NXT Takeover: Brooklyn 2 Card And Predictions

Move over Summerslam, because NXT Takeover: Brooklyn is back to steal the weekend, baby. For the second year in a row WWE heads to New York with massive shows for both its main roster and NXT. Last year the plucky developmental brand stole the show with Sasha Vs Bayley and Finn Balor Vs Kevin Owens. Can it repeat its success?

This time, NXT finds itself in the middle of a transition. Some of it’s top stars, Like Finn Balor, Apollo Crews and American Alpha, have moved up to main. Meanwhile, an exciting women’s division has been stripped of depth. With this in mind the solid Takeover match card on show this Saturday is a miracle in itself – that it’s booked as a two and a half hour event has us salivating, too.

And hey, some of the matches could easily go down in NXT‘s growing archive of classics. Will round two of Asuka Vs Bayley deliver? Who is the real king of NXT: Samoa Joe or Shinsuke Nakamura? Which guy is a better dancer? No Way Jose or Austin Aries?

Naturally, we’ve broken down the entire card for you, with full predictions on who we think comes out on top for all confirmed matches. August 20th, here we come.

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NXT Takeover: Brooklyn 2 Card

No Way Jose Vs Austin Aries

I’m not sure I get No Way Jose. The dancing’s cool and he’s a decent worker, but I feel like I’m missing something that everyone else sees. When this feud started, it felt like it was beneath Austin Aries’ stature. The greatest man who ever lived was Ring of Honor world champion before even CM Punk for god sake. Still, Aries committed 100% here and it definitely elevated the feud. Watching him and Jose dance through the NXT arena was horrifying yet transfixing.

At 38 Aries might be in the twilight of his career, but he can still work. What so far could have been a clash of styles has bought out the best in both men, and Jose has definitely benefited from working with someone as experienced as Aries. Expect a fun match, with a few splashes of humour to lighten the mood.

Prediction: After a big loss to Nakamura, Aries has to win, right? Jose isn’t at a stage where he needs the win yet, either.

 

The Revival (C) Vs Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano – NXT Tag Team Championship Match

 

In what could be the sleeper match of the night, two time NXT tag team champions Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder defend their belts against Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano. This one might be the hardest match to call all night. The Revival have looked like a well oiled unit since last year, and their hard hitting no frills style has made them nearly impossible to beat. After Ciampa and Gargano squared off in the Cruiserweight Classic though, they’ve looked on point.

To win this, one team will have to prove themselves a better unit than their opponents. The biggest question? Will Gargano and Ciampa be able to overcome their recent cruiserweight conflict, and clash of personalities, to get a victory here?

Prediction: Ciampa and Gargano take this one by a whisker. It just feels like payoff for their recent storyline.

 

Andrade ‘Cien’ Almos Vs Bobby Roode

Glorious! This match will be Glorious!

We’ve been speculating for months as to how former TNA star Bobby Roode would make his NXT debut. When it happened though, none of us were prepared for what we got. Roode swaggered down to the ring to his Glorious new entrance theme and laid out a twisted heel promo. We suck, NXT should be for CEOs and Fortune 500 executives. He’s the new JBL, and we love that he hates us.

For his first NXT match it’s almost immaterial who he faces, and it’s impossible not to feel a little sorry for Andrade ‘Cien’ Almos. Almos (a.k.a La Sombre) has his own solid wrestling resume from the likes of NJPW and CMLL (where he was a founding member of the infamous Los Ingobernables faction), but this one is always going to be about Bobby Roode.

Prediction: No one as big as Bobby Roode is going to lose on their way in. Expect a short match with some solid back and forth, but there could only ever be one (Glorious) winner.

 

Asuka (C) Vs Bayley – NXT Women’s Championship Match

The two best female wrestlers in NXT (for almost a year now) meet for their second Takeover match, but this time there’s legacy involved. A year since Bayley and Sasha Banks put on one of the best wrestling matches in recent memory, the hugger returns to where she won the title she’s now trying to regain. Asuka and Bayley have sold the hell out of this feud, showing a level of intensity far above what was expected.

The biggest story of the match, though, will be whether this is Bayley’s last hurrah in NXT. To a degree that Finn Balor never quite achieved, Bayley has been the face of the promotion for some time. In the ring this will be an emotional story, with both performer capable of putting on a show stealing contest.

Prediction: Asuka retains. With Bayley headed to Main in the fall, she’ll do what Sasha Banks did for her – take the three count and pass the torch.

 

Samoa Joe (C) Vs Shinsuke Nakamura  – NXT Championship Match

In what seems like a relatively short stretch of time, Shinsuke Nakamura and Samoa Joe have built their main event feud into something deeply watchable. There’s no deep story here, and it’s not an especially personal feud – Nakamura has simply beaten all comers in NXT, and he’s worked his way up to Joe. He’s the number one contender, and in true arrogant heel fashion Joe doesn’t think he should have to fight anyone he doesn’t want to.

Like all of Nakamura’s big matches so far in WWE, this one should be another barnstormer. Hell, last week the King of Strong Style actually managed to make pinching Samoa Joe’s nose look cool. The guy clearly took an overdose of charisma pills in his youth. Expect a 30 minute clinic in ring psychology from two veterans of the squared circle, with the added spice of both guys having hard hitting styles.

Prediction: Nakamura takes this one to begin his transitional title reign. In truth, both men are probably headed for main soon, and it makes more sense for Bobby Roode to win the strap from a face rather than a heel.