NXT TakeOver: In Your House is the next big pay-per-view for the black and gold brand. Several Championships in NXT have changed hands since TakeOver: Stand & Deliver. With that being the case for TakeOver: In Your House, the battles at TakeOvers always offer the potential for title changes.
Five bouts have been booked for the show with four titles on the line. Those four titles, however, are up for grabs in three different matches. It's not as confusing as it sounds.
The Winner Takes All match between Bronson Reed/MSK and Legado Del Fantasma features two titles up for grabs. Whichever trio wins, will walk out with both the NXT North American and NXT Tag Team Championships.
The NXT Women's Tag titles and the NXT Cruiserweight belt are not being defended at TakeOver: In Your House. However, the Million Dollar title and legacy are on the line in a ladder match between Cameron Grimes and LA Knight.
NXT is so loaded with talent that performers like Tommaso Ciampa, Io Shirai, Kushida, Toni Storm, and many others are not even booked for the pay-per-view. The plethora of gifted performers usually means that a few matches will take place on the NXT episode following a TakeOver.
As TakeOver: In Your House is the first big NXT show since Stand & Deliver, some things should happen on the card. There are, however, some things that should not take place. Here are three things that should happen and two that should not happen at TakeOver: In Your House.
#3 There SHOULD be a follow up with InDex at TakeOver: In Your House
It's been a while since Dexter Lumis has competed regularly in the ring. He is the type of character that doesn't necessarily need to wrestle to get over with fans. That's precisely what has happened between Lumis and Indi Hartwell in their ongoing love saga.
Lumis is without a match at TakeOver: In Your House. The same goes for NXT Women's Tag Champs Hartwell and Candice LeRae. Even though they are without challengers at the moment, LeRae might be headed for another showdown with Shirai.
Hartwell and Lumis have been ships passing in the night. One does something for the other, but unforeseen factors prevent the relationship from blossoming.
Poppy returned on the go-home episode of NXT to promote her NXT EP "Eat". Lumis drew a picture of Poppy and he gave it to her backstage. The two hugged and Hartwell walked in on the hug.
This mismanaged teenage romance saga is something that NXT management wants to get over. It's sweet and endearing, even if LeRae has tried to put a stop to it at every turn.
There will be plenty of backstage interviews and promos during TakeOver: In Your House. Some of those segments must continue the ongoing love struggle for Lumis and Hartwell. Without a match at the pay-per-view, that's the best way to get those performers involved at TakeOver: In Your House.
#2 Ted DiBiase SHOULD NOT interfere in the Million Dollar Legacy match at TakeOver: In Your House
TakeOver: In Your House will present a unique match featuring the presence of a WWE Hall of Famer. Once Cameron Grimes became an unlikely millionaire, it was only a matter of time before the real Million Dollar Man would be involved.
It was easy to root against Ted DiBiase as a WWF villain. He flaunted his money and treated everyone around him terribly. That is a hard job for a character to accomplish in today's wrestling industry. Since WWE Legends are revered for their past contributions, one pops up now and then in NXT.
After weeks of one-upping Grimes, DiBiase revealed that he was looking for someone to carry on his legacy. That brought out LA Knight. Knight is so good at being a heel that it's hard to boo him for his efforts. With the way that Grimes has been portrayed, however, the boos will come in the ladder match.
Before TakeOver: In Your House, fans were treated to a tour of each participant's home. Both Knight and Grimes pled their case as to why they should be the ones to carry on DiBiase's legacy.
While DiBiase has outbid Grimes for some possessions, he hasn't become physically involved during the build-up to this match. At TakeOver: In Your House, that must continue.
If he really wants someone to "carry on the legacy," then he must not factor into the outcome at TakeOver: In Your House. If he does, then what was the point? He is one of the best villains in WWE history so he may interfere anyways.
If NXT is really going to have a new Million Dollar character, then it has to be a heel. A millionaire abusing others with their money is a time-tested heel character. If a scrappy face wins, then it would seem a bit out of place.
If Grimes loses, it will build more sympathy for him down the road. It would be similar to KofiMania from a few years ago. Jake Atlas is also lurking as he recently defeated both men. Could he interfere? He may interfere at TakeOver: In Your House but DiBiase should not.
#2 Bronson Reed/MSK SHOULD retain their titles at TakeOver: In Your House
TakeOver: In Your House will feature a unique Winner Takes All match for two Championships. Bronson Reed and MSK will put their titles on the line against Legado Del Fantasma. MSK and Legado have battled before, with MSK coming out on top.
Nash Carter and Wes Lee won the vacant NXT Tag Team belts at Stand & Deliver. Reed won the NA title from Johnny Gargano in May. Since both MSK and Reed are early in their reigns, they need to retain at TakeOver: In Your House.
Santos Escobar ruled over the cruiserweight division for almost an entire year. After losing the NXT Cruiserweight Championship to Kushida, it was only a matter of time before he went after another title.
Legado only really works when someone is either holding or chasing a title. Since he is their leader, Escobar needs to pursue each and every title available to him in NXT.
With Reed winning the NA title, it opened up so many more feuds for that Championship. Johnny Gargano had battled most of the faces in NXT so a change was needed. Along with Escobar, the likes of Isaiah "Swerve" Scott, LA Knight, Austin Theory, Pete Dunne, and others could pursue Reed.
As Reed and MSK won their titles within the last few months, they should ultimately walk out as Champions at TakeOver: In Your House. Reed and Escobar could still have a singles match over the title down the road. MSK and Legado, however, should move on from each other after this match.
Hit Row is lurking in the shadows as are the Grizzled Young Veterans. MSK has also defeated the GYV but they haven't faced Hit Row. For everyone to move on in the tag team division, the faces should win at TakeOver: In Your House.
A big deal was made out of Reed defeating Gargano. If Reed loses the North American Championship so soon after winning the title, his accomplishment would be diminished.
For these reasons, the faces need to defeat Legado Del Fantasma at TakeOver: In Your House. Since it is a six-man match, a no disqualification stipulation means that anything could happen.
#1 Johnny Gargano/Adam Cole SHOULD NOT win NXT Championship at TakeOver: In Your House
The NXT Championship match at TakeOver: In Your House will be every bit as chaotic as its build. NXT GM William Regal attempted to keep everything under control but was unsuccessful.
Kyle O'Reilly and Adam Cole will always fight each other and Pete Dunne simply doesn't care. Dunne has backed up his "toughest performer in NXT" claim in singles action. It will be hard to back that up against four other men at TakeOver: In Your House.
Karrion Kross will defend his title against O'Reilly, Cole, Dunne, and Johnny Gargano. Cole and Gargano already had runs atop NXT, with Cole having multiple runs with the belt.
Both men have won every title in NXT except for the Cruiserweight Championship. Although each man always delivers in big matches, Cole and Gargano should not walk out of TakeOver: In Your House with the belt.
After losing to O'Reilly at Stand & Deliver, Cole seemed destined for RAW or SmackDown. O'Reilly would then move on to challenge for the title again. Only one of those two things happened.
If Cole is sticking around in NXT, then he will be in any NXT Championship storyline. Cole and Kross have not had a one-on-one showdown, so that will presumably happen after TakeOver: In Your House. The former leader of the Undisputed Era was holding the title as NXT went off the air.
Unless he immediately moves up to RAW or SmackDown, Kross retaining is the most logical outcome. He has been treated as a big deal just as Cole has claimed. Beating four of the best NXT has to offer will only cement the fact that Kross' treatment was warranted.
If Kross does drop the title at TakeOver: In Your House, he will not be pinned. He has been a dominant force ever since his debut and that should continue. Having three or more people in a match usually protects someone. It also allows for a title change without the Champion taking a pin.
The only potential winners that should be considered other than Kross are O'Reilly or Dunne. Dunne hasn't held a singles title since moving from NXT UK to NXT. He needs some validation, but it may not happen at TakeOver: In Your House.
Kyle O'Reilly could hoist the title as he has embarked on a singles career of his own. Beating Cole at Stand & Deliver was a big deal since Cole was the top guy for the last four years. If anyone other than Kross leaves TakeOver: Stand & Deliver, it should not be Cole or Gargano.
#1 A Superstar debut or return SHOULD take place at TakeOver: In Your House
One thing that should happen at TakeOver: In Your House is a big debut. Before the pandemic, debuts were the norm for every TakeOver event. New performers either showed up in the crowd or inserted themselves into an ongoing angle.
Adam Cole debuted alongside O'Reilly and Bobby Fish by attacking then NXT Champion Drew McIntyre. Bobby Roode and Asuka showed up in the crowd during other TakeOver events.
LA Knight debuted on the pre-show for TakeOver: Vengeance Day in February. To make a bigger impact, any debut at TakeOver: In Your House needs to take place during the actual PPV.
With the dissolution of the Undisputed Era, the main factions in NXT are Imperium, Legado Del Fantasma, and Hit Row. Hit Row was recently formed and needs a push to be taken seriously.
With so many heel groups in NXT, there needs to be a faction of faces to oppose them. It works when the likes of Bronson Reed and MSK team up or when MSK and Kushida join forces. With more than one bully to take on, however, more permanent alliances are needed.
Vignettes for the Diamond Mine have been airing on NXT TV since late April. WWE trademarked the name in December of 2020. It could have been for a new faction or a new concept. The latest vignette claimed that the Diamond Mine would be "opening soon." Could that be at TakeOver: In Your House?
If the Diamond Mine does not open at TakeOver: In Your House, then a new performer must make an impact. Franky Monet debuted a week after Stand & Deliver. It offered up a big moment for NXT immediately following the biggest card of the year for the black and gold brand.
As things slowly return to normal following the pandemic, why not use a time-honored tactic like debuting a new Superstar? Tegan Nox could make a surprise return after suffering another knee injury last year.
Perhaps a star from NXT UK will make the official move to NXT. A former standout from Evolve like Josh Briggs or Joe Gacy could appear. There needs to be some sort of surprise at TakeOver: In Your House. It could be in the form of a debuting or returning star.