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It is a great time to be a wrestling fan, well, if you are not limiting yourself to just RAW and SmackDown. This Sunday, the Black and Gold brand of WWE is all set to present NXT TakeOver: WarGames, a show which has given us some thrilling matches in the last few years. This year as well, we will be witnessing two amazing 'WarGames' matches at the show.
Earlier this week, AEW shook up the wrestling world with its special show Winter Is Coming. With the arrival of the legendary Sting and their surprising alliance with IMPACT Wrestling, things are looking bright for the future of the promotion. The onus is now upon the Black and Gold brand of WWE to deliver with NXT TakeOver: WarGames and fans can surely expect a blockbuster show as well as some unexpected twists to shake things up.
Let's take a look at five surprises that could happen at NXT TakeOver: WarGames this Sunday. Be sure to comment down and let us know your predictions for the show.
#5 Johnny Gargano quits the brand after losing at NXT TakeOver: WarGames
The North American Championship will be on the line at NXT TakeOver: WarGames as Leon Ruff will defend his title in a triple-threat match against Johnny Gargano and Damian Priest. It was a surprising decision from the company to put the title on Leon Ruff but the underdog story so far has been interesting.
We've previously seen how frustrated Gargano was to lose the North American title to Ruff. While realistically, the chances of Ruff successfully retaining his title at NXT TakeOver: WarGames seem low, one has to wonder how would Gargano react to yet another loss.
Johnny Gargano is one Superstar who has, in many ways, outgrown NXT and really has nothing more to achieve on the brand. Frustrated by his loss, we might see Johnny Gargano rage quit the brand this Sunday at NXT TakeOver: WarGames. He could then go off the TV, only to make a huge return at WWE Royal Rumble 2021, after which he can join the main roster full time.
#4 Karrion Kross returns at NXT TakeOver: WarGames
NXT TakeOver: WarGames could see the return of the former NXT Champion, Karrion Kross. Being one of the most impressive NXT Superstars of the year, Kross dominated the roster and went on to defeat Keith Lee at TakeOver: XXX to win the biggest prize of the brand. Unfortunately, things came crashing down for him as he suffered a shoulder injury during the match and was forced to vacate the championship.
Recently, Triple H was asked about the return timeline of Karrion Kross, to which he replied that Kross could return to action very soon. Could it happen as soon as NXT TakeOver: WarGames?
“Yeah. To quote him, ‘Tick tock, any second.’ Yeah, he’s there. He had one of those tricky injuries where you don’t know, and that was the difficult process for us.”
Karrion Kross returning at NXT TakeOver: WarGames would be a huge boost for the brand. Him returning and getting into a rivalry with the current NXT Champion Finn Balor is sure to attract the attention of fans. The NXT Universe has been wanting to see 'The Demon King' Finn Balor back in action and him going up against Karrion Kross is probably the biggest match the brand can have right now. And it surely has ratings written all over it.
#3 Shotzi Blackheart takes out Io Shirai at NXT TakeOver: WarGames
One of the two 'WarGames' matches at NXT TakeOver: WarGames will see Team Shotzi (Shotzi Blackheart, Rhea Ripley, Ember Moon, and Io Shirai) take on Team Candice (Candice LeRae, Dakota Kai, Toni Storm, and Raquel Gonzalez) in what should be a blockbuster bout.
On paper, Team Shotzi heads into this match at NXT TakeOver: WarGames as the favorites. This past week on NXT, Blackheart won a ladder match to earn the advantage for her team this Sunday. After the show, she teased a few surprises for her match at NXT TakeOver: WarGames.
"I just want to mention, you know, we have Io, we have our final four, but there are a few more surprises"
Chances are, we might see her bring a new tank at NXT TakeOver: WarGames after her last one was destroyed. Another interesting surprise that the company could be planning is her challenging or even taking out NXT Women's Champion Io Shirai after the women's WarGames match at the pay-per-view.
Shotzi Blackheart has arguably been one of the breakout stars of the Black and Gold brand this year and she might soon enter the NXT Women's title picture. Probably as soon as this Sunday.
#2 The Undisputed Era breaking up at NXT TakeOver: WarGames
The second 'WarGames' match at NXT TakeOver: WarGames will see The Undisputed Era (Adam Cole, Kyle O'Reilly, Roderick Strong, and Bobby Fish) take on The Kings of NXT (Pat McAfee, Pete Dunne, Danny Burch, and Oney Lorcan).
The Undisputed Era are veterans of this match type, having competed inside the unique cage in all the three previous NXT TakeOver: WarGames. Yet, they just have one victory in the three matches. While they have a great chance of coming out victorious this Sunday at NXT TakeOver: WarGames, it just seems that The Kings of NXT need this victory much more to establish themselves as the next big thing.
There have been several rumors and speculations of The Undisputed Era being moved to the main roster, and it does make sense for them to do so, having dominated NXT for the last four years. An interesting surprise at NXT TakeOver: WarGames this Sunday could be The Undisputed Era breaking up after losing their match. This could lead to Adam Cole moving on to the main roster, possibly at WWE Royal Rumble 2021 with the other members staying on NXT for some more time.
#1 Triple H makes some big announcements at NXT TakeOver: WarGames
As mentioned earlier, we might see the Black and Gold brand of WWE take some big steps at NXT TakeOver: WarGames to deliver after what many are considering a 'game-changing' episode of AEW earlier this week. With the arrival of legends like Sting and potential cross-promotional storyline with IMPACT Wrestling, AEW looks the clear favorite to dominate NXT in the Wednesday night ratings war.
One way for NXT to shake things up is to strengthen its roster with some established Superstars. Many main roster Superstars have expressed their desire to work in NXT and they might really uplift the brand by becoming a part of it. At NXT TakeOver: WarGames, we might see a huge surprise with Triple H making an appearance and making the big announcements of some massive trades to the third official brand of WWE.
Superstars like former NXT Champions Aleister Black and Bo Dallas could rejoin the brand and have some great rivalries and fresh match-ups with the current roster. NXT TakeOver: WarGames could also see Triple H announcing the involvement of the Black and Gold brand in WWE Royal Rumble 2021 in some way.
