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NXT TakeOver: War Games is now two weeks away and, as is often the case, it could well steal the spotlight from yet another "Big 4" PPV, Survivor Series. Headlining this edition of TakeOver is, as its name suggests, the highly anticipated return of the War Games match, airing for the first time in nearly 20 years.
Yet, the match that might just wind up stealing the show could be the Fatal 4-Way featuring Ember Moon, Nikki Cross, Peyton Royce, and newcomer Kairi Sane for the vacant NXT Women's Championship.
It's arguable that the NXT Women's Championship has been the most prestigious title in all of WWE for the past several years now, and with Asuka vacating the title undefeated, the next champion will arguably have even bigger shoes to fill without the rub of having beaten her.
With four competitors for the vacant championship, there would surely be pros and cons of each claiming the crown. Let's look at each.
#1 Kairi Sane
Kairi Sane was the first to qualify for this match after having defeated Shayna Baszler to win the Mae Young Classic in September. Kairi took the tournament by storm, consistently putting on the best matches in it against the likes of Tessa Blanchard, Bianca Belair, Dakota Kai, and Toni Storm prior to the final. After defeating Baszler, the NXT Women's Championship is in Kairi's sights, but how would she do as champion?
Pros:
Kairi is already beloved by the NXT audience. Her bubbly, almost childlike charisma works like magic in getting the crowd invested into seeing her win. It even managed to wake up the normally tired post-SmackDown crowd during the Mae Young Classic final. Her matches are always memorable and her finisher is spectacular, which would certainly add to the prestige of the title.
Cons:
Obviously, it's probably too soon for Sane to win the title. Even Asuka didn't win it until six months after her own debut, and her character is a vicious killer in the ring, while Kairi is a lovable underdog. Sane would probably work better chasing the title to a great payoff rather than rising to the top so quickly.
And speaking of the previous champion, a win so soon would inevitably make fans cast her into the role of Asuka 2.0. Sane probably won't be able to live up to those comparisons and they would spoil her own unique story.
So while I think she is a great performer, I don't want her to win the title here. It's not her time yet.
#2 Peyton Royce
Peyton Royce was the second person to qualify for the Fatal 4-Way, after defeating Nikki Cross and Liv Morgan in a triple threat match (albeit with help from Taynara Conti at the prodding of the Undisputed Era). Peyton has been a mainstay in the NXT women's division for some time now, forming half of the Iconic Duo alongside Billie Kay. After having failed to capture the NXT Women's Championship in the past, she'll have another opportunity.
Pros:
After Asuka's run of unprecedented dominance, a title reign by Peyton Royce would be a significant and arguably refreshing change of direction. A crafty heel like her, with the assistance of her BFF Billie Kay, could come up with all sorts of devious ways to keep her title and frustrate the efforts of NXT's top babyfaces. A chase by Kairi Sane, for example, would make for some entertaining television over a number of months.
Cons:
On the other hand, Peyton and Billie's act is often that of comedy jobber. Royce was never a serious threat to Asuka during her reign and is lower on the totem pole of the NXT women's division than her competitors at TakeOver: War Games. It's arguable that her act isn't currently befitting of the prestige of the NXT Women's Championship.
Overall, I see Royce as being the wild card in this match. If she doesn't win, she's probably there to get pinned or tap out.
#3 Ember Moon
Ember Moon qualified third by beating Ruby Riot and Sonya Deville in another triple threat match. With TakeOver being in Houston in her home state of Texas, Ember is the favourite of many to win this match. There is, however, a very significant drawback.
Pros:
Ember Moon arguably deserves the title based on one fact alone - she came closer than anyone else ever did to beating Asuka. The champ had to cheat to beat her the first time, and only just barely won the second time in what will probably go down as WWE's best women's match of the year. Ember Moon would bring a fight to anyone gunning for her title should she win it, continuing the legacy of past NXT Women's Champions.
Cons:
Ember Moon's loss to Asuka the second time at TakeOver: Brooklyn III surprised a lot of people. While the match was thrilling, it ultimately established that she, too, just wasn't ready. After such high profile efforts, a title win for Ember now might ironically feel more empty than fulfilling. It would almost look like a consolation prize that she could only obtain because her rival moved on. A win at this point would see a good chance of always having the shadow of Asuka looming over her, spoiling her reign in much the same way it would Kairi, by association.
With this in mind, it might be time for Ember to move on to the main roster. A loss here would leave her with little left to do in NXT, and SmackDown's women's division could certainly use her now.
#4 Nikki Cross
Finally, there's Nikki Cross, who last qualified by winning a battle royal when General Manager William Regal gave her a second chance after the screwy finish to her original qualifying match.
Pros:
Aside from Ember Moon, Nikki Cross proved to be the most serious threat to Asuka during her reign, as the two fought to a no contest in a triple threat elimination match. Nikki followed up her vicious assault with another that took Asuka to her limit in the brutal, first-ever Last Woman Standing match in June.
Unlike Ember Moon, however, the fact that neither of these incidents came at a TakeOver event means that Nikki's failures can fly under the radar more so than Moon's while her unsuccessful attempts at TakeOver: San Antonio and Chicago were overshadowed by the Asuka/Ember matches.
Nikki is also one of the most over women on the NXT roster and the ongoing feud between SAnity and the Undisputed Era would add a new twist to the story around the NXT Women's Championship.
Honestly, Nikki is slowly becoming my favourite to win this match.
Cons:
Nikki Cross is a better wrestler than her current gimmick portrays her. She's a crazy person, so she fights and brawls like a crazy person. Simple, right?
But this persona might be a detriment to the overall quality of the matches for the championship. Nikki's act would work tremendously in stipulation matches, but the classics along the lines of Sasha/Bayley and Asuka/Ember would probably go by the wayside during her reign.
So, who do you think should win the championship at TakeOver: War Games? Drop a comment below to share your thoughts.
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