Welcome to another edition of WWE Heat Index, wherein we discuss the interest level for the various feuds heading into the pay-per-view events. This time around, we’re focusing on NXT TakeOver: WarGames coming this Saturday night.
The way this works is a pretty simple three-way breakdown of Hot, Lukewarm and Cold. If you like something and you’re very interested in how WWE is setting up the program, it’s Hot (aka Good). If you’re a bit on the fence about it and see some problems, but it’s not awful, then it’s just Okay or Lukewarm. The ones that are the most problematic that you have no interest in are Cold (aka Bad).
Be sure to leave your thoughts in the comments section to let everyone know what your thermometer reads for each feud as I tell you what my thoughts are below!
Without further ado, let’s get started!
Pre-Show Kickoff Matches and Missing Elements = Cold
If you thought the pre-show for regular main roster pay-per-views was bad, you’ve never seen an NXT one. They don’t even have the courtesy of putting on a match nobody would care about. Instead, they focus entirely on catching up the audience on the matches that will be happening later on, which is admittedly the biggest reason they do that section of programming to begin with, but that doesn’t mean it’s something to look forward to, since it’s entirely recaps.
This is something to put on in the background while I’m setting up the templates for my reviews and such, paying zero attention to it.
NXT Championship Match: Drew McIntyre (c) vs. Andrade “Cien” Almas = Lukewarm
I think this will be a perfectly fine match and I highly doubt I would have booked anything different for this title defense had I been given the keys to the creative control board, but it’s still not my absolute favorite thing to be looking forward to.
Zelina Vega is the standout of this feud by far, pulling most of the weight of the entire storyline on her own while McIntyre and Almas are mostly props.
The match should be good, but overshadowed by others, and there’s no way this is the main event, which should also spoil the inevitable McIntyre retaining ending, but I’m certainly digging Almas much more lately and I like how he’s getting a proper title shot.
NXT Women’s Championship Fatal 4-Way Match: Kairi Sane vs. Peyton Royce vs. Ember Moon vs. Nikki Cross = Hot
I’m not quite sure what to make of this quartet, which is what makes me super interested in what’s going to happen.
Obviously, the fact that we are guaranteed to be getting a new champion is already piquing my curiosities, and this group of women being chosen as the potential candidates means any of them have the win possibly in their grasps as they can all be rightful suitors to the title.
All four of them are talented and should put on a good match so long as their chemistry together fits the environment, and the promise of a new era with a different champion at the head of the division is just too much to resist.
Triple Threat War Games Match: SAnitY vs. The Undisputed Era vs. The Authors of Pain and Roderick Strong = Hot
Admittedly, this is a bit of a clusterfuck, but that doesn’t matter.
History has shown that these tag team division matches for TakeOver events are show-stealers and with this not only having three hot acts on the brand, but them being locked inside the War Games gimmick just ups the ante.
I have so many curiosities on how this is going to work from the sheer look of everything to the camaraderie between Roderick Strong and The Authors of Pain, to whether WWE will pull the most obvious trigger in having The Undisputed Era win just because they have newcomer momentum plot armor, or if there will be a bit of a swerve with either of the other two teams winning simply to not make it super predictable.
This may not be the match of the year in WWE, but it should still be a lot of fun.
Aleister Black vs. The Velveteen Dream = Hot
I was a big fan of Patrick Clark from Tough Enough and as soon as he started doing the Velveteen Dream gimmick, I was both shocked and intrigued, as it felt like a total departure from anything I expected to see out of him, but it also worked.
Aleister Black is the type of guy that WWE’s creative team clearly values more than I personally do, but while I might not be 100% gaga over him, I do think he’s got something to offer and he’s had some good enough matches for me to be curious how he’ll gel with TVD.
This whole dynamic is wacky and it could end up being too strange of a clash of styles or exactly the type of change of pace we’re looking for that is different from everything we’ve been seeing lately.
I really, really hope TVD pulls out a victory, if not just to see and hear the crowd’s reaction to it.
United Kingdom Championship Match: Pete Dunne (c) vs. Johnny Gargano = Hot / Lukewarm
Technically, this isn’t going to be on the actual show, but let’s talk about it anyway.
Strictly in terms of in-ring competition goes, this would be Hot, as I think these two have a great chance to steal the show based on previous matches they’ve had with other opponents in the past.
As far as storyline purposes go, though, this can’t get past Lukewarm as there’s absolutely no way an American is going to win the United Kingdom Championship. It just wouldn’t make any sense whatsoever, meaning this is a foregone conclusion of Dunne winning and retaining this match.
While it isn’t going to mean all that much in the long run, at least this will be another showcase of the regularly ignored UK division and likely a great match, too.
Kassius Ohno vs. Lars Sullivan = Cold
Pretty much nothing was building this feud at all, and then at the last minute, suddenly I’m supposed to care?
Kassius Ohno has felt like a waste to me since his return. His looks has obviously deteriorated and his presence on the roster has, too, since he mostly just kind of hangs back and doesn’t quite do much of anything.
Lars Sullivan is new enough that I can’t crap on him, and I do see some value to him here and there, but I enjoyed the idea of him with the crappy tag team members more than anything he’s done solo.
Now that he’s fighting people on his own, he’s just a generic bulky guy who doesn’t stand out in comparison to any of the other ones that we’ve seen come and go.
I would have much rather seen The Street Profits against Tino Sabbatelli and Riddick Moss. Just saying.
Those are my thoughts, but how do you feel about these particular feuds? What’s hot and what’s cold in your mind?
Fill us in on your point of view in the comments below!
