Why you should care about WWE NXT TakeOver: Unstoppable

On Wednesday night, WWE’s “minor-league” system, NXT, will hold its sixth live special event, TakeOver: Unstoppable. All five of the previous NXT TakeOver events have been hailed as among the best professional wrestling events of 2014 and 2015 and somehow they’ve managed to top themselves each time. There’s even some internal competition between NXT and the main WWE roster as to who can put on the better major show. With Unstoppable sandwiched between two WWE pay-per-views in two weeks, expect the NXT roster to pull out all the stops to make this one unforgettable.

NXT TakeOver: Unstoppable will air live on the WWE Network on Wednesday, beginning at 8 p.m. ET. There will be a live, one-hour kickoff show beginning at 7 p.m., also on the WWE Network.

What am I looking at here? Baron Corbin looks like a biker werewolf and is sort of an unstoppable badass type. NXT is still letting him get his legs and stretching him out a little at a time, because he’s still finding his way. Rhyno is an ECW legend and enjoying one last(?) run with WWE, making sure NXT guys look good and learn some stuff.

Why you should care: It’s going to be a short but sweet HOSS FIGHT, with two beefmen being beefy at each other. That’s why we watch, right?

What am I looking at here? Emma, newly dead inside after her disastrous run on the WWE main roster, has aligned herself with the hot new thing, Dana Brooke, the ideal of what WWE has historically looked for in a “Diva.” They’re a couple of meanies and now Charlotte and Bayley are teaming up to try to teach them a lesson, via the power of FRIENDSHIP.

Why you should care: What part of “THE POWER OF FRIENDSHIP” don’t you understand?

What am I looking at here? This one may undergo a change right around game time -- Itami reportedly has a shoulder injury that could keep him out of action for 6-8 months. He may suffer some nefarious fate prior to the match, or get hit with something big right away and explain away his “injury” being severe enough to take him out of the match entirely. Tyler Breeze is a male model who has shone in multi-person matches in the past. He has a selfie stick. Supernova talent Finn Bálor has threatened that this match might warrant him bringing out the demon, which means you might be treated to the coolest entrance in wrestling, bar none.

Why you should care: Finn Bálor is such a sensation right now that he’s the sort of person you want to make sure you’re watching all the time, so when he’s headlining WrestleMania in three years, you can tell everyone about the cool NXT matches you saw before anyone else knew about him. (Of course, us TRUE wrestling hipsters know about Prince Devitt and the Bullet Club over in NJPW. You’ve probably never heard of them.)

What am I looking at here? Enzo and Colin are a couple of well-meaning but lunkheaded North Jersey goons. Blake and Murphy are a couple of generic wrestlers who are hateable because of their weird and awkward generic-ness. Oh, they’ve also been creepily hitting on Carmella, who is Enzo and Colin’s stable-mate.

Why you should care: Enzo and Big Cass might just be the two most entertaining wrestlers on the NXT roster. I personally love seeing them and their New Age Outlaws-style singalong entrance hasn’t worn thin on me yet. This should be a fun little match. I don’t expect the title to change hands, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it did! If any title is changing hands on Wednesday, it’s this one.

What am I looking at here? Sasha Banks is the boss, full stop. She’s busted her butt to get here and right now she’s on the top of her game. Becky Lynch is an NXT performer who has perhaps progressed the furthest in the shortest amount of time, moving from “Irish riverdancing lady” to a fully formed person with motivations.

Why you should care: This is going to be the best women’s wrestling match of the month and second place won’t be particularly close.

What am I looking at here? Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn are real-life best friends who have traveled the world together for over a decade. Now that they’re both in NXT, Owens wants to destroy Zayn (in the storyline sense), sending him away forever so he can be the top dog and continue to provide for his family. Zayn wants his title back, sure, but he’s hurt by his friend’s betrayal. He’s also hurt, like, physically. He may be taking more time off after this match.

Why you should care: This is about as pure and emotional as pro wrestling gets. These guys love each other and right now they both hate that they love each other. They’re going to war, just like they’ve done on the indies for years and years. As foes, they’re as locked together as Rock and Austin, or Flair and Steamboat. It’s going to be brutal and magical. Just sit back and enjoy the ride.