NXT Takeover: Portland - 5 Surprises that could happen, WrestleMania match confirmed, interference, shock title change

The NXT brand takes over Portland, Oregan tonight for the first time on a Sunday night and for the first time as part of their own weekend. As ever the card for the show is stacked and includes a number of highly anticipated matches, including the showdown between Johnny Gargano and Finn Balor that has been building for the best part of a year.

Rhea Ripley defends the NXT Women's Championship against Bianca Belair, whilst Adam Cole will put Goldie on the line against Tommaso Ciampa, who is hoping to reclaim the title he never lost. Keith Lee battles fellow big man Dominik Dijakovic in a match for the North American Championship.

Elsewhere, The Broserweights will be looking to pick up their first piece of gold as a tag team when they take on The Undisputed Era, and Tegan Nox looks to exact some revenge when she meets her former friend Dakota Kai in a Street Fight.

There may only be six matches on the card for tonight, but the show has the potential to pull off some huge shocks.

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#5. The BroserWeights become Champions

The BroserWeights became the latest winners of The Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic last month which meant that Matt Riddle and Pete Dunne have been handed the chance to fight for the Tag Team Championships tonight in Portland.

The Undisputed Era have reigned their division for so long that they have become the Tag Team Division in NXT, so it would be a huge shock if the make-shift team of Riddle and Dunne were able to overcome Bobby Fish and Kyle O'Reilly tonight.

Dunne and Riddle have been much needed comic relief over the past few weeks, so it would be a huge shock if they were able to become Champions tonight in Portland.

#4. A scary reminder

Finn Balor takes on Johnny Gargano tonight in Portland after months of build between the two men who both believe that they are the heart and soul of NXT. Balor is only back in NXT because he lost his match at SummerSlam to The Fiend and was his first victim. Balor has been hiding out on Wednesday night's ever since and The Fiend has continued to cause issues on the main roster.

The Fiend faces Goldberg at Super ShowDown but as of yet, there is no official word on who he will be facing at WrestleMania in six weeks. A win tonight for Balor would mean that he has nothing left to prove on NXT, so an appearance from The Fiend could remind him that it's time to face his own demons and head back to the main roster.

A rematch between The Demon and The Fiend would definitely be a WrestleMania worthy match if WWE is willing to pull the trigger and allow Balor to finally make his main roster return.

#3. Velveteen Dream becomes a wild card

Velveteen Dream made his return to NXT two weeks ago and took out The Undisputed Era since he blames the four men for taking him out of action a few months ago. The former North American Champion was struggling with a back injury at the time but was written off WWE TV when he was attacked by the four men backstage.

Dream has set his sights mostly on Roderick Strong in recent weeks since he returned wearing ring attire with his son Troy and wife Marina Shafir emblazed on them. It's not just Strong that Dream has an issue with though, which means that tonight's matches between Adam Cole and Tommaso Ciampa for the NXT Championship and The Undisputed Era against The BroserWeights could see Dream involve himself and help the Championships change hands.

Dream doesn't only hold Strong responsible for his recent hiatus and being the one that helped to take away the gold from The Undisputed Era would definitely hit them much harder than anything else could physically.

#2. Candice LeRae helps Tegan Nox to get some revenge

Dakota Kai turned on her best friend Tegan Nox at the worst possible moment back at Takeover: War Games, a heel turn that almost cost Rhea Ripley's team the win inside the structure.

Luckily, Rhea was still able to win the match without the inclusion of Nox and Kai but the storyline between the two women has been boiling under the surface ever since. Kai not only betrayed Nox when he decided to turn on her Team Kick partner, but she also betrayed her other friends, including Candice LeRae.

LeRae has been at the front of the firing line over the past few months and has taken the brunt of Kai's issues in matches, so it would make sense if the Pintsize Pixie wanted to step in and help Nox to ensure that Kai paid for her betrayal.

A street fight means that there is no disqualification so there could be room for interference throughout this match if there are other women in the locker room who have a score to settle.

#1. Potential WrestleMania match becomes a triple threat?

Rhea Ripley has been overlooking the challenge of Bianca Belair in Portland for a number of weeks since she has had her sights set on Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania. The 2020 Royal Rumble winner is yet to confirm who she wants to face at WrestleMania in April, but since Flair traveled to NXT a few weeks ago and was attacked by both Rhea Ripley and Bianca Belair, the most common theory is that the match could become a triple threat match at WrestleMania.

There have already been reports over the past week that state that Charlotte Flair will be in Portland for tonight's show, so The Queen is expected to interfere in the Women's Championship match between Belair and Ripley.

If Flair costs Belair her chance to become NXT Women's Champion for the first time tonight then it would allow The former 10-time Women's' Champion to exact some revenge on Belair and begin the build-up to what would be a history-making match at WrestleMania in less than six weeks time.