NXT Tag Team Championship
550 pounds of pain take flight in a Ladder Match. The Authors of Pain will face #DIY for the NXT Tag Team Championships. As much as I think Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa should win, I think the Authors of Pain will win. I cannot see The Authors of Pain losing for the first time against these guys because #DIY is already established. They are fan favorites who are so damn talented. I love their combination of striking and air assault, as well as how simple and effective they are as characters. Sometimes, there is not a need to over book teams and matches. As we have seen, #DIY works with all sized of competitors and really puts on the best matches on a consistent level.
When this match is all said and done, we will still have NXT Tag Team Champions in Rezar and Akam. My biggest question will be “what is next for Johnny and Tommaso?” Will they stay together? Will they move on? The options are very limited if they want to continue to be a tag team, which is what they are best at right now.
NXT Women’s Championship
With the injury to Ember Moon, Asuka will now defend the championship against Ruby Riot and Nikki Cross. Two of the younger, but still really good women in NXT, will try to defeat Asuka.
Ruby Riot is really fun to watch, but is still fresh to most of the NXT and WWE crowd. Her attractive punk rock look is different than most and her ability in the ring is very AJ Lee and Lita. She has technical abilities and uses some flash and design from the top rope. She would be a fun fit as champion, but not right now.
Nikki Cross is insane. Her promos are effective and she lives her gimmick. This is a great thing to see and she is going to be really good in future storylines. This storyline with Ruby Riot makes both women feel more important, but none important enough to defeat Asuka.
Asuka is going to win this match, but I want to see how. Will she cheat to win? Will she become that dastardly heel that will do whatever it takes? I think that her turn needs to happen completely and not balance between both. With the depth in NXT with women, I am not sure which woman will end up taking the place of Asuka. Expect it to happen in Brooklyn, not in Chicago.
