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What's the story?
In the aftermath of the events that transpired in the latest episode of NXT, WWE made a huge announcement via social media for NXT Takeover: Brooklyn III. Aleister Black and Hideo Itami will take on one another in a battle of strikes, on the grand stage.
In case you didn't know...
Hideo Itami, once a babyface, has been showing very heelish tendencies of late. He stepped into the ring for an altercation with Aleister Black, during this week's episode of NXT. His plans of attacking Black from behind were thwarted when Itami hit him with a Black Mass spinning kick. WWE then uploaded an altercation between the men inside a parking lot. Things have been heating up, and all roads lead to Brooklyn.
The heart of the matter
Considering both men have a background in striking, ie. MMA and kickboxing this should be a very hard-hitting affair all throughout. WWE has highlighted the fact that Black is yet undefeated in NXT, and from the looks of it, this is his first real feud, as part of his monster push. We are certain that these two men can steal the show, before Summerslam gets underway, twenty-four hours later.
What's next?
With a few weeks to go before NXT Takeover Brooklyn III, we are curious to see how this personal rivalry builds up heading into Brooklyn. It would also be interesting to see how Kassius Ohno, a man who's had problems with Itami in the past, weaves himself into this storyline. This is because their big match ended abruptly, with a low blow and subsequent beatdown.
Author's take
It is obvious that Aleister Black has far more equity right now than Hideo Itami does. Expect Black to steamroll over Itami and ground him to a pulp. If this match goes long and the men put on a show, however, it has the potential to be a possible Match of the Year candidate, in my opinion.
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