Doing it alone; An 'Extremely' quick title swap? - Last-minute predictions for NXT No Mercy
Every Championship will be defended at NXT's No Mercy event. Both the NXT and the NXT Women's titles will be on the line in rematches.
Carmelo Hayes will try to prove that he can beat someone without the help of Trick Williams. Tiffany Stratton is looking to regain the NXT Women's Championship from Becky Lynch in an Extreme Rules match.
Baron Corbin battles Bron Breakker while Kelani Jordan tussles with Blair Davenport. Dominik Mysterio defends the North American Championship against Williams. Noam Dar defends the Heritage Cup against Butch.
The D'Angelo Family will attempt to fend off three other teams. Who will leave Bakersfield as Champions? Here are last-minute predictions for NXT No Mercy.
#7 Kelani Jordan is gunning for Blair Davenport
Kelani Jordan challenged Blair Davenport to a match after the latter attacked Gigi Dolin on the last episode of NXT. Jordan is still relatively new to the division, having debuted earlier this summer.
Davenport should be challenging for the NXT Women's title since she's one of the most complete stars in the division. The peppy Jordan has a bright future, but she shouldn't be going over Davenport.
This match, however, could still go one of two ways. One is with Dolin interfering to cost Blair the match. The other is that Davenport wins, continues to beat on Jordan after the match, and Dolin makes the save. Since costing Davenport would do more, that's the way things will likely end at No Mercy.
Prediction - Kelani Jordan gets help from Gigi Dolin to beat Blair Davenport.
#6 Will it be Weekend at Butch's for the Heritage Cup?
After weeks of matches in the Global Heritage Cup Invitational, Butch will get a shot at Noam Dar and the hardware. Dar recently won the cup back from Nathan Frazer after weeks of cosplaying as Bernie from Weekend at Bernie's.
There are plenty of stars who could challenge Dar already in NXT, but Butch's presence ups the quality of the show and gets main-roster eyes on the product. Becky Lynch is already helping with that aspect.
With Tyler Bate in Butch's corner, Dar will be flanked by the rest of the Meta-Four. They'll obviously interfere many times to help Dar keep his baby. The question is if Bate and Butch leave No Mercy on good terms.
Result - Noam Dar keeps the Heritage Cup thanks to constant interference from the Meta-Four.
#5 The D'Angelo Family has a full plate at No Mercy
Tony D'Angelo and Channing "Stacks" Lorenzo will defend their titles against three other teams. The Creeds are former Champions while Angel and Humberto have the potential to be tag team titleholders.
OTM - Lucien Price and Bronco Nima - don't fit into this match. They've been on Level Up, yet they are in a title match after about two real matches on NXT. The gimmick is mediocre and nowhere near ready for the top of the division. The Creeds are already two-time Champions and don't need another run.
As Tony D'Angelo mentioned in the sit-down dinner meeting on NXT, this is the duo's first defense on a premium live event. That alone means that the Champs should walk out of No Mercy with their titles.
Prediction - The D'Angelo Family has a hearty dinner as Champions after No Mercy.
#4 Bron Breakker vs. Baron Corbin should take place in the parking lot
Bron Breakker was pushed so hard at the outset of NXT 2.0 that it seems like he should already be on the main roster. Corbin, on the other hand, has had so many stop/start pushes on the main roster that he's back in NXT to "burn the ships."
That mantra hasn't translated into consistent wins for Corbin. The two closed the go-home episode of NXT with a brawl all over the WWE PC. A stipulation would be the right way to go since Breakker shouldn't lose to Corbin.
Despite that fact, it's a simple one-on-one match. Von Wagner could miraculously return to factor into the outcome. Neither man gains much by winning, so it could easily end in a No Contest.
Prediction - Bron Breakker beats Baron Corbin and his ships.
#3 Dragon Lee is the guest referee for the North American Championship match
This match has been affected the most by the recent releases. Mustafa Ali was supposed to face Dirty Dom at No Mercy, but he was released from WWE.
In his sted, Trick Williams defeated two stars who should have already won titles in NXT - Tyler Bate and Dragon Lee. It's baffling that Lee hasn't won a title yet due to his profile before NXT.
Williams is a homegrown guy, but will he be booked over WWE's top current group in The Judgment Day? It might be a nice story, but he shouldn't be.
Prediction - "Dirty Dom" cheats again to retain his belt.
#2 Can Tiffany Stratton beat Becky Lynch in an Extreme Rules match?
Becky Lynch provided Stratton with her best showing to date. The Center of the Universe's reign was quickly becoming forgettable after wins over Thea Hail and Kiana James. She beat Lyra Valkyria with the title up for grabs.
The Man's profile helps get eyes on the product, so it would be a bad decision to have such a quick turnaround after she recently became a Grand Slam Champ.
The Extreme Rules stipulation is to protect the loser of this match. Lynch just got to NXT and shouldn't be dropping the title until the end of the year. Perhaps a recently signed megastar makes an impact before, during, or after the match.
Prediction - Becky Lynch beats Tiffany Stratton.
#1 Ilja Dragunov gets another crack at Carmelo Hayes and the NXT Championship
Dragunov may give Carmelo Hayes another tough test, but it doesn't seem like Hayes will be losing the belt at No Mercy. He's still one of the top stars in NXT and has rarely lost cleanly.
When that happens, it needs to be to the next star who will run with the ball. Dragunov has lost in three title challenges against both Hayes and Bron Breakker. If he was going to win the title, it would have already happened.
This match is mainly for Hayes to prove that he can beat The Mad Russian without help from Trick Williams. Nearly all of his wins both before and after his Championship win have been marred by interference of some fashion.
Prediction - Carmelo Hayes beats Ilja Dragunov again.
Do you have your own thoughts on what may happen at NXT No Mercy? Sound off in the comments section below.