you are eliminated by pinfall or submission and the winner gets a North American Title shot against Johnny Gargano on night two. In theory that eliminates the heels from getting their shot, but stranger things have happened around here. I would assume that we only have three potential contenders, and only two of them are interesting.

Unfortunately I think we’re getting Lumis here, as he has been tied up with Gargano and the Way for a few weeks now. Reed is the most interesting choice and Ruff has a history with Gargano, but Lumis makes the most sense here. Grimes is on a roll and could feud with a few people in the match. Scott is already feuding with Ruff and Knight….well I’m not sure you can call his stuff with Reed a feud just yet. Lumis goes over here and moves on to the title shot on night two.

Pete Dunne vs. Kushida

Yes please. I think I might need a bit more than that, but this one feels like possibly the most intriguing match on the entire card. Kushida is someone who is capable of busting out a great match at the drop of a hat and Dunne is Dunne, so how can this one be bad? These two have been having issues for weeks now and that sounds like a good enough reason for the two of them to spend fifteen minutes trying to break the other’s arm off.

While Kushida needs a win to get some footing underneath him, Dunne is a far bigger star and is going to win here. He is someone who could become a top star around here in the blink of an eye and it makes sense to have him go over here. This very well could steal the show and the entire Takeover, but it is more about getting us to the inevitable, which is Dunne getting the win.

United Kingdom Title: Walter(c) vs. Tommaso Ciampa

Speaking of matches that could steal all of Takeover, we have these two who are more than capable of doing just that. This time around it is for Walter’s title, as his seemingly never ending reign continues. Now the problem with this one is they have announced Walter’s next title defense, but that isn’t exactly the point here. What matters is Walter is back in the ring and that is a great thing for everyone.

Of course Walter wins here, because they aren’t going to end the epic title reign on a different continent in a match that feels a bit thrown together. Walter is someone who can have a classic with anyone he faces and if we get the old Ciampa here, these two could do something incredible. I know Ciampa isn’t as great as he has been before, but even a mostly there Ciampa is a sight to behold.

Women’s Title: Io Shirai(c) vs. Rhea Gonzalez

This is an interesting one as the champ issued the challenge for a change. You might not realize it but Shirai has been champion for about ten months now and has all but cleared out the division. Thankfully NXT is good at bringing in fresh talent and that is exactly what they are doing with people like Gonzalez (among others). This was the main focal point of last week’s NXT and it feels like a main event.

I’ve been betting that Shirai will lose the title for the better part of ever now and I’ll do that again here, as there just aren’t many people left to take it from here (save for maybe Xia Li, but I’m not sure how much someone with her current gimmick needs the title). They need to pull the trigger on someone eventually (though Shirai is doing fine in this role) and Gonzalez makes more sense than probably anyone else. Gonzalez wins here and ends a sneakily epic reign from Shirai.

Night Two

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Shotzi Blackheart/Ember Moon(c) vs. The Way

These titles are still brand new and one of the best ways to make them mean something is to have them on the line. Granted there still are not very many established teams to go after them, but at least the Way has a name. Blackheart and Moon don’t feel like long term champs, but losing in one of your first defenses seems like a quick drop (pun intended), even at a show like this.

Now the question is will they drop them here and I’ll go with not yet. I think the Way does get the belts eventually, but it isn’t happening so soon. It is just a little too early for the titles to change hands twice and NXT would be smart to have the titles sink in with Blackheart and Moon for a bit. The Way isn’t a team that needs to have multiple titles, so hopefully the titles don’t change here, because they really don’t need to yet.

North American Title: Johnny Gargano(c) vs. Gauntlet Eliminator Winner

This is a follow up from the previous night as the winner of the Gauntlet Eliminator (Lumis, assuming my completely accurate picks are right) gets a shot at Gargano. I’m not sure how much I like this idea as it can make for a hard match to set up in advance, but at least they have something going here between Gargano and Lumis. That sets up a rather scary possibility of even more of a focus on Lumis, though they have pulled back a bit in recent weeks.

I think I’ll go with Lumis winning here, as it has been teased long enough that it probably needs to just happen already. Gargano is fine in his role as champion, but it feels like he has held the title for the better part of ever at the moment. The title probably needs some fresh blood and while Lumis isn’t the most exciting or interesting blood, he certainly would be fresh. Now just get it over with already.

Cruiserweight Title: Jordan Devlin(c) vs. Santos Escobar(c)

It’s a special situation as both are champions, meaning there are two titles. Since Shawn Michaels is helping to run NXT and it has been at least a month since the last one, it is time to put the belts above the ring and have a ladder match. That makes things both a little more interesting and less interesting at the same time, as I wasn’t sure who was going to actually take the fall here. Throw in the ladder though and things are a little bit different. Someone has to stick around though and I think I know what that means.

I’ll go with Escobar to win here, as not being able to pull down a title from above the ring is not going to crush his momentum. Devlin still seems to be the guy who is going to go after Walter (and likely take the title from him) so getting him away from the Cruiserweight Title is a necessary step. I’m also not sure I can imagine him sticking around in America and NXT UK doesn’t need a Cruiserweight Title so let Escobar have it for good.

Adam Cole vs. Kyle O’Reilly

This is unsanctioned and I believe the words “oh boy” are appropriate. These two have some great chemistry together and it should be awesome to see them beat the living fire out of each other. I know the working theory is that it should be time to see Cole go to the main roster and while I’m not sure I believe that is the case, getting beaten by O’Reilly in a big blowoff feud would be a great way to go.

So yeah give me O’Reilly here, mainly for the reason that Cole absolutely does not need to win this match. O’Reilly has yet to have the big singles win and Cole has won everything he needs to win in all of NXT. I wouldn’t mind seeing Cole show up on the main roster as a post WrestleMania surprise, but I’m hoping that we see him go down to O’Reilly after one heck of a fight.

NXT Title: Finn Balor(c) vs. Karrion Kross

We’ll wrap it up with another match that could go either way. In theory the loser here should be on their way to the main roster, as Balor has already been a main roster star and Kross was pretty much ready for the main roster the day he debuted. I don’t know how well the gimmick would work there, but at least it would make sense to have Kross and Scarlett up there. Someone has to lose though and that makes it hard to figure out.

I actually think I’ll take Balor to win here, as NXT is going to want to keep some star power down there because the show moving over to another night. Hopefully the match is the hard hitting struggle that it should be, but I have no idea who goes after the title once Balor retains. Granted he probably doesn’t win here because it is a complete coin flip, but yeah we’ll go with Balor here.

Overall Thoughts

I’m not completely sold on the idea here as it feels like a pair of shows put together rather than one great Takeover. That could mean a bit of a downgrade, but if there is one thing that I have learned about Takeover over the years, it is that NXT knows how to figure out a way around anything. There is enough good stuff on the card to believe that they could pull it off and hopefully that is the case here.

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