NXT TakeOver: Philadelphia Preview and Predictions

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WWE NXT TakeOver: Philly is almost here and once again we have a loaded card. The show is headlined by NXT Champion Andrade 'Cien' Almas defending against the plucky Gargano. Gargano has been on a roll of late but can he go all the way this Saturday?

Ember Moon is set for her first big title defence against former UFC fighter Shayna Baszler. The cards look in favour of the challenger but if anyone can rise to the occasion, it's Ember.

One of the biggest matches of the night sees Adam Cole face Aleister Black in an Extreme Rules match. Both men have been going at it fiercely in NXT and the winner of this match will probably be the next challenger for the NXT Championship.

The rest of the Undisputed Era, Bobby Fish and Kyle O'Reilly, defend the NXT Tag-Team Championships against the Authors Of Pain who look like they're in no mood to play around.

Finally, Kassius Ohno faced the Velveteen Dream. This one promises to be a good opener for the show.

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Kassius Ohno vs Velveteen Dream

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Velveteen Dream came within seconds of beating Johnny Gargano for his #1 contendership earlier this week on NXT. Despite the disappointment of losing, Dream will move on from that to face Kassius Ohno at TakeOver which will probably be the opening match of the night.

Ohno has taken over the role as one of the defacto gatekeepers of NXT, with him facing Lars Sullivan at TakeOver: WarGames in a similar role. With Velveteen Dream in the middle of a hot run on NXT, despite this week's disappointment, he's the favourite to win this match.

Despite being on a losing run of late, Ohno's performances have not disappointed. In particular, his match on NXT with Johnny Gargano was easily one of the best NXT matches in recent months.

Prediction: Velveteen Dream

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