“In The Midst of Chaos, There Is Also Opportunity” – NXT TakeOver: WarGames Predictions – Saturday, November 18, 2017

Sun Tzu said “The greatest victory is that which requires no battle,” but what the hell is the fun in that?  One half of The Dark Match is headed to Houston for all the action as NXT gears up to bring us War Games.  But before I make that long drive, let’s make some predictions about this card, shall we?

The Matches Not Televised Until Next Wednesday

• Pete Dunne defends the United Kingdom Championship against Johnny Gargano:
  • Matt:  This should be a great match, but I find it odd that this is the one that ends up in the preshow to be televised later but Ohno vs Sullivan is on the actual card.  Dunne retains, because why the hell would Gargano be the UK Champion?
  • Jeremy: I expect this to really get the crowd going for TakeOver.  Gargano and Dunne are going to tear the house down and get the crowd hot.  If Marty Scurll defected from ROH and the Bullet Club to make this a triple threat, it would have all my current male favorites in the ring at the same time.  There’s no way around it though.  Johnny Gargano is going to meet his Bitter End and Dunne retains the UK Championship.
• Ruby Riot vs Sonya Deville:
  • Matt:  I’m expecting another pretty good match in this one, and this makes more sense in the preshow to get the crowd going.  Deville is a bad ass though, I am curious to see if they give her a run along with the name change.  I’ll go with it.  Deville wins.
  • Jeremy:  Ruby Riot is a perpetual underdog.  There’s a reason why she’s getting beat up in all the footage they used in the Mae Young Classic.  Deville wins.

NXT TakeOver: WarGames

Kassius Ohno vs Lars Sullivan

Matt:  Again, I have almost no interest in this match, and I really don’t care one way or the other.  I guess it’s a Sullivan win to use Ohno to help get him over.  Remind me again why Chris Hero went back to NXT?

Jeremy:  Yes, I do believe Sullivan will win but I don’t think it’ll be a dull match.  I was treated to a preview of this matchup last Saturday at NXT Riverside.  It was much better than I expected it to be.  Ohno does need some wins to be a little more credible to put over future guys.

Aleister Black vs The Velveteen Dream

Matt:  Aleister Black will win this one, but it’s not coming easily.  I’ve been very impressed with Clark, especially since they just went for it with this Velveteen Dream thing.  That elbow drop is a thing of beauty.  But now that Black is talking, it’s time to give him a run, and this is the first Black Mass on the road to the NXT title, or a call up, whichever occurs first.

Jeremy:  At NXT Riverside, I saw a tag match with Aleister Black and Drew McIntyre Vs. The Velveteen Dream and Andrade “Cien” Almas.  Dream and Black stole the show.  It’s so weird and it shouldn’t work.  I think Black will get the pin but Dream will get his wish and Black will say his name out of respect.  So we all win.

Peyton Royce vs Kairi Sane vs Ember Moon vs Nikki Cross for the vacated NXT Women’s Championship

Matt:  This one is honestly hard to pick, so I’ll just discuss why.  Peyton Royce almost has that Tye Dillinger appeal for me.  She’s put in the time, and her partnership with Billie Kay works on their own laurels, not anything the promotion really does to get it there, and they are great at it.  Sane is awesome, with another killer elbow drop, and the Mae Young trophy already under her belt.  Ember kicks ass but she’s had her chances.  While commentary pushed her as a front-runner the other night on NXT, I just don’t see it.  If I’m being honest, Nikki Cross is my pick, because she’s become probably the most entertaining overall performer on NXT for me in the last few months.  I never know exactly what she’s going to do and I like it, and that Falls Count Anywhere match with Asuka was damn good.  Yeah, let chaos reign.  Give me more Sanity.

Jeremy:  They did this match at NXT Riverside and Peyton Royce pulled off an upset.  And it made sense.  Ember Moon has the most to prove in this match.  I’m pretty sure they were going to build her against Asuka for at least another Takeover before the injury forced Asuka to vacate the Championship.  I think I’m going to back Kairi Sane in this battle.  I think Nikki should win but I think Kairi is going to win.  As last Saturday showed, anything really can happen in this match.  Just a reminder, there’s no disqualifications in a Fatal Four Way.  There’s nothing stopping Billie Kay from showing up.

Drew McIntyre vs Andrade “Cien” Almas for the NXT Championship

Matt:  This one can go either way.  They’re giving Almas one hell of a run, but this match truly just came out of nowhere for me.  I don’t see McIntyre dropping this belt for a while, at least not to anyone but Black or Cole.  Drew McIntyre retains, Claymores all around.  Watch Out Zelina.

Jeremy:  I hate to just echo Matt here but yes, McIntyre retains with a well-placed Claymore.  This can be a good match and I’ve enjoyed Almas’ build over the last few months.  Drew is just the total package and he is sticking around NXT for a bit.

War Games: Sanity vs The Undisputed Era vs The Authors of Pain w/ Roderick Strong

Matt:  I don’t give half a shit who wins.  Bring on all of this chaos.  If I’m giving a prediction, you don’t stifle the momentum of The Undisputed Era even in the midst of all this chaos.  Cole is on the fast track and this win is going to help get them there.  I wouldn’t be surprised if Cole is the NXT champion and Fish/O’Reilly are Tag Champions by the time the promotion leaves Philadelphia in January.  The Undisputed Era wins, parlay that into title shots through Regal over the course of December.

Jeremy:  I just hope that this doesn’t turn into a convoluted mess, like TLC.  Don’t get me wrong. I loved that TLC match.  It just wasn’t that good.  I want this to be chaos but actually make sense.  The Undisputed Era has the most to prove.  They debuted with a bang but haven’t actually been as dominant as the name suggests.  It makes sense that Roddy sided with AoP.  So yes, I think we will have a strong showing from all the teams.  I think Eric Young, Adam Cole, and Roderick Strong start the match for their respective teams with Roddy being the last one left in a 3 vs 3 vs 1 situation.  The AoP will save him from a beat down.

Other Predictions:

Matt:  I don’t see the need to make ridiculous predictions during this one.  Honestly, there’s more than enough chaos here to go around.  I do see one or multiple members of Sanity going off the top of the cage at some point, but that’s all part of the chaos.  This is going to be a good show.  Actually, with this week in WWE, I think it’s going to be a great damn weekend.  I’m really looking forward to a few days in America’s Taint, The State of Texas.

Jeremy:  I wouldn’t be surprised if we get a special appearance from Shawn Michaels and Gargano for an “Ab off” during the preshow.  Other than that, it’ll be pretty tame.