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The new year for NXT kicks off on Saturday as one of their biggest events takes place in the form of NXT TakeOver: Phoenix right before the Royal Rumble pay-per-view.
The Talking Stick Resort Arena in Arizona will play host to the event which will see a total of four championships be defended on the same night. This will include the NXT Tag Team Championship, the NXT North American Championship, the NXT Women's Championship and NXT Championship.
The only non-title bout of the night will be between Matt Riddle and Kassius Ohno which has a well-developed backstory and will surely help both the superstars progress further on the NXT brand.
With four championships up for grabs, the show will air live on the WWE Network as part of WWE Royal Rumble 2019 Weekend. NXT TakeOver is lined with some great matched, and we recommend that you subscribe to the WWE Network if you haven't already, and get warmed up for the Royal Rumble!
Without wasting any more time, take a look at three predictions for the NXT TakeOver: Phoenix event below, and share your thoughts about the event in the comments section.
#1 The Undisputed Era vs War Raiders - NXT Tag Team Championship
We expect this to be one of the most fun matches on the card, as it involves four wrestlers with a lot of unique capabilities.
Undisputed Era has held the championships for a long time, and now it's time for another tag team to move up to the spot as champions so they can make their mark.
The duo of War Raiders have been built up very well by NXT, and they are the current unstoppable forces that will surely play a part in Saturday's match between the two teams.
Undisputed Era will surely use their dirty tricks and try to gain the upper hand, but it will be two men with unparalleled technical abilities against two monsters and this will surely play a part in the outcome of the match.
Expect War Raiders to win the NXT Tag Team Championships on Saturday to mark a new beginning on the NXT tag team division.
#2 Ricochet vs Johnny Gargano - NXT North American Championship
A potential candidate for the match of the night, and possibly the match of the year, already, the battle between two of the best wrestlers in WWE today will surely light up the entire arena.
The two men will do battle for the NXT North American Championship which currently belongs to Ricochet.
Expect Gargano to show his real dark side in the match which can solidify his spot as “Johnny Takeover”, and literally take him over the edge to a darker place from where even Candice LeRae won’t be able to bring him back.
Even though that will be the case, Ricochet currently deserves the NXT North American Championship more than Gargano as he hasn’t really matured enough to get in the NXT Championship picture yet.
Gargano, on the other hand, could get involved in different things even after losing this match which will definitely increase his overall value in the brand.
If by some chance Gargano is booked to win this match, then expect Ciampa to cause either a distraction or interference to help his former teammate get the win.
#3 Tommaso Ciampa vs Aleister Black - NXT Championship
Tommaso Ciampa has been one of the most unique champions in WWE’s history, and therefore he seems to be doing a great job with the NXT Championship.
Even though many would expect his title reign come to an end to Aleister Black, it seems unlikely that it’ll be the case on Saturday night.
Their storyline has been continuing quite well, and NXT should focus on it to stretch it another mile or two if possible before handing Ciampa the loss.
Aleister Black is ready to move on to the main roster, and make his mark there, therefore it doesn't make too much sense to give him another title reign unless it is simply to have DIY reunite to win both the NXT and North American Championships at a later date.
Instead, Black should enter the Rumble and stay till the very end to get in with the WWE Universe, while Ciampa should continue his heelish reign as the champion of NXT.
