Before we can get hyped WrestleMania 32, NXT will invade the Lone Star state for one of the promotion’s biggest ever events! Sami Zayn will face of with Shinsuke Nakamura, Bayley will defend her Womens Championship against the enigmatic Asuka and Finn Bálor and Samoa Joe will once again wage war for the NXT Championship! Sound good? Well, read on because we haven’t even scratched the surface yet!
Apollo Crews vs Elias Samson
Update: it turns out that this match is actually scheduled for the Post-TakeOver taping. However, the match was being heavily reported as part of this card while writing. We’ll keep our thoughts on the match here for the sake of transparency.
Jon:Just for the record, the placeholder image is due to WWE not having an official graphic for this match yet. This match screams “filler” quite frankly. Although Samson isn’t a fully-fledged enhancement talent, he’s definitely a tier below Crews. Having said that, Crews seems to be stalling slightly too. He should pick up the win here though, keeping him solidly in the upper card at least. This feel like a match designed to cool down the crowd between bigger spectacles, so I expect it to be fairly unremarkable, while giving Apollo a chance to shine.
Prediction: Apollo Crews
Steve: Well, this is the only blemish on what I feel is a stellar show. I don’t like Elias Samson. I want to. I want to give everybody a chance. And I know it isn’t totally his fault. He’s green on a show that primarily features people with a lot of experience including big international stars. This is the kind of thing that makes me feel like a NXT B-Show would be nice, giving people like him and others who just can’t quite find themselves or aren’t quite there exposure but without getting a bad reputation so quickly.
I’m also QUITE bored with Apollo Crews. He is a solid talent, but he isn’t so exceptional that I can find myself interested in him when they’re booking him so blandly. He’s just dull right now, and I’m hoping come post-Wrestlemania season when call ups occur, NXT can find a way to make him more interesting. Either way, Crews gets the clean win.
Prediction: Apollo Crews
Austin Aries vs Baron Corbin
Jon: How loaded must a pro wrestling card be for the in-ring debut of Austin Aries to feel like a tertiary attraction? Madness!
While I’m not the biggest fan of Corbin, I can acknowledge that this prolonged “veteran bootcamp” that NXT is seemingly testing him with does seem to be having positive effects. He finally seems to be growing as a performer and I trust Aries to help “The Lone Wolf” to one of his best singles matches to date.
I’m torn on picking a winner though. Baron Corbin needs to rebuild some credibility after a brief dalliance in the main event, while you can’t bring in such a big name and have him look irrelevant in his very first match. At a push, I see Aries squeaking out a win, but if the reverse happens, it may give a clear sign of what Austin Aries’ role will be in NXT; a veteran gatekeeper.
Prediction: Austin Aries
Steve: I keep going back and forth on this match, like I do for every match aside from the Crews match, but I’m going with Baron Corbin. I love Aries, and I’m so excited to see him, but I can’t see he and Nakamura winning in their debuts on the same night, so I’m saying Aries takes the loss.
With that said, I expect this to really deliver. I’ve become a big Corbin fan despite some resistance and I feel like he’s improved quite a bit. Add in Austin Aries being fantastic and it just makes sense to be excited for this match. While I don’t think it will steal the show, I think it delivers big time. Corbin wins with the End of Days.
Prediction: Baron Corbin
Sami Zayn vs Shinsuke Nakamura
Jon: This is a legitimate dream match. For anyone aware of just how special Shinsuke Nakamura is, you’re likely already drooling. If you’re not up to speed, you soon will be. Nakamura is hard-hitting and extremely charismatic. In New Japan Pro Wrestling, he managed to turn a standard midcard championship into a headlining centrepiece. That takes someone very unique.
Once you add in Sami Zayn, there’s no doubt that we’ll get an adrenaline-fuelled classic that will have the crowd wincing with every hard blow. For something that is little more than an exhibition, this could steal the show extremely easily, though it will likely have very stiff competition on this night.
Make no mistake, with Sami Zayn officially on the main roster now and potentially on the brink of becoming Intercontinental Champion, there is no doubt on the winner. But sometimes, it really is about the journey rather than the destination!
Prediction:Shinsuke Nakamura
Steve: This is going to be great. This is currently leading in our poll of the most anticipated NXT Takeover: Dallas match and it is easy to see why. Shinsuke Nakamura is insanely popular and his debut is against, arguably the best talent in the world. How could you not be extremely excited for this?
As unpopular as it may be, this isn’t the match I’m most excited for. In fact, I’m not 100% sure it’ll be my favorite match on the show. It certainly might be. It has the potential. But I’m just so excited for the next three matches, I think they have serious potential to be even better. Either way, Nakamura gets the win in his debut.
Prediction: Shinsuke Nakamura
NXT Tag Team Championship: American Alpha vs The Revival (c)
Jon: I’ve always been very vocal about NXT’s tag team division being the weak link of the brand. However, times seem to be changing, with these two duos leading the charge. American Alpha are on fire right now, with Chad Gable in particular showing shadows of a young Kurt Angle. The crowd are behind them and they seem primed for success.
The Revival are what the Vaudevillains could have been. They’re a legitimately old school style tag team, but without any goofy gimmick holding them back. Dash and Dawson utilise great psychology as a team, while still being entertaining. That was becoming a lost art.
These four men look ready to tear the house down and probably will. American Alpha seem too hot to hold back from being Champions, though The Revival would deserve a longer run too. I’ll go with my gut though.
Prediction: American Alpha (New Champions)
Steve: This is the match I decided I am most excited for on the entire show. I love American Alpha. They are a stellar team with personality, Gable is good on the mic, and their in ring work delivers huge while also offering something different from the rest of the roster. Meanwhile, The Revival are just great in their own right.
So who wins? I could see this going either way. Both teams could do with a win. I feel like American Alpha are too hot not to get the titles right now, but I can also see the feud lasting longer. No matter what, I’ll be happy, but I’m picking American Alpha to win the NXT Tag Team Titles clean.
Prediction: American Alpha (New Champions)
NXT Womens Championship: Asuka vs Bayley (c)
Jon: This is the match that an entire division has been built around for months. Asuka has been building a reputation as a fearsome competitor. Bayley has been defending her Championship in parallel, becoming a top calibre champion. So, now these two will finally test each other and it’s going to be truly memorable.
In her last major defence, Bayley brought out a serviceable, story-driven match from the extremely green Nia Jaxx. If she can do that, imagine what Asuka will help her create? I’m expecting a hard-hitting, back and forth bout, that could possibly surpass the current champion’s rivalry with Sasha Banks. I think it’s time for Asuka to ascend to the throne, with Bayley ready to transition to the main roster.
Prediction: Asuka (New Champion)
Steve: Like some of the other matches on this card, I keep going back and forth on who I think wins this. After some heavy thought and debating, I’m going with Asuka. I just feel like Bayley is going to the main roster soon and I don’t see them having the champion show up while champion again this soon.
As for the quality of the match? I expect great things. Asuka and Emma killed it at the last Takeover and Bayley has had really good matches with so many people, from Charlotte to Sasha to Eva Marie, so I firmly believe this will deliver big time. I guess I’ll go with Asuka winning by pin, though I could see her winning by KO too.
Prediction: Asuka (New Champion)
NXT Championship: Samoa Joe vs Finn Bálor (c)
Jon: Back in December, these men put forth a very strong performance that just fell short of being outstanding. I trust them to have improved chemistry by now, so we could finally see something legendary in Dallas.
This will be very hard hitting and back and forth, once again. I expect more homage to Japanese strong style (though that is obviously Nakamura’s calling card now) and for them to get at least 20 minutes. While I won’t outright predict this, a long-awaited appearance by the “Bálor Club” wouldn’t shock me. Finn has been showing a bit of a heelish streak recently too, so foreshadowing seems feasible.
It seems to be time for Samoa Joe to get a run as the bulldozer Champion. I can’t see the “Samoan Submission Machine” getting two high profile Championship bouts and losing both. That may fly in the face of a rising star holding the top NXT belt, but if Joe can reclaim just a portion of the magic of his ROH World Championship run, it would be worth it.
Prediction: Samoa Joe (New Champion)
Steve: This match is going to be great. I thought their last match was great from the prior Takeover, and this should only be as good, if not better. They have a lot of other matches to stand up against, so I suspect they will work harder and hit harder to stand out even more.
The match quality will be great and it could still end up the match of the night. But regardless of how it ends up, I think the most exciting thing about this is that I have no idea who will win. Both men are rumored to be called up. We have the Balor Club looming. So many different routes could be taken. Will Finn win clean? Will we see a double turn? Will Joe win the title and Finn gets called up? Will both end up called up?
A lot of questions exist which make for an exciting main event. But if I had to choose, I say Samoa Joe wins the title leading to Finn Balor debuting this Monday on RAW. I could be wrong, but that’s my gut feeling.
Prediction: Samoa Joe (New Champion)
Closing Thoughts
Jon: You may have noticed that I’m predicting a clean sweep for title changes. It may just be the time of year but for me, this feels like a changing of the guard. That would be exciting enough, but once you consider that 4 of these matches have legitimate potential to steal the show, NXT could very well be about to create their WrestleMania X-7. It’ll be exciting to watch and find out.
Steve: I cannot wait for this event. This, to me, is the best NXT card of all time. Only one of these matches don’t appeal to me and that one I expect to primarily be used to cool the audience down between big matches. This is just going to be fantastic.
Be sure to vote in our poll and let us know what match you’re most excited for, as there are too many matches that look great for me to be solidly behind one. I am leaning towards The Revival versus American Alpha, however, as I think just like at Roadblock, the NXT tag division could really deliver big.
And there you have our preview and predictions for NXT TakeOver: Dallas! Be sure to check back with WWE Network News on Saturday, where we’ll have both immediate results and an in-depth review of the show later in the day!