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NXT returns to take over Brooklyn eight weeks from now. Usually considered NXT's biggest event of the year, TakeOver: Brooklyn has a reputation for outshining SummerSlam the following night, although that was debatable between last year's shows. This year's will be the fourth edition of the Brooklyn spectacular.
The next set of NXT tapings at Full Sail begin today, and they'll take us about halfway to the finish line. While we won't be likely to get any official match announcements tonight, the direction the yellow brand has as it moves toward Brooklyn will become very clear.
Which matches are we likely to wind up witnessing in the Barclays Center on August 18th?
You should be forewarned that this post contains one spoiler from the UK tournament, which taped this week and will be aired next week.
#1 NXT Tag Team Championship: Moustache Mountain (c) vs. The Undisputed Era
You may not have heard, but during the UK tournament tapings, we found ourselves with new NXT Tag Team Champions. Tyler Bate and Trent Seven, collectively known as Moustache Mountain, captured the gold from Roderick Strong and Kyle O'Reilly, shocking London.
It's the first major setback for the Undisputed Era since their arrival at last year's TakeOver: Brooklyn. For Roderick Strong, it must be particularly painful, given that he turned on his partner in his quest to get some gold which eluded him only two months ago. Now it's gone. Just when he thought he was getting some insurance against it, he suffered another heartbreaking loss. One must wonder whether it was worth selling his soul.
How the Undisputed Era deals with this setback will be the major story in the NXT tag team division heading into Brooklyn, and a rematch is inevitable.
#2 Johnny Gargano vs. EC3
Tommaso Ciampa might not be the only one that has beef with Johnny Gargano. A run-in with EC3 was teased, and last night, the 1% demanded some competition for the next TakeOver.
Having been dispatched by Tommaso Ciampa in Chicago, Johnny Gargano is facing a new crisis. The arrogant and mouthy EC3 would make the perfect antagonist for a down-on-his-luck Gargano as he finds himself wandering in his newest dark place. How will EC3's talk affect Gargano's confidence, and can he even focus on this opponent when Tommaso Ciampa is the real enemy on his mind?
#3 NXT North American Championship: Adam Cole vs. Pete Dunne
I actually expect Pete Dunne to finally lose his United Kingdom Championship at the conclusion of this year's UK tournament. That would be fine, because he's got beef elsewhere.
There's no doubt that after missing TakeOver: Chicago, Adam Cole and the North American Championship need a spotlight, and on last week's go-home show, we saw full well that there was beef between him and Pete Dunne. One gets the feeling that NXT has waited to pull the trigger on this to make sure both titles weren't on the line, and we'll see if that's true this week.
Pete Dunne's last singles TakeOver match was 2017's match of the year, and him vs. Cole would be a way to electrify Brooklyn and give the North American Championship the attention it's lacked since its introduction.
#4 NXT Women's Championship: Shayna Baszler vs. Kairi Sane
Shayna Baszler has run over the NXT Women's Division and says she loves the fear she inspires in the locker room. Nikki Cross threw a monkey wrench into that, but the Psychotic Scot was ultimately overcome.
There is one person that has a victory over her, however. That was Kairi Sane in the final of last year's Mae Young Classic. Shayna got her win back in February, and the two are now 1-1 against each other in televised matches.
A rubber match is inevitable. Leftover issues from the Mae Young Classic will resolve themselves as Kairi, the plucky and courageous rebel, dares to challenge the tyrant.
And with Io Shirai's arrival inevitable, this seems the obvious route toward the division's future.
#5 NXT Championship: Aleister Black vs. Tommaso Ciampa
After his victory in Chicago, Tommaso Ciampa has already proclaimed his rival finished, and has his sights set elsewhere. He says he's looking for gold. The champion isn't too impressed.
Tommaso Ciampa is the undisputed top heel in NXT, with Aleister Black being the mighty babyface who has yet to be defeated one on one. The confident and skilled Black would make another excellent foil for the shifty, irredeemable Ciampa, who will need to think of underhanded tactics to use against the champion.
And with Johnny Gargano still waiting in the wings and pining for revenge, one must think there's a bigger picture here.
How do you think things will go down in Brooklyn? Let us know in the comments.
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