WWE NXT TakeOver 36 - 3 betrayals that could happen at the show - Couple to split; Top faction to implode?

There are several big matches scheduled for WWE NXT TakeOver 36 on August 22, 2021. A few bouts have been booked due to betrayals that occurred over the past few months.

Adam Cole turned his back on The Undisputed Era, betraying Kyle O’Reilly and Roderick Strong out of jealousy. Cole will face his former teammate, O’Reilly, in a two-out-of-three-falls match at TakeOver 36.

Similarly, Dakota Kai attacked Raquel Gonzalez a few weeks ago out of jealousy. The Captain of Team Kick has her sights set on the NXT Women’s Championship and is willing to take down her former friend for the gold.

Samoa Joe will challenge Karrion Kross for the NXT Title at the show, while LA Knight will defend his Million Dollar Championship against Cameron Grimes.

WALTER is all set to take down Ilja Dragunov once again with the help of Imperium. However, a few betrayals during the event would change the current landscape of WWE's black and gold brand.

Let's take a look at three such possibilities at NXT TakeOver 36.

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#3 Imperium turns its back on WALTER during the WWE NXT UK Championship match at TakeOver 36

WALTER has been commanding Fabian Aichner and Marcel Barthel to take over WWE NXT for some time now. Imperium was recently unsuccessful at winning the NXT tag team titles.

At TakeOver 36, Ilja Dragunov is the only man who stands a good chance at ending WALTER’s lengthy reign as NXT UK Champion.

Aichner and Barthel could turn their backs on WALTER during a crucial part of the contest, allowing Dragunov to pick up the win. If that does happen, it will be one of the most surprising moments of the year for WWE.

Walter giving imperium a lecture via Zoom call. NXT is great. #WWENXT pic.twitter.com/cOaUxKjTpW

— Fiending For Followers ‼️ (@Fiend4FolIows) May 5, 2021

The reason for Aichner and Barthel's betrayal could be as simple as the expulsion of Alexander Wolfe from the faction, coupled with WALTER's anger. Imperium hasn't been doing too well on NXT, especially since stables like Legado del Fantasma, Hit Row, and Diamond Mine have arrived.

The higher-ups could simply split the faction post-TakeOver and move WALTER to NXT for good while sending Aichner and Barthel back to NXT UK.

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#2 WALTER could vent his frustration on Fabian Aichner and Marcel Barthel to end Imperium at WWE NXT TakeOver 36

WALTER has held the NXT UK Championship for over two years now and has taken down top superstars to defend his title. He already defeated Ilja Dragunov once on NXT UK.

However, The Mad Russian could do better on his second outing against WALTER at TakeOver 36. The latter might be in a tough spot during the contest, and Dragunov could take out Fabian Aichner and Marcel Barthel to level the playing field.

In this scenario, Dragunov would subsequently defeat WALTER to become the new NXT UK Champion. A ticked-off Ring General might end up venting his frustration on Aichner and Barthel.

WALTER is already unhappy with Imperium’s performance in tag team matches. He could end the faction for good before getting in the race for the NXT Championship.

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#1 Scarlett betrays Karrion Kross to cost him the WWE NXT Championship at TakeOver 36

Very good. 👏 pic.twitter.com/MdFpbWBqL7

— Scarlett Bordeaux (@Lady_Scarlett13) August 17, 2021

Karrion Kross has had more matches on WWE RAW recently than on NXT for some months.

However, he always appears on RAW without Scarlett by his side. Perhaps Kross' Lady Luck is set to betray him at TakeOver 36.

WWE could be looking to split the two superstars across different brands for good. Scarlett's betrayal might stem from the fact that Kross hasn’t taken her along to the main roster, which would lead to solo runs for both superstars moving forward.

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