Match Predictions and Heat Index Anticipation Levels
Temperature Scale = Scorching > Hot > Lukewarm > Temperate > Chilly > Cold > Freezing
Heat Index is my assessment of how interesting the segment is, including how excited I am for the match and how intriguing the feud has been. The hotter, the better. Scorching translates to not being able to wait to see it, while Freezing means I couldn’t possibly care less and think it will be awful.
NXT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH:
Bron Breakker (c) vs. Joe Gacy
Heat Index = Cold
Prediction: Bron Breakker wins.
Thoughts: If Breakker gets disqualified, he loses the title. Another typical scenario of WWE dragging things out way past its expiration date. I wasn’t into Gacy to begin with and this feud hasn’t been working on me from the start. If they were going to do a second match, it should have had a more fun gimmick, like Last Man Standing. This stipulation is better than nothing, but that’s not saying much. All these “DQ means the title changes hands” matches are the same, so we’ll see multiple teases of Breakker struggling to keep his composure until he ultimately just gets the victory. The alternative is to put the belt on Gacy, which I feel would be an even bigger mistake. I don’t want to see a third.
NXT NORTH AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH:
Cameron Grimes (c) vs. Carmelo Hayes
Heat Index = Lukewarm
Prediction: Cameron Grimes wins.
Thoughts: Given how talented these two are, I wish I was hotter on this one. The problem is that it suffers from WWE Rerun Syndrome where I’ve watched them fight for like 6 months. Repeating the same thing has diminishing returns. Knowing that it’s just Solo Sikoa again after this, too, makes it so I want to just skip another month or so and see who is next in line for this title hunt.
NXT WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH:
Mandy Rose (c) vs. Wendy Choo
Heat Index = Freezing
Prediction: Mandy Rose wins.
Thoughts: The match isn’t going to be great. We all know the title isn’t changing hands. The feud’s been more of that childish pranky shit that someone in NXT Creative is super fond of, for whatever reason. Pass.
NXT TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH:
Pretty Deadly (c) vs. The Creed Brothers
Heat Index = Lukewarm
Prediction: The Creed Brothers win.
Thoughts: On paper, this is going to be the best match of the card. Easily. But it’s still not something that I’m super excited about enough to pump me up beyond Lukewarm. This stipulation that The Creed Brothers will be kicked out of Diamond Mine is intriguing. I can see why both scenarios could happen. If they win the titles, do they kick Roderick Strong out? Will losing this match be more about Diamond Mine’s status and less about failing to win the tag titles? I’m interested, but not over the moon about it. I’m also not super confident in my prediction, but I’ll lean toward a title change so something happens on this card.
NXT WOMEN’S TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH:
Toxic Attraction (c) vs. Katana Chance and Kayden Carter
Heat Index = Temperate
Prediction: Toxic Attraction wins.
Thoughts: Cora Jade and Roxanne Perez make more sense to be the next tag team champions. In the meantime, KC and KC are just filler challengers. The match will be about as good as you’d expect in this era of NXT, in that it will be forgettable the moment it finishes. But I like these four girls, and I’m hoping they’re able to prove me wrong and put on a better show.
SIX-MAN TAG TEAM MATCH:
Legado del Fantasma vs. Tony D’Angelo, Channing Lorenzo and Troy Donovan
Heat Index = Lukewarm
Prediction: Tony D’Angelo, Channing Lorenzo and Troy Donovan win.
Thoughts: This match has me more baffled about a prediction than any other. Given that the losing trio will join the other faction, I can’t see either scenario working out well. What’s WWE’s game plan, then? Unfortunately, this isn’t a street fight. That would have made this significantly better than just a generic six-man tag.
OVERALL PPV:
How excited am I for the event as a whole?
Heat Index = Temperate
Thoughts: Gone are the days where NXT shows were guaranteed to kick ass and every match would be awesome, with Match of the Year candidates each time. NXT 2.0 just doesn’t produce the same quality content either in the ring or as storylines leading into it. Frankly, now that the card has shaped up to be what it is, I don’t think any of this is truly necessary. You can likely skip it and you won’t miss anything.
What do you think is going to happen at WWE NXT In Your House? Which matches are you most excited to see? Keep the discussion going in the comments below!
