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NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn IV is now in the books and, as ever with the black and yellow brand, it was another brilliant wrestling show. With only five matches on the card and a run time of under 2.5 hours, the event made each and every match feel special and maximised the talent and minutes at NXT’s disposal.
When all was said and done, the main event of the show saw Tommaso Ciampa retain the NXT Championship in a Last Man Standing bout against former tag team partner Johnny Gargano, while second from the top we had Kairi Sane finally dethroning the dominant Shayna Baszler for the NXT Women’s Championship.
Opening Brooklyn IV, fans were treated to yet another stunning battle between The Undisputed Era and Moustache Mountain – with the former retaining the NXT Tag Team Championships in the process - and that match was followed by Velveteen Dream getting only his second ever TakeOver win as he bested EC3. Arguably stealing the show, however, was the match in the middle of the card in which Ricochet defeated Adam Cole for the NXT North American Championship.
The five bouts on offer ranged from good, to great, to spectacular, and NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn IV again showcased NXT as the most consistently enjoyable brand under the WWE banner. But the question is, what lies ahead for the NXT brand?
We’re glad you asked, for that’s what we’re going to take a look at here.
#6 The War Raiders to challenge for Tag Team Gold
The War Raiders combo of Rowe and Hanson have only been in NXT for a matter of months, but many savvy wrestling fans have been expecting to see huge things from the duo. And now, it looks as if they’re on a collision course with Undisputed Era over the NXT Tag Team Championships.
Let’s be honest, that’s a no-brainer, with Rowe and Hanson making their intentions known by attacking Kyle O’Reilly and Roderick Strong moments after the Undisputed duo had retained their titles against Moustache Mountain.
Having won tag team gold in both Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro-Wrestling, the former War Machine have proved that they are one of the most dominant pairings in professional wrestling. With Moustache Mountain now seemingly out of the equation and sure to be a major part of the NXT UK brand, that means it’s clear skies ahead for a hotly-anticipated feud between War Raiders and Undisputed.
Granted, Undisputed always tend to have an ace in their pack, particularly now with Bobby Fish soon to return to action, but don’t be surprised if War Raiders overcome the numbers game and are NXT Tag Team Champions by the time the year is out.
#5 Shayna Baszler to head to the main roster
With the WWE having been weighing up a Four Horsewomen vs Four Horsewomen bout for a little while now, it appears that the match-up could now finally be about to happen. If and when that does happen, expect Shayna Baszler to be moved to the WWE main roster – especially with her reign as NXT Women’s Champion having now come to an end at the hands of Kairi Sane.
As per the Wrestling Observer, the WWE is looking at the Four Horsewomen of WWE vs the Four Horsewomen of MMA bout to take place at this November’s Survivor Series PPV, or possibly even the female-driven Evolution show.
Given how it would make more sense to do individual bouts at Evolution, it may be that Ronda Rousey finds herself up against Charlotte, Becky Lynch, Sasha Banks, or Bayley at that PPV – with the finish seeing both sets of Horsewomen getting involved in a move that sets up a four vs four match at Survivor Series.
Baszler has proved to be an utterly dominant presence in NXT, and she could easily be a money-making machine upon landing on either the Raw or SmackDown brand. The Queen of Spades has been a pivotal part of NXT throughout 2018, and now she’ll soon be looking to carry on that momentum on the main roster.
#4 Lacey Evans to step up
With Shayna Baszler’s 113-day run as NXT Women’s Champion having been brought to a crashing halt by Kairi Sane, all eyes are on who could be next in line to challenge the Pirate Princess.
Whether or not Baszler gets a title rematch, it looks as if her time in NXT is coming to a close; having dropped the Women’s Championship, and the prospect of a Four Horsewomen vs Four Horsewomen match now close to becoming a reality. So, what next for Kairi Sane?
You look at the landscape of potential challengers for Sane to face, and with Baszler’s potential exit from the brand before the next TakeOver event, you’d have to think that Sane’s next big threat will be A.N. Other.
Having steadily made waves over the past year or so, Lacey Evans would be a perfect fit to step up and challenge for the NXT Women’s Champion. Getting more confident with each passing appearance, Evans’ holier-than-thou heel act has her thinking of herself as simply better than everyone else on the roster.
If Baszler is indeed main roster-bound, Lacey Evans should be the go-to pick for Kairi Sane’s next TakeOver opponent. And based on how much she’s flourished over the past several months, it would certainly be a spot that Evans deserves to be in.
#3 Undisputed Era to target Ricochet
Sure, Tommaso Ciampa defending his NXT Championship against Johnny Gargano in the main event was a fantastic match, a huge deal, and yet another must-see part of this ever-evolving rivalry. But to many of you reading this, you’ll likely agree that Adam Cole vs Ricochet was the match that ultimately stole the show at Brooklyn IV.
Having managed to keep hold of the NXT North American Championship by whatever means necessary over the past few months, Cole finally had his title taken off him by The One and Only, Ricochet. But don’t expect for Ricochet to have an easy ride ahead.
The Undisputed Era have been established as a pack of dogs since coming to NXT, acting as a three or four-man attack squad when anybody runs afoul of them. Ricochet taking Cole’s prized North American Championship will have got the ire of Undisputed, and the stable will be gunning for him going forward.
Make no mistake about it, the rivalry between Ricochet and Adam Cole is far from over, and don’t be surprised if Cole gets his rematch at the next TakeOver event.
#2 Aleister Black’s attacker is Johnny Gargano
Unfortunately for Aleister Black, his participation in NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn IV was scrapped due to a badly timed injury. Due to compete against Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano in a triple threat bout for the NXT Championship, a groin injury has left the Dutch Destroyer on the shelf.
In a post-TakeOver video, Triple H said that he has no timeframe on Black’s return and that the situation was “one of those day to day things” that he didn’t want to speculate on. Regardless of when he returns to action, fans will get to see Black on a mission to find out who attacked him – with a mystery whodunnit angle put in place on NXT TV, as Black was storyline attacked by an unknown assailant.
NXT has already suggested plentiful suspects as the person(s) responsible for taking out Black, and one school of thought is that it will be Johnny Gargano who Black blames. Johnny Wrestling has taken a more aggressive, unhinged turn as his feud with Ciampa has progressed, and it could well be the Ohio native that the Dutchman seeks out upon his return.
Storyline-wise, that would make perfect sense for now, especially with – despite their consistently stunning matches – its time to move away from the Ciampa vs Gargano feud and look to take things in a different direction. In terms of something fresh, Gargano vs Black certainly has that feel.
And let’s face it, even if we’re led to believe that Johnny Gargano is the one who took out Aleister Black, it could eventually play out that somebody else was involved or somebody framed Gargano.
#1 Velveteen Dream to get the spotlight
To be fair, Velveteen Dream creates his own spotlight wherever he goes. But still, there isn’t any spotlight quite as big as being in the NXT Championship picture.
Fresh off a rare TakeOver win – seriously, Dream’s TakeOver record before Brooklyn IV was 1-3 – now could be the time for the Velveteen Dream to step up and challenge Tommaso Ciampa for the NXT Championship. In fact, if you were listening carefully to the Brooklyn IV commentary, Mauro Ranallo even suggested that the winner of Dream vs EC3 would be in contention for a title shot.
Of course, Dream was victorious in that bout, and it could be that Tommaso Ciampa is now on the lookout for a new opponent. The Ciampa/Gargano feud is the stuff of legends, but it seems as if the time is here for these two heated rivals to go their separate ways for at least the time being.
That counts out Johnny Wrestling, and then former NXT Champ Aleister Black is out injured – plus will be tied up with his mystery attacker upon his return – so you start to look at the roster to see who stands out as a realistic challenger for NXT’s biggest prize.
Granted, Matt Riddle’s addition to the NXT brand could well be a game-changer, but right now the Velveteen Dream stands head and shoulders above the competition when looking for Ciampa’s next opponent.
