NXT TakeOver: San Antonio airs this Saturday, January 28, live on WWE Network. The latest NXT live special is headlined by Bobby Roode challenging Shinsuke Nakamura for the NXT Championship, a fatal four-way for the NXT Women’s Championship, and the NXT Tag Team Champions DIY taking on the winners of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, the Authors of Pain.
Here’s the complete card, as we know it.
NXT TakeOver: San Antonio card:
1. NXT Championship Match: Shinsuke Nakamura (c) vs. Bobby Roode
2. Fatal Four-way for the NXT Women’s Championship: Asuka (c) vs. Nikki Cross vs. Billie Kay vs. Peyton Royce
3. NXT Tag Team Championship Match: #DIY (c) vs. The Authors Of Pain
4. Eric Young vs. Tye Dillinger
5. Roderick Strong vs. Andrade ‘Cien’ Almas
As always, we’ll be here on Saturday night with an open discussion thread, live results and reactions to the show. And, also as always, here’s what we think will happen, and what you need to know. Make sure to let us know who you think will win and why in our comments section below.
Roderick Strong vs. Andrade ‘Cien’ Almas
What You Need To Know: These guys are both wrestlers.
What Should Happen: Okay, so Austin Aries got hurt and all his storylines got cremated and sprinkled into the ocean. So the guy who was supposed to be his heel partner/lackey, Roderick Strong, is a whitemeat babyface, going up against a maskless La Sombra who is still trying to figure out how to get over without a mask despite being great at wrestling and super handsome. BRO, I DON’T KNOW.
The plot here is basically, “these guys know how to wrestle, so here’s wrestling,” and that’s fine. It’s basically Apollo Crews split into two guys and forced to fight himself. Almas should win, because Roderick Strong saying “I want to be NXT CHAMPION” isn’t a storyline.
Staff Picks
Scott Heisel – This match reeks of pre-show, but Takeovers don’t actually show matches during the pre-show, so I guess I’ll have to watch it. Neither guy excites me, and I don’t think there’s really any story to speak of, so… Roddy, I guess?
Justin Donaldson – The Cruiserweights that time forgot. I think Cien gains more from winning this match than Roddy does, so I think they’ll go with him in a match that could be a surprise highlight of the show.
Danielle Matheson – One of my best friends found Almas’s Bumble profile a while back. He seems like a fun guy, even if his mirror selfie game could use a little work. And by that I mean buddy, come on, a mirror selfie? When you work for a place that takes professional shots for you? All that said, I still want him to beat Roddy (even though he won’t).
Bill Hanstock – WHOEVER WINS … WE SNOOZE. But seriously, folks, I hope this will be the most entertaining match Almas has had since coming to NXT (and the Lorcan matches will be tough to top). I desperately hope Strong gets motivated and these two go balls-out in the highest profile match they’ve both had to date. I anticipate Almas will win via underhandedness, causing Roddy vs. the world to put the “the world” part on hold for the time being.
Eric Young vs. Tye Dillinger
What You Need To Know: Canadian superhero Eric Young suffered some kind of existential crisis and became the leader of an international terrorist group known as SAnitY, dedicated to wrestling the first 3/4 of a match and then doing beatdowns at the end. He realized he had a terrible member (Sawyer Fulton) and ousted him, and suggested that fellow Canadian failure Tye Dillinger should join the team in his place. Dillinger rejected the offer, and now Young wants to flip him for real.
Tye Dillinger likes the number 10 and says it a lot. That is his entire character. He rules.
What Should Happen: Really hoping Dillinger wins here. He needs it, if my championship storyline booking is going to work. Win or lose, I expect him to get attacked after the match by the hilariously named KILLIAN DAIN, to set up a big TV match that God willing will be the beginning of his ascent to NXT Championship glory. Or, you know, Dillinger just loses forever. Either/or.
Staff Picks
Scott Heisel – EY has been in NXT since April and has only won two singles matches clean on TV. Maaaaybe it’s time to make the leader of a presumably dominant faction actually dominate for once? (Sorry, Bray.) Dillinger goes down for the three-count, yet the crowd will count to 10 regardless.
Justin Donaldson – As funny as I think it would be to see Tye Dillinger lose again, I think he’s finally going to win this one. But I think he’ll eat a severe post-match beatdown by the rest of SAnitY.
Danielle Matheson – Eric Young has a posse, so I can’t see them not interfering. If you combine all of their cut-up clothing you’ll get a full outfit, and if you combine all of their efforts, you get a Young victory via shenanigans.
Bill Hanstock – By all rights, this should be the beginning of Dillinger’s road to … perfection that will culminate at WrestleMania weekend, but I think he’s due to get his dick knocked in the dirt one more time, as DAniTY will play the damned numbers game and cost him the match.
NXT Tag Team Championship Match: #DIY (c) vs. The Authors Of Pain
What You Need To Know: The NXT Tag Team Champions, a team of two guys called “Do It Yourself” somehow, are riding high off a string of high-profile, critically acclaimed matches with the best tag team in the world, The Revival. Their first post-Revival opponents: the Authors of Pain, two enormous swat team monsters who are almost twins, are under the control of the guy who convinced the world that painting your face and wearing spiked shoulder-pads was cool as shit for 40 years, and willing to kill people in the ring for real.
What Should Happen: It makes a lot of sense to let the Authors roll here — NXT doesn’t have a lot of of love for babyface tag champs, as even American Alpha just lost and moved on almost immediately — but I’m going to call DIY retaining by disqualification. Some kind of non-finish, to set up the rematch on WrestleMania weekend. If Gargano and Ciampa are going to end up on 205 Live or whatever, it’s reasonable to think they’d be the post-WrestleMania bump for that show’s roster. And besides, they’ve earned at least a few months as champions. Don’t let their greatest accomplishment be getting Oney Lorcan over on Dot Com.
Staff Picks
Scott Heisel – I picked DIY at the last Takeover, as did pretty much the rest of the world. I also picked AOP to win the Dusty Classic, as did most people as well. However, I feel like I’m going against the grain when I say AOP is gonna murder DIY in, like, under five minutes here. Gargano and Ciampa have already finished their storyline with the Revival, so might as well have them drop the belts here and move on to greener pastures (whether that be 205 Live or something more, who knows, though Cruiserweight Tag TItles could be fun).
Justin Donaldson – I see Authors of Pain winning, but not winning the belt. Maybe they do something where they stop the match because it’s gotten too violent, or it could just be simply a count out.
Danielle Matheson – These underdog darlings are gonna get eaten up like a bowl of Captain Crunch.
Bill Hanstock – The Authors won the Dusty Classic, and no one’s been able to get their number yet. I don’t feel like Gargamel and Chomp-Chomp will be able to be the dudes who hand the Authors their first loss, and the Authors as champs means a fun chase for just about every team in the division. The Authors will capture the titles, and start a new chapter of NXT. [looks around to see if anyone noticed what i did there]
Fatal Four-way for the NXT Women’s Championship: Asuka (c) vs. Nikki Cross vs. Billie Kay vs. Peyton Royce
What You Need To Know: Asuka is a Japanese murder pimp-clown (or something) who is too tough to lose. She’s too tough to take any real damage, if we’re being honest. She’s murked Bayley, Nia Jax and Mickie James, and now it’s her chance to destroy her top three challengers at once; an Australian ice princess and her flower-obsessed friend, and a crazy anarchist lady who won’t stop running at people and punching them.
What Should Happen: All roads lead to Asuka vs. Ember Moon, unless you’re gonna take the long way around by having one of the heels steal the belt indirectly in a four-way, have Ember Moon beat THEM, and have Asuka vs. Ember with Asuka as the challenger. That’s not a bad story, but Ember Moon as the Next Big Thing and the new breed of female competitor that can not only hang with Asuka but competitively take her down is the BEST story. Asuka should retain, but all of her opponents should come truly close to winning at least once.
Staff Picks
Scott Heisel – Asuka. Next?
Justin Donaldson – I think they’re going to have fun with this one and have Nikki Cross win the belt by pinning one of the two that aren’t Asuka. And angry Asuka chasing Cross is too good of television to pass up.
Danielle Matheson – So nice of them to give Asuka a veritable buffet of carnage. Asuka walks away the winner, and the internet gets to keep making lusty gifs of Nikki and her interacting. Bless them.
Bill Hanstock – Asuka will retain. Cross and the Aussies (Oss?) are just there to be three more bodies Asuka piles up en route to Ember Moon taking the crown on WrestleMania weekend. The only other option is Asuka not being involved in the finish, allowing Cross to win the title without defeating Asuka. Then we’re off to the races with a three-way feud between Nikki, Asuka, and Ember. But nah, Asuka retains. I’m picking the other two titles to change hands, so Asuka retains.
NXT Championship Match: Shinsuke Nakamura (c) vs. Bobby Roode
What You Need To Know: Shinsuke Nakamura is the charismatic, hard-hitting, oft-injuring NXT Champion who spent what feels like the last 15 years fighting Samoa Joe in a never-ending loop of NXT Championship matches with multiple stipulations on multiple continents. Now that he’s done, he’s set to face an arrogant, entitled shiba inu of a man who wants to “take NXT to the next level” by making everyone act like adults and wear suits.
What Should Happen: With it being Royal Rumble weekend, it makes sense to give Nakamura the AJ Styles spot in this year’s Rumble match. He’d make a big impact, it’d be a fun surprise and a crazy novelty to see Nakamura competing on WWE’s main roster. Plus, maybe we can get him on Smackdown fast enough for AJ Styles to have an actual opponent at WrestleMania.
On top of that, and on top of Nak having done everything you can do in NXT (including beating its four most notable champions), the booking heading into WrestleMania weekend for Bob Roo as NXT Champ is too good to pass up. You’ve built Tye Dillinger as the new Sami Zayn, right? You’ve had him struggle against Roode. You’ve had him agree to team up with him in the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic only to get hung out to dry and embarrassed. Roode is entitled and demands everyone recognize him as the reason for NXT’s success and existence. Dillinger is doubting whether or not he belongs at all. The build to Dillinger/Roode makes so much goddamn sense that I can’t believe they’d do anything else. Pull the trigger. Even if it’s just to make James Storm extra sad.
Staff Picks
Scott Heisel – Joe and Shinsuke were stuck in that Charlotte/Sasha loop for a few months there, with neither guy being able to hold onto the belt for more than one defense. I’m not confident Shinsuke shakes that curse here, though, since Brandon’s fantasy-booked Takeover main event WrestleMania weekend of Tye Dillinger vs. Bobby Roode sounds so damn good it’s hard to pick against it. It’s also worth noting that Roode has never lost in a singles match on TV, so I’m gonna say his undefeated streak continues here and we crown a new champion (and maybe get a surprise entrant in the Royal Rumble out of the deal, too).
Justin Donaldson – On paper it’s one of the more interesting main events that a TakeOver special has had. Whether it lives up to the match in my mind depends on which Nakamura is going to show up. Because I know Bobby Roode is coming to do his part. Either way, Nakamura is going to win the match and leave with the belt.
Danielle Matheson – If rumours are correct, it’s time for Nak to move on to bigger (but not necessarily better) things. Look for him to drop the belt to Roode this weekend, and me to watch that video of Richard Spencer gloriously getting punched set to Bobby Roode’s theme on repeat for most of the match.
Bill Hanstock – It’s undeniable that Nak is good for the NXT brand, but it’s also undeniable that he has reached the Finn/Sami/Joe level of “nothing left to do here” faster than anyone before him. Roode will cheat to win, as well he should, and Nakamura can start making booking his hotel for the Elimination Chamber.
