411’s NXT Takeover: Brooklyn III Preview

~THE STAFF~
* 411’s contributing poet, Mr. Ken Hill.
* 411’s Mr. NXT, Mr. Kevin Pantoja.
* 411 contributor, Mr. Mitch Nickelson.
* 411 columnist, Mr. Justin Watry.
* 411 contributor, Mr. Paul Leazar.
* 411 columnist, Mr. Steve Cook.
* 411 columnist, Mr. Jake Chambers.

---

Johnny Gargano vs. Andrade “Cien” Almas (w/Zelina Vega)

KEN HILL:

Garga-no way Johnny lose,
in big re-debut.
Garga-no chance for Almas.

WINNER: Johnny Gargano

Jake Chambers: On paper, a pretty cool match. Assuming Ciampa doesn’t interfere, and this match kicks off the weekend while people are properly hyped before the mind-numbing dredge of 4 straight WWE shows in the same venue sinks in for these poor Brooklyn schmucks, then we might be looking at the WWE match of the weekend. Gargano is clearly so much more than a tag team wrestler, and Almas should have been the one main event-ing against Nakamura, not Bobby Roode. While I’m legit excited for this one, still can’t help to see it as just another sign of the odd paradox that NXT has become, where you’ve got all these fantastic, seasoned performers who seem like duds if they’re not successful in this “training” league, but if they do well here then they’re stuck in NXT. Frankly, I’m just looking for good matches so whatever, but these guys used to give me tons of great matches, which was stolen by their poaching to NXT. So, in general I just want to say this: tighten up your shit NXT!

WINNER: Andrade “Cien” Almas

JUSTIN WATRY: A situation where both men should probably win. Luckily, I am going to do a rare ‘fantasy booking’ session and prove that even the toughest spots can have a reasonable escape plan. Here it is: Gargano is kicking butt, and out comes Candice LeRae to battle Zelina Vega! A mixed tag team battle erupts, and the fans lose their minds. Okay, only kidding. That is not happening. Here is the simplest solution. After a solid ten minutes of back and forth wrestling, Johnny Wrestling looks to close in on the victory, only for the theme music of #DIY to hit. The big screen flashes “CIAMPA” real quickly. One roll up later from Almas, and it’s over. Vega celebrates with her man, and Gargano is left devastated. Think back to early 2004 when The Undertaker tormented Kane for months on end leading to his return. Ciampa may be out injured for another few months, but creative moves like this work when a man cannot physically be there.

WINNER: Andrade “Cien” Almas

Kevin Pantoja: Like a lot of recent TakeOvers, this has some matches without great build but filled with top tier talent. This is one of them. Johnny Gargano and Andrade Almas are my two favorite wrestlers in NXT. By a fairly wide margin. This is my pick for the show stealer. Almas winning makes more sense. Gargano’s the kind of babyface who can afford it (especially if Tommaso Ciampa makes an appearance) and Almas needs it. He’s lost too often and with Vega keeping him focused, he should win.

WINNER: Andrade Almas

Mitch Nickelson: I see massive potential in Johnny Gargano. I think he can be to NXT (and later Raw or SmackDown) what Juice Robinson is right now to NJPW. He can be the babyface of babyfaces. By the time Ciampa returns in 2018, I want their feud to be for the NXT Championship. Gargano should win here and keep winning on his path to the top of the card.

WINNER: Johnny Gargano

Paul Leazar: Boy, this match almost feels like a mistake at this point in time. Both guys could really use the win here. Johnny Gargano needs it to establish himself a singles guy on the up swing. Doubly so for the fact that we know we won’t be seeing Ciampa again until some time next year, and having Gargano become a success story for Ciampa to come back to ruin could prove to be a huge story down the road. Almas, on the other hand, just got back on track with the addition of Zelina Vega, and really looks to have found himself. I feel like you could build up Gargano at any point though, and Almas really needs the victories to get the ball rolling for him. I like Almas taking the victory here with help from Zelina.

WINNER: Andrade “Cien” Almas

Steve Cook: Gotta admit that I’m a lot more interested in Almas now with the presence of Zelina Vega in his corner. She adds a lot to that act. Gargano’s in a weird place right now. He should be feuding with Tomasso Ciampa, but Ciampa is out for awhile yet, so he’s kind of stuck spinning his wheels in matches like this. The smart choice is probably Gargano, but I’m hoping that he loses due to Zelina interference and Candice LeRae shows up eventually to settle the score. That seems like something that I would like, and that NXT’s target audience would like.

WINNER: Andrade Almas

Aleister Black vs. Hideo Itami

KEN HILL:

Aleister’s been on a roll as of late,
garnering followers into his “Black Mass.”
Itami’s frustrations have reached a boil,
a DQ finish I may see come to pass?

WINNER: Aleister Black

Kevin Pantoja: I know they seem to love Aleister Black, but this not being Hideo Itami vs. Kassius Ohno is strange to me. That’s exactly where it was building to. I think this one is quite obvious. Black is headed for big things, while it doesn’t seem like Itami is on the same path. I’m pretty sure this is the end of Itami’s NXT run. He’s been there for a while and it’s kind of NXT Title or bust for him at this point. He’s not winning the title, so I say he loses here and gets called up in the next Superstar Shakeup, where he’ll unfortunately not do a lot most likely. I say this as someone who loves Itami.

WINNER: Aleister Black

Mitch Nickelson: This is a hard match to call. I imagine that Kassius Ohno will be getting involved in some way so Itami can take the loss and blame it on him. That will further their angst against toward each other and they can build to a big blowoff match later in the year. As long as the ending isn’t too wonky with the potential Ohno involvement, I have this one earmarked for strong match of the night potential.

WINNER: Aleister Black

JUSTIN WATRY: Another bout where I can see both winning. Hideo Itami is the newly turned frustrated heel who is sick and tired of playing nice and losing, while Aleister Black is on a roll with plenty of momentum. This entire feud has been filled with hard hitting brawls, so that is what I think we will get. Thus, that means no winner. Just fists, slaps, kicks…and an indecisive finish. NXT tends to shy away from doing junk like that. However, it fits the bill in this instance. Black would be my pick if I had to go with somebody.

WINNER: Draw

Paul Leazar: If this isn’t fifteen minutes of them just kicking the living daylights out of each other, I’ll be disappointed. I like both guys a bunch, but Black is the star on the rise, and feels like he’s being groomed to take the reigns with the NXT Championship some time soon. Itami feels like he’s in free fall, but a great match could help him out greatly. I’m salivating at the mouth to watch this one go down, but there’s no question to me that Aleister Black walks away with the victory here.

WINNER: Aleister Black

Steve Cook: One of these guys is on the way up. One of these guys has never really gotten to the next level. Black doesn’t need to be losing to anybody in NXT, certainly not Itami.

WINNER: Aleister Black

Jake Chambers: Are we at the place now where KENTA is enhancement talent for Tommy End? Is this what you’re telling me? Ugh… Itami’s WWE career is starting to feel a lot like watching former Pride legend Takanori Gomi getting constantly walked over by UFC fighters of lower and lower stature. The whole Aleister Black bit is really cool, don’t get me wrong, but does it have to be at the sake of motherfucking KENTA? NXT has a roster of like 75 stockpiled indy stars, and they’ve gotta a feed Itami to Black? Nothing about their styles really play into each other at all, and for Black to maintain his momentum he’s gonna need to generally dominant the smaller, less impactful Itami. If it were up to me, you’d have Black vs. Lorcan or Ohno, and put together Itami and Strong or Gargano if you really wanted to maximize what both guys can do. But the devaluation of KENTA is not something I’m looking forward to seeing.

WINNER: Aleister Black

NXT Tag Team Championship Match: Champions The Authors of Pain vs. SAnitY

KEN HILL:

A certain level of intrigue flits about
in this rare heel-on-heel encounter.
AOP have looked the lighter shade of dark,
but their book SAnitY may well devour.

WINNER: SanitY

Kevin Pantoja: People aren’t talking about it enough, but the Authors of Pain have been one of the best tag teams in the world this year. The only teams I’d put ahead of them in terms of performance would be The South Pacific Power Trip and British Strong Style. #DIY and the Revival were great too, but haven’t done a ton this year. Anyway, this matchup with SAnitY should be a chaotic brawl, with suits both teams. SAnitY is a lot of fun, but I can’t see them as the guys to dethrone AOP and hand them their first loss.

WINNER: The Authors of Pain

Mitch Nickelson: I like that SAnitY is essentially the babyfaces here even though there’s nothing different about their characters from before this feud. I have no problem rooting for Killian Dain, that weird guy that moshes a bunch, or their ragtag friends. Their anarchist ways are endearing to me but that doesn’t mean that I think they’ll win. AOP are the champs and they’re in it for the long haul. SAnitY are simply placeholders until TM61 returns, reDragon emerges, or whatever team of more traditional babyfaces show up to be a more permanent fixture.

WINNER: The Authors of Pain

@JustinWatry: No explanation needed.

WINNER: The Authors Of Pain

Paul Leazar: This one has the potential to be train wreck in all of the best ways. I think AOP has the tools to go pretty far in this business, they just need some seasoning. They’re young prodigies in my eyes, and I think they are on track to be something real big on the main roster when they get the call in a year or two. I like this match up with SAnitY as well. Killian Dain is a monster, plain and simple. WWE thinks highly of him, and it’s not hard to see why. He’s a big guy who can go with just about anybody, and I’m really looking forward to seeing him work with these two. Alexander Wolfe, on the other hand, has seeming willingness to bump like a madman despite the fact that I think he’s fairly limited as far as his in-ring work goes. That plays perfectly into how SAnitY has been booked though, and that willingness to die for the cause could lead them to capturing the championships. However, I feel like the Authors of Pain getting the long run makes a bunch of sense, and have a great feud waiting for them when TM-61 comes roaring back on to the scene. I like the Authors to overcome the numbers game here, but this one feels like a toss-up.

WINNER: The Authors of Pain

Steve Cook: The AoP have spent most of their time running through forces smaller than them. With all due respect to the likes of DIY & the Revival, they were looking up at the Authors of Pain, not looking in their eyes. SAnitY looks right in the eyes of Akam & Rezar, unblinking and unafraid. It’ll be the toughest fight Paul Ellering’s boys have had yet. That being said, I think the intelligence of Ellering combined with the experience gained in their previous wars gives the AoP the advantage here. As wise as Eric Young is, he can’t match with Precious Paul.

WINNER: Authors of Pain

Jake Chambers: Ouch, definite dud city. Perfect timing for any 411mania readers in attendance at the Barclays Center to roll through the cheap seats of the 300 section and meet ME! That’s right Chambys, your idol Jake Chambers is gonna be at this show doing it like a real fan, in the back fucking row, where some moron can’t chant his stupid shit behind you, or lecture about “the business” to some half-interested friend they dragged along. You can find out if I look more like a member of Sanity or a suited-up Mr. Dot-Com. Send me a message on Twitter if you want the stop by and give me a high-five, or hear first hand why the show up until this point has been a total piece of shit: @MatchADay

WINNER: Autograph seekers!

NXT Women’s Championship Match: Champion Asuka vs. Ember Moon

KEN HILL:

Indeed, Asuka’s time has come,
Moon on the rise.
Time to conquer new roster.

WINNER: Ember Moon

Kevin Pantoja: After TakeOver: Orlando, I felt this was a foregone conclusion. Ember Moon lost because Asuka resorted to a cheap trick. I fully assumed Ember would be the one to finally take the title from Asuka. Part of me feels like it could go the other way, though. With women like Kairi Shane and Shayna Baszler on the way, I could see them not wanting to miss out on the chance to book something big like that. Still, I’m going with my gut and picking Ember to pull it off.

WINNER: Ember Moon

JUSTIN WATRY: One year ago, Ember Moon debuted on NXT. For well over one year, Asuka has been undefeated in NXT. In that time, only once has Asuka ever resorted to dirty tactics to win. That was in Orlando against Moon. That is the story being told here, and I love it. After being so dominant as champion and officially showing signs of arrogance, the unstoppable force has finally met her match. I wrote about this a bit in my column this week, but I believe Ember Moon is the right person to dethrone Asuka. There is plenty of debate on whether it will be somebody new from the Mae Young Classic. I think it is Moon. The time is drawing near for more main roster call ups, and no doubt is Asuka on the short list to make that move. Pull the trigger in Brooklyn. All good things must come to an end…

WINNER: Ember Moon

Mitch Nickelson: This is probably against my better judgment but I’m sticking with Asuka to retain her title against Ember Moon. Don’t get me wrong, Ember is definitely ready for a title run and her promo on the go home episode of NXT showcased that she very well may be among the best female talkers WWE has. However, the idea of Asuka jumping to the main roster either post-SummerSlam or in the following months and eventually going into WrestleMania undefeated seems too money to pass up. I won’t complain if Ember wins, I just think there’s more potential in a long term story for Asuka.

WINNER: Asuka

Paul Leazar: What a match these two had the first time around, and I think they could easily top it here at what has come to be NXT’s signature event that always has a rabid crowd on hand. They’re just about as evenly match as any two women in NXT right now, but when does Asuka lose? That’s been the question for a while now. Either show on the main roster could really use Asuka to come in and shake up the division, and while Ember Moon might not be completely ready to takeover the division, I feel like this is the moment to do the change. They could still rematch come Survivor Series time if they don’t bring Asuka up, but giving Ember the moment here seems like a great way to make a new star.

WINNER: Ember Moon

Steve Cook: I know a lot of people are super impressed with Ember but I’ve never really seen it. But hey, at some point Asuka’s gotta drop this strap if she’s going to move on to bigger and better things. If there’s a SuperStar Shakeup after SummerSlam as has been rumored, one would assume that one of the shakeups would be Asuka moving to either Raw or SmackDown. It’s in hope of that happening that I’m picking her to lose here.

WINNER: Ember Moon

Jake Chambers: Asuka is what I call a “CNN wrestler”: when she’s in a match it’s like all of a sudden she’s the most important thing in the world, but then when the match is over everyone instantly forgets about why she’s supposedly so great. I guess it’s a symptom of the 24-second news cycle culture that a wrestler who’s accomplished so little can have one of the longest title reigns in “WWE” history. She can’t really lose it to Ember Moon though, can she? That’s the best they could do to end that “historic” streak? Because if Asuka is a “CNN Wrestler” then Ember Moon is the “E! Network”, looks good on the outside, but not much substance.

WINNER: Asuka

NXT Championship Match: Champion Bobby Roode vs. Drew McIntyre

KEN HILL:

“The Unchosen One” has been spitting fire,
but his matches have been lacking.
Roode’s driving Strong up the wall, that
may well lead to Roderick attacking.

Whether a one-on-one, or a triple threat
with the backbreakin’ Messiah involved,
Roode will come out victorious,
another problem GLORIOUSLY solved.

WINNER: Bobby Roode

Mitch Nickelson: I’ve been loving Bobby Roode as champion. His matches haven’t blown me away but he as a character is so good. His arrogance plays so well off of Roderick Strong, which has kind of put Drew in the background even though he’s the actual challenger on this show. Even though the Roode/Strong rivalry is better defined, I’m not ruling out the chances that McIntyre wins. In fact, I’m calling for it.

WINNER: Drew McIntyre

Kevin Pantoja: I just cannot get interested in this. There’s no reason for me to want to see Drew McIntyre win anything expect for his name value. Like Black/Itami, this doesn’t make as much sense as Roode’s feud with Roderick Strong is much more interesting. There’s a reason for even the casual viewer to root for Roddy. The personal issues are easy to relate to. Anyway, Drew and Roode feels like something put together simply because of name value. I’m thinking Roode retains. Drew will come close, though.

WINNER: Bobby Roode

Justin Watry: Without Roderick Strong still sticking his nose in the NXT Championship picture, that complicates this all. Without him, I would say Drew McIntyre wins, and we slowly transition to a new era. Roode is likely due for a RAW or Smackdown LIVE showing in early 2018, so it would be wise to begin that slow crawl towards moving him out. With Roddy involved, I don’t know what the endgame is. Does he and Roode begin a non-title feud going forward OR is this hinting at Roddy being the man to beat Roode for the title and NOT Drew on Saturday night? Tough call. Then there are all those rumors of a bunch of former Ring of Honor stars ready to pounce. Usually NXT has a pretty straight forward and predictable card (not always a bad thing). The complete opposite is true this weekend. Lots of moving parts. I am looking forward to seeing it all play out.

WINNER: Bobby Roode

Paul Leazar: Here’s another toss-up. They’re are perks going both ways in this one. Bobby still has the feud with Roderick Strong going, and realistically, it doesn’t need the title. Roderick has stated as much on NXT television, and I think that works out well here. Bobby has proven himself as a guy that can carry the brand, and that’s what the NXT Title has really been about since the Kevin Owens reign as NXT Champion. Testing the waters with a Drew McIntyre run would be a great idea, and it’s somebody who has proven himself greatly out on the independents. However, if the WWE still isn’t sure, now would be a great time to do the change, and see how far Drew can take it. All that thinking aside, Bobby Roode’s run as champion has been terrific, and I am just not ready to see it end. He’s been a personal favorite of mine since his days in Team Canada back during TNA’s “glory days”, and it’s just been so nice to see him book well as the top guy. I don’t think there is a wrong choice here for NXT, but for me, I’m picking Bobby to retain out of personal favoritism.

WINNER: Bobby Roode

Steve Cook: It feels like it’s time for the Roode title reign to end. NXT title reigns seem to run well past their end dates, but McIntyre feels like the next guy to pass the torch on to. Should be a solid match with two guys that know how to work the TV style. Roode’s entrance might end up being the highpoint because it’s usually pretty fantastic.

WINNER: Drew McIntyre

Jake Chambers: Oh shit, TNA called and they want their main event back! Who’s with me in assuming that the Takeover Brooklyn 5 main event is going to be Eli Drake vs. EC3, and at the seventh one we’ll be seeing Mahabali Sheera vs. Grado?! I’d love to think that McIntyre had a real shot of taking the belt here, but that would be too good to be true, and frankly a waste of McIntyre. However, going to the main roster is no treat these days either, and there’s no one there for McIntyre to bounce off with the indy style that got him back to the WWE in the first place. Eh, if NXT has kept this Bobby Roode sham going this long, no need to stop it now, might as well make him the “longest reigning NXT champion” of all time; a hollow accomplishment in a hollow era for a hollow wrestler.

WINNER: Booby Roode

MAKE SURE TO JOIN 411 TONIGHT AT 7:30PM ET FOR OUT LIVE TAKEOVER COVERAGE!