NXT Takeover Brooklyn II: Predictions

NXT Takeover is coming back to Brooklyn and this year the card promises to raise the bar even higher. Is Samoa Joe going to withstand the King of Strong Style? Can Bayley become the first two times NXT Women’s champion? Are Gargano and Ciampa going to break, or leave with the gold? Here are my predictions for NXT Takeover Brooklyn II!

Booby Roode vs. Andrade “Cien” Almas

This is Bobby Roode’s NXT debut and it will be GLORIOUS. No, in all seriousness, there is no way Roode is losing this match. He’s a great addition to the NXT roster. There are many good wrestlers but Roode’s a proven entertainer, as well.  His bravado, his mic skills and his incredibly perfect theme song will help the show recover from the Draft that took its top talent.

It’s only a shame that the WWE completely missed the mark with Cien. He didn’t get a proper introduction and when he arrived – cocky, dressed as a male stripper, and defeated the crowd favourite Tye Dillinger, the crowd unsurprisingly turned against him. Almas’ face debut flopped and then we were allowed to forget all about him. Now he resurfaces, only to job to Bobby Roode. Sad.

Austin Aries vs. No Way Jose

It’s actually scary how difficult this match is to predict. Although we have a world famous name, such as Austin Aries on the table, facing a male dancer, the possibility of seeing Jose get the push doesn’t seem too farfetched. It’s all because Aries had the misfortune to arrive on NXT at the wrong time and got overshadowed by Shinsuke Nakamura. The only way to fix things is to give him a victory and slowly build up his credibility from there.

The WWE could go for pushing their own guy, or down the line of Austin Aries, going on a losing streak and then going berserk out of spite. However, this could also fail miserably and if I’d have to pick whether to risk the future of Austin Aries, or No Way Jose, I’d give the victory to Aries without skipping a heartbeat.

Ember Moon vs. TBD

Regardless of what jobber Athena squashes at Takeover, she’ll undoubtedly leave her mark. The NXT women’s division desperately needs Ember Moon after the Draft. This is the perfect time for her to enter the scene, as she’ll have all the space she could wish for, in order to develop and progress.

The Revival vs. Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa (NXT Tag Team Championship Match)

I’m on the fence about this one. The common logic is that Gargano and Ciampa faced each other in the Cruiserweight Classic, so losing to the Revival will push them over the edge, causing a rivalry to develop and practically serving up a great feud on a silver platter to the RAW brand and its new cruiserweight division.

However, I think that right now, NXT’s tag team division needs Gargano and Ciampa more. There are plenty of cruiserweights, who could join the red brand but there aren’t almost any teams left on NXT. The show needs them there to revitalize the division. TM-61 aren’t nearly as over and until the time they become more popular, Gargano and Ciampa are the only face team, who can get the crowd going on NXT.

Therefore, I’d give the titles to Johnny Wrestling and the Psycho Killer.

Bayley vs. Asuka (NXT Women’s Championship Match)

Asuka will retain. Bayley’s outdone her time on NXT. She deserves to be on the main roster where she belongs and the NXT Women’s Championship would hold her back. Not to say that Auka isn’t main roster material, quite the opposite. However, her mic skills are almost nonexistent and it would be unfair if she jumped over Bayley here.

Most probably, the next step will be to throw Asuka into a feud with the incoming Ember Moon. That would be a violent rivalry and it would bring the ratings up.

Shinuske Nakamura vs. Samoa Joe (NXT Championship Match)

I’d put all my money on Nakamura. Samoa Joe is a beast, no doubt about it, and he’s also a great champion. However, Shinsuke is yet to be defeated and I don’t think that his title shot will be the time to take his first fall. The King of Strong Style couldn’t be more over right now. The fans would love to see him with the championship and he’d deliver.

This will be the best match of the night. Joe is going to be furious after Shinsuke trolled him so blatantly on NXT this week. As funny as that was at the time, angry Joe is no laughing matter. This will be the most challenging match Nakamura has had on NXT and it will be a defining battle, leading to his crowning as not only the King of Strong Style, but also as the King of NXT.

What do you think? Comment below with your thoughts, opinions, feedback and anything else that was raised