NXT TakeOver: War Games (2018) airs this Saturday night, November 16, live on WWE Network. The latest NXT live special is headlined by the second annual War Games match, as well as Velveteen Dream challenging for the NXT Championship and a 2-out-of-3 falls match for the NXT Women’s Championship. Here’s how the card breaks down.
NXT TakeOver War Games 2 Card:
1. War Games Match: Undisputed Era vs. War Raiders, Ricochet, Pete Dunne
2. NXT Championship Match: Tommaso Ciampa (c) vs. Velveteen Dream
3. 2-out-of-3 Falls for the NXT Women’s Championship: Shayna Baszler (c) vs. Kairi Sane
4. Johnny Gargano vs. Aleister Black
5. Announced for the pre-event taping: Matt Riddle vs. Kassius Ohno
As always, what follows is our complete rundown of the TakeOver: War Games card, featuring analysis and predictions for all four matches, plus the bonus pre-show match.
When you’re done reading, make sure to drop down into our comments section and let us know who you think’s coming out on top, and why. Make sure you’re here this Saturday for our live coverage of War Games as well, featuring an open discussion thread and live results.
Matt Riddle vs. Kassius Ohno
Matt Riddle meets his fans at Axxess
What You Need To Know: Kassius Ohno is a former NXT star and independent wrestling standout who has kinda let himself go, and is shocked that he keeps getting passed over for “William Regal’s new toy;” namely, whichever physically dominant, physically impressive, or extremely popular guy just got signed. Lately he’s been bothering Matt Riddle, a stoner MMA fighter and “king of the bros” who looks like the Beast from Beauty and the Beast after he gets turned back into a prince.
What Will Happen: This is on the show they’re taping before TakeOver begins, but we thought it might end up on the main card, so we did predictions! You don’t really need them, though, because the match will just be Ohno spinning around in place before he hits strikes, then getting suplexed and choked out while the announce team marvels at how Riddle can throw someone Ohno’s size around like a ragdoll.
Staff Picks
Elle Collins – As I write this, I’m not even sure if this match is on this card, but if it is we all know how it will end. Of all the wrestlers who can and will take a loss to put over the new guy, Kassius Ohno is at the top of the list. It’s literally why he’s there. Matt Riddle’s winning this, and it should be a lot of fun to watch.
Bill Hanstock – Bro, no! Kassius Ohno literally exists to lose to NXT’s shiny new toys, and I don’t see Matt goddamn Riddle of all people losing to Kassius Ohno in his NXT arena debut. Ohno takes Riddle to the limit or whatever, and Riddle wins via Bromission or something else that looks rad.
Raj Prashad – It’s still a bit surreal Riddle is in WWE, and fully expect him to make relatively easy work of Ohno.
Emily Pratt – I firmly believe this will come from us live from an EVOLVE venue. The NYWC Sportatorium will be the Barclays Center to the Staples Center’s MSG. Obviously this bangs, indie style, and Riddle goes bro-ver.
Johnny Gargano vs. Aleister Black
What You Need To Know: Aleister Black’s NXT Championship reign came to an end when Johnny Gargano’s hatred of his former partner, Tommaso Ciampa, got so large that it started interfering in other people’s lives and matches. When the three of them were set to face off in a triple threat match, Johnny, now driven past the point of madness, jumped Black in the Full Sail parking lot and injured him. Now that Black’s back and knows who attacked him (thanks to his informant, feral cat Nikki Cross), there’s going to be hell to pay.
What Will Happen: It’s not for the NXT Championship, it’s not inside two steel cages, and it’s not 2-out-of-3 falls, but John F. Gargano is in it, so it still has the chance to be the match of the night. In my brain it makes sense that Gargano will lose again, both to further his descent into darkness and to give Black a strong return win, but it’ll be fun to see how it plays out either way. Gargano’s been a true ace at adding layers upon layers of storyline emotion and implication to his TakeOver bouts, and this should be no different.
Staff Picks
Elle Collins – I think it has to be Aleister. He just came back, and this is the revenge he needs. Unless NXT wants to make a whole multi-TakeOver program out of this feud, which I wouldn’t put past them. So really it could go either way, but I’m sticking with Aleister.
Bill Hanstock – I fear for Garg having to wrestle a leveled-up Aleister Black with a surgically-repaired genitals area, but what good is a Johnny Evil if you don’t have him be a spectacular poop-for-brains and have him wallop Black in the plumsack a bunch or whatever to win? Gargano wins, but Black puts a beating on him that he won’t forget.
Raj Prashad – Gargano has a bit of an edge to him, and this one just seems like it’s the perfect time to get him a big show win.
Emily Pratt – I’m hoping Black goes over. I think he could use a big win after coming back from injury/parking lot assault, and I support Johnny Failure continuing to fail. Just fail and fail until he truly embraces his inner darkness and DIY reunites as DIYBEN (DIY But Evil Now.) Maybe they become co-champions, LayCool style. Maybe Johnny leaves his wife. Maybe then Candice gets to be her own character and maybe she beats up both these guys. The possibilities are endless!
2-out-of-3 Falls for the NXT Women’s Championship: Shayna Baszler (c) vs. Kairi Sane
What You Need To Know: Shayna Baszler is an MMA fighter turned pro wrestler who hangs out with her three best friends, who are also MMA fighters turned pro wrestlers. She’s the meanest one, and the best of the four at pro wrestling by a mile. She’s traded victories with her eternal blood rival, a Japanese “pirate princess” who smiles a lot and salutes and waves at everybody, but is not afraid to hulk up and elbow you to fuck. They’re facing off for the top prize in their division one more time, in NXT’s biggest and most prestigious blow-off stipulation.
What Will Happen: Man, so much of this relies on what Ronda Rousey’s doing at Survivor Series. If Rousey’s going full heel, as the tone-deaf-ass “millennial man” promo and alignment against the most popular person in the company indicated, I could see Baszler dropping the strap and going up to the main roster with her friends to be Ronda’s backup. If Ronda’s staying a weird smiling face with jerkish tendencies, I’d like to see Baszler retain by the skin of her teeth and face a new challenger. Kairi Sane as NXT Women’s Champion is cool, but it’s not as important to her overall identity and sense of self-worth as it is with Baszler.
Regardless, I’m sure we’ll see the first two falls involve interference of some kind from the Four Horsewomen — once successful, once not — building to the third fall where they get caught and ejected, leveling the playing field. This is going to rule so hard.
Staff Picks
Elle Collins – I’ve heard a lot of people saying that Kairi will win the title back so Shayna can go up to the main roster, but personally I don’t think it’s time for that yet. The MMA heel faction that fully came together at Evolution has barely even had a chance to do anything yet, and they give Shayna’s second run a totally different feel from her first. That needs some time to play out, and I think they’ll probably get it. So obviously I’m picking Shayna.
Bill Hanstock – The ultimate feud leads to the ultimate stipulation. I think we’re all just ready to sit back and drink in this epic encounter, but I truly don’t know who will retain. Shayna winning makes sense if they’re going to lean into the Horsewomen thing, although since only three Horsewomen are in NXT (and two of those Horsewomen absolutely need the time in NXT), there’s no telling what will happen there. Kairi winning makes sense because there are a lot of women in NXT and NXT-adjacent who seem like strong heel challengers to a babyface titleholder (including Lacey Evans and the Un. Duh. Fee. Ted. Bianca Belair). But Shayna seems like she should be on the main roster yesterday and also feels like she could use the title less at this point, so let’s go with the Pirate Princess becoming the second-ever two-time NXT Women’s Champion.
Raj Prashad – After winning the belt at Evolution, it’s hard to imagine Baszler losing here, much less twice. Going with the champ to retain.
Emily Pratt – I am unable to guess what’s next for either of these women, but I think my fantasy booking right now is Sane wins the title back, is challenged by Io Shirai, and the two have a 25-minute joshi banger and blow everyone’s minds. But there are so many wrestlers I love in NXT’s women’s division right now that I’m cool with whatever happens as long as both teams play hard, which they definitely will at War Games.
NXT Championship Match: Tommaso Ciampa (c) vs. Velveteen Dream
What You Need To Know: The NXT Champion is the worst person in the entire world. He’s defending the championship against a gigantic pansexual tweener Prince who is so preternaturally good that everyone who knows him says he’s going to main-event WrestleMania. The fans have started to realize it, too, as if they needed another reason to root against Ciampa.
What Will Happen: What’s the next step in the Johnny Gargano redemption story? Having Black Black Mass him so many times he realizes he shouldn’t attack people in a parking lot, then showing up acting like he’s going to help Ciampa beat Dream, only to swerve him and give the most suddenly beloved guy in the company the NXT Championship. Gargano says Ciampa’s only champ because of him, so he needs to lose it because of him to make it right. Also, DREAM FOR CHAMPION. Dream vs. Black II at TakeOver New York (or whatever they’re calling the one on Mania weekend) needs to happen before one or both of them get called up.
Staff Picks
Elle Collins – I’m going to be bold and say Velveteen Dream wins. We don’t know when he’s getting called up and we’re all kind of worried about it. Let him have this now, while he’s so over with a fandom that understands what he’s doing and loves him.
Bill Hanstock – I am extremely glad that this match will NOT be a triple threat with Lars Sullivan added, and that Lars will instead remain a thinking man’s monster and prefer to stake his claim to challenging the winner of this match, rather than test his luck in a triple threat where he won’t even have to be involved in the finish to miss out on the championship. It would be spectacular for Dream to win the title, but there are three things working against that happening at WarGames. One: it feels a liiiiiitle bit early to end Ciampa’s run. Two: Ciampa will do absolutely anything to retain Goldie, and although Dream is well-versed in mindgames and underhanded tactics, he hasn’t really taken on a true villain like this before. And three: there’s only one person who Dream absolutely MUST win the title from, and that’s Aleister Black. So Ciampa retains, but Velv remains the champion of my heart.
Raj Prashad – Dream finally has hit title shot, and it seems like he’s destined to become WWE’s next big thing. Predicting that starts at TakeOver with his first major title.
Emily Pratt – I think there’s still stuff to do with Champ Ciampa and while often I disagree when people say “[insert popular wrestler] doesn’t need a belt right now…” I think Velveteen Dream really doesn’t need a belt right now! I would love, love, love for Dream to beat Ciampa, but Dream continuing to be awesome and then becoming NXT Champion in like six months, after a long feud, sounds like the actual best thing that could happen for him. But I’m really just psyched to see these two go one-on-one, no matter the outcome.
War Games Match: Undisputed Era vs. War Raiders, Ricochet, Pete Dunne
What You Need To Know: The Undisputed Era is a team of former Ring of Honor dirtbags turned NXT SUPER dirtbags, who turned on all their friends and weaseled their way into the Tag Team Championship, the Dusty Rhodes Memorial Tag Team Classic tournament trophy, and, at least until recently, the North American Championship. Their mouths and reps talked them into a War Games match against four of NXT’s most unstoppable babyfaces: Ricochet, a man who regains HP every time he flips; Pete Dunne, the British bruising-cruiserweight who has held his championship longer than anyone in WWE; and Rowe and Hanson, the Renn Faire Road Warriors. Ass kicking, ahoy.
What Will Happen: No War Games team with Pete Dunne on it should lose, so I’m calling it for the faces this year. They gave the Era the big advantage on the final NXT TV before War Games, built up Pete Dunne’s injured leg as the target Era’s going to be gunning for, and they won the three-team version last year. I wouldn’t be surprised if they took it again this year, but I think someone’s going to accidentally get hurt, Zbyszko-style, and the War Raiders are going to be the difference makers.
No matter what happens, +1 to NXT for making it a two-team match this year. Now if they can just add a fifth member to each team and put a damn roof on the cage, we’ll be in business.
Staff Picks
Elle Collins – One of the great things about these multi-man gimmick matches is that losses don’t hurt anybody the way they can when things are smaller and less messy. This could easily go either way, but my proverbial money is on War Raiders, Dunne, and Ricochet. War Games is all about brutality, and if that doesn’t give Rowe, Hanson, and Dunne the advantage, I don’t know what could. Also Ricochet will jump off of some stuff onto some people.
Bill Hanstock – 630 SENTON FROM THE TOP OF THE CAAAAAAAAGE. The Undisputed Era has been in both War Games matches, because they’re the world’s perfect assholes. This is going to be absolutely boffo, even if the cage DOESN’T have a roof. (It won’t.) TUE won the first War Games match, and I think there’s a strong chance they’ll find a way to win this one as well (after the requisite ultra-highspot off the top of the cage from Ricochet, of course). However, if NXT REALLY wanted this to be an epic match, they’d have it be winner take all for the North American, UK and tag titles, but they’re abject cowards, so alas. Regardless, I think the good guys will prevail in this one, thus allowing the War Raiders to lay claim to a No. 1 contender-ship for the tag titles, and allowing Cole/Dunne/Ricochet to put their triangle feud behind all of them and move on to the next thing. And also Bobby Fish is there!
Raj Prashad – After last year’s insanity, fully expecting War Raiders to create a scene of mayhem and Ricochet to do cool things in the cage. Going with the combo of War Raiders/Ricochet/Dunne with the win here.
Emily Pratt – Adam Cole’s going to take a crazy bump, Ricochet’s going to be Spiderman again, and hopefully the War Raiders are going to war raid the heck out of everyone. I think this would be a great time of the Undisputed Era to get some comeuppance, and I think it’ll happen.
There you go; these are our thoughts on what will happen at NXT TakeOver: War Games, who we think will win, and why. The best part? In NXT that rarely matters, because it’s always going to be good, and it’s always going somewhere, so we can sit back and relax and enjoy the show. But hey, let us know what you think will happen down in our comments section below, and make sure you’re here on Saturday to take it all in.
