NXT Takeover: Rival Preview & Predictions

NXT returns to the WWE Network main stage with NXT Takeover: Rivals, the fifth NXT two-hour special. Rival has a big hill to climb as the last special, NXT Takeover: R-Evolution was highlighted by one of Voices of Wrestling’s top five matches of the year as well as a few other good-to-great matches. On paper, NXT Takeover: Rival doesn’t jump off the page but there’s no reason to think it won’t be at least good based off history. The main event, Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens, will be disappointing if it’s anything short of great and should meet those lofty expectations.

One of the bright spots of previous NXT specials has been the women’s matches, notably Paige vs. Emma, Charlotte vs. Natalya and Charlotte vs. Sasha Banks but NXT Takeover: Rival is going in a different direction. The participants of the fatal four way (Charlotte, Sasha Banks, Bayley and Becky Lynch) are all supremely talented but the four-way format could stifle the potential here. We’ll get (hopefully) the final confrontation of Baron Corbin and Bull Dempsey, Tyler Breeze battles Hideo Itami in a challenge match, Blake & Murphy defend their newly-won Tag Titles against former champions the Lucha Dragons and, in what could be a show-stealer, Adrian Neville and Finn Bálor fight for the #1 contendership of the NXT championship. Let’s get to the preview!

No Disqualification
Baron Corbin vs. Bull Dempsey

Rob McCarron: Bull Dempsey has served his purpose. A purpose we never understood fully until Baron Corbin came along. Build Bull up, make the people think he’s something, and ride him for a bit. Then, when a bigger and badder new star comes along, feed this built up monster to the big, bad, new guy and it should mean something. Bull has been fed to Baron, and is being served up for what should be the final time on Wednesday. Baron will win. Baron has to win. Bull must go.

Prediction: Baron Corbin

Alex Wendland: NXT provides both the most unpredictable matches (we’ll get to that later) and the most predictable matches. This falls firmly into the latter camp. Bull Dempsey hasn’t even looked competitive in these face-to-faces with Baron Corbin. This “feud” would infuriate the same people who gladly watch it if this was on RAW every week, “GOTTA MAKE BARON LOOK STRONG,” they would snark. Dempsey isn’t getting a win here, but I’d like to see him get a chance to put a little offense in. He probably won’t though.

Prediction: Baron Corbin, in a squash.

Bryan Rose: Not sure why they are doing this again. Corbin did lose on the last episode of NXT, so I guess it makes sense to get a quick win here. He’s already beaten Dempsey twice now so I’m not sure what the point of it all is. Sure, I guess Dempsey could get a win here too, but that would pretty much curtail any chances of Corbin getting a push after spending months building him up. I’m guessing a Corbin win here.

Prediction: Baron Corbin

Rob Reid: I’m pretty surprised this is the third time we’re seeing this, rather than the first, as it takes away whatever importance it did have, in that it was a clash of two undefeated streaks, due to neither guy having perfect records anymore. Corbin picks up the win here, draining the last dregs out of whatever momentum there is to be gained from beating the lastest guy the WWE has bestowed the “Wrecking Ball” moniker on, and Bull will go the way of Mojo. Speaking of which, Mojo was booked strong then fed to Bull, and with Bull then being built up to be fed to Corbin I wonder who Baron is going to be used as fodder for?

Prediction: Baron Corbin, and in quick fashion

Tyler Breeze vs Hideo Itami

Rob McCarron: Hideo is on this show because NXT Takeover airs live in Japan, and he’s one of the Big 3 2014 signings so they feel he should be on the show. They’re right, he should. However, I don’t see him being the focus of this match. Solomon Crowe could easily debut here, although the more likely scenario is interference from Marcus Louis. Either way, I don’t see how Hideo loses this throw-in match.

Prediction: Hideo Itami

Alex Wendland: Hideo Itami needs to come out of his “learn the style” shell and be the guy we all wanted to see when he signed. He’s shown flashes, especially in that wonderful match with Finn Bálor last week. Could be a Solomon Crowe debut slot, but I’m really looking for Itami to rise to the occasion for the live show. Breeze is one of the best dance partners in NXT and Itami can make them both look like stars.

Prediction: Hideo Itami

Bryan Rose: This should be fine, but I think it’s the first real test for Itami. Like others have said, he’s been fine on the roster, but hasn’t done a whole lot to stand out. And given all of these transitions he has to go through, like coming to America and learning the style, it’s almost to be expected. But now is the time where he needs to pick things up and start proving to everyone that there’s a reason he was signed. As for Breeze, I kind of feel sorry for him because it seems like he’s been lost in the shuffle with no real program. They’ve been creating a feud between these two for a couple of weeks but it still feels kinda rushed. Maybe it’s the start of a more long-term feud, but at the same time there’s also that Marcus Louis business, so who knows. As for who wins, I say the babyface picks up the win as he has more of an upside at the moment.

Prediction: Hideo Itami

Rob Reid: Itami’s biggest problem since joining the system has been that he’s trying way too hard to be a “performance center” wrestler, and the vast majority of said guys have been fairly bland. If you’d have told me that KENTA of all people would be a bland wrestler a year or two ago I’d have laughed at you, but honestly he’s starting to look so. However, the only real hint of what Hideo is really about came out when these two faced off a few weeks ago, so fingers crossed that this is a chance for him to really break out in the NXT system. I don’t have too much of a feel for the direction they’re going with this match, but Breeze’s time at the top of NXT does seem to have ended, so I guess Hideo picks up the win, perhaps with Louis interference.

Prediction: Hideo Itami

#1 Contender for NXT Championship
Adrian Neville vs. Finn Bálor

Rob McCarron: Triple H knows the potential audience of NXT. He can draw an audience that may be disenfranchised from WWE Raw, an audience more likely to pay for WWE Network. In turn, he and Ryan Ward are giving us Pac vs Prince Devitt in NXT. A match that is being overshadowed by El Generico vs Kevin Steen as the main event. In all honesty, this show is amazing. This should be the best overall match on the show. Finn should get the new kid on the victory block, with Neville stepping aside on the top of the card.

Prediction: Finn Bálor

Alex Wendland: On the main roster, this feud would be relegated to a sit-up competition (the abs on these guys!) between an odds-overcoming mouse and an evil leprechaun. Finn Bálor would win when Hornswoggle interferes with/distracts Adrian Neville.

None of that malarkey is going to happen here. We’re going to be treated to a wrestling clinic and a possible leader in the clubhouse for Voices of Wrestling’s February Match of the Month feature. (Cheap plug: check out January’s inaugural MOTM feature)

Look for Bálor to pull one out in spectacular fashion. But probably without body paint.

Prediction: Finn Bálor

Bryan Rose: Should be excellent, that goes without saying. Neville has adapted to the WWE style big time and Balor has done the same as well, so it will be interesting to see what kind of match they have here. I think it can go either way, honestly. My feeling, however, is that both Neville and Zayn are getting called up after Wrestlemania, hence why they’re going full steam with the Zayn/Owens angle and why they switched it to a title match. I see Balor getting the win here to set him up for a title match with either Owens or Zayn down the road.

Prediction: Finn Balor

Rob Reid: If you can believe everything you read on “the sheets” then this match back from the 2012 Super Juniors tournament was the match which lead to Neville getting signed, and Bálor too, to a lesser degree. I expect this match to at least be in the same ballpark quality wise, maybe even better as I personally thought the flow of that match was a bit stop-starty. Bálor wins this one, as Neville is just coming down from the top. I highly doubt he’s going straight back and is likely on his way onto the main roster.

Prediction: Finn Bálor

NXT Tag Team Championship
Blake & Murphy © vs. The Lucha Dragons

Rob McCarron: Blake & Murphy…. Team BAM. One bland team beat another bland team, except the Lucha Dragons are supposed to be anything but bland. They just are, however. Blake & Murphy are the champions who capitalized on a mistake, but will be underdogs in almost every match for the near future. The mystery is how they’ll keep the titles each time, as they grow into their reign. I see no reason to think the Dragons will retain here, other than that they may have wanted just to create some buzz over the last two weeks but had no intention of doing more with Team Bam. We’ll see. Compelling analysis, I know.

Prediction: Blake & Murphy

Alex Wendland: I loved the Blake & Murphy title win. NXT pumps up the length of title runs so much that long runs were beginning to feel like a given. I also love that Blake & Murphy are a throwback tag team. They flew in right out of the early-90s. And one of them is Australian! And we have no idea how the Australian even knows the other guy! And I clearly don’t know which one is which! I love this tag team.

Oh, and the Lucha Dragons are here too. They’re pretty good opponents for the frontrunners in the Hot Tag’s Greatest Tag Team Ever bracket.

Prediction: Blake & Murphy

Bryan Rose: Blake and Murphy need, like, a gimmick. Not sure why they put the titles on them so quickly when the Lucha Dragons were perfectly fine. Maybe Kallisto is being called up, or they just want him for singles? I dunno. This could be just a gimmick to put the belts back on the Lucha Dragons too, though why they would bother is anyone’s guess. Could go either way, but I like seeing long term championship wins that don’t end in a couple of weeks, so I am going for Murphy and Blake.

Prediction: Blake & Murphy

Rob Reid: I really thought I’d love the Lucha Dragons, I really like both members, but they just haven’t delivered how I thought they would. A part of that may well be their opponents, but they’re one of the few featured acts who aren’t really over. Blake and Murphy are showing a bit of potential, though still seem fairly raw, so I envision them holding onto the belts and Kalisto probably going out on his own. Not good news for Sin Cara if that happens.

Prediction: Blake & Murphy

Rob McCarron: I want this to last four hours. It won’t, and that’s probably a good thing, but I want it. All the talk leading up to this match is about how all four women have a reasonable chance of winning. Any of the four could walk out, and none would be all that surprising. That’s excellent! However, working by process of elimination, I think that Becky Lynch will walk out victorious. She has ready made feuds with the other three, she very well could return as a fan favorite, and it gets the title off of Charlotte while creating a little bit of a surprise. If Charlotte’s not getting called up, she could easily win, but a four way gets the title off of her without having to lose. So let’s say Charlotte’s losing, the title can’t just go to Sasha. That’s too easy. Sasha vs Becky is easy after this. As for Bayley, let’s just ignore her #LikeAGirl. I want four hours of this.

Prediction: Becky Lynch

Alex Wendland: NXT (and Sara Del Ray) has revolutionized women’s wrestling in my eyes, and in the eyes of a lot of people who grew up on WWE programming. Charlotte’s getting a little tiresome, though. She’s clearly the top dog, but no one really poses a challenge. Everything just sort of works out for Charlotte. Sasha Banks and Charlotte are both ready to be called up, but I don’t think either will be in the immediacy. There’s something to Becky Lynch, but you can see right through her work right now. Bailey is going to be a great NXT champion, but her journey isn’t there yet. I’m taking Banks to screw over Lynch and get a run before leaving post-Mania.

Prediction: Sasha Banks

Bryan Rose: I don’t have high hopes for this one. Individually, all four are fine. As a fatal fourway, however, I don’t think will end well. A singles match between Becky and Charlotte would have sufficed, but I guess they don’t want to go in that direction. I’ve also thought for a long while that Bayley should get a run with the title, and it makes sense here since the next two women to be called up are either going to be Charlotte, Sasha Banks or both. But I think they’re still going for a chase when it comes to Bayley’s (maybe?) eventual run with the championship, so I’m rooting for the dark horse and going for Becky Lynch.

Prediction: Becky Lynch

Rob Reid: This could well be a trainwreck, but can’t all fatal four ways? There’s certainly a lot of talent in this and I tend to be optimistic with the girls in NXT, so I’m cautiously looking forward to it. I could honestly see any of the girls, bar Bailey, picking up the win, but I think Sasha gains the strap here. Probably by stealing a pin from Becky, turning Becky face and giving her an immediate feud.

Prediction: Sasha Banks

Rob McCarron: This match has almost 100% of the attention from fans going into this show. That’s understandable, it’s a rivalry that many NXT viewers have known about for years, and one that has delivered for years. I don’t expect the match to match the hype going in, but fans will certainly be invested in it. I will be, also, being there live for the show. The biggest mystery is who will win. This match encapsulates the fact that this show is so unpredictable in many ways. Sami may not be on TV the next day because of a tour in the middle east, which doesn’t mean everything but it does lead one to think that the champion wouldn’t miss three-four weeks of NXT TV. Mixing that with the fact that a heel Owens as champ is seemingly a good plan, I’ll say Owens wins here. Zayn had his big win, is a huge fan favorite, and can get over without the title. Putting that together equals a new champion on Wednesday night.

Prediction: Kevin Owens

Alex Wendland: Remember how NXT is both predictable and unpredictable? I have no idea what is going to happen in this match and I love it. The only thing I know for sure is that this is going to tear the house down and I can’t wait. Anyone with the internet should know what Owens was capable of going up against his and Sami Zayn’s mutual friend, El Generico, and is undoubtedly expecting a similar slobberknocker when Owens and Zayn meet on Wednesday.

Everything you need to know is in the video package from last week’s NXT episode. If you don’t get into this match based on that, you need a new hobby. To paraphrase Chris Paul, this might not be for you. Since I have no idea what to predict, I had to use context clues. Zayn is going on WWE’s tour of the Middle East this weekend and will miss the NXT tapings on Friday. That’s another month without our guy on NXT programming. At the same time, I wasn’t really done with the Sami Zayn Victory Tour 2015. Zayn getting over the hump at (R)Evolution means he can do it again, though. I’m going with Owens in violent fashion based on the scheduling context and the need to have a champion on your programming. I’m looking at you, Brock Lesnar.

Prediction: Kevin Owens

Bryan Rose: The buildup to this has been pretty damn great even though it’s been rushed in spots. Seeing how they do in a WWE style match should be interesting considering the matches the two have had on the indy scene. Regardless, it should be a hell of a bout. As for the winner…I’m going with Owens. It might seem too soon for Owens start his run with the title, and Zayn could very well win this and move on until the next NXT special, but I think about it like this. They moved this show from March to tomorrow. They called up a bunch of people last year after Wrestlemania. If anyone is going to get called up right after Wrestlemania, it’s going to be Sami Zayn. He’s been in developmental forever, and while they could give him a lengthy run as champion, I think the time to call him up is now. They probably want to keep Owens down here for a year, maybe more, so it makes sense for him to win and have a run at the championship, with maybe Balor and even Hideo Itami running for a shot at the gold. Its a scenario that makes sense, so I don’t expect it go like this at all. But hey, that’s what I’m going to stick with.

Prediction: Kevin Owens

Rob Reid: Well isn’t this just wonderful. The best North American feud in the past decade might be showcased at the top of the bright lights of the WWE system while still being shielded from the subtlety hammer of the main product. I really love how they’ve handled this feud in NXT, it’s both a continuation of their indy feud if you know about it, but it stands alone just fine if the developmental territory is as far away from the WWE as you go. You just know this will deliver big time, the floor is just so high. This match trumps anything that’ll be on Mania for me, and I know I’m not the only one. I think Owens wins here, if he doesn’t he just doesn’t quite seem the star that he should be, and Zayn is a guy who’s always best in the chase. He may well be another guy moving up onto the main roster too.

Prediction: Kevin Owens at the end of a classic