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THE WWE NXT TAKEOVER: BROOKLYN TIP SHEET

By Dave Scherer, Mike Johnson & Richard Trionfo on 2015-08-20 15:28:11

NXT presents their latest Takeover special on Saturday night on The WWE Network. We will have full coverage of the two hour broadcast here on the site (as well as coverage of what is being taped before the show goes on the air when it is broadcast next week). Here is our take on what will happen.

WWE NXT champion Finn Balor vs. Kevin Owens: Ladder Match

Dave: This should be awesome. Balor is a big match guy, as is Owens. With KO appearing on the main roster, a Title change would make no sense here since they took the belt off of him when he first ascended to national TV. I expect a great bout here, with Balor retaining as he is clearly THE guy in NXT right now. It will also be interesting to see if Owens shows any sign of wear and tear for his match on Sunday with Cesaro. He is pulling a pretty big double here.

Mike: Balor will win but this should be something really special. It is easily the biggest match in Balor's American career and other than the John Cena bouts, the biggest for Owens in WWE. Balor using a ladder for his spots should be the setting for some really good aerial maneuvers and Owens is one of the best brawlers in the world right now, so this should be something special. I can easily see Owens stealing the entire weekend between this and the Cesaro bout.

Richard: I am really looking forward to this match. While Kevin Owens may not have been used the best in the ring on Raw and Smackdown, the one thing that he is doing great both on the ‘main roster’ and NXT is that he is using logic with his promos and matches. Owens demanded this match because he did not trust William Regal enough to put out an unbiased referee. I will make my usual ‘Ladder Match Plea’ where they try to wear each other down first and then go for the ladder instead of making the ladder a crutch for spots. Balor should retain since Owens has appeared to move on. The big question is who is next for Balor since all of his likely contenders are on the main roster or are injured.

WWE NXT Women's champion Sasha Banks vs. Bayley

Dave: With Sasha working on the main roster, and Bayley being ready, it seems like the perfect time to pull the trigger and switch the Title. Then when Bayley makes it to the main roster, she is the woman that beat Sasha and they have a built in storyline. I am really looking forward to this. It should be great.

Mike: Everyone thinks it's Bayley's time and it should be, but I could see WWE faking us out by having Sasha win and then dropping it down the line to Bayley.

Richard: In the same way that Kevin Owens has moved on, I think Sasha has moved on to the main roster and that means that we will get a new champion. Bayley is one of the best characters in NXT and she is the female version of Ricky Steamboat where you don’t expect her to turn heel, but can show a darker side when necessary. If Bayley wins, that would mean that her last three wins were over Charlotte, Becky, and Sasha. And what is the reason why Bayley is not on the main roster if that happens? Just like with the Heavyweight Title, who is the next challenger for the winner? If Bayley wins, does she face Emma? Is there anyone else on the NXT roster who can give Bayley a title match on the level we have seen on the last few Takeover shows?

Jushin Liger vs. Tyler Breeze

Dave: In a perfect world, Breeze would get the rub by beating the Japanese legend. I don’t see Liger coming in to NXT to lose however. So I expect a hard fought battle, with Liger getting the win.

Mike: I can see them giving Liger the win just because everyone "expects" Breeze to win and Breeze losing could get his character all angry, setting up a rematch for down the line. To me, it's about the chance to see Liger in a WWE ring more than anything else. Who wins is immaterial.

Richard: It is hard to believe that Tyler Breeze (in his different incarnations) has been in Developmental on television for more than 4 years. I think Breeze has fallen through the cracks because of the other talent brought in and this could be a way for him to shine. I think we will see a good match and I think Breeze needs the win more than having Liger come in and get a win in a WWE ring in the US. If Liger wins, this is Neville/Jericho from Beast in the East.

Samoa Joe vs. Baron Corbin

Dave: This is the kind of match that they brought Joe in for. He needs to get a strong, physical match out of Corbin that will prepare him to ascend to the next level. Joe winning here wouldn’t mean anything so Corbin goes over.

Mike: Joe will be the veteran one in the ring bringing Corbin along obviously. For this to really click, it's going to need to be a very physical, hard hitting bout. Corbin has yet to have that AWESOME performance that puts him on the map but Joe could be the right guy to have that with. I expect Joe will win because Corbin losing a hard fought match would mean more for him with the audience and Joe is obviously being primed for Finn Balor.

Richard: This is a match that has me scratching my head. I don’t think Corbin has had a match on television that has gone close to ten minutes so I don’t think we are going to get the Samoa Joe match that people expect from him. If Joe wins, Corbin is where Bull Dempsey was when the Corbin/Dempsey feud ended. I think the promos he cut showed some promise, but they would have been better if that is how they debuted him on NXT instead of making it appear as a last gasp attempt to keep him relevant.

WWE NXT Tag Team champions Blake and Murphy vs. The Vaudevillians

Dave: This one could go either way but I don’t think it’s time to pull a Title change. The champs are still learning but there is something there with them. I have them retain here.

Mike: I don't see a title change here. The Blake, Murphy & Alexa act is still picking up steam. I really like the Vaudevillains a ton and expect a great showing here but in the end, there's nothing to be gained with a switch right now.

Richard: The streak will continue for Tag Title Matches. I like the Vaudevillains, but the wrong team wrestling for the Tag Titles in Brooklyn (well, since Cryme Tyme is probably not making a comeback). I wonder what the challengers are going to do in order to neutralize Alexa (who is doing a great job in her role). I still think giving Enzo and Cass the titles in front of 13,000 people in New York would evoke an amazing reaction, then you take the titles off them the next tapings.

Carmella vs. Eva Marie

Dave: All of the push that has gone in to Eva’s training, such as it is, no way she loses here. And in Carmella, it’s someone she can get a win over that doesn’t affect her at all.

Mike: It's a good thing this will be on the edited show as we've yet to see Eva can carry herself through on a live broadcast. Obviously, the idea here is to make Eva shock everyone by how good she has gotten. The ball is in her court. I don't see what this will do for Carmella, but we'll see. Maybe they should have just brought in Blue Pants?

Richard: This is definitely a match that shows that there are still ‘Divas’ in the WWE and NXT. At least the people will be able to see Sasha and Bayley on the same show. Eva wins because she is on Total Divas and they probably need footage for Season Five.

The debut of Apollo Crews vs. Tye Dillinger

Dave: Much like the above match, you don’t have Crews lose his debut match, especially when the guy can really go. I see this being very competitive with Crews pulling it out in the end, and opening some eyes in the process.

Mike: This will be all about making Crews look impressive in his debut. Expect some big spots and a huge dive.

Richard: I think Dillinger is a good opponent to make Crews look good in the ring. I don’t think this match will help Dillinger’s ‘Perfect Ten’ gimmick because I see Crews winning relatively easily. If you never saw Crews wrestle as Uhaa Nation, this will be a fun match and only the tip of the iceberg.

Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte vs. Dana Brooke vs. Emma

Dave: Becky and Charlotte are main roster divas now. Emma is still rehabbing her character. Why not give Dana the win here and elevate her a bit? Then you can see where it goes from there.

Mike: Honestly, Dana Brooke should win. The others don't need the win. I'd like to see everyone be shocked by Emma stealing the victory however.

Richard: My biggest fear in this match is that they give Dana the win, but as Dave said Charlotte and Becky are on the main roster and have their match at SummerSlam to worry about. I would put Emma on the same level as Becky in the ring and while her character has been rehabilitated a lot from the disaster on the main roster, Evil Emma is unfortunately the understudy for Dana.

Bull Dempsey vs. Elias Sampson

Dave: If it’s me, I have Bull come out like a house afire, loaded for bear. Leave the candy bars in the past. Let the guy do what he can do in the ring.

Mike: Obviously, Bull wins in his hometown. The real question is what will the final version of the Bull-Fit character be like and where does he take it from here? If he's going to be a monster who likes to eat, great. If he's going to running out of gas from running the ropes, Houston we have a problem.

Richard: To build on the Bull Fit vignettes, Sampson has to try to tire Bull, but with all of the work he has done, he cannot get tired. Or maybe he collapses and we realize those Bull Fit segments were just dreams.

Chad Gable & Jason Jordan & Dash Wilder & Scott Dawson vs. Enzo Amore & Colin Cassady & Zack Ryder & Mojo Rawley

Dave: I saw give Ryder’s team the win here just because poor Zack deserves to be on the winning side for once!

Mike: Since we know next week's NXT is being expanded to 90 minutes, everyone will take time to work and this could be fun. Obviously, Team Enzo are winning here. There is no way they don't win in their NYC debut. I expect a lot of good action here. Dawson is the most underrated NXT talent. Keep an eye on him.

Richard: If we could get one of these two teams to have a tag match instead of this eight man match, I would be ecstatic. Too bad they will lose because they are wrestling the guys from New York and Mojo. This is not a match that I am hyped for because of what I think will happen. Wilder and Dawson are so good in the ring and Gable and Jordan are starting to click as a team.

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