WWE’s developmental promotion, NXT, has presented eight live WWE Network “TakeOver” specials since 2014. All eight have been universally praised and each has been considered a show of the year candidate. On Wednesday, the ninth NXT TakeOver special will air live from London as NXT wraps up its tour of the United Kingdom.
NXT TakeOver: London: The full rundown and why you should care
All three titles could change hands at Wembley Arena. NXT fans will be on the edge of their seats.
Bill Hanstock is a writer, author and Emmy Award-winning producer. He began writing for SB Nation in 2011.
If you’ve never watched NXT before, now is a perfect time to start. If you’re familiar with the promotion, you know there are plenty of reasons to be excited. You probably won’t mind if I remind you of those before the big show.
NXT TakeOver: London begins at 3 p.m. ET, exclusively on the WWE Network. Live coverage will begin with a pre-show starting at 2:30 p.m. ET.
Asuka vs. Emma
What am I looking at here? Asuka has an impeccable pedigree from her many years wrestling in Japan. She’s known for her vicious, intense offense. And for being one of the best wrestlers in the world. Emma is a very talented Australian wrestler who has been revitalized since moving back to NXT from the main WWE roster and becoming an evil, “Dark Phoenix” version of herself.
Why you should care: Emma and her cohort Dana Brooke have been riling up Asuka, which is like poking a tiger with a stick. Except if the tiger had chainsaws for legs and the tiger’s favorite thing in the world was chainsaw-kicking people to death.
This match is going to be akin to watching a supremely talented wrestler try to win a match against a threshing machine. Just sit back and enjoy the carnage.
Apollo Crews vs. Baron Corbin
What am I looking at here? Baron Corbin is a cocky, former Division II NCAA football player who had a cup of coffee in the NFL and believes he should be the focus of the wrestling world. He thinks the internationally vetted independent wrestling darlings of NXT haven’t ever actually done anything and are stupid nerds.
Apollo Crews (one of those aforementioned indie wrestling darlings) is an athletic freak of nature whose power is harnessed by smiling. Apparently. He’s just happy to be here, really.
Why you should care: Baron Corbin has just been getting better and better all the time. Apollo Crews still hasn’t taken a significant loss in NXT and he’s all bent out of shape because Corbin cost him his shot at the NXT title recently. Corbin is one of the few wrestlers in NXT who can believably manhandle Crews, so this match should be fascinating to watch, just to see how these two mesh.
NXT Tag Team Championship Match: Dash & Dawson (c) vs. Enzo Amore & Colin Cassady
What am I looking at here? Dash and Dawson fancy themselves a modern-day Tully Blanchard and Arn Anderson; two guys in plain trunks and satin jackets who will just punch you in the face, twist all your joints apart and then go listen to some Little River Band. They put Colin Cassady out of action with a knee injury a while back and they’re happy they did it, because they’re jerks.
Enzo Amore and Big Cass are the real-life equivalent of Chester and Spike. They’re two of the most beloved people in NXT (no small feat) and in this feud with Dash and Dawson, they’re 100 percent serious for what seems like the first time ever.
Why you should care: Enzo and Cass are serious about wanting to beat the champs and take the titles (which they’ve never held before). They’re on a mission and the London crowd is going to be behind them like gangbusters. If they can win the titles, the reaction will be legendary. If they lose, the heartbreak will be very, very real.
NXT Women’s Championship Match: Bayley (c) vs. Nia Jax
What am I looking at here? Bayley straight-up IS the most beloved person in wrestling, full stop. At TakeOver: Brooklyn, she fulfilled her lifelong dream and captured the Women’s Championship. So far in her reign as champion, she’s fended off all comers ... but she’s never faced an opponent like Nia Jax before.
Nia Jax is an intimidating bruiser and the real-life cousin of The Rock. She’s made a huge mark on the women’s division in the short time she’s been part of NXT and, frankly, she looks unstoppable.
Why you should care: Can Bayley win a match against someone who looks invincible, purely relying on determination, heart and the support of the crowd? London will likely be cheering their loudest for Bayley, but Nia might prove to be the Clubber Lang of her Rocky story.
NXT Championship Match: Finn Bálor (c) vs. Samoa Joe
What am I looking at here? Finn Bálor is a lovable, quiet young Irishman wrapped in the most impressive of abs. He’s a talented, athletic supermodel whose soul is occasionally consumed by a fel demon, because said demon really gets its rocks off by wrestling opponents on behalf of Finn.
Joe, meanwhile, is from Samoa.
Why you should care: Samoa Joe has wrestled all over the world for the past 16 years and has accomplished pretty much everything a wrestler can accomplish outside of the WWE. He’s had five-star matches, been world champion, sparked the indie wrestling boom, gained a legion of fans ... yet somehow, he’s never seemed more motivated than he has over the past few months during this feud with Bálor.
Can Joe finally pick up the first big milestone in his WWE career by becoming the eighth NXT Champion? Does he even need to?
Joe and Finn will go into TakeOver looking to tear the house down. The only question is who will be left standing when it’s all over. Either way, NXT fans wouldn’t miss this match for the world.
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