NXT TakeOver London: Date, Start Time, Matches, Live Stream and More

The hunt for championships and retribution provide the foundation for the promising NXT TakeOver: London.

Finn Balor takes on an ally who betrayed him. Bayley has a force of destruction coming straight for her women's title. Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady hope to end the night claiming both tag team gold and the glory of vengeance.

It all begins on Wednesday, December 16, at 3 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PT. The SSE Arena in London will play host, with the English fans sure to be loud and rabid.

TakeOver looks like an excellent show on paper. With several compelling matches on tap, there's a good shot of the event outclassing TLC, even without the aid of ladders.

Live Stream Info

For those of us not lucky enough to already have tickets, the WWE Network (subscription required) is the only way to catch NXT TakeOver: London. Traditional pay-per-view carriers will not be airing the show. 

Fans can stream the event via the WWE Network on Xbox and PlayStation consoles, Roku, Apple TV and a variety of other gadgets. Visit the network help section for a full list of compatible devices.

Before the show begins in earnest, NXT will broadcast a 30-minute pre-show starting at 2:30 p.m. ET. As usual, this will feature a panel of WWE personalities discussing the event's biggest matches.

The WWE Network is now available in more than 170 nations. However, Germany doesn't have it yet, and Japan won't get the streaming service until January. Check out WWE.com to check availability in other countries.

Match Card

• Apollo Crews vs. Baron Corbin
• Asuka vs. Emma
• Dash Wilder and Scott Dawson vs. Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady (NXT Tag Team Championship)
• Bayley vs. Nia Jax (NXT Women's Championship)
• Finn Balor vs. Samoa Joe (NXT Championship)

Crews vs. Corbin

This is the kind of match where reality and storyline intersect. It's a proving ground for both men, both in real life and on TV.

A win likely catapults Crews or Corbin into the NXT title picture again. Beyond that, though, this is a shot for them to make a statement to WWE officials. Both have the opportunity here to show they are among the best prospects on the roster by putting on a signature performance.

The narrative leading up to the bout has been a tried-and-true one.

Crews eliminated Corbin in a No. 1 contender's Battle Royal. The flustered heel then ruined Crews' championship chances by interrupting his title match against Balor. Now they both converge here with redemption and upward movement in mind.

Asuka vs. Emma

Emma and Dana Brooke mocked the Japanese star on her arrival. They have since played prey to her predator.

Asuka is undefeated up to this point and has been a buzz saw in the ring. Emma is poised to get trampled next.

The underrated Australian grappler has done well to reinvent herself. She's been a strong heel and turned up the volume on her aggression. A recent stretch of high-quality matches, not to mention her top-flight opponent, make a standout bout in London a safe bet.

This is likely a means to further elevate Asuka, having her destroy another enemy en route to the NXT Women's Championship eventually.

Wilder and Dawson vs. The Realest Guys in the Room

The NXT tag titles have been the hardest belts to keep around a champion's waist. The reigns of recent titleholders has been short. Can Amore and Cassady continue that trend with what would be their biggest victory to date?

Their focus will be just as much on revenge as it will be on the gold, though.

The tag champs tried to break Cassady's leg a few weeks back. Big Cass spent a short while bandaged and hobbled but is now back with a vendetta. He and Amore showed off a far fiercer version of themselves on the last NXT before TakeOver: London.

Wilder and Dawson have leaned on a merciless, smashmouth style to not only lead assaults after the bell but to move to the top of the tag team division. Pitting those squads against each other will equal a hard-hitting contest.

Beyond the obvious championship implications, this is a big chance for Amore and Cassady to prove they can thrive in a non-comedy role.

Bayley vs. Jax

Bayley has played a takes-all-comers kind of champ. After fending off Sasha Banks, Bayley has collided with a variety of challengers.

She took on a game Alexa Bliss, survived an unfair situation against Eva Marie and now steps into the ring with the NXT women's division's resident powerhouse. It will be an intriguing battle, to see both how far Jax has come at this point and how well Bayley can work against a much larger foe.

Jax announced her intentions to challenge the babyface titleholder by smashing her head into a door backstage.

Their title match promises to build on that level of violence, to be far more brawl than wrestling clinic. Bayley will also have to watch out for Marie, who has had a loose partnership with Jax in recent weeks.

This likely won't be the kind of classic that Bayley and Banks twice composed this year, but it boasts plenty of potential.

Balor vs. Joe 

Don't turn in your vote for Match of the Year just yet. Balor and Joe still have to tear into each other in front of a rabid London crowd.

NXT's two top talents face off in what is poised to be a thrilling display of wrestling theater.

Joe turned on Balor after feeling disrespected and cheated out of an NXT title shot. The two soon went from tag team partners to blood enemies. A more vicious, vindictive side of The Samoan Submission Machine emerged.

Now Balor faces his toughest test to date as NXT champ.

It's a main event that promises to help NXT end the year in emphatic fashion. While the main roster's shows this year have been up and down, each TakeOver special seems to outdo the last.

That will be a mighty difficult task with how good the last three have been, but it's hard to bet against Bayley, Balor and Crews crafting something special again.