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For the second year in a row, NXT comes to Chicago for one of its live TakeOver specials. Arguably the most consistent show in professional wrestling, NXT TakeOver never disappoints. While the card isn't the most star-studded by TakeOver standards, the lowered expectations might wind up surprising us when the show delivers, as TakeOvers always do. The hot Chicago crowd will make the occasion better still.
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As usual, there are five matches on the card. Their outcomes will be decisive in shaping the landscape heading into NXT's biggest show of the year, TakeOver: Brooklyn, which will take place two months from now, the night before SummerSlam.
What will happen in Chicago?
1. Ricochet wins the fight, Velveteen Dream wins the night
"Anything Ricochet can do, The Dream can do better."
"Prove it."
Sometimes, that's all it takes. Velveteen Dream has a knack for building excellent rivalries based on simple concepts which belie his rich, complicated character. He did it last year with Aleister Black and his present rivalry with Ricochet is only slightly inferior. Ricochet came into NXT with a ton of hype because of his unique arsenal. Velveteen Dream took umbrage to it. The two will fight to see who's better than who in Chicago.
Ricochet will win this match, but much like his earlier classic with Aleister Black, Velveteen Dream is going to be the one that steals the show. We're likely to see stunts from him that we've never seen before, ones which rattle even Ricochet and which stun the rabid Chicago crowd.
Expect this one to open the show and heat up the crowd right out of the gate. It's my early prediction for both the match of the night and the match of Money in the Bank weekend.
2. The Undisputed Era barely retain
Adam Cole and Pete Dunne won't be in the match, but this match is a preview for what we can expect. Though it's arguably the coldest match on the card, this is going to prove to be a stiff, hard-hitting contest.
Orcan and Burch weren't the most prominent contestants in the tag team division prior to this feud, but they've been very good in the ring with the champions so far, and they'll bring the fight to the Undisputed Era in ways they haven't experienced before.
It will take a lot of fight and guile from the champions, but they'll retain their titles tomorrow night. They'll look vulnerable, however, and their Brooklyn challengers will take note.
3. Shayna Baszler weathers the storm
Since winning the championship, Shayna Baszler's character work has been nothing short of excellent. She's played the bully to perfection, loving how much fear she's caused to the women's division in NXT. Her aura has been carefully cultivated, but now, she's facing someone that's too crazy to be bullied.
I wasn't sold on Nikki Cross vs. Shayna Baszler when hearing about it, but the interceding weeks have changed my mind. The contrast between them is great, with Shayna looking out of her element for the first time since arriving in NXT. She knows her usual game won't work against an opponent like this.
Like Asuka before her, however, Shayna Baszler will withstand the fury the Psychotic Scot will come at her with. She'll find a way to force Nikki Cross to stop fighting, which will, in turn, boost her arrogance even more when she heads into Brooklyn.
4. Aleister Black gets his butt kicked and wins with a last-minute knockout
Aleister Black has been the most dominant force in NXT since Asuka's departure, having never lost a singles match since his debut in Orlando last year. Lars Sullivan isn't far behind. He's never lost a singles match either. One of those streaks will come to an end tomorrow.
Never has the Dutch Destroyer looked so outmatched. Lars Sullivan acted as a battering ram to get this title shot, running through Ricochet and Velveteen Dream and then the champion twice. He even caught the Black Mass with one hand.
The sight of Aleister Black fighting from underneath, with perhaps rattled confidence, will be a new one, but it's a great evolution of the character. The champion is going to get tossed around like a ragdoll for most of the match, but it's been centered on one thing - his finisher and whether it can stop Sullivan. It will.
Aleister Black will land a sudden Black Mass and put his monstrous opponent down for the count. Sullivan will lose nothing while Black's finisher will solidify itself as the most fearsome in the company.
5. Johnny Gargano gets destroyed
The Psycho Killer is going to be a man of his word. Johnny Gargano is going to leave TakeOver in an ambulance, or close to it.
Johnny Wrestling's triumph in New Orleans hasn't proven the end of his problems. Ciampa is out there and looking for revenge. He'll get it tomorrow night.
While I doubt that this match will be able to equal their brilliance from WrestleMania weekend, it's going to do its job and then some. Johnny Gargano has faced several disasters on his year-long journey, and, just as things were looking better, he'll face his biggest one yet.
Most stories start the roads to their climaxes by forcing a disaster bigger than anything seen so far on their heroes. This is going to be the start to the climax of Johnny's journey, which means he's going to face the biggest setback he's ever seen tomorrow night.
Ciampa will leave Chicago satisfied with a job well done.
