NXT TakeOver Philadelphia: Predicting Biggest Surprises, Most Shocking Moments
NXT has put on some of the most consistently great pay-per-view events of the year, and the next event, TakeOver: Philadelphia on January 27, is shaping up to deliver quite the same.
Despite having half the resources to draw from and a card of only five matches, WWE's developmental system is sure to put out all the stops.
While that is something to bank on, what are some of the things that we might actually not see coming?
Every WWE show has its share of surprises, and TakeOver: Philadelphia has the potential to really turn heads with some of its matches, so let's take a look at the possible shocks we might be in store for come Saturday evening.
Snubs and Surprise Winners from NXT Year-End Awards
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Likely during the pre-show of TakeOver: Philadelphia, the winners of the NXT Year-End Awards will be announced.
As the results are determined through hashtag votes on Twitter, there's no way of knowing what will happen as the fanbase debates on every topic so much that it's impossible to tell which way votes will lean.
There are still at least a few favorites in every category, but the idea of an outsider going above and beyond to win isn't unheard of.
For example, Ruby Riott had a much less successful year in NXT than Asuka or Ember Moon, but fans who watch her on SmackDown Live might rally behind The Riott Squad to give her enough votes for a victory.
The same goes for Roderick Strong possibly upsetting his competition for Male Competitor of the Year or Sonya Deville winning Breakout Star of the Year.
Perhaps the most interesting and shocking outcome would be if Lio Rush managed to secure enough support to win the Future Star of NXT award, considering how this is a Twitter-based votes and his tweets have gotten him in hot water these past few months.
Everyone will have their own perspective on who should win which awards, so we'll all be surprised by at least a few of the results, and it's just a matter of which ones will be the most shocking.
Aleister Black Suffers Another Pinfall Loss
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Since his debut, Aleister Black has been booked with one of the best records in NXT, building up an impressive win-loss record.
Recently, though, he fell victim to Johnny Gargano in the Fatal 4-Way to determine the No. 1 contender to the NXT Championship, which was the first time he's been pinned on television ever under this moniker.
The last loss he suffered was to Neville at the United Kingdom Championship tournament in January 2017, but he had wrestled under the name Tommy End, which basically renders it non-canon to the current viewer.
After having such an amazing 2017, it would be odd to see Black pinned yet again so quickly after his recent loss, even though Adam Cole is no slouch to be overestimated.
Essentially, this is a game where Cole can lose and nobody would bat an eye, but if Black comes up short, the crowd will raise some eyebrows.
What saves Black is the potential that this loss can come from some surprise interference by the other two members of The Undisputed Era, Kyle O'Reilly and Bobby Fish, as this is an Extreme Rules match with no disqualifications.
This allows Cole to get the win in an underhanded fashion to keep Black looking strong, but also humanize him a bit so further losses later this year don't sting quite so much.
A Double-Turn for the Velveteen Dream and Kassius Ohno
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It's no surprise the WWE Universe likes to go against the grain now and again, particularly in towns with a reputation for being a bit more rambunctious.
Philadelphia normally has exactly that type of atmosphere, but if you live in the area like yours truly, you can feel that the energy has been even more palpable since the Eagles qualified for the Super Bowl.
This means WWE can wholeheartedly expect the potential for babyfaces to be booed and heels to be cheered even if it wouldn't make any sense whatsoever.
With Kassius Ohno and The Velveteen Dream, however, there is even more of a chance WWE goes with the flow and actually has the two flip the script.
Their feud is virtually nonexistent and mostly relies on a quick backstage segment where Ohno picked a fight and pushed The Velveteen Dream, which made him come off more like a jerk than he has since his return to NXT.
In opposition to that, the creative team surely hear the rousing support the crowd has given The Velveteen Dream not only at TakeOver: WarGames against Aleister Black, but even in his match against Johnny Gargano.
Perhaps the plan is for a double-turn to take place where by the end of the fight, Ohno is the one who looks like the villain and he's cemented The Velveteen Dream as a fan favorite instead of a heel?
It's doubtful this would be some masterful turn like Bret Hart and Steve Austin from WrestleMania 13, but it could still be an interesting direction to go and a way to freshen up Ohno's character, as he's been struggling to maintain relevance for quite some time.
Then, following this turn, The Velveteen Dream could find himself the next rightful No. 1 contender to Andrade "Cien" Almas, if he were to retain the NXT Championship to circle back on the original Fatal 4-Way booking.
Who Takes the NXT Women's Championship Loss?
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Given the context of the match, Ember Moon vs. Shayna Baszler is pretty cut and dry where one of the women is going to have to fail while the other succeeds.
Heading into this feud, though, both are set up so well that either outcome will be surprising.
If you're a fan of Moon, then she surely can't drop the NXT Women's Championship so soon after finally winning it just as recently as the previous TakeOver event, WarGames, right?
That would mean she spent a sizable amount of time in 2017 failing to achieve her goal against Asuka, only to lose it after just one single title defense on television.
On the other hand, for Baszler to not win seems like just as odd of a call to make considering how well she's been built up and what the future has in store for her.
It seems like a lock that Ronda Rousey will be competing in a WWE ring soon enough, which means Baszler will be tapped to make some kind of appearance to help that angle out.
When that happens, the stronger Baszler looks the better, so if she's holding the NXT Women's Championship, that helps her credibility more than anything.
Her first loss came in the finals of the Mae Young Classic that she was dominant in, so another loss goes against the grain of kickstarting her NXT career in the right way.
Then again, what if this conundrum forces WWE to do an even more shocking result by having no winner declared and the fight going to some kind of draw?
It will be interesting to see in what direction the company chooses to go and how it affects the following night's women's Royal Rumble, NXT TakeOver: New Orleans and WrestleMania season.
The Return of Tommaso Ciampa
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As it stands right now, Johnny Gargano has the heart, determination, passion and skill to overcome Andrade "Cien" Almas and finally cement his career by winning the NXT Championship.
Given that Almas is a pompous heel who will cut corners and even utilize his beautiful and deceitful manager Zelina Vega as a distraction and interference, the odds are stacked against Johnny Wrestling, which makes his potential triumph so enticing.
That is why it will be infinitely more heartbreaking when he is just about to grab that brass ring and it gets snatched away from him by the surprise return of his former best friend, Tommaso Ciampa.
These two split from their tag team of #DIY at TakeOver: Chicago when they lost to The Authors of Pain, causing Ciampa to flip out and attack Gargano.
Since then, Ciampa has been rehabbing his injuries, and this is the perfect time for him to come back and strike where it hurts to rekindle their feud.
Assuming he's healed enough to be able to step back in the ring to do this, attacking Gargano and costing him the NXT Championship not only gives Almas an out for how he could retain the title, it also sets up an intense grudge match between Ciampa and Gargano for New Orleans.
This checks all the boxes of what would be the most beneficial for all parties involved, including the fans who are expecting to see Gargano walk away with the title.
What surprises do you think are coming for TakeOver: Philadelphia? Tell us your predictions in the comments below!
Anthony Mango is the owner of the wrestling website Smark Out Moment and the host of the podcast show Smack Talk on YouTube, iTunes and Stitcher. You can follow him on Facebook and elsewhere for more.
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