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The first-ever two-night WWE NXT TakeOver event is set to take place this week before WrestleMania. TakeOver: Stand & Deliver will see every single title from NXT be defended over two nights.
WALTER will defend his NXT UK Championship against Tommaso Ciampa, while Finn Balor will put his NXT title on the line against Karrion Kross. Io Shirai will meet one of her toughest challenges to date as she tries to extend her NXT Women’s Championship reign.
A match will take place for the vacant NXT Tag Team Championships between MSK, Grizzled Young Veterans and Legado del Fantasma. Which one of these teams will be crowned the new champions for the first time in their careers?
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Johnny Gargano will face the winner of the Gauntlet Match set to take place on the first night of TakeOver. Will Gargano finally lose his NXT North American Championship on the second night?
KUSHIDA and Pete Dunne will battle it out in a one-on-one match, while Adam Cole and Kyle O’Reilly will be prepared for their unsanctioned match at Takeover. Who will steal the show at one of the biggest NXT events of all time?
Let’s take a look at five things that must happen at TakeOver: Stand & Deliver this week.
#5 MSK must become the WWE NXT Tag Team Champions at TakeOver: Stand & Deliver
The fate of the vacant WWE NXT Tag Team Championships will be decided on the first night of TakeOver: Stand & Deliver. Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch were in possession of the titles before an injury to Burch forced the duo to relinquish it.
Three top tag teams from NXT are now in line for a chance to win the titles for the first time in their respective careers. Legado del Fantasma, Grizzled Young Veterans and the 2021 Dusty Rhodes Classic winners MSK will battle for the NXT Tag Team titles at TakeOver.
Grizzled Young Veterans are one of the best tag teams in WWE today. James Drake and Zack Gibson have proven their worth time and time again but have fallen short whenever it has mattered the most.
Legado del Fantasma has worked well with Santos Escobar but has not quite made the impact required to make it big in NXT. MSK has proven itself to be an exciting tag team. Wes Lee and Nash Carter have taken NXT by storm since their debut.
At TakeOver, WWE must allow MSK to impress once again just like it did during the Dusty Rhodes Classic Tournament and win the NXT Tag Team Championships. While the duo should have won the titles after the tournament, NXT held them back possibly for this major event.
MSK has been entertaining in a similar style to The Street Profits and can carry the NXT tag team division to new heights after the break up of the Undisputed ERA.
#4 Dexter Lumis must win his first championship at WWE NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver
Johnny Gargano has been a very entertaining character in WWE NXT. The current NXT North American Champion has enjoyed a good time on the brand and has proven his worth time and time again.
Gargano is currently leading The Way and is acting as a mentor to Austin Theory and Indi Hartwell. The Way seems to be doing a good job in NXT, and Dexter Lumis has proven to be the biggest pain in their backside.
Lumis is one of the men who will compete in the Gauntlet Match at TakeOver: Stand & Deliver on the first night. The winner of the match will get a chance to challenge Gargano for the NXT North American Championship on the second night of the event.
WWE must allow Lumis to not only win the Gauntlet Match at TakeOver but go all the way and win the NXT North American Championship too. The Tortured Artist has been impressive and deserves a run with a singles title on the brand.
Gargano, on the other hand, can get over his comical gimmick soon and get back to his serious character. This will allow him to get back in contention for the NXT Championship in the near future. This will also help either Karrion Kross or Finn Balor have a good rivalry against the experienced campaigner.
#3 Jordan Devlin must unify the WWE NXT Cruiserweight Championships at TakeOver: Stand & Deliver
One of the most anticipated matches at WWE NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver will be between Jordan Devlin and Santos Escobar. NXT UK’s Cruiserweight Champion Devlin has been trying to get his hands on NXT’s Cruiserweight Champion Escobar for some time now.
The match will allow NXT to finally unify the two Cruiserweight Championships in a Ladder Match. Escobar won the NXT Cruiserweight Champion after WWE was forced to hold a tournament to crown an interim champion due to the pandemic.
Devlin has been one of the finest stars in NXT, while Escobar has proven himself to be a lethal heel.
Devlin has been undefeated in singles competition since he’s won the title, while Escobar has suffered a few hiccups in his reign. However, fans can expect to see these two men deliver one of the best matches of their careers on the big stage.
At NXT TakeOver, WWE must allow Devlin to climb the ladder after overcoming interference from Legado del Fantasma and pull down the two Cruiserweight Championship titles. Devlin deserves a good memorable reign with the title as he has worked extremely hard to get to where he is today.
#2 Raquel Gonzalez must become the new WWE NXT Women’s Champion at TakeOver: Stand & Deliver
Raquel Gonzalez has had a great time in WWE over the past six months. Gonzalez came into NXT as Dakota Kai’s henchwoman and has slowly managed to overshadow her more experienced partner. Over the past few months, Gonzalez has been dominant in NXT and has had some good rivalries.
Gonzalez is currently the only woman who’s pinned Io Shirai since she won the NXT Women’s Championship. It’s taken some time for Gonzalez to get a shot at Shirai’s title. However, she is one of the favorites to dethrone Shirai from the top of the NXT women’s division.
At NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver, Gonzalez will use her power to try and win her first singles title, while Shirai will rely on her technique and high-flying abilities. However, WWE must allow Gonzalez to finally dethrone Shirai after a great match between the two superstars.
The Genius of the Sky has had a great reign as the NXT Women’s Champion and she seems ready to move to the main roster now. Furthermore, Shirai’s ability to sell moves will allow Gonzalez a great chance to come out looking like a true star.
#1 Kyle O’Reilly must end Adam Cole’s stay in WWE NXT at TakeOver: Stand & Deliver
Arguably the biggest match at WWE NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver will be between Adam Cole and Kyle O’Reilly. This match has had the best build, and William Regal has announced that it will be an unsanctioned match.
Judging by the stipulation, fans can expect to watch a long and brutal contest between two of the most technically sound and resilient men in WWE today. Cole wants to prove that he is the best NXT Superstar, while O’Reilly wants revenge for what Cole did to him and the Undisputed ERA.
The match can go either way, but judging by how well KOR has performed over the past year, it could be argued that he holds the advantage.
At NXT TakeOver, O’Reilly and Cole must have a long and memorable match before KOR hits the Brainbuster on Cole onto the steel steps before pinning him for the victory. This would not only award O’Reilly the victory but also end The Panama City Playboy’s stay on NXT.
The only logical reason for breaking up the Undisputed ERA seems to be that one or more members will move to the main roster separately. This match can allow Cole to lose and move to RAW or SmackDown while O’Reilly can continue as an individual performer in NXT.
