Rants

The Wrestling Weekend: Blog Writers Predict The Weekend Shows

By Niz on 29 August 2026

There are three huge shows on Sunday August 30th, so we’ve gathered the blog recappers to give some predictions. Today’s crew consists of Tommy Hall, Our Friend Phred, The Legend Scott Herrin, and yours truly. Let’s get to it.

AEW All In:

Jon Moxley vs Nigel McGuinness for the Continental Championship

Phred: Moxley and Nigel go on for 20 minutes, Mox wins, Nigel gets a standing ovation.

Tommy: So here we have the finals of a tournament, which has taken almost an entire month, and ended up with Moxley defending the title against a British challenger. In short, why have one match to set up a title defense when you can have fourteen of them? That’s where we are now and it leads to an interesting final, which should go one way but will probably go another. In theory, this should be McGuinness winning the title but that would imply Moxley has to lose, which won’t happen, so I’ll say Moxley wins to retain. He has to you see because he needs to be in the next tournament for this belt later on in the year. I’m still not sure why this tournament, or title for that matter, needs to exist, but at least Moxley can get a big win that he hasn’t had in at least a week.

Herrin: Who should win – Moxley. McGuiness had his moment last time, why keep resurrecting him? Who will win – Moxley.

Niz: I think this is Nigel’s last match, and I think he’s going out on his back after a valiant effort with his “injured foot”. I’m annoyed at the entirety of how we got here, and hopefully Mox moves on to a better use of his time than this tournament has been.

Kevin Knight (C) vs Darby Allin for the TNT Title, Falls Count Anywhere

Phred: Knight should win this, Darby is past the title and Kevin should be cementing his reign. The real odds are “how stupid is the bump Darby takes to lose” and I’m going with Off A Lighting Rig.

Tommy: This is Falls Count Anywhere and Knight has gone the extra mile with Allin, attempting to murder/injure him multiple times in the same segment. I know Allin gets attacked a lot but this was extreme even for him. Therefore we’re doing a match for revenge, and to allow Allin to do some kind of insane thing at the stadium. You know, as he does pretty much every time he’s around. I’m actually going to go with Knight retaining here, as Allin is as made of a man as you can get in AEW and Knight could get a lot more out of retaining over a former World Champion. It is far from a guarantee as Allin needs to get revenge and such, but he can do that without taking the title. The TNT Title doesn’t mean anything to Allin here so let Knight keep it and get more out of the thing.

Herrin: Who should win – Let’s see the ridiculously methods Allin chose to tempt fate. Knight just seemed to be propped there and might be too soon for him now, but maybe down the road. Who will win – they love Allin way too much.

Niz: I think Knight retains here. This feels like a “let’s make this dude a mega star on the big stage” before they start trying to jam him into the higher stratospheres of their card.

Willow Nightingale vs Mercedes Mone for the AEW Women’s World Championship

Phred: They’ve danced around it long enough, Mercedes also has to win.

Tommy: I wanted to get this one out of the way first because it has the potential to make me the angriest. I’ve made no secret about the fact that I’m not a fan of Mone. She’s incredibly talented and feels like a star, but she’s often presented as being light years ahead of the rest of the division. Nightingale already put Mone over to end a short title reign and it does not need to happen again. While I don’t believe that it’s happening, I’ll take Nightingale to retain here. I know she’s injured and Mone is likely winning anyway, but Nightingale has made a connection with the fans and it would be a shame to see her lose again so Mone can get yet another accolade that won’t make her feel any bigger. Nightingale needs to win here and would benefit a lot more and I’ll say she will, though I won’t be surprised if/when Mone gets another big moment.

Herrin: Who should win – Mone, this would set up the feud with Maya World (Texan, huzzah – or actually, yee-hah!!!) Willow, I think, works better as the underdog. Who will win – Willow for her charisma but who is left to be the serious heel challenger (sorry TNA has a hold on me and I do ponder balance.)

Niz: I cannot fathom a scenario where Mercedes doesn’t win this title but this build has been very one-sided. With Willow having a broken hand she’s going to need time off, so she goes out on her back and Mercedes moves on to face….?

Cage & Cope (C) vs The Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson) for the AEW Men’s World Tag Team Championship

Phred: The Young Bucks take it, I think the nostalgia well has been mined pretty dry by Cope and Christian at this point.

Tommy: This is the dream match of the show and it falls firmly into the “yeah I guess” category that a lot of so called dream matches hit these days. That’s just the way it goes as I’m not sure how many people were clamoring for this in the first place. That being said, it should work out well as the Bucks can be very entertaining and the champs know how to do the old person version of their match. As sick as I am of the Bucks, there isn’t much of a reason to believe that they’re going to lose here, so I’ll say new champions. Copeland and Cage winning the titles was a big moment but they haven’t exactly done much with the belts. That’s what happens with a lot of these title reigns, and now they can put the Bucks over so the Bucks can continue to be the biggest, most amazing team in AEW history because of course they are.

Herrin: Who should win – TAFKAE&C. I don’t think Tony can stop snacking on “member berries” so they should get a brief run as transitional champs until another team comes along (or rematch with Bucks.) Who will win – Young Bucks. If Tony has future plans for C&C as individuals, don’t tie them up with a tag title.

Niz: I could see the reasoning for either team winning this, but I’ll go with the Young Bucks to capture the titles as Cage & Cope start winding things down maybe over the next year.

Divine Dominion (Lena Kross and Megan Bayne) (C) vs The Brawling Birds (Alex Windsor and Jamie Hayter) for the AEW Women’s World Tag Team Championships

Phred: Brawling Birds, they can always drop them back later, but they’re the most OI WE’RE BRITISH YA WANKA act in the women’s division and should win this one.

Tommy: So there is going to be a theme to this show as there is a good chance that a lot of British wrestlers will pick up titles. That very well may start here, as the Birds are more than good enough to be the first team to stop Kross and Bayne. The only guaranteed thing here is that it’s going to be a heck of a fight and that is exactly what it should be with the British team involved. There is no reason to think that the champions will retain here so I’ll go with the Birds taking the titles. Kross and Bayne are the monster champions and that means it is going to take a special team to stop them. A very British team in the most famous stadium in England is about as perfect as it can get. That’s exactly what should happen here and I’ll go with that, as the titles change hands.

Herrin: Who should win – hmmm…good question. I would probably give the nod to the Brawling Birds only for the fact I am a Hayter fan. Unless they have something brewing for the division, these two should be trading titles for a bit. Give it to the birds in this case. Who will win – Divine Dominion. I don’t know why but Tony seems enamored with them.

Niz: I feel like Divine Dominion might win this to help the inevitable Bruv world title win feel more special. The problem then becomes I have zero clue who Kross and Bayne might face next. Maybe a DQ win for the Birds and we try it again at the next PPV?

Kyle Fletcher (C) vs Konsuke Takeshita vs Kazuchika Okada for the AEW International Title

Phred: Fletcher retains and this in our first BANGER of the night.

Herrin: Who should win – Takeshita is really good and I do enjoy his work. I don’t know how much Okada has left and I have never been enamored with Fletcher. Takeshita is diverse enough to use in myriad fashions. Who will win – hmmm…Takeshita.

Niz: I think Okada steals the title to cause not only friction within the Don Callis Family AND to restart his thing with Takeshita.

Hangman Page and Brodido (C) vs The Demand, The Lethal Twist, The Conglomeration, The Death Riders, The Dogs and Swerve’s Mystery Team of Mystery in a Trios Championship Roulette Royale

Phred: Swerve Day are winning, like if they have those guys, those guys are winning.

Tommy: From what I can tell, this is a gauntlet match for the titles, with basically every trio in AEW at the moment, plus a wild card entry. Now I don’t think there’s much of a secret as to who is going to be in the wild card spot, but that has never stopped AEW before. As usual, this would be better off as a one off six man tag, but why do that when you can have another twelve people in a match instead? I’ll go with the wild card team winning the titles here, in the form of Swerve Strickland and whatever New Day will be called in AEW. Assuming they’re the wild cards, there is almost no reason to not have them win the titles. I’m still not sure why they need to be involved in a trio (it worked so well with Odyssey Jones) but I guess the Bucks have the tag match sewn up so here we are.

Herrin: Who should win – I hate this but take the field. Brodido works too well as a tag team and Page should be in some semblance of the title hunt in their 46678 titles. I don’t know who they bring to the table but they should be enough to win. Who will win – Page & Brodido

Niz: I think Swerve’s MYSTERY TEAM OF MYSTERY win this thing, but honestly other than Jay Lethal’s goober crew, you could make a case for damn near any of these teams taking the titles, or Page and Brodido retaining. I’ll go with Swerve’s team.

Casino Gauntlet for the number one contender slot for the AEW Men’s World Championship

Phred: Andrade is a pretty perfect first challenger for Ospreay I’d imagine, it’s him or MJF and I can’t imagine them going back that quickly to Will/Max.

Tommy: Remember when this was the most fun that AEW had? So much of that was due to the surprise entrants that you would see, but lately it has just been the regular midcard group and that’s not the most thrilling. Anyway the winner here gets a World Title shot at some point, but since we don’t know who all is involved, I’m kind of limited in the guesses that I can make. The one entrant announced who makes the most sense here is MJF so I’ll go with him, though it would be rather hilarious if the match ended while he was on the way to the ring or something like that. Andrade El Idolo is an option, but he needs to continue his rather unnecessary National Title reign. There is always the chance that it’s someone we don’t know yet winning the thing, but I’ll go with MJF of the entrants involved.

Herrin: Who should win – El Idolo is doing his best work in a while but will get too caught up with MJF for either to win. I would take the field? Maybe, I don’t know…Claudio Castagnoli. Who will win – MJF. Tony can’t help himself, methinks

Niz: The posters have only featured Andrade and MJF for this match, so I guess that it’s one of those two winning this thing. I’ll go with Max because of his “real world champion” gimmick, but I’d be fine with Andrade winning as well.

Kenny Omega (C) vs Will Ospreay for the AEW Men’s World Championship

Phred: I cannot imagine any world in which Ospreay does not walk out of there with the title. Whatever chance Will has to be the guy, he has to win.

Tommy: I do these things for every pay per view and occasionally, there are times where I have no idea what is going on with one of the matches. In this case though, I’m getting a little bit of a break. I’m not bothering to try and build up suspense for this match, as, at least in theory, it should be the biggest layup in the history of AEW, as even their screwiness shouldn’t be able to get in the way. It doesn’t matter if Ospreay loses all of his limbs and nose. His deformed face and torso with the bleeding stumps will be put on top of Omega for the pin and the title to the roar of the British crowd. There is no reason to think that anything else is going to happen here and there is nothing else that should happen here. The match has been built up and Omega has gotten his big title reign to show he’s still go tit. Now make Ospreay champion already.

Herrin: Who Should win – Ospreay, they’ve invested this much in him and who knows how much longer Omega has. Ospreay should win, bruv (obligatory, sorry.) Who will win – Ospreay (Meltzer has already started hitting the star button)

Niz: Settle in when the bell sounds because I expect an epic poem here. Ospreay wins, Wembley goes bonkers, Meltzer gives it EIGHT STARS and breaks the internet, and then we debate it for Match of the Year for four straight months.

AAA Ola De Calor

Jack Cartwheel vs. Nathan Frazer vs. Mini Vikingo in a number one contenders match for whomever claims the Latin American championship)
Phred: Mini Vikingo should take it, if it was for the Cruiser title, I could see an argument for Cartwheel, but Mini has the most history and him being in the mix for a title that Vikingo held as champion has the most dramatic weight.
Tommy: This is for a Cruiserweight Title shot at TripleMania and this kind of match has become one of the standards for AAA. They know how to have three guys get in the ring and fly around for a bit until one of them gets the fall and that’s something that will work every time. It’s a good collection of talent again here and they have something to fight for, which should make it even better. I’ll take Vikingo to win here, as he is by far the highest profile name in AAA. He’s already been dealing with some bigger names and the fans like him, so putting him in a title match on the biggest stage that AAA has to offer isn’t a bad idea. This should be quite the spectacle though as all three have more than impressed in their time around here. It’s something you see a lot of in AAA and that’s because it works so well.
Herrin: Who should win – Mini Vikingo. Frazer is still caught in Fraxiom shenanigans and Cartwheel does not strike me as someone who you could frame as a champion. Given name recognition and style, I would go Vikingito (small viking.) Who will win – MV.
Niz: I don’t think they’ll throw a curveball here but I’d really love to know if Fenix will be defending his title in Las Vegas or Mexico City for TripleMania. If it’s Vegas, I think Nathan Frazer has a shot here (because they’ll try to put some familiar WWE faces on the TripleMania card to get more eyes on it). If it’s Mexico City, I think Vikingo wins.
War Raiders (Erik and Ivar) (C) vs. Los Americanos (Rayo Americano and Bravo Americano) for the AAA World Tag Team titles
Phred: War Raiders are still getting pushed as the tag champion on SD, so while I never bet against things Americano related winning in AAA…I think the Raiders keep the belts, though boy this tag-division ain’t much. When can the Wagners do their thing?
Tommy: This is oddly a big match but the interesting thing is that the Raiders already seem to have something going on over on Smackdown. It would be kind of strange to see those titles change hands so quickly before they can be defended on the main roster, but Los Americanos are certainly a threat to take them. I’m not entirely sure which way this is going and as usual, that’s a nice feeling to have.It’s a match that could go either way but I’ll take the champions retaining here as it feels like the better option. The Raiders have been smashing through people for a bit and while Los Americanos are tied to the biggest star in the promotion, they don’t need to win here. You know they’re going to be involved with the main event of TripleMania and that’s enough, so stick with the champions holding the titles here.
Herrin: Who should win – ooh ese ahh (USA in Spanish phonetics) I have always been a fan of the War Raiders from way back as War Machine (and -snicker – Viking Experience.) However, Los Americanos are the hot team right now. Let this feud marinate for a bit. Who will win – LA
Niz: I think the Raiders retain here because it was heavily intimated on last night’s Smackdown that they will be facing Damian Priest and R-Truth at the Mexico City Smackdown in a few weeks. Rayo and Bravo will probably be part of whatever crew El Grande Americano has to put together to try to take the Mega title from Dom Mysterio at TripleMania.
Gauntlet match for a AAA Reina de Reinas Championship match at TripleMania 34 (No participants announced yet)
Phred: I don’t think I need any participants to know that La Catalina is winning, literally no other choice makes sense here.

Tommy: This is for a Reina de Reinas title shot at TripleMania and that means…well it’s hard to say, as we have no idea who is in the match. Granted you can probably guess, but there are so many options out there that it could go in a bunch of ways. Odds are there are going to be some people from the main roster involved and that could be quite the threat for the title shot. Without knowing who is going to be involved, I’ll take La Catalina to get the shot. That seems to be the showdown that AAA is building towards and it would make sense to do it at TripleMania. Odds are it’s going to be someone from the main roster getting the shot for the star power, as it isn’t like the women’s division in AAA is all that great. Flammer needs some fresh competition, but Catalina seems to be the best choice.

Herrin: Who should win – quien sabe’? To keep the feud going, possibly Dom Mysterio? Who will win – otra ves, Quien sabe’?

Niz: Okay, hear me out here. Rey Mysterio kept La Hiedra behind after telling Flammer that she’d be defending against the winner of this. I think she’s the only choice here that isn’t named La Catalina, who I would suspect is the overwhelming favorite. Again, the location of Flammer’s defense could be in play here because they have tossed WWE folks like Lola Vice and Bayley into the mix over time. I’ll go with Catalina, but keep an eye on Hiedra if she’s in this.
El Carnicero debut
Phred: I don’t know if El Carnicero has a match announced (he’s winning) but I will bet we get a massive brawl with Psycho Clown and HOPEFULLY a reveal of Pagano being behind this all, or at least something with Pagano and Psycho, it’s been like 10 months now, El Hijo de Helmsley booking AAA too?
Tommy: This is Carnicero’s (the Butcher) in-ring debut and he’s the man who has been attacking Psycho Clown, and probably the rest of the Psycho Circus. The match should be just a getting to know you destruction and the fact that an opponent hasn’t even been announced yet should tell you all that you need to know. Carnicero has done well in his limited appearances and now we get to see what he can do. We’ll say Carnicero is going to smash…oh we’ll go with Noisy Boy in a total destruction. This should be nothing more than a squash and odds are that’s exactly what we’re going to get. Carnicero is being treated as a monster and there is a good chance that the Psycho Circus, or at least Psycho Clown, comes in after the match. That’s going to be more interesting than the match itself, which should be an absolute decimation.
Herrin: We love a good, strong debut so El Carnicero wins.
Niz: The Butcher wrecks some dude, and the Clowns descend for revenge and whatever the next step in this tale will be.
El Fiscal vs. El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. vs. Damian Priest vs. La Parka for the vacant AAA Latin American title
Phred: I don’t think you send a guy like Damien Priest to AAA without him picking up the title, it’s not the most exciting option, but getting his ‘name’ in the legacy of that belt makes sense.
Tommy: This is for the vacant title after El Hijo del Vikingo got hurt. Odds are this is going to headline the show as it has been treated like a big deal and a new champion is always a good way to wrap up a show. There are multiple realistic options to win the title here and that helps a lot, as there is little benefit to having a glorified countdown to someone being crowned champions. The more I think about it, the more I’m leaning towards Fiscal. I can’t imagine Priest winning the title when he’s already a big star on the main roster. Wagner was champion for a long time and doesn’t need to be the champion again. That leaves Parka and Fiscal and I’m not sure I can imagine a skeleton man having one of the bigger titles in the promotion. Fiscal wins here and gets to have a big showdown with Abismo Negro. Maybe he can even get a Wikipedia page out of it.
Herrin: Who should win – La Parka got some rub on NXT (despite obfuscating Booker T) that is a good way to sell someone for this event. I would go with him (possibly El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr.) Who will win – El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. (at this case, shouldn’t it be Dr. Wagner el Trecero?)
Niz: I think Priest wins here but I can see a case for DW3 winning if they’re keeping the Latin American title on the Mexico City TripleMania event.
Penta, Rey Fenix, and Dragon Lee vs. Los Perros del Mal (Daga, Angel Garza, and Berto)
Phred: The Raw Luchadors are gonna win, Penta isn’t taking ANY losses between now and facing Roman I can’t think. Still, these are six guys with a ton of experience, a heated angle, and Daga is a pretty incredible tag-worker, this is my expectation for MOTN
Tommy: This is the big grudge match and it even has the star power of Penta and Fenix teaming together, which is quite the rarity around here. It’s even more interesting when you factor in the #1 contenders tournament on Monday, with Fenix and Penta facing off. Los Perros debuted as a big deal around here but they have only done so much around here since that great star. They could use a win and this might be the chance. I’ll actually take Los Perros to win, with Fenix and Penta getting into it to cost them the match. It covers a couple of bases at once and that’s always going to be appreciated. What matters the most here is getting Los Perros a win, as they would be instantly damaged if they lost here. The star power on the other side makes for a heck of a team, but it seems like they’re losing here.
Herrin: Who should win – Fenix, Lee and Penta (classic luchadors). Who will win – Los Perros Del Mal (with shenanigans ahoy…)
Niz: I’d book Los Perros to win, but I suspect the Raw heroes will win to send everyone home happy.
NXT Heatwave
NXT Men’s championship: Tony D’Angelo (C) vs. Grayson Waller vs. Cruz Montana vs. Zilla Fatu in a fatal four-way match
Phred: This match is tailor made for Grayson Waller to win, and that’s what I assume will happen. The real question is how four guys who don’t have a ton of experience working with each other are going to put on one of those very ornate, spotty NXT 4-ways?
Tommy: Oh boy we’ve saved the best for last, as I have no idea who is leaving with the title here. You have D’Angelo, who has been champion for several months now, Waller who cut the promo of his life a few weeks ago, Montana as the hot newcomer, and Fatu as the smooth newercomer who is rather different than just about anything I was expecting. Any of the four could leave with the title and that means we could be in for something interesting. Actually, I think I’ll go with Waller winning here. Fatu is someone who can get the title in a big moment later on, D’Angelo…..no, and Montana is already the most over of the four and will be just fine with getting the title later on. Waller is someone who would get a lot bigger with a win here and he could steal a pin without making anyone look weaker. It makes sense and while I might not be the most confident in the pick, I’ll go with Waller here.
Herrin: Who should win – Montana (Tony needs to head up, eventually; Waller is there as a reclamation and doesn’t really inspire people as champion material; Fatu just got there and needs some time. It will be sooner vs. later unless they just Fasttrack him into Bloodline stories.) Who will win – hmmmmm….yeah, Montana. I don’t think they pull the trigger on Fatu that fast.
Niz: I suspect Waller is winning here. He can be a gatekeeper champ for a bit, Tony D can finally go up to the main, and I suspect Zilla will be joining his family on Raw soon as well. Montana and Waller can feud over the title for awhile, and we’ll go with that.
NXT Women’s championship: Kendal Grey (c) vs. Kelani Jordan
Phred: They’ve done a lot to make Kelani’s win seem plausible, but there’s still too many angles left for Kendal as champion where Kelani doesn’t really have much to do in the same spot, I’m about 60-65% positive that Grey retains and I’d be shocked if this wasn’t MOTN.
Tommy: This is a story that we’ve seen time after time, as Jordan has spent months complaining that she can’t get a title shot and is finally getting a chance to see what she can do. At the same time you have Grey, who feels like the next big thing and I’m not sure where they’ll go here. Having Jordan lose would be weird, but Grey losing would feel like a setback out of nowhere. I’ll go with Grey retaining here, as it feels like the better option. Jordan has already established herself and I don’t see the need for her to win the title here. Grey is someone who feels like she could be on her way to the main roster sooner or later, but she probably needs some more time down in NXT. At the moment though she needs to do that as the champion while Jordan can find something else to do. Grey retains.
Herrin: Who should win – Grey. Let them eat cake (insert obligatory photo here.) It would also get Jordan up to the main roster and clear the path for the Armstrong feud or they just realize Jordan hit her ceiling and need to try something else. Who will win – this is weirdly tough because one falls into overthinking regarding the ear injury and Jordan’s “one time” sobriquet. I almost want to give it to Jordan but will go Grey because she naturally would be the most dominant (might be wrong on that one.)
Niz: We’re getting to the point where they really need to make a decision on Kelani moving up or running with the big belt on this brand for a minute. She’s checked off the other boxes they want – she’s been both face and heel, she’s had the NA title, she went on excursion to TNA, she’s never really had a major shot at this title, and I have the feeling it’s her time. I really like Kendal as champ but I also like her chasing for the title, as well. I’m going with Kelani in an upset.
NXT Men’s North American championship: Myles Borne (c) vs. Jackson Drake
Phred: I think we’re pretty close to graduation time for Myles Borne, and I think this is the night we set it up. Jackson Drake wins, probably because Tavion screws him over out of revenge for, well I’ll get to that pick.
Tommy: So this is the second half of the equation and it follows the first half, with Borne defending again. I’m liking the idea of having Borne out there this much as he’s a talented star, but odds are he has to lose at least one of the titles here. There is no reason to have him keep both titles and while he been North American Champion for a long time, it would make sense for him to hang onto that belt. So what does that mean? This one has me a bit more sure as Borne/Heights doesn’t exactly feel like a long term team at the top of the division. Throw in the whole double champion thing and there is no reason to believe that they’re going to retain the titles. The Project just dropped the belts a few weeks ago and it would be nice to see them getting the titles back, if nothing else to have them drive people a bit crazier by retaining against better teams.
Herrin: Who should win – Borne should unless there are shenanigans ahoy (if the card goes in this order it is more likely it will be Borne.) I don’t know if the Project of Vanity interferes or if Heights makes his heel (re) turn but Borne should win if all is even. Who will win – again, let’s look at match placement. I think Borne goes over here but do expect the Heights turn sometime during this card.
Niz: Match order is going to come into play here. If they run the tag title match first, I suspect Jackson Drake steals this title due to reasons we’ll get to shortly. If this goes before the tag titles match, I could see Borne retaining and I’ll explain the rest during the tag title predictions.
NXT Women’s North American champion Zaria vs. WWE Women’s Speed champion Wren Sinclair vs Kali Armstrong in a title unification match
Phred: The obvious answer is Zaria finally exorcising the ghost of Sol and holding all the belts, but nah, she’s a heel, and I think that you don’t add Kali into this match without Kali winning, furthering Zaria’s spiral. Wren obviously eats the pin.
Tommy: This is a winner take all unification match as the Speed Title is going away, as it should be doing. The title had an idea behind it but it never felt like a long term concept. That’s why we’re getting rid of the belt, as it doesn’t need to stick around. I’m just not sure who is going to walk away with the title, as they have a match that feels a bit thrown together but I could see it going any way. I think I’ll actually go with Armstrong leaving as champion. Sinclair is someone who hasn’t gotten much out of being champion so there isn’t much of a reason to keep the belt on her. On the other hand Zaria has been champion for a bit and doesn’t really need to hold onto it that much longer. I’ll go with Armstrong winning here, just because it would be weird to add her to the match to not have her win. It could go any way, but I’ll take Armstrong.
Herrin: Who should win – Sinclair (more cake, please.) Wrendal is the hottest thing, arguably, the women’s division has. Zaria is also prime for a call up and feud with who shall not be named except in every Zaria promo. Who will win – Zaria. They have jobbed, by and large, Sinclair at every possible moment and don’t see that trend continuing.
Niz: I think Kali comes out of this with whatever belt(s) they choose to continue with.
NXT Tag Team championship: Myles Borne and Tavion Heights (C) vs. Brad Baylor and Ricky Smokes
Phred: Yeah, Vanity Project are getting their gold back, and we’re going to go full-on brother vs. brother as Borne and Tavion have their blood feud in what I imagine will be Myles swan song in NXT. Plus NXT loves heel groups that HAVE ALL THE GOOOOOLD!
Tommy: So this is the second half of the equation and it follows the first half, with Borne defending again. I’m liking the idea of having Borne out there this much as he’s a talented star, but odds are he has to lose at least one of the titles here. There is no reason to have him keep both titles and while he been North American Champion for a long time, it would make sense for him to hang onto that belt. So what does that mean? This one has me a bit more sure as Borne/Heights doesn’t exactly feel like a long term team at the top of the division. Throw in the whole double champion thing and there is no reason to believe that they’re going to retain the titles. The Project just dropped the belts a few weeks ago and it would be nice to see them getting the titles back, if nothing else to have them drive people a bit crazier by retaining against better teams.
Herrin: Who should win – Hmmm. Again, it’s card placement. If there is to be a heel turn, it would be now and the VP should win. Unless, this is the impetus Lockwood has been preaching to turn VP into more serious, focused wrestlers. But, I am going to go VP on this one. Who will win – Myles Borne and Tavion Heights (again, card placement.)
Niz: If this goes on before Borne’s defense, I suspect that the Vanity Kids get their titles back and Tavion Heights loses his mind afterwards (and then probably comes into play in the finish of Borne’s subsequent match with Jackson Drake). If Borne faces Drake first, I think he retains and then is so weakened from a grueling match with Drake that the Vanity kids win here as Heights murders Borne afterwards to cement him as Borne’s next challenger for the NA title.
Jaida Parker vs Nattie Neidhart
Phred: (We didn’t get this match on the email I sent out, so Phred can offer an opinion on this in comments)
Tommy: This is a submission match, as per Nattie’s request. These two feel like they’ve been feuding forever and I’m not sure why this is something that has needed to go on for such a long time. I’m assuming the theory is that Parker will get a lot out of feuding with a legend like Nattie, but that only has so much of a success rate. Now I just want the feud to wrap up and this should be it. There is no reason for Nattie to win here so I’ll take Parker to win, just because it is time for her to get the big signature win. Making Nattie, the submission star, give up would be a great choice for that spot, though you never know as Nattie has pulled off some ridiculous wins before. I’ll go with Parker here though, as there is pretty much no reason to her to lose whatsoever.
Herrin: Who should win – This seems like a big a slam dunk as any and I think Parker gets the W. Nattie is doing what she should be – mentoring/coaching others. I know the temptation is there for shenanigans, but we have already grounded Parker, no need to keep doing it. Who will win – Parker. She should be a call up, soon, I think. Even with that, her winning and Nattie’s loss won’t cause a change in those thoughts.
Niz: I think Jaida wins here. It’s time for her to finish up this run in NXT and going out with a big win over a seasoned vet like Nattie will hopefully prime her for success on the main. If they roll with Nattie here, I have zero idea what you do with Jaida moving forward.
So that’s it – let us know your predictions and thoughts in the comments. Enjoy the shows if you’re watching them!