It’s finally here, the most important and best kind of wrestling super show: an NXT Takeover! NXT Takeovers usually have it all: great work rates, comic book cosplay, apocalyptic husband/wife teams, green-haired tank-riding bad asses, and literally everything WWE has ever wanted in a worker and character because someone asked “what if Prince was a top guy in 1980's wrestling?”
The latest Takeover sees 3 titles on the line (NXT Tag Team and Cruiserweight titles are sitting this one out unless there’s an unannounced pre-show match) and 3 grudge matches. Plus, this Takeover features 60% random mid-90’s WWF love with the “In Your House” name being brought back. There better be a goddamned house by the entrance and Karrion Kross and/or Tommaso Ciampa better start that sum’bitch on fire.
Here are the current Quixotronic Bullpen Prediction Stats:
Kyle: 24-13 (or 65%)
Tim: 4-4 (or 50%)
Who will survive!?
A quick note: I was not able to watch AEW Double or Nothing, hence no full review of that show. However, the stats have been added above as I went 3-5 in my picks. The quick results were:
Best Friends def. Private Party (Kyle 0-1)
Brian Cage won the Casino Ladder match (Kyle 0-2)
MJF def. Jungle Boy (Kyle 0-3)
AEW TNT Title Tournament Final: Cody Rhodes def. Lance Archer (Kyle 0-4)
Kris Statlander def. Penelope Ford (originally Statlander vs. Britt Baker)
Dustin Rhodes def. Shawn Spears (Kyle 0-5)
AEW Women’s Title Match: Hikaru Shida def. Nyla Rose ©, New Champion! (Kyle 1-5)
AEW World Title Match: Jon Moxley © def. Brodie Lee (Kyle 2-5)
Stadium Stampede Match: The Elite def. Inner Circle (Kyle 3-5)
Boy did my picks suck.
If you want to watch live on Sunday, you’ll want to subscribe to the WWE Network. Until then, here’s your Quixotronic preview of the show.
Candice LeRae, Dakota Kai, & Raquel González vs Mia Yim, Shotzi Blackheart, & Tegan Nox
The Background: Dakota Kai and Tegan Nox are former best friends until Dakota Kai (correctly) turned on Nox and the rest of their War Games team back at last year’s NXT Takeover War Games. Kai soon brought in Raquel González to be her Diesel and has since defeated Nox several times via shenanigans. Candice LeRae recently joined her newly-evil husband to form a crazy 1950’s husband/wife duo who have been feuding with Mia Yim and NXT North American champion Keith Lee. Most importantly though: Shotzi Blackheart is a former Mondo Lucha Women’s champion (having won the title at last year’s Turner Hall show in September before signing with NXT) and has a tank. Possibly D-Generation X's tank. It's more cost-effective that way.
Fanboy Fantasy: Kai and González have had the upper hand in their feud with Nox (and Blackheart) most of the time so I’d love to see them get a come-upance finally. The easy answer is to use González as the fall-woman but I’d like to see Tegan get a definitive pin on Kai here. LeRae and Yim are still fresh in their feud so they can fight to the back to clear space for Nox and Kai. Further down the line let’s set up LeRae with Shotzi as a third chaotic piece in the LeRae/Yim feud - she could blow up Mrs. Wrestling’s house with her tank?
Quixotronic Bullpen Predictions:
Kyle: Candice LeRae, Dakota Kai, & Raquel González - as much as I want a good guy win, I think LeRae needs the win most after her recent heel turn to “establish dominance.”
Tim: Mia Yim, Shotzi Blackheart, & Tegan Nox
Damian Priest vs Finn Bálor
The Background: Finn Bálor was previously feuding with WALTER over the NXT UK title until *waves horribly at everything* so we’re killing time until we can get back to that. Damian Priest failed to win the NXT North American title on the April 29th NXT. In the meantime Bálor was mysteriously attacked and Priest has since taken credit. Priest formally challenged Bálor to a match on the May 20th NXT and he has no idea what he’s done.
Fanboy Fantasy: Having come back down the mountain that is Raw & Smackdown, Finn Bálor should have the aurora of someone like the Undertaker in NXT. He’s the untouchable one. I’d love to see Priest get some good offense in before ultimately falling to the Prince. Post-match I’d have Priest attack with his nightstick only for Bálor to morph into the Demon, grab the nightstick, and stab Priest in the chest Buffy-style. Priest turns to dust and the Demon teleports away. Priest of course will show up just fine on next week’s NXT, not even showing up on the injury report.
Quixotronic Bullpen Predictions:
Kyle: Finn Bálor - I’ve been impressed with Priest so far and I kind of dig his dance club vampire thing but there’s now way in hell Priest is beating the Prince.
Tim: Finn Bálor
Karrion Kross vs Tommaso Ciampa
The Background: After literally the last 4 ½ years of storytelling, the epic that is #DIY finally came to a close on the April 8th NXT when Johnny Gargano defeated Tommaso Ciampa because even though Gargano is now evil and Ciampa is all of our daddy, Gargano was pushed into this and was correct in everything he did, even if it cost him is soul. However, a new foe appeared: Karrion Kross attacked Ciampa on the April 15th NXT and quickly established his dominance in his debut match against Leon Ruff. Ciampa returned and challenged his new opponent and Kross accepted after Ciampa also defeated the jobber Leon Ruff. Because… symmetry?
Fanboy Fantasy: I have one request: let there be blood. Kross’ blood, Ciampa’s blood, let’s get some blood. Kross, having targeted Ciampa first in his debut feud, set himself immediately for the types of matches that Ciampa put Johnny Gargano through over the last few years and Ciampa should give him everything he has metaphorically asked for. However, Kross being the next big thing should go over Ciampa but the final shot should be Daddy laughing as Kross and Scarlet head up the ramp. Ciampa will fight another day, and next time he’ll have Kross’ number.
Quixotronic Bullpen Predictions:
Kyle: Karrion Kross - as with Candice LeRae’s heel turn, Kross is the new hotness and Ciampa is old and busted. Kross wins.
Tim: Tommaso Ciampa
NXT North American Title Match: Johnny Gargano vs Keith Lee ©
The Background: After dispatching his forever enemy Tommaso Ciampa, Gargano defeated former NXT North American title contender Dominik Dijakovic on the May 6th NXT in what may have been Dijakovic’s last NXT match (he’s hopefully coming to Raw soon?). Since then Mr. & Mrs. Wrestling have spent their time verbally and physically attacking Mia Yim (see above) and the NXT North American champion Keith Lee. This led to an inter-gender match on the June 3rd NXT that the Wrestlings won.
Fanboy Fantasy: I have a weird thing about people winning NXT titles specifically multiple times. I’m not a fan of it. Gargano has won every men’s title in NXT so he should not win the North American title again. Keith Lee is easily a future NXT Champion (as well as a future WWE World/Universal Champion) and I don’t see Johnny Wrestling being able to stop the Limitless One at this point. Lee’s previous feud(s) with Dominik Dijakovic and Damian Priest didn’t show much chance of Lee losing the title. I’d have Mia Yim and Candice LeRae return for shenanigans to keep Johnny strong, but Lee wins. Plus, maybe after his win he can sing like he does in Netflix and WWE’s recent film The Main Event? If you have kids you know exactly what I’m talking about.
Quixotronic Bullpen Predictions:
Kyle: Keith Lee - there’s no reason for Gargano to take the North American title back and all the reason in the world to let Lee keep on rolling.
Tim: Keith Lee
NXT Women’s Title Match: Io Shirai vs Rhea Ripley vs Charlotte Flair ©
The Background: Charlotte Flair disappointed all of us when she captured the NXT Women’s title at WWE WrestleMania 36. However, Io Shirai won a ladder match and #1 contendership on the April 8th NXT so hopefully the universe would so right itself (as this year has done such a good job in doing so far). Shirai got her title shot on the May 6th NXT and won via disqualification when Rhea Ripley returned to beat Flair. As per usual, Shirai and Ripley were not only put into a one-on-one match to determine the true #1 contender on the May 20th NXT but Flair stupidly interfered insuring she’d have to face both in a title match.
Fanboy Fantasy: When the bell rings, Ripley and Shirai nod to each other, double dropkick Flair out of the ring, and proceed to have a great match. Every time Flair tries to get back in the ring, one of them knocks her back out and they continue their one-on-one match. Eventually one of them pins/submits the other and Flair goes back to Raw. In this fantasy scenario it does not matter which one wins, just not Flair.
Quixotronic Bullpen Predictions:
Kyle: Charlotte Flair - fuck it.
Tim: Rhea Ripley - go to your home, Flair!
NXT Title Last Chance Back Lot Brawl Match: Velveteen Dream vs Adam Cole ©
The Background: Velveteen Dream returned from a back injury sustained when he lost his NXT North American title to Roderick Strong (who has since lost it to Keith Lee). Strong defeated Dream in a cage match on the March 4th NXT but it was all a ruse for Dream to lock himself in the cage with the NXT champion Adam Cole. Dream defeated Undisputed Era member Bobby Fish on the April 1st NXT and then got his title shot on the May 6th NXT but due to shenanigans Cole came out the victor. Cole will give Dream one more match with the stipulation that if Dream loses he will never fight for the title again as long as Cole is champion. Also it will be a “back lot brawl match” which I can only hope is like the Hollywood Back Lot Brawl from WrestleMania 12 and features yet another white Ford Bronco chase. Seriously, let’s go all in (but not #allin) on bizarre mid-90’s wrestling! Oh, and for your cosplay request of the evening: Dream, please be Velveteen-dust.
Fanboy Fantasy: This will be your cinematic match of the evening, so let’s get nuts! Roderick Strong and Bobby Fish will obviously be lurking around so let’s have Dexter Lumis show up and literally hit them with a car, silently throw them in the back, wink at Dream, and drive away. The leaves Cole alone with Dream - let’s have Cole find jumpers and try to electrocute Dream. Hell, the Dream is a magical being so how about Cole does hook Dream to the jumpers and Dream sparkles and blows smoke at Cole in response. Cole hops into a car and drives away so Dream, in a velveteen car of course, makes chase and we cut to the OJ Simpson footage they used in the Goldust/Piper match with a purple car very poorly photo-shopped in. They make their way to WWE Headquarters (despite the Performance Center being in Florida and WWE HQ in Connecticut), climb the corporate ladder and make their way to the roof where there is still a ring and ladders set up. They bash each other with ladders until Dream is able to hit the flying elbow off the top of one to win the title.
Quixotronic Bullpen Predictions:
Kyle: Velveteen Dream - I think it’s time, don’t you? We’ve been talking about how Cole has had the title for over a year now, and typically when you start pointing that out then it’s time to take that belt off. Dream previously fought Ciampa for the title back in November 2018 and last month against Cole. Especially with the “never again” stipulation it seems like we’re finally getting a Velveteen Dream title reign.
Tim: Velveteen Dream
That’s it for our NXT Takeover In Your House preview. We'll be back next week for a review of NXT Takeover as well as a preview of WWE Backlash. Wait, really? We'll see if that happens.
Thanks for joining us again and be sure to subscribe on Facebook and follow https://www.quixotronic.com/ for more questionable content.