Welcome to another edition of Triple Threat from Smark Out Moment, where three of us get together to discuss three questions based on one big topic going down in the week of professional wrestling.
This week, Dallas Allsopp, Matt Morgan and Bodeen Green preview NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day.
NXT TakeOver returns with a Valentine's Day inspired theme. Despite St. Valentine’s Day Massacre perhaps being a better option, they decided to go ahead with Vengeance Day. Naming conventions aside, just how exciting will the event be?
Question 1: Who should win the women’s Triple Threat NXT Women’s Championship match? Is this an opportunity for Io Shirai to bow out of NXT and move to the main roster in time for WrestleMania 37?
ALLSOPP: As much as I am a huge fan of Io Shirai, I am eager to see her on the main roster. This is not to say I have any confidence she will be treated well, but I am sure she could make chicken salad out of chicken shit. This is the perfect opportunity for Toni Storm to cement her position at the top of NXT’s women’s division, therefore this match feels like the perfect opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. Ideally, Storm steals a pinfall victory over Shirai, allowing the Japanese star to move to the main roster whilst giving Storm the credibility she needs to lead the division.
MORGAN: From a selfish standpoint, I really hope Io Shirai retains this Sunday. Her current run as NXT Women’s Champion has been great, and she has put on outstanding matches with Rhea Ripley, Tegan Nox, Candice LeRae, and others. I would like to see that continue past this event, and to see Shirai continue to be a member of the NXT roster. When Shirai loses her title, I am hoping it is actually Raquel Gonzalez that she loses to, not Mercedes Martinez or Toni Storm. They have done such a great job of building up Gonzalez these last couple of months. Having her dethrone Shirai would be the perfect way to cement Gonzalez’s ascent to the top of the women’s division.
GREEN: Io Shirai has been amazing as NXT Women’s Champion, having done a great job in elevating an already stacked women’s division. Her matches at TakeOver, as well as the odd title defense on special NXT shows, have always delivered. Her match with Rhea Ripley being a notable stand out. That being said, I’d love to see Shirai pass the torch to either Toni Storm or Mercedes Martinez. Both women look extremely dominant, with Martinez in particular looking like an absolute beast. If Shirai does lose, I’d predict that Martinez would win, with Storm tapping out or taking the pin. If Shirai wins, however, I can definitely see her losing to Raquel Gonzalez down the line. If Shirai does move to the main roster, she will be booked well as she can breathe fresh life into a stale women’s division on Raw.
Question 2: Does KUSHIDA deserve a run with the NXT North American Championship? Would defeating Johnny Gargano for the title make his NXT tenure an overall success?
MORGAN: I have a feeling that Johnny Gargano will retain at NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day, and then move onto a feud with Dexter Lumis. KUSHIDA is extremely talented, and I really appreciate the vicious aspect of his character that has been on display in recent months. Regardless of the outcome of this match, I still feel like it is too early to gauge whether KUSHIDA’s time in NXT will be a success or not. If he can have more high profile matches on TakeOver events, then I believe his time in NXT will have been well spent, as that’s usually the type of events where talents in NXT get to shine and make a name for themselves.
GREEN: Whilst Johnny Gargano doesn’t have the best record at TakeOver, I am going to go with my gut and say Gargano will retain his NXT North American Championship over KUSHIDA. Whilst KUSHIDA’s time in NXT has been somewhat unsuccessful, he still does not look weak, and won’t be hurt too bad if he loses to Gargano. With Dexter Lumis lurking, I wouldn't be surprised if there is a Triple Threat match in the future, with KUSHIDA or Lumis winning that contest.
ALLSOPP: I cannot praise KUSHIDA enough, as he is one of the best Japanese wrestlers in the industry today. Unfortunately, his NXT tenure has largely been a failure, until now. If he can topple Johnny Gargano, he can be presented as a focal point of NXT, rather than be just another face that pops up from time to time. He fully deserves a run with the title to prove his doubters wrong, and from a purely statistical point of view, it will be great to have a Japanese wrestler add to the prestige of the title. This could easily be the start of a run which ultimately makes his NXT tenure a resounding success overall.
Question 3: Is there a strong likelihood of Pete Dunne defeating Finn Balor for the NXT Championship? Can these two put on a better match than Balor vs Kyle O’Reilly?
GREEN: As much as I would love to see Pete Dunne as NXT Champion, I am going to go with Finn Balor retaining. This is sure to be a hard hitting match, with a good chance of Dunne targeting Balor’s arm or foot in the match, similar to what we saw in the Kyle O'Reilly and Balor matches. Ultimately, I don’t know if Dunne vs Balor will surpass the O’Reilly and Balor match, but one thing is for certain. NXT fans are in for one hell of a match!
ALLSOPP: The logical fan in me can see no other result than a Finn Balor victory, however, NXT is a show that can pull off surprises more often than Raw or SmackDown, which means there is a chance Pete Dunne wins to become the new NXT Champion. Balor has enjoyed a career renaissance on NXT, but his presence is needed on the main roster to address the stale feuds and matchups we are accustomed to. Dunne is fresh, and it is clear he would be a success as NXT Champion. I am picking Dunne, with both men putting on a classic worthy of the very best TakeOver cards. Will it be better than Balor vs Kyle O’Reilly? Yes, I believe it will be, but only because the athletic contest these two are capable of would be much more thrilling than the hard hitting contest O’Reilly engaged in.
MORGAN: I am predicting that Finn Balor retains his NXT Championship when he faces Pete Dunne. I can definitely see the company wanting to have Balor and Kyle O’Reilly face off one more time, purely based on the praise their last two matches have received. With that being said, I can also see Dunne and Balor putting on a fantastic match at TakeOver: Vengeance Day. Between Balor’s striking offense and Dunne’s tendencies to manipulate different joints, I would imagine that Balor and Dunne will put on a really hard hitting, entertaining match.
Those are our thoughts on the issue, but where do you stand?
Let us know your answers to these questions in the comments below!
Subscribe to Smark Out Moment on YouTube, iTunes, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and more!
0 comments: