411’s NXT Takeover XXX Preview

Hello wrestling fans! Welcome to 411’s NXT Takeover XXX preview. I’m Jeremy, and tonight we’re going to take a look at WWE’s latest NXT Takeover, the momentous thirtieth in the series, which airs tonight on WWE Network. WWE has lined up a very solid card from top to bottom, with a number of X-factors in play. This may not have the iconic feel on paper as some of the other Takeovers, but there’s a lot to entice here between the collision between two hot properties for the NXT Title, the McAfee factor, the potential in the North American Title match and more. With the fact that thius show is going against the special pre-empted episode of Dynamite and an (admittedly smaller) UFC show, it will be interesting to see how this plays out. Feel free to chime in with your picks in the comment section and prepare for what should be a solid show.

NXT Tag Team Championship #1 Contender’s Match
Breezango vs. Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch vs. Legado del Fantasma

Our pre-show match will see Breezango, Lorcan and Burch, and Legado del Fantasma face off for a shot at the NXT Tag Team Championship in what should be a pretty solid kickoff show bout. All of these teams are fun to watch in the ring and they will work perfectly fine in what is essentially a teaser for the show. Breezango recently (well two months ago but recently enough) lost a tag team title shot against Imperium and while two months feels like two years in 2020, that’s probably still too soon for them to get another bout. They’re also focused on Legado del Fantasma, who I would think would be tagged for the shot if that didn’t result in a heel vs. heel match for the straps. Instead, I think we see Lorcan and Burch hop in and take advantage of the two other teams feuding to claim a win. While I don’t necessarily see the two beating Imperium for the titles, Lorcan and Burch make fine potential contenders.

WINNER: Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch

NXT North American Championship Ladder Match
Bronson Reed vs. Damian Priest vs. Cameron Grimes vs. Johnny Gargano vs. Velveteen Dream

The North American Championship match has taken a bit of a twisty road, which saw three triple threat matches and then two second-chance qualifiers to get the five competitors. In addition, Dexter Lumis was pulled after winning his triple threat match due to injury. That leaves us with an eclectic five and a lot of reason for speculation. The match itself has every potential to deliver, with some excellent performers in here. Really though, this would seem to come down to the first three on the list. Gargano doesn’t need the North American Championship and it doesn’t really add much to give him the strap, while WWE isn’t likely to put the title on Velveteen Dream due to recent situations even with WWE apparently finding “nothing there” due to the allegations around him. Of the other three, it would seem like Damian Priest is most ready for a title run. Reed is definitely coming into his own but could use a bit more time, and Grimes is a good hand who probably isn’t ready for the belt yet. I could easily be surprised here, but Priest just seems like the likely winner.

WINNER: Damian Priest (New NXT North American Champion)

NXT Women’s Championship Match
Io Shirai vs. Dakota Kai

This is probably the easiest prediction to make. Dakota Kai is great, but Shirai hasn’t had the title for too long and definitely deserves a longer run. The feud has been pretty decent and there’s no reason to expect anything less than a very good match from these two. The addition of Raquel back into the mix gives Dakota an additional edge, which adds just enough uncertainty for fans to wonder about the result. However, it absolutely feels like Rhea Ripley vs. Io is the match they’re looking for and that’s a match worth waiting for. Expect a fun match, but not a title change on this one.

WINNER: Io Shirai (Still NXT Women’s Champion)

Finn Bálor vs. Timothy Thatcher

This is the most thrown-together match on the card, but that’s not a bad thing as it’s a bout that at least has a little story here. Thatcher cost Balor his spot in the North American Championship match after they both came up short against Dexter Lumis, and now the heat is on. This feels like the opening of what could be a feud highlighted by great matches, as both Balor and Thatcher can really go. If Balor wins, the feud is more likely to end than not, so I’m going out on a limb and picking Thatcher to win — likely by some nefarious way. That keeps Balor seeking revenge and gives us another match down the road, which I’m all for.

WINNER: Timothy Thatcher

Adam Cole vs. Pat McAfee

Man, so this could go in several different ways. And like Balor vs. Thatcher, it all depends on what the fallout is. If it’s a one-off match just to get them on the show and get some press via McAfee’s appearance, there’s no reason for Adam Cole not to get the win here. On the other hand, McAfee will likely win if the feud is looking to continue or if this is a catalyst to break up the Undispited ERA. I’m not totally convinced that Cole getting the boot is likely, even with the dissension that’s been teased in the group as of late. On the other hand, I do think it’s more likely that either this feud continues or Cole is kicked out of UE than just a one-off win for Cole. McAfee is obviously unproven in the ring but Cole is as good as anyone to carry him to an interesting match. One way or another I see this as being overbooked a bit, which I hope doesn’t distract from the match itself. For now, and this is the hardest pick, I’m leaning McAfee.

WINNER: Pat McAfee

NXT Championship Match
Keith Lee vs. Karrion Kross

This match finds NXT in kind of a weird spot. Kross is clearly ready for a title feud even with his relatively short tenure, and he’s hot to the point that you’d want to capitalize on that. However, Lee just started his reign and it seems too early to potentially take the title off of him. They can both certainly deliver, and this match should be a worthy main event even if it won’t be the absolute classic that some other NXT Takeover main events have been. Lee is probably the best big man in the business right now, and Kross has delivered on the promise of his character to date. It would actually be unique in NXT if they were to trade the title back and forth, but I don’t see them pulling that trigger yet. While this is a tough pick, I think it’s pretty clear that this is just the first battle in what’s likely to be a longer war between these two guys and the easiest way to do that is either some kind of non-finish or Lee retaining, as Kross can absorb a loss right now and his character is more likely to shrug something like that off than others.

WINNER: Keith Lee (Still NXT Champion)

And that’s all we have for NXT Takeover XXX! Not gonna lie, I kind of hoped for a touch more for an anniversary show like Takeover #30. But that said, there’s nothing to really complain about here with an NXT Championship Match which should be fire (pun intended), a good gimmick match, a hell of an NXT Women’s Championship match and some likely hijinks between Cole and McAfee. It could end up being a disappointment, but I have some fairly high hopes here and I hope they give the talent all the chances they need to deliver.

Thanks once again for reading, and remember that we will have live coverage of NXT Takover XXX right here on 411mania.com. My time is up, so I better run…