WWE’s next and perhaps final edition of the NXT TakeOver special event, subtitled “The End”, is set to take place next Wednesday, June 8th in Winter Park, Florida where all the action typically stems from. That’s the location where the stars of the future are built, so of course all eyes are going to be on the competitors who will participate on the show. Not everyone in competing, but those who do will fight it out to stand tall and make an impact.
With the upcoming brand extension and the possibility that many people from NXT could come up to the main roster, this is as crucial a time as any to make your mark. As such, it’s time for another 3-Count article breaking down my predictions on who I think the trio of the biggest spotlight-hoggers will be this night.
Andrade “Cien” Almas
It’s hard to make a debut in NXT and not be one of the biggest focal points of the night. WWE always makes those stars a priority where they not only win their match, but they also put on a show that aims to spark a lot of buzz. The goal is to have an introduction that sticks in the minds of the fans, and since this is a smaller environment where the booking breeds that kind of a response, I can’t remember a single time the new debut hasn’t been in that kind of position. It applied to Apollo Crews, Samoa Joe, Austin Aries and more, so things will likely follow suit with Almas.
Considering the people that aren’t currently scheduled and could end up being chosen as his opponent, none of them would be able to match his level of importance from a booking standpoint. By no means is Murphy going to get an upset victory over him, nor even a guy like No Way Jose who would be as close as it could get for someone the company might be more invested in. Almas has a victory locked in and it’s just a question of who he’ll defeat rather than if he’ll be successful.
Samoa Joe
Although there are certainly exceptions to the rule, the normal booking procedure WWE seems to go with is for a relatively new champion to win all subsequent matches against the former champion they dethroned. People trade belts back and forth, and with Finn Balor being as popular as he is, it wouldn’t be the most surprising thing in the world for him to regain the NXT Championship, but since Samoa Joe is still relatively new as the top dog and has not even had a chance to feud with anybody else over the title yet, Joe is the smart bet.
Since this will be the main event of the night and the biggest selling point of the show, it’s hard not to see why Joe would be on this list. He’ll have the distinct privilege of not only defeating the most popular guy on the roster and retaining his championship to close the show, but he’ll also do so by winning the first steel cage match in NXT history.
If by some chance Finn Balor is victorious, then the same accolades apply to him and you can just swap out Joe’s name with Balor’s. The winner of this match is the guy in a kayfabe sense, even if there’s still one more person who might outshine the champion himself in the overall picture.
Shinsuke Nakamura
While Samoa Joe is my pick to leave with the NXT Championship in the main event, I’m leaning towards Shinsuke Nakamura being the primary guy to steal the show. He and Sami Zayn did just that at NXT TakeOver: Dallas, and since Nakamura will be facing a similar opponent in Austin Aries, I expect nothing short of another great match.
Since Aries is the heel and he almost lost to Baron Corbin in Dallas, I would be utterly shocked to see him get the win over Nakamura, who I feel is probably going to be groomed for a title shot against Joe as his next feud. Joe vs. Nakamura is a program that sells itself without any necessity for a complex storyline because of both men’s respective clouts. A loss for Nakamura would hurt that, but a win over Aries would pretty much cement him as the new contender for the belt.
Those are my three picks, but there are still others competing on the show who could surpass them. Asuka and Nia Jax will be fighting for the NXT Women’s Championship and the tag titles will also be defended as America Alpha undoubtedly will be victorious over The Revival, but will those victors measure up to the trio from above?
Tell us your thoughts and your list in the comments below!
