Been a while since I've done a preview, so here goes!
Kassius Ohno Vs. Velveteen Dream
This was announced pretty last minute, but it's a good chance for Dream to get himself on another Takeover card after he had a star-making performance at WarGames and a solid follow-up against Gargano last night. This should be the curtain-jerker, and hard to see it not being a fun, hard-hitting match. Can't see any way they'd have Dream drop this one, as he's lost his last two high-profile matches and needs a good rebound win.
Winner: Velveteen Dream
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Extreme Rules Match - Aleister Black Vs. Adam Cole
Making this a hardcore match definitely upped the interest for me. Cole has been pretty lackluster thus far in NXT, and he really needs a marquee match to hang his hat on. Hopefully, this will be it. Black's been on a hot streak and hasn't lost yet in singles competition. I think that changes now, with Cole being the first guy to beat him one-on-one.
Winner: Adam Cole (bay bay)
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NXT Women's Championship Match - Ember Moon (c) Vs. Shayna Baszler
They've been booking Baszler really well since she joined NXT, with her kicking the shit out of Dakota Kai's arm a few weeks back and just generally choking the life out of bitches. That said, I just don't think Baszler is ready to carry the women's division. She's still a bit raw in the ring, and she moves noticeably slower than some of her peers. Plus, Ember just won the belt and probably isn't in line for a call-up just yet. I think she holds onto the title and gets a showdown with Kairi Sane during 'Mania weekend.
Winner: Ember Moon
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NXT Tag Team Championship Match - The Undisputed Era (c) Vs. The Authors of Pain
Unlike Ember Moon, I think the AOP are in line for a call-up soon. They've been in NXT forever, have done everything there is to do, put on some tremendous matches with a variety of teams, and are ready to move on. On the flip side, the Cole and O'Reilly are fresh faces in the division and have only held the titles a short time. I also believe that they're setting up Cole and his friends to be a dominant force in NXT. That starts with the Undisputed Era holding on to the titles in Philly.
Winner: The Undisputed Era
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NXT Championship Match - Johnny Gargano Vs. Andrade "Cien" Almas
Been kind of back and forth on this one. On the one hand, it seems kind of strange that no titles will be changing hands at a major event. On the other, all three champs have only held their titles a short time and it doesn't make a ton of sense to take the belts off of them so soon. There's an outside shot that Gargano could win here before dropping the title to Adam Cole at the next Takeover when Ciampa returns, but it's just as likely that Ciampa returns on Saturday to cost Gargano the win, setting up the two of them to duel on 'Mania weekend. I'm going to go with Almas hanging on. He's been killing it of late and there's no real reason to take the title from him.
Winner: Andrade "Cien" Almas
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Should be a great show.
