NXT TakeOver Chicago II Preview

didic (68)in #news • 8 years ago

So this Saturday brings the second TakeOver show to hail from Chicago, and it's gonna be a doozy. The card has two matches with Match of the Year potential, and those aren't even the title matches. This is gonna be good.

All images are promotional materials released by WWE

The Undisputed ERA vs. Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch for the NXT Tag Team titles

This matchup has had the weakest buildup on the card, especially on the challengers side. Lorcan and Birch have been elevated to title contention with very little preparation. And it's particularly odd, as the tag division is pretty stacked. I assume they're keeping the War Raiders challenge for TakeOver Brooklyn, but Street Profits and The Mighty could have been more reasonable contenders here. Still, everyone in the match is more than competent, and this will be fun.

Prediction: Undisputed Era goes over.

Ricochet vs. Velveteen Dream

These two guys are the future. Ricochet's athleticism is off the charts, and Dream has shown that he can have amazing matches. The short glimpse we got of them going up against each other a few weeks ago was tantalizing. I fully expect this one to be a joy to watch. And I have no idea who wins. As long as the match is amazing, it basically doesn't matter.

Prediction: Pure awesomeness.

Shayna Baszler vs. Nikki Cross for the NXT Women's title

This one will be brutal. Shayna is very good, and Nikki is fantastic. Are they going to give Nikki the title? I don't think so, unless they want to get Shayna on the main roster while Ronda is still with the company (rumors are that she's not going to stay long, because she wants to be a mom) so they can take advantage of their close relationship. There are more strong face challengers than heels on the women's roster (Kairi, Dakota, Candice), but Nikki can easily be a tweener. And Bianca can be a very interesting challenger on the heel side.

Prediction: Shayna wins, and faces Kairi for the title in Brooklyn.

Johnny Gargano vs. Tommaso Ciampa (Chicago Street Fight)

The best rivalry in wrestling is back for another go-around. Their last match was basically perfect, and it would be nearly impossible to top it. But they're gonna try. Candice will be involved in this, somehow. I hope she delivers the ballsplex to Ciampa to end this story. She better not turn on Johnny. No one wants that.

Prediction: Johnny wins again. Evil is thwarted.

Aleister Black vs. Lars Sullivan for the NXT Men's title

I mentioned that Dream and Ricochet are the future, but so is Black. The artist formerly known as Tommy End is on a rocket to the moon, and unless that rocket has him moving up to the main roster very, very soon, I don't see him dropping the title to Lars. But can he carry the big man to a really good match? That I'm not sure of. A pretty good match? Probably. But I expect this to be the weakest match of the night.