NXT TakeOver: Portland is almost here! Every NXT championship will be on the line in this huge event from The Rose City, leading to great debates among the NXT Universe about who will stand tall this Sunday.
Those debates have carried over into the WWE.com offices. Who do our editors think will leave Portland victorious? Find out below, then tune into NXT TakeOver: Portland, streaming live this Sunday at 7 ET/4 PT on the award-winning WWE Network!
NXT Champion Adam Cole vs. Tommaso Ciampa
JORDAN GARRETSON: Tommaso Ciampa has been a man on a mission ever since his return from injury, but no fairytale ending is in store for The Blackheart this time. The most resourceful NXT Champion ever finds a way to prevail once again, BAY-BAY.
WINNER: ADAM COLE
JEFF LABOON: I want to see a feel-good story with Tommaso Ciampa regaining the title he never lost, but Adam Cole will do anything to keep the NXT gold with Undisputed ERA on Sunday.
WINNER: ADAM COLE (BAY-BAY)
BOBBY MELOK: Tommaso Ciampa is a man on a mission. Despite Adam Cole’s confidence heading into the title showdown, sometimes there’s just no stopping a determined Superstar like Ciampa. Expect The Blackheart to be reunited with Goldie in Portland.
WINNER: TOMMASO CIAMPA
ANTHONY BENIGNO: Ever since Tommaso Ciampa resurfaced it’s been a matter of when, not if, he regains the NXT Championship. To his credit, Adam Cole has managed to escape or thwart every single Superstar to challenge him even after The Sicilian Psychopath’s return, but there are no more diversions, no more side quests, no more ways to hide. It’s been a *“Stone Cold” voice* helluva run for Adam Cole as NXT Champion, but time has run out. Give Daddy what he deserves.
WINNER: TOMMASO CIAMPA
NXT Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley vs. Bianca Belair
GARRETSON: These two women already have massive star appeal and yet they’re both just getting started. While I see The Nightmare heading to WrestleMania weekend as the NXT Women’s Champion, Belair will shine just as bright as Ripley in a losing effort.
WINNER: RHEA RIPLEY
LABOON: The Charlotte Flair cloud hovering above Rhea Ripley has me believing that Bianca Belair will leave NXT TakeOver with the title around her waist.
WINNER: BIANCA BELAIR
MELOK: The EST of NXT has proven time and time again that the spotlight should be on her. Don’t be surprised when she dethrones The Nightmare and ends Rhea Ripley’s WrestleMania dreams.
WINNER: BIANCA BELAIR
BENIGNO: With Rhea Ripley circling Charlotte Flair for a WrestleMania match, this match has suddenly taken on the heaviest implications of any on the NXT TakeOver: Portland card. Does The Nightmare move past Belair and finally provoke The Queen into a historic showdown? Does The EST flip the script and change the trajectory of The Showcase of the Immortals? I say neither. With so many moving parts at play, one or more is bound to crash into each other. This has the air of a first step to something great, not the last.
WINNER: NO CONTEST
Johnny Gargano vs. Finn Bálor
GARRETSON: What was once only an NXT dream match is now reality, and we’re all winners for it. But the new and improved Finn Bálor — or the real Finn Bálor if you ask him — is formidable and I don’t think Johnny Wrestling is the one to slow down “The Prince.”
WINNER: FINN BÁLOR
JEFF LABOON: Finn Bálor is 10-1 in matches at NXT TakeOvers, including recent wins at Blackpool and War Games. That .909 winning percentage is just too hard to go against.
WINNER: FINN BÁLOR
MELOK: Although Finn Bálor says he has no heart, Johnny Wrestling is all heart. The Prince might fight dirty in Portland, but I’d expect Gargano to persist and knock Bálor off his throne.
WINNER: JOHNNY GARGANO
BENIGNO: Finn Bálor wins wrestling matches. It is an immutable fact, like the number of his abs or the blue of his eyes. This long-delayed grudge match will be no exception, which isn’t to discount how fun it’s going to be to see these two fight. Ultimately however, Johnny Gargano will have to take that genuinely impressive burn about the ineptitude of “Raw and SmackDown Finn Bálor" from last week as his only win in this contest. Far as the match itself is concerned, Johnny Wrestling will kick out of roughly 1,278 maneuvers, but the 1,279th will come, and that will be that.
WINNER: FINN BÁLOR
NXT Tag Team Champions The Undisputed ERA vs. The BroserWeights
GARRETSON: The BroserWeights just may be a team of destiny. Meanwhile, The Undisputed ERA’s golden prophecy continues to crumble, and I suspect that some finger pointing might be imminent after what could be a tough night for The UE.
WINNER: THE BROSERWEIGHTS
LABOON: The BroserWeights have been a great team throughout the Dusty Rhodes Classic. The Undisputed ERA have been a great team for more than two years, though. The edge goes to the champions.
WINNER: UNDISPUTED ERA
MELOK: Matt Riddle & Pete Dunne may be the popular choice, but Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish are the smart choice. The BroserWeights might be a little cramped after cramming into Triple H’s plane for the trip, leaving themselves open to get fried by the NXT Tag Team Champions.
WINNER: UNDISPUTED ERA
BENIGNO: Matt Riddle & Pete Dunne are my large adult sons, and I could and would watch a WWE Network special of them just doing things. What they do best, of course, is compete, and win, too, which means they’re as good a bet as any to snap Undisputed ERA’s seemingly ironclad run with the NXT Tag Team Titles. Granted, we’ve said that about like 10 tag teams before this, but The BroserWeights beat a number of established duos en route to the Dusty Classic victory that won them this match. At this point, they’re the favorites, the usual prognostications gone up in smoke.
PREDICTION: THE BROSERWEIGHTS
NXT North American Champion Keith Lee vs. Dominik Dijakovic
GARRETSON: Not exactly a bold prediction here, but there’s always major show-stealing potential with these two — they’re a walking instant classic waiting to happen. But The Limitless One’s first title reign is only just beginning.
WINNER: KEITH LEE
LABOON: The challenger’s athleticism and strength are truly sights to behold and they will carry him to his first title in NXT.
WINNER: DOMINIK DIJAKOVIC
MELOK: These two titans are tied in their epic series that’s redefined what big men can do in the ring. While, yes, I expect a classic battle, Keith Lee is on a hot streak as of late, and I don’t see Dijakovic being able to cool off The Limitless One here.
WINNER: KEITH LEE
BENIGNO: No pay-per-view is complete without a genuine hossfight, and NXT’s surprisingly robust heavyweight division might just boast the best matchup in the game. Every bout these two have had has been TakeOver quality, so I’m genuinely excited to see what they do on an actual NXT TakeOver event. As for who wins? Keith Lee is the one riding the wave these days, but Dijakovic has been due for a win over The Limitless One for long time, and I think here’s where he gets it. Of course, I might just be subliminally making the pick so we can get a rematch. But if I may channel my inner Tommy Lee Jones for a minute: I don’t care.
WINNER: DOMINIK DIJAKOVIC
Tegan Nox vs. Dakota Kai (Street Fight)
GARRETSON: It’s no more Ms. Nice Kai and I’m here for it. The Captain of Team Kick instigated this issue by unleashing her mean streak, and that same newfound aggression will be the difference for Dakota emerging victorious here.
WINNER: DAKOTA KAI
LABOON: Tegan Nox is so deadset on retribution that Dakota Kai is going to steal this one somehow someway.
WINNER: DAKOTA KAI
MELOK: Tegan Nox has shown she’s willing to bend the rules to get one up on her former best friend. With the rulebook thrown out the window, I’d expect to see a mean streak from Nox unlike anything we’ve seen before. If Dakota Kai didn’t regret her choices already, she definitely will in Portland.
WINNER: TEGAN NOX
BENIGNO: I’m a sucker for long tales of friends turned enemies, and like the 2-out-of-3 Falls Match, a knee brace to the face has taken on an almost mythic status as an ante-upper in NXT. All of which means this battle of kickin’ Kiwis turned mortal adversaries has the potential to be a show-stealer, and with the lawless rules of a Street Fight at her disposal, I think Dakota Kai gets the win here. But really, this is the kind of match where we all win for watching it. Yes it’s a cliché. Doesn’t make it any less true.
WINNER: DAKOTA KAI
