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.
Heat Index = Hot
Prediction: Finn Balor wins.
Thoughts: This should be a great match (that naturally would be better with a crowd), but it’s a shame to say it’s not going to mean much. We know Kyle O’Reilly isn’t going to win the title. It’s just not happening. So the value of this is entirely just whether or not the physicality will be fun. I have no doubts about that and I can let go of some of the “meh, it’s predictable” downside if it matches my expectations. I’m super happy Kyle O’Reilly is getting a chance to shine. He deserves it. This is pretty cool. I’m also excited to see if the tease of the former NXT champion comes into play with this match. Here’s hoping it’s Bo Dallas attacking Balor as the final thing for the night.
Heat Index = Hot
Prediction: Candice LeRae wins the title…but I’m not confident.
Thoughts: I keep going back and forth between this and the Damian Priest vs. Johnny Gargano match. Some days, I’m firm that Candice and Johnny are walking out with both titles. Other days, I’m reeling back on that and thinking that can’t possibly be true. In some ways, if Candice doesn’t beat Io, then who could possibly be the next in line for the title? That makes me ever-so-slightly leaning toward Candice. I’m only 51% on that, though.
Heat Index = Hot
Prediction: Johnny Gargano wins the title…but I’m not confident.
Thoughts: Like with the women’s title situation, I feel as though there’s a solid chance The Gargano Way is proven successful. However, I think there’s less of a chance Priest drops his title to Gargano, which has me scratching my head. You can’t have both leave as champions if Priest doesn’t drop his title. If WWE plans on doing Raw vs. NXT vs. SmackDown for Survivor Series, I could see both these guys representing the midcard champions showcase match, so it’s a win-win scenario. Maybe Priest gets called up to the main roster soon in the draft and has to drop the belt here? Or, hell, maybe he just flat out retains and Gargano isn’t successful and that’s it. I’m intrigued as all hell and I think the match will be rock solid, just like Shirai/LeRae.
Heat Index = Temperate
Prediction: Santos Escobar wins.
Thoughts: Having seen them fight a number of times makes it so I’m not as into this as I was the first time. They’re still two talented guys and I’m sure the match will be solid, but it’s hard for me to get hyped about a rerun. If this had a gimmick to spice things up, it would be different. In particular, I’m not as into this because there’s less of a chance the title changes hands. There’s no guarantee Escobar retains, but I don’t think he’s ready to drop the title, do you? I imagine this is going to be just Escobar winning via some shenanigans or possibly even clean before moving on to Kushida. Speaking of…
Heat Index = Temperate
Prediction: Kushida wins.
Thoughts: On a similar wavelength, we’ve seen some fighting between Kushida and Velveteen Dream. This doesn’t have a “big fight feel” to it and could easily be on a regular episode of NXT, rather than a TakeOver. Then again, doesn’t that vibe weave throughout this whole show? It doesn’t seem like a special event. Maybe it’s because it’s too close to the most recent TakeOver. Anyway, Dream is the bigger star and would normally win, but he’s the heel who needs to get his comeuppance and isn’t in the best political situation right now. If he wins, I won’t be shocked, but I’ll lean more toward Kushida for now so he can gear up to fight for the cruiserweight belt.
Heat Index = Lukewarm
Thoughts: It’s strange. I think 3 of the matches (at least) will be very good, and there’s a chance all of them are, actually. I’m also very interested in the potential Gargano and LeRae title changes, as well as possibly Scott winning the cruiserweight title. But I can’t shake this sense that this is just a filler event that might end with me saying “Wow. Nothing at all happened and this was completely unnecessary.” That’s why I can’t give it a Hot.
What do you think is going to happen at WWE NXT TakeOver 31? Which matches are you most excited to see? Keep the discussion going in the comments below!