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WWE presents NXT Battleground in Lowell, Massachusetts on Sunday night. Here's our take on what will happen in the matches.
NXT Men's Champion Carmelo Hayes vs. Bron Breakker.
Dave: The only way I have Melo lose is if the goal is to break him away from Trick.
Mike: I don't see them pulling the title off Carmelo just as he's finding his groove as the central figure for the brand..and in his hometown area to boot.
Richard: Will Carmelo Hayes get the big victory in front of his family and friends or will Bron crash the party and regain the title that he will do for himself, instead of the fans. I am not fully into this match but I think they will both deliver. I don't think you take the title off Hayes but there cannot be interference by Trick or it clouds the message of the victory.
Tiffany Stratton vs. Lyra Valkyria for the Vacant NXT Women's Championship.
Dave: I see Stratton getting the win here. With Lyra going in "hurt", they can revisit it later.
Mike: Stratton is obviously going to be the franchise player here. I think they will have Lyra show her tenacity and go down fighting.
Richard: This will be an interesting match up based on the 'injury' suffered by Lyra on this week's show and how it will affect her in the match. Tiffany might be the best female character in NXT and that is why I am picking her to win the match. Lyra might be a better wrestler but Tiffany has the intangibles to win. I hope Pretty Deadly will be in Orlando for the celebration.
NXT Tag Team Champions Gallus vs. The Creed Brothers
Dave: This will be great I'm sure. I could see The Creeds winning, for sure, but I never bet against my Gallus boys. I have loved them all the way back to NXT UK.
Mike: I sense a title change here, and a really damn good tag match.
Richard: I am excited for this match because it should be a very solid wrestling match. I hope Gallus is able to keep the Creeds from going crazy in the ring. Gallus has done a good job as champions and it is a coin flip for this match. I think if you want to push the future of the company, you put the belts on The Creeds. Even though they said they don't need his help, I think Snitch . . . I mean Stacks will make an appearance, but it will be Ivy who is the difference in this match to get Brutus and Julius over the hump and regain the tag titles.
NXT North American Champion Wes Lee vs. Tyler Bate vs. Joe Gacy
Dave: Usually when the odds are against the champion he wins. I would love to see Bate get the belt and really show the US how great he is, but I see Lee winning.
Mike: This should be a lot of fun, but I don't see the need for a title change here. My feeling is Gacy takes the pinfall.
Richard: I wish a champion who voluntarily puts himself in a multi-person match where you can lose without being part of the finish, would lose the title. Lee has been on a roll and a victory over both men would do a lot for his title legacy. I would love to see Tyler join forces with Charlie and Drew to form an elite fighting squad. I like Joe Gacy in the ring, but I am not a fan of the Schism. Ava will do something to cost Joe the match. Drew and Charlie will show how to cheat to help Tyler win.
NXT Heritage Cup Champion Noam Dar vs. Dragon Lee
Dave: Dar is so good, again going back to the NXT UK days. I could see Lee winning here because Dar can just talk his way back from the loss. Personally, it were me I would have him win with the help of Sha Samuels. I would love to see that act back together.
Mike: Sha HAS been at the PC lately. I love Dragon Lee, but I don't know that this style of bout really fits well with his style. I suspect Dar retains.
Richard: When you have people who know what they are doing in this type of match, I really enjoy the Heritage Cup matches. I wish they would have had Vic and Booker (well Vic) discuss how Dar's strategy this week on TV would have been so different under the Heritage Cup rules. This could be a polarizing match because of the rules. I hope it does not go through all six rounds because I would hope they don't go to sudden death. I think Dar will be overconfident and he will end up losing to Dragon Lee. I would like to see Lee win 2-0 and do it in 4 or 5 rounds.
Last Man Standing Match Dijak vs. Ilja Dragunov
Dave: Ilja's gimmick is that he never stops fighting, no matter what. A guy with that code has to be standing at the end.
Mike: I like both of these talents a lot. Dijak is in his home area. I think he wins.
Richard: While I don't know if the brawls last week made me care more about this match, I will be interested to see how far Dijak will go and how far Ilja will let him go. I am not a huge fan of Last Man Standing matches because of the weird times we see the counts made. Dijak needs this match more than Ilja, but what is next for whoever wins the match?
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