Our 3 Cents - NXT Takeover: In Your House 2020
Welcome back for another edition of Our 3 Cents!! Jesse, Lonnie, and I look forward to giving you our predictions of the upcoming event. Following last months Money in the Bank pay-per-view, here are our standings:
John: 4/6 (66%)
Jesse: 3/6 (50%)
Lonnie: 3/6 (50%)
Lets take a look at the card:
Finn Balor vs. Damian Priest
Jesse: Ever since his return to NXT Finn has been on a tear, and I have been loving his work….until COVID-19 happened and his showdown with WALTER got postponed. Now he seems to be in a holding pattern just looking for opponents to bide his time until that match can happen. There is no use in him losing this match, so it will be a back and forth battle until Finn turns it on at the end.
W: Finn Balor
Lonnie: Since failing to make a name for himself last month (when he lost to Keith Lee for the North American Championship), Priest has turned his sights to Finn Balor to make a name for himself. Putting any young guy in the ring with Balor will make them look good and give them valuable experience....But Priest beating Balor would be like a minor leaguer hitting a home run off Clayton Kershaw, it’s just not going to happen. Priest has fought for the North American Championship and is now fighting Balor which shows he is a large part of NXT’s future, but his time isn’t now. Finn Balor is the upper echelon, and its going to show in what I don’t expect will be that long of a match. Where does Finn go from here...Cole, Gargano, Kross, WALTER, who knows?
W: Finn Balor
John: Thanks to COVID-19, Balor went from potentially facing WALTER for the NXT UK Championship to a filler feud with Damian Priest. I'm still not sold on Priest as his feud with Keith Lee didn't impress me and I don't buy Priest as a real threat at this point. This is just a way for Balor to be on the card while he waits for WALTER. I suspect Balor to get a decisive victory.
W: Finn Balor
Six Woman Tag Team Match
Mia Yim, Tegan Nox, & Shotzi Blackheart vs. Candice LeRae, Dakota Kai, & Raquel Gonzalez
Jesse: This match is incredibly hard to predict since all of these women need a victory, but it will be the opening match and the good guys/girls don’t lose the opening match. Mia will either get the pin fall or assist with the victory, then Candice will get her revenge later in the night during the North American Championship match.
W: Mia Yim, Tegan Nox, & Shotzi Blackheart
Lonnie: They have done a good job of having matches involving these six women over the last month. To me, they are clearly trying to rebuild the “bench” of women in NXT that can then step up into the title picture. With a new Candice in the last month or so, I feel that it would make more sense for her team to win if they are setting her up to challenge a face champion....more on that later.
W: Candice LeRae, Dakota Kai, & Raquel Gonzalez
John: All of these women have stepped up these last few months. I'm beginning to feel like Tegan and Dakota will feud forever. This match is really about Mia and Candice while the others, while good, feel like side kicks to me. Candice has gotten the better of Mia so far in their feud so I think Mia and company will get the win here without beating Candice. I don't think the feud will be over after this.
W: Mia Yim, Tegan Nox, & Shotzi Blackheart
NXT North American Championship Match
Johnny Gargano vs. Keith Lee (champ)
Jesse: Mr. NXT vs. Mr. Future of NXT. I cannot wait for this match since we finally get to see Keith Lee face someone who I feel is on the Mt. Rushmore of NXT Superstars. Gargano has been doing amazing work since turning into a self-arrogant heel and his feud with Keith Lee has been extremely entertaining. Here is the problem though, Keith Lee needs to lose the title in order to move up to the main event picture, but he cannot look weak in doing so. It will be tough to do, but I believe Mr. Wrestling will use the help of Mrs. Wrestling, Candice LeRae, to claim the North American Title for the second time.
W: Johnny Gargano
Lonnie: I mean this in a sincere way, but does either guy really need the North American Championship? Gargano doesn’t....and I don’t believe Lee does either. I say that because I feel we may have a new champion here. With the recent call ups to Raw/Smackdown, Gargano stayed with NXT. I feel that Johnny and Candice are entering a new stage with their characters and to establish themselves they should have strong showings at In Your House. The arrogance of a champion Gargano saying he can win without any fans because he doesn’t need them would be fantastic. That said, I expect Johnny Wrestling to make Keith Lee look like a million bucks in defeat. I feel Keith Lee is ready for the next step, and that means, I think he is ready for Adam Cole. With William Regal saying Velveteen is on his last chance, a new challenger needs to be waiting and Keith Lee may just be that man. Cole vs. Lee would be a great feud to hopefully see with the return of fans in the future.
W: Johnny Gargano
John: Let me start by saying that I really like Keith Lee. He has potential to go to next level. However, I can't say that I've loved his reign as NXT North American champion. Since winning it, he's really only defended it against Dominic Dijakovic, Damian Priest, and Cameron Grimes if my memory serves me correctly. I think this could easily be the match of the night because Gargano always brings his best at Takeovers and I feel Lee will step up to that level to match him. I hope it's not too much to ask for a clean finish as I could see Candice and/or Mia getting involved. I think Gargano gets the win to become a two time champ and Lee could move up the card.
W: Johnny Gargano
Triple Threat Match for the NXT Women's Championship
Rhea Ripley vs. Io Shirai vs. Charlotte Flair (champ)
Jesse: If you know me then you know I am the biggest Ric Flair fan out there; but I cannot stand Charlotte Flair the wrestler. I am sure she is an amazing person behind the scenes, especially since she is engaged to one of the best wrestlers on the planet Andrade, but WWE keeps shoving her down our throats. I am still in disbelief that she beat Rhea at WrestleMania. This is WWE’s shot at redemption to put the NXT Women’s Title on someone who deserves it and can carry the brand. Rhea wins via pin fall on Io.
W: Rhea Ripley
Lonnie: I’m happy and sad that this match is a triple threat. I am happy in that it means Charlotte might actually lose the championship, but I am sad in the fact that they won’t actually make her be the one to be pinned/submitted. Io and Rhea have both proven they are worthy of being the champion. I feel that the “Charlotte on NXT” experiment is about over and she will lose the title here. I think that Rhea is more established and will get the championship back by beating Io. This will free Charlotte up to go back to Raw to take Becky’s vacated spot and allow Rhea to feud with Candice.
W: Rhea Ripley
John: All of these women can go in the ring and as far as talent goes, they're all deserving and more than capable of being champion. With that said, I know I'm not alone when I say I'm exhausted with Charlotte Flair always being in the championship conversation. Charlotte is 34 years old and already a 12 time women's champion. It's crazy how much she's had the title. However, she never holds it for that long and I think that's going to be the case this time as well. Charlotte should lose and go back to Raw to help fill the void left by Becky Lynch. However, I'm not saying I want her to beat Asuka by any means. I wouldn't be upset if Rhea or Io got the win but one of them needs it get it. Rhea's championship run was great but I feel like she lost most of her momentum after her loss at WrestleMania. I'd like to see Io get a chance to see what she can do. I'm picking Io for the win but it bothers me more than it should that Charlotte probably won't get pinned. It would mean so much more if Io pins Charlotte. Io can go on to have a one-on-one feud with Rhea or she can face Candice while Charlotte goes back to Raw since Charlotte wasn't exactly raising ratings on NXT.
W: Io Shirai
Tommaso Ciampa vs. Karrion Kross w/ Scarlett
Jesse: Let me start out by saying that I am not a big fan of this feud. Ciampa is still coming back from the neck injury and needs momentum but it is obvious that Kross will win since no newcomer to NXT has ever lost their first “real” match. The issue I have with the obvious outcome of this match is that Kross has been overshadowed by his manager, Scarlett, and Ciampa shouldn’t lose. I see it going the way that Kross will win and then go on to feud with the new North American Champ, Johnny Gargano.
W: Karrion Kross
Lonnie: This is the first major match for Kross so he is not losing! It’s that simple. I really like NXT putting Kross up against Ciampa right out of the gate to establish him as a main event player. I do wonder if Kross would win and move on, or if this is the start of something bigger. Ciampa has the capital to lose here and be fine. I fully expect this to be a case of Kross pulling out all the stops (including some help by Scarlett) to pick up a win. Ciampa can get his payback next month, but for now lets get Kross off to a good start in NXT with what I expect to be a long, physical battle.
W: Karrion Kross
John: This is a big first Takeover for Kross but I like it! I hate when WWE brings in someone new and has them beat up jobbers for months. They're cutting right to the chase with this one as they should. Kross has main event potential and Ciampa will deliver the goods on Takeover per usual. I don't see Kross losing this Takeover debut. I'm just not sure where each guys goes from here. I expected this to be a brawl and Kross will pick up the win. I'll be interested to see the fall out from this match however which way it goes.
W: Karrion Kross
Backlot Brawl for the NXT Championship
If Velveteen Dream loses, he can't challenge Adam Cole again
Velveteen Dream vs. Adam Cole (champ)
Jesse: This match is hard to predict/review. Dream has had some extracurricular issues outside of wrestling that I will not go into until the full details and investigation come out. I still do not feel like it is time for Dream to win the championship, so therefore Cole continues his run until Keith Lee stops him in his tracks at the next Takeover.
W: Adam Cole
Lonnie: I am actually pretty torn on this one. I feel that Cole is the best choice to be champion right now. He provides a proven quality in an uncertain time for NXT and WWE as a whole. But if Velveteen doesn’t win here, will he ever win? What does he do next? That is something that I can’t answer. I feel that this match being a brawl, means that others will for sure get involved. I think that Cole is going to retain in a highly entertaining match thanks to the Undisputed Era. I am hopeful that Velveteen will look good here to remain viable down the road.....Of all the superstars that miss a live crowd, I feel Velveteen is really suffering from it.
W: Adam Cole
John: So this is Dream's last chance. The only other backlot brawl in WWE history was at WrestleMania 12 and they was very entertaining. While I'm not expecting that kind of match entertainment wise, I am expecting this to be a brawl with some interference. I'd be shocked if we didn't see the other members of Undisputed Era and Dexter Lumis, who has had an interest in UE for some reason. Dream has had some outside issues that may give reason for WWE to be hesitant to put the title on him. Most times when someone is on their last chance, they end up winning but I don't think that will be the case this time. I could see Dream moving up the main roster soon as he's done everything except win the NXT Championship but I don't think he's the one to beat Cole. Cole's reign still has life left to it and I'd rather see Lee or Kross end it. Cole retains and that's undisputed.
W: Adam Cole
Thanks for joining us on this edition of Our 3 Cents! Check back after the event to see how we did and be sure to join us next week for our Backlash predictions!