4 reasons why NXT TakeOver: New Orleans will be better than WrestleMania 34

The latest NXT tapings cleared up most of the remaining cobwebs ahead of NXT TakeOver: New Orleans. Four matches have been confirmed:

• Aleister Black vs. Andrade "Cien" Almas (c) for the NXT Championship
• Shayna Baszler vs. Ember Moon (c) for the NXT Women's Championship
• Velveteen Dream vs. Adam Cole vs. Lars Sullivan vs. Killian Dain vs. EC3 vs. Ricochet in a ladder match to determine the inaugural NXT North American Champion
• The Authors of Pain vs. Roderick Strong and Pete Dunne vs. The Undisputed Era (c) for the NXT Tag Team Championship

We'll probably see one more match added to the card. The big question is whether or not it will be Johnny Gargano vs. Tommaso Ciampa, who he attacked in the latest round of tapings. That match would be the jewel in the crown, but whatever winds up happening, it's still a monster card.

NXT TakeOver has almost always surpassed the main roster events it precedes. This has been the case with WrestleMania for the past few years. With the exception of the women's match, it looks set to happen again.

---

#1 The 2-hour format

Fans can now expect to linger there past midnight.

One of NXT's biggest strengths is its format. The hourly weekly shows and 2-hour TakeOver specials are an ideal length for a wrestling show. NXT uses the limited time it gets as efficiently as possible, stacking tremendous quality into a short space that leaves the viewer wanting more.

In contrast, the main roster content has dragged on and on as the years have gone by and nowhere is this truer than WrestleMania. It's become a 7-hour show and fans are thoroughly spent by the end of it.

NXT TakeOver: New Orleans will have 2 hours worth of high-quality content. WrestleMania will have ~7 with hits and misses. This alone puts it behind the 8 ball in comparison.

#2 The Tag Team Match

Pete Dunne returns to NXT TakeOver in New Orleans.

Last year's triple threat tag team match between the Authors of Pain, #DIY, and The Revival at NXT TakeOver: Orlando is widely considered one of the best of 2017. NXT looks set to repeat that feat the night before WrestleMania this year, too.

The Authors of Pain will return to that field of battle, and they'll face an old foe in the Undisputed Era, who have thrived in these environments. Most interesting is the team of Pete Dunne and Roderick Strong. They're the wild card in the match. They were recently rivals, but are now a team. How will they work together? We don't know. Seeing Pete Dunne return to a TakeOver card alone would be a selling point. When you have him in a match like this with so many other proven talents, it becomes must-see.

In contrast, The Usos will likely take on the Bludgeon Brothers at WrestleMania. Good as they've been, it's unlikely that match will be as good as this one. We also still have no idea what Cesaro and Sheamus will do.

Advantage: TakeOver.

#3 That ladder match

EC3 and Ricochet both make their TakeOver debuts in this match.

We're so used to multi-man matches on the main roster that we barely blink an eye when one is announced, even if it's a ladder match. In contrast, NXT uses these kinds of matches sparingly, so when one does happen, it makes an impact. That will be the case at TakeOver: New Orleans.

There will be a 6-man ladder match and it will determine the inaugural NXT North American Champion.

It began with the entitlement of the debuting EC3, who assumed he'd be awarded the championship just for showing up. William Regal disagreed and added other participants.

We'll see the arrogant Adam Cole, who has caused so much chaos since his arrival. We'll see the egotistic flamboyance of Velveteen Dream, who would love to have his name as the first in the line of North American Champions. We'll see two monsters in Killian Dain and Lars Sullivan who will cause maximum damage and might force unusual alliances. Finally, we'll see the high-flying Ricochet, who is tailor-made for this match.

Each man brings something unique, in contrast to the multi-man matches on the main roster, where wrestlers feel like they're thrown in just for the sake of it (see Fastlane's main event).

With this kind of match and these participants, this could easily be the best match of WrestleMania weekend, and one of the best of 2018. It's the one I'm looking forward to the most.

#4 A main event to look forward to

A rematch that will be far different from the first.

It's an irony that both TakeOver and WrestleMania will be headlined by rematches. The atmosphere surrounding TakeOver's main event is far different, though.

Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 34 doesn't feel much different from Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 31. Sure, Roman Reigns thankfully isn't quoting Loony Tunes anymore, but he's still the struggling babyface now that he was back then, still the guy that WWE desperately wants to force into the role of "the guy." Brock Lesnar now is the exact same Brock Lesnar that he was back then.

The match itself should be good, but few are looking forward to it. The feeling around it basically amounts to "let's just get this over with." It's essentially happening to manufacture another artificial "WrestleMania moment" which has kept Raw's world title on standby for an entire year and impeded the rise of Braun Strowman as a result.

In contrast, Aleister Black will challenge the man he defeated in his NXT debut a year ago, Andrade "Cien" Almas. This time, it will be a title match, and that title around Almas' waist signifies something very different than what we saw last year on the night before WrestleMania.

In Orlando, Aleister Black defeated his opponent with little trouble. That loss was part of Almas' malaise. Then, he changed. He ditched the hat and suspenders, got a new attitude, and most importantly, hired Zelina Vega as his business manager to keep him focused. He's been unstoppable ever since, winning the NXT Championship to prove it. The Almas standing across the ring from Aleister Black in New Orleans is a very different man than the one that shared the squared circle with him in Orlando.

Aleister Black, too, has remained unstoppable, suffering only one loss and only via interference. He's been NXT's most dominant force of the last 12 months. Now he wants to prove it by being champion.

NXT is big enough for only one of these men. We'll find out who's the real top player on the brand in New Orleans in what should be a match that far surpasses their previous one in quality.

It's a main event with an organic, believable, and compelling story behind it, and it's one to anticipate.

---

Send us news tips at [email protected]