Here Are Your NXT TakeOver: WarGames Predictions And Analysis


NXT TakeOver: WarGames airs this Saturday, November 18, live on WWE Network. NXT’s latest live special features the return of the WarGames match — a WCW staple in the ’80s and ’90s that the WWE has never attempted before — as well as NXT Champion Drew McIntyre defending against Andrade “Cien” Almas, and a Fatal Four-Way for the vacant NXT Women’s Championship between Ember Moon, Nikki Cross, Peyton Royce and Kairi Sane. As always, we’ll be here all night with reactions, results and discussion.

Here’s the complete NXT TakeOver: WarGames card as we know it.

NXT TakeOver: WarGames card:

1. WarGames Match: SAnitY vs. The Undisputed Era vs. Authors Of Pain & Roderick Strong
2. Aleister Black vs. Velveteen Dream
3. NXT Championship Match: Drew McIntyre (c) vs. Andrade “Cien” Almas
4. NXT Women’s Championship Fatal 4-Way Match: Kairi Sane vs. Peyton Royce vs. Ember Moon vs. Nikki Cross
5. Kassius Ohno vs. Lars Sullivan

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.

Kassius Ohno vs. Lars Sullivan

What You Need To Know: Since making his return to NXT back in January after a few years on the indie circuit, Kassius Ohno has been a consistent force on the side of good but has struggled to string together meaningful wins, coming up short against Bobby Roode, SAnitY and others. His opponent, the sadistic Lars Sullivan, has spent the past six months in NXT ransacking anyone who got in his way, including anyone who was foolish enough to tag with him. Ohno will be his first true competition, and TakeOver: WarGames will undoubtedly be his biggest match to date. Can he hang under the bright lights of Houston’s Toyota Center?

What Should Happen: Like he’s done for the bulk of his return run thus far, Kassius Ohno should put up a good fight and then lose. Like a good Jimmy John’s sub, Lars Sullivan is absurdly large and freaky fast — he’s also nearly a decade younger than Ohno, so this one is a bit of a no-brainer.

Staff Picks

Bill Hanstock — Lars Sullivan is the truth. What better way to showcase his freakish strength than by putting him up against one of the biggest dudes on the roster? They can’t all be Lorcans, you know. I think Sullivan has his toughest fight to date, but manages to dispatch Ohno and move onto the next thing.

Brandon Stroud — The match never happens as Lars opens the show sitting in the middle of the ring, eating a loaf of bread he reveals has been baked using Kassius Ohno’s bones.

Elle Collins — Sullivan is being built as a monster, and Ohno seems to have mostly joined the company to put people over, so I’m assuming Sullivan wins. I don’t know what Lars’ future looks like in the long term, since WWE as a whole seems kind of overstuffed with monsters, but that’s a concern for another day.

NXT Women’s Championship Fatal 4-Way Match: Kairi Sane vs. Peyton Royce vs. Ember Moon vs. Nikki Cross

What You Need To Know: The NXT Women’s Championship has laid vacant for the past two months, following Asuka relinquishing the title and being called up to Raw. Since then, there’s been a feeding frenzy of activity, with virtually every woman on the NXT roster competing to earn a spot in this fatal four-way match to determine a new champion. Kairi Sane earned her spot by winning the Mae Young Classic, defeating former UFC fighter Shayna Baszler in the process; Peyton Royce and Ember Moon each won their respective triple threat matches to punch their tickets to Houston; and Nikki Cross cleared house in a battle royal last month to secure the final spot. None of these four women have ever tasted gold in NXT before, and all four of them are determined to be the successor to Asuka’s throne.

What Should Happen: There are viable reasons for any of these women to emerge champion — Ember Moon came the closest to dethroning Asuka, Nikki Cross’ chaotic attitude is enough to win a match, Kairi Sane proved her worth mowing through the competition in the MYC — but really, there’s only one person who should win the title this Saturday, and that’s Peyton Royce. Despite Asuka’s heelish tendencies toward the end of her run, NXT hasn’t had a true heel champion in the women’s division since Sasha Banks in early 2015. It’s time to give the Iconic Duo a run on top, most likely leading to a title change at TakeOver: New Orleans and a call-up for both the following week.

Staff Picks

Bill Hanstock — Now this is exciting. This is really anyone’s game here, but I think they should finally pull the trigger and let the Iconic Duo run with the title for a while. I think our dear, beloved Peyton takes it when Billie Kay gets involved, and the other three women are free to chase for a while.

Brandon Stroud — I want nothing more in the world than for Peyton Royce to leave this match as NXT Women’s Champion. It’s such a perfect booking opportunity. Kairi Sane rules, won the Mae Young Classic, and is the spiritual successor to Asuka. Ember Moon has been on the cusp of being women’s champion for months. Nikki Cross is the best in the galaxy (cough) and beloved by anyone with a brain, and could be women’s champion whenever she wants. So the best decision is to give it to Peyton Royce, the one character of the four that’s been truly improved by the NXT learning experience, and can be used as a transitional champion for whichever of the other three you want as your women’s champ around or after WrestleMania.

Elle Collins — All of these women are great, and honestly I’m excited to see any of them as the first new NXT Women’s Champion in more than a year and a half. I don’t really think Ember Moon wins, because I feel like she has the curse of Becky Lynch, where she’ll end up on the main roster without ever holding this belt. I hope it’s not Kairi Sane, because she’s such a great babyface that it will be a lot more fun to see her win the title after she’s really spent some time chasing it. Peyton Royce has certainly put in the work, and she’d make a great heel champion, with First Lady Billie Kaye by her side. But what I really want, personally, is my favorite wrestler Nikki Cross as NXT Women’s Champion. That’s where my heart lies.

NXT Championship Match: Drew McIntyre (c) vs. Andrade “Cien” Almas

What You Need To Know: Nearly three-and-a-half years ago, Drew McIntyre washed out of WWE. The former Intercontinental champion had steadily slid down the card for a few years, even briefly being used as enhancement talent in NXT in 2012, losing to Seth Rollins and Bo Dallas. After being released from the company in June 2014, McIntyre had to forge his own way, which resulted in runs with Impact, PWG, Evolve and others. Having eventually rehabbed his image enough, WWE came calling again, and McIntyre re-debuted in NXT this past April, defeating Andrade “Cien” Almas in one of his first matches back with the company. Fast-forward seven months and McIntyre has become NXT Champion, taking the strap off Bobby Roode — and Almas, to his credit, put a stop to his lengthy losing streak with the help of his new manager Zelina Vega, rehabbing his own image, putting up convincing wins against the likes of Johnny Gargano and No Way Jose, and demanding a shot at the NXT Championship. It’s Almas’ first-ever title shot, and McIntyre’s first title defense on a TakeOver.

What Should Happen: As I wrote in this week’s Best and Worst Of NXT column:

There’s no easier way to tell if a challenger is legitimate or not than where the match is on the card, and while this match might be for the NXT Championship, it sure as sh*t ain’t the main event.

Drew retains. Sorry, Andrade, but you’re merely a stopgap feud until Adam Cole starts challenging for the title. Next to Ohno/Sullivan, this is the match that has the least heat and the most obvious outcome, so hopefully the performers will be able to use that malaise to their advantage and steal the show. Kinda weird to think the NXT Championship match is in that spot right now, but look at the card and tell me I’m wrong.

Staff Picks

Bill Hanstock — No, I didn’t call this a treading-water, placeholder title feud. That must have been you. In all seriousness, this is the best run Almas has had since signing with WWE, and Zelina has added a much-needed element to his act. He’s been dynamite with the Gargano stuff and squash matches recently, so sure, why not give him a title match? Can’t hurt. McIntyre retains, and the Adam Cole feud finally begins. Drew vs. Lil’ Drew!

Brandon Stroud — I’d be truly stunned if Almas won this. I think they’ll do a good job of making it seem like he’s going to win, but he won’t. The Drew Mac train rolls on until Adam Cole gets around to derailing it.

Elle Collins — Cien has really gotten it together since Zelina Vega became his manager, so it’s possible he wins the belt here. But Adam Cole is clearly coming for it before long, and McIntyre makes more sense as an opponent for him, so I think the champ probably retains.

Aleister Black vs. Velveteen Dream

What You Need To Know: The absolute hottest storyline heading into TakeOver: WarGames, Aleister Black and Velveteen Dream feels more like match made at random in WWE 2K18 than something we’d see in real life. But each man has brought their A-game to this feud, which started by Black attempting to tell his story to Full Sail Arena for the first time, only to be interrupted by Dream, who has done his best at getting inside the death-monk’s head (and inside his wardrobe, too) for weeks. The flamboyant one and the silent assassin will lay hands on each other for the first time this Saturday, and it promises to be explosive.

What Should Happen: This match should steal the show — and I’ll go out on a limb and predict that Velveteen Dream wins. A good guy is only as good as the bad guy he has to overcome, and what would Batman be if Joker didn’t score a few victories here and there? Aleister Black’s mystique will not be dulled if he loses here, and a win for Velveteen Dream would solidify him not as comedic relief but as a legitimate upper midcard threat. I wouldn’t hate it if he beat Black here then was fed to McIntyre at TakeOver: Philadelphia or something.

Staff Picks

Bill Hanstock — The most shocking thing of all would be for Dream to hand Black his first loss, and I don’t think that’s going to happen. Regardless, this has been one of the most compelling NXT storylines in ages and has proved that not only is Patrick Clark a massive star with loads of potential, but is so good he has the ability to make anything work. Or at least, anything we’ve seen so far. Aleister Black may not say Dream’s name, but he will put him to sleep.

Brandon Stroud — I just want them to fall in love. Or be friends, I don’t know. I want five or six updates a week of Velveteen Dream pet-sitting for Black’s cat. Black wins, but this should be the match of the night.

Elle Collins — Aleister Black clearly wins this, because I mean, come on. But Velveteen Dream will look like a million bucks just by holding his own for a while. So in that sense, they both win. But in a more real sense, Aleister does.

WarGames Match: SAnitY vs. The Undisputed Era vs. Authors Of Pain and Roderick Strong

What You Need To Know: For more than a decade, WarGames was the signature match of WCW, and before that, NWA. Each match was a brutal, bloody affair between two teams whose members entered at timed intervals, held in two rings underneath a topped steel cage, and the actual match — The Match Beyond, as it was originally called — didn’t even begin until all participants had entered the ring, meaning some folks were gonna get the sh*t kicked out of them for a while with no end in sight. Out of all the things Dusty Rhodes created, this is one of his most impressive and successful ideas.

The match you will see this Saturday night, despite WWE’s claims otherwise, will not be a WarGames match.

There will be three teams of three, not two teams of four or five. Each team will be kept in a separate shark cage, being released at timed intervals, giving one team a significant two-man advantage, unlike in WarGames, where teams were not locked up, and entry would flip-flop between teams. Given WWE’s insistence on staying as close to TV-PG as possible (even on their own network), the likelihood of blood in this match is minimal, whereas in WarGames, blood was all but assured. But most importantly, while there will be two rings, the cage will not have a roof on it, meaning this is little more than an XXL steel cage match.

What Should Happen: The entire point of WarGames is to let long-standing feuds come to a boil. But in this case, we have three teams with surprisingly little in the way of deep conflict: Authors Of Pain have been off TV since dropping the tag titles to SAnitY in August, but they lost that match fair and square, so one would think they’d rather have a championship rematch. Their teammate Roderick Strong has been victimized by SAnitY in the past, so there is lingering animosity there, but his intentions seem to be aimed more at attacking the Undisputed Era (or Undisputed ERA, as WWE has decided to render it, because apparently they’re baseball pitchers on their off-time). But why is Roderick Strong so mad at Adam Cole and his cronies? They repeatedly tried to recruit him in the friendliest ways possible, and have yet to even really take the boots to him, like they have to SAnitY. AOP had a brief run-in with Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish at TakeOver: Brooklyn III but have never so much as exchanged a word with Cole. So while there is some level of animosity between certain members of these three teams, this in no way feels like an earned reward.

The smart money is on Roddy turning on AOP and joining up with Cole & Co., which seems like a relatively likely outcome. Whether Strong turns or not, expect the Undisputed Era to walk away with the victory, because there’s no reason for any other team to win.

Staff Picks

Bill Hanstock — The only thing we can say with certainty is that Roderick Strong is going to join the Undisputed Era so hard it’ll make Eric Young’s voice un-rasp. I’m going to guess the Authors look like destroyers of worlds here until Roddy stops Versing the World and joins up with his old ROH buddies, allowing Cole, Fish and O’Reilly to get the big win and position them as the real top heel faction in the company.

Brandon Stroud — Nothing about this WarGames match looks or feels like WarGames (and I sincerely doubt anyone will bleed, even if it’s NXT and not WWE proper), but at least we’re attempting something in the ballpark of WCW’s greatest match. As for my prediction, it would seem weird to have a group called “the Undisputed Era” and then have them lose a match like this, wouldn’t it? SAnitY are going to be popular whether they win or not, and the Authors and Roderick Strong aren’t really a thing. Cole wins the match for his team, and we give him a grand NXT accolade before putting the championship on him in January.

Elle Collins — This match could go a lot of ways. I feel like the important question isn’t who will win, it’s how awesome will this be? Personally I suspect it will be very awesome. As for winners, I think there’s a good chance the Undisputed Era goes over, to establish that they are in fact undisputed, and that this is their era. But it’s also possible Sanity pulls it out, plucky underdog berserker monster heroes that they are.

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