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WWE will present NXT Takeover: The End at Full Sail in Winter Park, Florida this Wednesday on the WWE Network, featuring:
NXT World Heavyweight champion Samoa Joe vs. Finn Balor: Steel Cage Match
Dave: The show is titled “The End”. Triple H has said it’s The End for this feud. If Balor wins, it can’t be over, at least not from a realistic standpoint. So I see Joe winning and Finn Balor being a high draft pick at next month’s Brand Split.
Mike: They have to get the cage over as important, so my gut feeling is it's going to play into the finish. While I am sure there will be some insane spot off the top of the cage for Finn, Joe as champion makes a lot more sense to me. I am calling Joe gets the win here after a really physical match. I also don't think for a second this is the end of the feud, either.
Richard: Some people think that the use of 'The End' for this special means that this is the end of the Samoa Joe/Finn Balor feud and it would be fitting for the 'old school' feel of NXT that a steel cage match ends a feud like it used to, instead of step two in a five step feud. Joe has the advantage since he has been in many cages matches in his career while Balor is in what is being billed as his first one. I hope this ends up being a steel cage match instead of a wrestling match that happens to be inside a cage. The cage does restrict some of the offense from these men, but it will not hurt the quality of the match. The wild card in this whole thing is how much space these guys will have with the cage. Will we see Balor try Coup de Grace off the top of the cage or will he be unable to do it? I think Joe retains and sets up what I think will be a big money main event for Brooklyn. Will this be the final NXT match for Balor if he loses?
NXT Women's champion Asuka vs. Nia Jax
Dave: The women’s roster in WWE is kind of bloated right now, mostly due to the booking. Sasha Banks is on the outside. It makes no sense to move Asuka up there now. Nia has improved a lot but I think it’s way too soon to take the Title off of the champion. I could see a hard fought match which Jax either loses and then goes nuts, or gets herself DQ’d, leading to a rematch in Brooklyn.
Mike: Nia Jax is going to win the belt. NXT is about talents becoming better via trial by fire and it's time to see what Jax has in the tank. It makes no sense for her to take out Bayley if they aren't going to have her be the one that Bayley chases when she returns to action. I think Asuka is going to look strong but be caught and crushed. New champion. Then Asuka and Bayley can both be chasing for the belt as well as finding out which of them is the better woman.
Richard: This is the match that will show the direction of the women's division in NXT. Nia Jax has shown a lot of improvement in the ring since she first got her chance to face Bayley in London while Asuka has looked impressive in the ring, but it does not feel like the level of opponent is enough to showcase what she can do if it is not Bayley on the other side of the ring. I think the winner of this match faces Bayley in Brooklyn. I hope the announcers will bring up the fact that Asuka has not faced anyone of Nia's size in NXT and wonder if she can apply the Asuka Lock or wonder if Asuka will do something else to beat Nia. If Nia can be the brawler against the wrestler, this could be a good match. I am also rooting for this match to be better than I am expecting because I think a match that is below expectations, it could keep Bayley in NXT longer so there is someone who can get good matches out of everyone.
NXT Tag Team Champions American Alpha (Chad Gable and Jason Jordan) vs, The Revival (Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder)
Dave: I would say that Alpha retains but we have seen the Revival lose on NXT TV. That always makes me wonder if a Title change is coming. If so, that is fine be me. Both teams are great and there is a ton of juice left in the feud. It would not stick me to see The Revival do what they have to do to get their Titles back after the wake up call that they received from Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa.
Mike: No way there is a title change here. Alpha has way too much momentum. This should be an awesome match. In a perfect world, they get 30 minutes and try to steal the show from everyone.
Richard: It does not seem like they have built this match as much as the other three that were announced before last week's show, but it needs the least hype since we have seen great things from these two teams. Andrew and I discussed what another title change would mean and we both agreed that it means that these two teams are so even that either team can win on any given night, since there have been a lot of long title reigns in the past. Let's give the titles to The Revival and then let TM61 or Gargano and Ciampa be opponents as we wait for the rubber match in Brooklyn.
Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Austin Aries
Dave: Aries has show his value since coming to NXT. Nakamura is otherworldly though and is an important part of the brand. That doesn’t mean he is guaranteed a win, but it would seem that way. The only way I see Aries going over here is by nefarious means so that Nakamura gets to beat him in Brooklyn when NXT Takes Over SummerSlam weekend.
Mike: As long as this is given time to really shine (and with only five matches announced, it should), this should not only be a great showing for Nakamura but also a chance for Aries to really showcase himself in a way that he didn't get the opportunity to do so against Baron Corbin. There is already a lot of speculation that Takeover: Brooklyn will be headlined by Samoa Joe vs. Nakamura. I have no idea if that is where things will go, but if so, Nakamura should get the win.
Richard: While it is not billed as a Number One Contender Match, it feels like it. Some might think this match is rushed, but at least there is a justification for this match. Aries wanted Nakamura as his partner, but Nakamura got the pin and stole the glory and that did not sit well with Aries. This should be a good match and I suggested on last week's NXT and Beyond that they do a Time Limit Draw to set up a rematch on an upcoming television taping to set up a true Number One Contender Match. However, as Andrew pointed out, they do not announce time limits so if it is done just for this match, it does give away that they might do it. Andrew also suggested something I liked and that is to do a DQ and then have Regal make an announcement that since it was a DQ, neither of them earned the title match so they have to wrestle again. I would like to see the draw, but if I think the match for Brooklyn is Joe/Nakamura so Nakamura wins.
Andrade 'Cien' Almas vs. Tye Dillinger
Dave: Tye has been rolling and is really, really good. Alma's got the Triple H seal of approval on yesterday’s conference call. I see this being booked as a really close match where the newcomer gets the win because HHH understands that is how you book newcomers.
Mike: This should be short but sweet. Almas has some flashy offense early, Dillinger cuts him off and works him over, Almas makes the comeback and wins in spectacular fashion. This should be about educating the audience and showing that Almas could be a player down the line, so when they finally recreate the bouts with Nakamura from years past, the audience is primed and ready.
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