WWE NXT TakeOver: Orlando preview, predictions, match card and videos
NXT comes home to Orlando this Saturday for NXT TakeOver: Orlando. TakeOver will air from the Amway Center in Orlando at 8 ET/5 PT/530AM IST available on the WWE Network.
The men and women of NXT are in action on the night before WrestleMania and just like last year, they may steal the spotlight from their main roster counterparts once again. The card is stacked and the show will be headlined by Bobby Roode and Shinsuke Nakamura who will wrestle for the NXT Championship.
Asuka will also be defending her NXT Women’s Championship against Ember Moon. Both women are undefeated in NXT and will wrestle to see who’s the top woman in NXT. The Tag-Team Championships are also on the line in a Triple Threat Match with the Authors of Pain defending their titles against The Revival and #DIY.
TakeOver will also see the NXT in-ring debuts of Ruby Riot and Aleister Black.
Ruby Riot will team up with Tye Dillinger, No Way Jose, and Roderick Strong as they try to take down the threat of SAnitY. Aleister Black, on the other hand, will be in a one on one match with Andrade ‘Cien’ Almas.
Let’s get into a preview of the card along with predictions for the show.
| Participants | Title |
|---|---|
| Aleister Black vs Andrade ‘Cien’ Almas | Singles Match |
Tye Dillinger, No Way Jose, Roderick Strong & Ruby Riot vs SAnitY (Eric Young, Killian Dain, Alexander Wolfe & Nikki Cross) | 4-on-4 Tag-Team Match |
| Authors Of Pain (C) vs DIY vs The Revival | NXT Tag-Team Championship |
| Asuka (C) vs Ember Moon | NXT Women’s Championship |
| Bobby Roode (C) vs Shinsuke Nakamura | NXT Championship |
Aleister Black vs Andrade ‘Cien’ Almas
This first in-ring debut at NXT TakeOver: Orlando will see the former Tommy End (compared to CM Punk for his insane promo and in-ring skills) make his NXT debut as Aleister Black as he takes on Andrade ‘Cien’ Almas. Almas has been on a hot run since turning heel and will be a formidable opponent for Black.
Their styles are quite different while also quite similar. Almas and his Lucha-style offense should gel with Black’s innovative martial arts inspired style. Expect this match to be one of the sleeper matches which could turn out to be one of the best matches of the weekend.
The match will be a showcase of what these two men can do and should kick-off TakeOver with a fast-paced affair to get the fans really pumped up. The result, with Black debuting, may sort of be a foregone conclusion with people expecting Black to win on debut, but the match itself will definitely not disappoint.
Prediction: Aleister Black to win on debut