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We are less than 48 hours away from the next major pay-per-view stop for NXT as TakeOver: 31 will take place on October 4, 2020. As per the recent reports, WWE will broadcast NXT TakeOver: 31 from the Performance Center instead of the usual venue at Full Sail University.
NXT's Senior Producer and WWE Hall of Famer Triple H revealed during a recent media call that NXT Takeover: 31 will be a game-changing moment for the brand with a unique look.
"So this Sunday's Takeover will have a very unique look and feel, something totally different that hasn't been done so far. You'll find out more on Sunday, but it will be very unique, and I think hopefully, at least for us, game changing."
With that in mind, WWE would be looking to continue the success of the TakeOver series with its 31st edition and could have some interesting twists to take fans off guard. Let's take a look at five possible surprises that could take place at NXT TakeOver: 31 this Sunday.
#5 Karrion Kross lays waste to Finn Balor at NXT TakeOver: 31
The rise of Karrion Kross to the top of the NXT roster earlier this year was as impressive and dominating as it gets. Unfortunately, things went south for him at the worse time as he got injured during his match against Keith Lee where he won the NXT Championship.
As a result of the same, he had to relinquish his NXT title and has been out-of-action ever since. Interestingly, Karrion Kross was recently spotted training with SmackDown Superstar John Morrison, which could be an indication that he might return to the ring soon.
At NXT TakeOver: 31, Finn Balor is set to defend his NXT title against Kyle O'Reilly. While Finn Balor returning won't be a surprise, Karrion Kross making his grand return after the match and attacking the Prince of NXT would surely be one.
#4 Roderick Strong turns on The Undisputed Era at NXT TakeOver: 31
Speaking of the NXT Championship match at NXT TakeOver: 31, there's an interesting story going in parallel. With Undisputed Era's Kyle O'Reilly challenging Finn Balor for the NXT title, WWE has teased a "power struggle" in the Undisputed Era.
As per a recent report, there are plans for Adam Cole and Kyle O'Reilly to be shifted into a proper babyface role. But the same is not true for the other two members of the Undisputed Era - Bobby Fish and Roderick Strong. One has to wonder whether this would be the perfect opportunity for one of these two to turn on the Undisputed Era at NXT TakeOver: 31?
There is no doubt about the fact that Kyle O'Reilly is a top-level performer but the chances of him defeating Finn Balor to become the new NXT Champion are slim. An interesting way to close the match would be for Roderick Strong to appear and cost O'Reilly his match. He could later be joined by Bobby Fish as well, ending the amazing stint of the Undisputed Era on NXT with some of the members moving up to the main roster.
#3 Bo Dallas returns at NXT TakeOver: 31
For the last couple of weeks, NXT has been airing vignettes of a "mystery character" appearing at NXT TakeOver: 31. From the hints given, the Superstar has been in NXT previously and was also involved in the NXT title scene once.
In the footage that was shown on NXT about the mystery Superstar last week, the distorted voice mentioned this:
“I’m not sure what happened. I help create something out of my own blood. Years and years of dedication only to be taken over by favorite champions. These NXT Championships have been in isolation for far too long. Now I’ve come back to take what is mine.”
While there have been speculations of the Superstar in question being Bobby Roode, he made his return to RAW this past week. But fans could be in for a huge surprise at NXT TakeOver: 31 if Bo Dallas is revealed to be the mystery Superstar. For those who might not be aware, Bo Dallas is a former NXT Champion and even held the title for a massive 260 days.
While his main roster career hasn't been very successful, he could go back to NXT for another run and reinvent himself as a main eventer.
#2 Candice LeRae and Johnny Gargano bid farewell at NXT TakeOver: 31
NXT TakeOver: 31 will see both the North American as well as NXT Women's Championships on the line. It is the charismatic couple of Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae who will be challenging Damian Priest and Io Shirai for their titles respectively.
Both Gargano and LeRae are NXT veterans and the chances of them walking out as the new champions are slim. But a major twist could be in store at NXT TakeOver: 31 with NXT's "power couple" Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae quitting the brand after their unsuccessful attempts to capture the titles.
This may very well lead to the two of them jumping ships to the main roster on either RAW or SmackDown. It is safe to say that Johnny Gargano has pretty much done it all on the Black and Gold brand of WWE and it would be the perfect way to bid farewell to NXT by putting over someone like Damian Priest at NXT TakeOver: 31. There are so many dream opponents for him on the main roster, with the likes of Daniel Bryan, Seth Rollins, AJ Styles being a few examples.
#1 Triple H announces huge plans for Survivor Series at NXT TakeOver: 31
There's no doubt about the fact that NXT is the official third brand of WWE. While it's almost given that NXT TakeOver shows always deliver with the quality of the matches, Triple H won't mind using the platform to kickstart a huge storyline for the brand.
Last year, WWE threw us all a curveball when NXT was announced to be part of the Survivor Series 2019, with the show being branded as "RAW vs SmackDown vs NXT" for brand supremacy. If that was not enough, WWE went all the way with NXT winning and completely dominating at Survivor Series.
While there hasn't been confirmation on the same yet, there are chances of WWE continuing the three-way brand war theme at Survivor Series this year as well. And what better way to kick things off then Triple H himself announcing the same at NXT TakeOver: 31. As we saw last year, the Game can lead the brand and put forward a warning to its main-roster counterparts. Not to forget, he has all the "bragging rights" after last year's dominating performance.
