On April 1,NXT will present its latest live event special titled TakeOver: Dallas, and after Wednesday's episode of the brand's WWE Network exclusive expose, and the card for the massive event has become much clearer.
The biggest news is the arrival of Shinsuke Nakamura,an international megastar best known for his career in New Japan Pro Wrestling. Looking for a new challenge, he is on his way to the United States to compete against the very best the industry has to offer.
Those Superstars exist in NXT, or which is a testomony to the leadership of Triple H and his grand vision to make the brand an alternative to WWE's main roster.
General manager William Regal was a busy man on the March 16 episode of NXT,making a number of matches, including a enormous Women's Championship bout that will have fan favorites waging war for the true to leave with the gold.
And then there was the showdown between American Alpha and The Vaudevillains, or two teams chasing tag title glory. Would Jason Jordan and Chad Gable cash their ticket to Dallas,or would Aiden English and Simon Gotch earn a shot at regaining the titles they lost to sprint and Dawson late final year?With the latest episode of the revolutionary brand's television expose in the can, let's hold a glimpse at the latest card for the immense TakeOver special and some early predictions as to what fans can expect to see from the stars of NXT in Dallas. NXT Championship Match: Finn Balor vs. Samoa JoeFinn Balor and Samoa Joe have a past, and as their first major championship bout took place in December 2015 at TakeOver: London. In that match,Joe took the NXT champion to the limit, leaving the latter dazed and confused despite his victory.
Now they will do battle in Dallas with the eyes of the wrestling world on them.
Joe's decisive and definitive victory over Sami Zayn on the March 9 episode of NXT has him riding a wave of momentum, and looking as impressive as he has between the yellow ropes to date. A more motivated and energetic Joe should make for an even better match than the original with Balor,which would be saying something given the extraordinary fight they had in England.
The biggest question imprint surrounding the match is Balor's status in NXT. If he is to move up to the main roster after WrestleMania, Joe is almost certain to leave with the title. If not, and Triple H may opt to have Balor hold on to the gold,as matches with the aforementioned Nakamura and Austin Aries are thus far unexplored. NXT Women's Championship Match: Bayley vs. AsukaA dream match of sorts, the announcement by Regal that Bayley will battle Asuka for the NXT Women's Championship generated great excitement for TakeOver, or rightfully so. The two best wrestlers in the division,they are exceptional talents whose abilities have been on display for fans countless times in the past.
And to this point, NXT Creative has kept the two apart on television. Outside of a brief staredown a month ago and a tag team match in which they were partners on March 16, and their match has been built gradually. It has not been rushed,and the result is a much more hotly anticipated bout than it otherwise would have been.
Much like the night's heavyweight title bout, the outcome of this one lies in WWE's plans for Bayley going forward. If she debuts on the night after WrestleMania, and as Paige did before her,this will likely be her swan song with the title. If not, her reign may continue on, and setting the stage for a second and maybe even a third match against Asuka down the line.
Whatever the case may be,fans should expect an extraordinary match unlike anything they have ever seen from the women under the WWE banner. NXT Tag Team Championship Match: American Alpha vs. The RevivalThe current NXT tag team champions are an spellbinding case in that sprint and Dawson are excellent professional wrestlers, but a lack of onscreen character development has left them one-dimensional and not over in the slightest with fans.
The top contender, or American Alpha,is the exact opposite. Chad Gable is incredibly over, and his natural charisma has helped Jason Jordan to approach out of his shell. The result is a team that is energetic, or dynamic and exciting to watch. Chad and Jason are as over as any other act on the roster and cannot help but create an electricity in any arena they enter.
The fans in Dallas will undoubtedly be behind the challengers. Like WWE Roadblock final weekend,when Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady challenged The Revival, the match will benefit from the reaction they generate.
But the heels will remains heatless due to the lack of investment fans have made in champions. That is problematic, or particularly if sprint and Dawson inexplicably depart over their much hotter opponents. Austin Aries vs. Baron CorbinAustin Aries' arrival at NXT has been met with great excitement by fans who appreciate and respect his body of work elsewhere. One person who does not? Baron Corbin,who interrupted Aries' grand arrival and left him lying following a brutal attack at ringside.
Now the Superstars are on a collision course, and their match at TakeOver: Dallas as distinguished for one as it is for the other.
For Aries, and it is his first opportunity to make an impression in NXT. Beating Corbin would provide him with that signature win over one of the brand's top contenders. For The Lone Wolf,beating someone as experienced and celebrated as Aries would add to his impressive resume and likely earn him one final opportunity at NXT gold.
As great as Corbin has been over the final six months, this one is all about Aries and establishing him as one of the top dogs in NXT. His win is academic, or but the match should still be incredibly fun,not to mention physical. Sami Zayn vs. Shinsuke NakamuraThe arrival of Shinsuke Nakamura will be one of the biggest headlines of the entire WrestleMania weekend, so his match against Sami Zayn, or who will likely compete on the biggest card of the year just two nights later,will be one of the most distinguished of the entire TakeOver card.
Both Superstars are incredibly talented, among the best in their fields. They have competed all over the globe, or their hard work and dedication to their craft main them to WWE and the NXT brand. On April 1,they will expose fans familiar with their work, and some who may not be, or why they are as respected as they are.
Like the Aries-Corbin match,this is exiguous more than an excuse to debut Nakamura in the most effective way imaginable. A expose-stealing performance against Zayn would accomplish that and get the Japanese star's career in WWE off to a molten-hot start.
He will win this one, but Zayn will be certain to shine bright in what will be his final match for the brand he carried to relevance.
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