NXT TakeOver: Dallas airs this Friday, April 1, live on WWE Network. The show has an unusually late start time of 10 PM EST, so if you’re planning to watch, keep that in mind. The show features one of the most blockbuster cards in NXT history, including three championship matches and the NXT debuts of Shinsuke Nakamura and Austin Aries.
Here’s your complete NXT TakeOver: Dallas card:
1. NXT Championship Match: Finn Bálor (c) vs. Samoa Joe
2. NXT Women’s Championship Match: Bayley (c) vs. Asuka
3. NXT Tag Team Championship Match: The Revival (c) vs. American Alpha
4. Baron Corbin vs. Austin Aries
5. Apollo Crews vs. Elias Samson
6. Sami Zayn vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
As always, here’s our rundown of the card and what we think will happen. The shorter version: lots of people jumping up and down in place, clapping their hands.
Be sure to let us know your picks and what you think will happen in our comments section below.
Sami Zayn vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
What You Need To Know: Sami Zayn is the “heart and soul” of NXT, but he’s on his way out. He’s been on the main roster for a few weeks now, and he’s set to be a part of a 7-man ladder match for the Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania. He recently returned from injury and tried to become the first 2-time NXT Champion, but Samoa Joe got in his way. Meanwhile, here comes THE KING OF STRONG STYLE Shinsuke Nakamura, one of the biggest international stars in the world and what would happen if Michael Jackson was Japanese and could kick your ass. One’s on their way in, the other’s on their way out.
What Will Happen: Expectations are high for this one. It’s two of the very best wrestlers in the world on the best NXT card ever put together, on WrestleMania weekend, featuring a massive debut and (possibly) an emotional goodbye. No matter what happens, this feels like it’s going to be one of those matches we never forget. I’m picking Nakamura to take it, but only after a hell of a fight. Sami Zayn’s character is built to lose, and Nak needs to show up guns blazing.
Staff Picks
Jessica Hudnall – [heavy breathing] ‘suuuup, Shinsuke? I know he cites Freddie Mercury as an influence, but if Shinsuke makes more of an effort to dress as Selena Quintanilla in Texas, he’ll get ALL THE LOVE. Nakamura wins this via a Bidi Bidi Boma Ye.
Ross Bentley – It still doesn’t even seem real that Nakamura is going to be showing up on NXT. The guy is so damn charismatic, that even those folks who have never seen him wrestle once will fall in love with him right away. I think Zayn is still looking to have that first real “Sami Zayn 5- Star Match” since his return, and this could certainly get there. Nakamura is gonna win, but does that even matter? Triple H you are magnificent bastard for making this match a reality.
Austin Heiberg – First of all, to hell with the title, I hope they put this one on last. Nothing in the world is going to follow this. As far as the match goes, I think Sami Zayn is about to have the weekend of his life. He’ll lose an absolute showstopper of a match here, but then he’ll bounce back and get his first (of hopefully many) WrestleMania moment. If you’re going to bid farewell to NXT, do it with the King of Strong Style.
Bill DiFilippo – On one hand, Sami Zayn’s (likely) last match shouldn’t involve him eating a loss. On the other, Shinsuke Nakamura’s debut shouldn’t involve him eating a loss. I have gone back and forth on this more than just about any match over the weekend, and I’m inclined to say that Sami wins and he gets a huge ovation and everyone realizes they just saw NXT’s most bestest person ever go out with a win. Either way, this match makes me happy.
David D. – Yeah, so this is going to steal the show. Besides the Women’s title match at Mania, this is the match I’m most looking forward to for the weekend. Shinsuke is going to murder Sami and Sami is going to sell to the moon. I just want to see the entrance and the crowd reaction. This is going to be epic. Shinsuke wins.
Justin Donaldson – Nakamura takes this one easily. America falls in love with him instantly and Zayn has a tearful farewell to NXT.
Apollo Crews vs. Elias Samson
What You Need To Know: Apollo Crews is a fantastic pro wrestler and born to be a champion (a champy-yonnn), but he’s been unlucky as of late. He challenged for the NXT Championship and had the opportunity ruined by Baron Corbin, then failed to defeat the champion in a non-title followup match. He’s looking to prove himself. At TakeOver, he faces a guy who plays guitar kinda badly and calls himself “The Drifter,” but refuses to expound upon it.
What Will Happen: The only way Crews doesn’t win this is if we get our first instance of Elias Samson using his guitar as a weapon. I feel like that might be the point of the match. Samson took an L to Johnny Gargano two weeks ago, but he can kabong Apollo Crews and steal a sh*tty win. I don’t want to give up on Samson just yet, but pretty much everyone in the world would prefer a Crews win.
Staff Picks
Jessica Hudnall – Uncle Brock is gonna be so disappointed in Elias, who is Crewsin for a bruisin here. Apollo wins this via Exceedingly Dopeness.
Ross Bentley – Crews, all the damn way. NXT has made me a believer out of so many guys and gals that were just awful in the beginning of their careers (Corbin, Dana Brooke, Bull Dempsey, Eva Marie etc. etc.) but Samson….I just don’t see how that’s ever going to be a thing. Drift away, buddy, drift away.
Austin Heiberg – Apollo throws Samson in a shipping crate labeled “To OVW” within five minutes and we move on with our damn lives.
Bill DiFilippo – I can’t believe I actually don’t care about an Apollo Crews match. Elias Samson seems like he could be a not horrendous character, but right now he’s just so boring that it’s hard to imagine him doing anything that makes me go “yes this is a thing I am excited about.” Here’s to hoping Apollo wins this in, like, three minutes and goes on to an NXT title program.
David D. – Crews gets his win back after suffering a couple of losses. I wouldn’t be surprised if he moves up to Raw as well.
Justin Donaldson – Apollo Crews knows how ridiculous The Drifter is. He’s not going to let himself lose to someone that ridiculous. Crews for the win.
Baron Corbin vs. Austin Aries
What You Need To Know: Baron Corbin, who is definitely not a biker werewolf, is a former football player who believes that WWE should only employ exceptional, special human beings like himself. He’s upset at the constant influx of increasingly small pro wrestling stars who made a name for themselves on the independent circuit and feel that entitles them to WWE success. After being beaten by two of those former indie stars, Corbin took out his frustrations on NXT’s newest signee, former ROH and TNA World Champion Austin Aries. Aries has a lot of experience and a big fan following, but Corbin has promised to end his career and send him to WrestleCon to sign autographs with Virgil.
What Will Happen: I’m not a big Austin Aries fan and I love Baron Corbin, but Aries seems like the right call here. He’s debuting, and his only other WWE TV appearance involved him being instantly beaten up. Having said that, I’m totally fine with Corbin Deep Sixing him so hard he makes the Pac-Man dying noise. I’ll formally call Aries winning by DQ when Corbin can’t put him away and gets frustrated.
Staff Picks
Jessica Hudnall – Corbin better maul Aries in like 45 seconds. Then tell him to go back to Southern Fried Championship Wrestling.
Ross Bentley – I feel like most people will be going with AA since it’s his debut match, but I’m picking Corbin. I think he’s the next guy that will hold the NXT Championship, and he will continue his quest of beating up all these damn puny indy wrestlers by scoring a surprise win over Aries in a great match.
Austin Heiberg – Corbin’s my pick here. I have no idea how long the Lone Wolf plans on sticking around Full Sail, but he needs a marquee win before he heads to Raw and becomes The Authority’s new enforcer.
Bill DiFilippo – I have turned into a pretty severe Baron Corbin fanboy over the last few months. He went from being some boring dude to this destructive hell beast who I actively cheer for even though he’s a super jerk face. Plus it just makes sense, character-wise and based on the size of the two of them, for him to literally eat Austin Aries. I have no idea who would actually win – I’m inclined to believe Aries would via DQ in that scenario – but I think that makes sense. As long as I see a Deep Six nothing else matters.
David D. – I have a secret: I have zero enthusiasm for Austin Aries. He never did much for me. But I guess he wins his debut match.
Justin Donaldson – Baron Corbin should destroy Austin Aries. Aries is just another stepping stone on Corbin’s “Indie Darling” rampage. Corbin with End of Days in a squash.
NXT Tag Team Championship Match: The Revival (c) vs. American Alpha
What You Need To Know: The Revival (formerly The Mechanics) are a pair of old school pro wrestlers who prefer fists to flips and worked their way to the NXT Tag Team Championships by winning smartly wrestled matches. They’re up against AMERICAN ALPHA, a team of former amateur wrestling standouts with abandonment issues who begrudgingly teamed up only to find out they are LITERALLY MAGIC. They’re riding the biggest wave of momentum ever, and the Revival is gonna have to have a hell of a gameplan to stop Hot Tag Jason Jordan and his little pal with the world’s deadliest wristlocks.
What Will Happen: American Alpha all the damn way. NXT never pulled the trigger with Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady, so I’m hoping they pull that trigger the first chance they get with Gable and Jordan. All signs point to them winning here and beginning that NXT Tag Team wrestling renaissance we’ve been so close to forever.
Staff Picks
Jessica Hudnall – I hope American Alpha just air juggle The Revival for the entire match. Slam ’em down hard enough so they bounce high enough for another throw. New champs and then Chad Gable announces the formation of SHOOT NATION and I flip my lid.
Ross Bentley – Alpha, obviously. The Revival has had a nice run, (although they totally should have pulled the trigger on Enzo and Cass one of those times) but this is Gable and Jordan’s time to shine on the big stage.
Austin Heiberg – I’m going to do this one like a British crowd. “Jordan, Jordan Jordan, Jordan Jordan, Jordan JORDAN JORDAN, Gable, Gable Gable, Gable Gable, Gable GABLE GABLE!”
Bill DiFilippo – The only way that American Alpha doesn’t win is if someone backstage decides they’re too good for the titles and they deserve to be put into the Hall of Fame the following day, never to wrestle another match again. And since there’s no way that happens, American Alpha wins and I cry a bit and smile. The best news is this would probably be the thing that gets Chad Gable gear onto WWE Shop, which is kind of a bad thing because I’d go broke, but still.
David D. – This has got to be a win for American Alpha. Gotta be. They’re the hottest tag team in wrestling and it’s time to pull the trigger. Otherwise they risk a Tyler Black/ROH situation where they are so hesitant to make the title switch that it kills momentum.
Justin Donaldson – American Alpha are the best tag team ever, but they haven’t met a challenge like The Revival. I think American Alpha needs to lose in order for them to reach the next level. The Revival is going to teach them that this isn’t going to be as easy as they thought. Revival holds onto the belts.
NXT Women’s Championship Match: Bayley (c) vs. Asuka
What You Need To Know: There’s a lot of “established NXT star must take on an unpredictable newcomer” matches on this show.
Bayley is the fan favorite Women’s Champion who loves everyone, hugs everyone and proved that if you work hard and keep your heart in the right place, good things will happen to you. She’s faced a string of serious challenges, but now she’s one-on-one with Asuka, a woman who can kick you until your heart’s in the wrong place. This has the potential to steal the show, and possibly the entire weekend.
What Will Happen: I’ve gone back and forth on this, but I’m going to be brave and pick Bayley to retain. Asuka is one of the very best wrestlers in the world, obviously, but if you think about it, her NXT character is still very “wait and see.” We don’t really know much about her besides the fact that she can kick you to death and smiles at you when she feels anxious or disrespected (which amps up the kicking you to death powers). I’d love to see Bayley counter something into a rollup for a surprise victory that turns Asuka heel and drives her over the edge. She doesn’t seem like someone who’d deal with disappointment well. The next TakeOver is in June, so let Bayley vs. Asuka in crazy clown makeup main-event that show. If we’re assuming Bayley’s headed to the main roster soon, we don’t want her effectively saying goodbye on the same show as (possibly) Sami Zayn AND (possibly) Finn Bálor.
Staff Picks
Jessica Hudnall – Dear Asuka, please don’t kick all of Bayley’s face blood out of her head. You can win the title, no worries, just don’t maim poor, sweet Bayley because then I will cry forever. Asuka wins and then crawls through the computer to feast upon the bones of dorks on twitter that disparage women’s wrestling.
Ross Bentley – There are so many interesting ways this could go. Asuka could go full heel and just beat Bayley to death and win the title. Bayley could eek out another close win just to tap into Asuka’s rage and set up a heel turn later on, or one of them could just win clean in a hard fought back-and-forth. Regardless, this will be the match of the night, and on a card like this, that’s saying something. As for my personal prediction, I think Asuka wins clean and Bayley moves up to be with her other three horsewomen on Monday night.
Austin Heiberg – This is probably the hardest Takeover match to predict for me. Bayley is NXT. She’s optimism and light in a world of bitterness and salacious politicking. She’s the most incorruptible babyface WWE has, and sending her to the main roster is a downright scary thought. Half of me wants her to be in NXT forever – if not as champion, then just as the benevolent materfamilias of the whole operation. But the other half knows that this isn’t how things work. I’m predicting Asuka here, but I’m not even sure how she goes about it. Does she remain a terrifying babyface, or does she go heel and bust out the full Piero-gun makeup? Time will tell.
Bill DiFilippo – Picking this one is tough because both Bayley and Asuka rule, but I think Bayley ends up winning. I don’t think she gets called up to feud with WWE Women’s Champion Sasha Banks (sorry I just really wanted to type that out for a zillion different reasons) until after Sasha murderkills everyone else on the main roster. And the thought of Bayley in NXT without the title is really weird to me. So yeah, not taking away from the next level badassness of Asuka, but Bayley wins.
David D. – The thing I love about this show is that I don’t know what’s going to happen in any of the title matches. I think Bayley retains and gives Asuka her first loss. Then Asuka snaps and we get a return match of good Bayley vs. Evil Asuka.
Justin Donaldson – I’m not ready for Bayley to lose yet. I feel like she’s going to get murdered for 90% of this match, but somehow find a way to pull it out in the end. I don’t see a lot of happy endings at Takeover; I think this will be the one.
NXT Championship Match: Finn Bálor (c) vs. Samoa Joe
What You Need To Know: The two have been at each other’s throats for months. They teamed up to win the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, and Joe politely asked Finn for a Championship match. Finn accepted, but William Regal said no and made Joe work for it. Joe couldn’t make that happen, so it turned him into the type of guy who chokes you until you pass out to make a point. They clashed at NXT TakeOver: London and Finn barely survived … now Joe has eliminated all the other contenders and is laser-focused on putting Finn down for good.
What Will Happen: Honestly? I’m not sure I know. I could see Joe winning the championship and sending Bálor off to Raw with the WWE version of the Bullet Club, and spending the next few months feuding with Apollo Crews. That’d be a hell of a thing. At the same time, I’ve gotten so used to Bálor as the face of NXT that I could just as easily see him retaining and holding the belt even if he’s on Raw. It feels like Joe, though, so that’s what I’m going with. Joe’s return to being one of the best wrestlers on the planet is one of the best stories of the past year in NXT, so why not reward him for that work and put him on top?
Staff Picks
Jessica Hudnall – My brain is at war here, because part of me figures Finn’s losing so he can graduate to where the Big Boys Play (TM), but there’s another part of me that can’t come to grips with Samoa Joe winning a title in WWE, even if it’s a NXT belt. Before my skull splits in two, I’ll say that Balor retains.
Ross Bentley – So much of this card depends on who the WWE is planning on calling up next Monday night. If the internet’s collective wet dream comes true and the Balor Club becomes a thing, then obviously it’s Joe’s turn to hold the title. Otherwise, it still doesn’t feel like it’s time for for Balor’s reign to be over. I don’t think Joe’s time at NXT will last all that much longer either, so this feels like another decisive Balor win to close the feud.
Austin Heiberg – Even speaking as a huge fan of Balor, I think he’s accomplished everything he can under the NXT banner. Given the established road map of NXT to WWE, this entire show seems based around torch-passing. It’s time for Finn to hit the main roster (probably with some old friends), and it’s time for a dominant heel champion in NXT. I’m going with Joe.
Bill DiFilippo – I have this hunch that Joe wins and it frees up a move for Finn to the main roster. I kind of think that Finn has run his course in NXT and Joe is going to spend the next few months doing silly things to people before he gets his call-up after SummerSlam. Finn loses, but it’s not the last time we see him during Wrestlemania weekend. At the very least, he’s going to show up on Raw and do something cool.
David D. – I think Finn retains here. I think one of these guys gets a call up on Raw and Finn is still the face of the brand. I expect them to go balls to the wall with Finn finding a way to retain.
Justin Donaldson – I’ve never seen someone make a comeback like Joe. His time at NXT has been a real transformation. I feel like that gets rewarded with the belt here. Joe is a monster. He killed Bull Dempsey! It’s going to be very close, but I’m going with Joe over Balor.
