Rasslin’ Roundtable for NXT Takeover Orlando

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Tonight is NXT Takeover Orlando! Here is the Pulse Wrestling crew’s full match by match preview and predictions:

NXT Title
Bobby Roode (c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

John Turnbull: The king of strong style returns from injury in what should be a fantastic match. This seems likely to be Nakamura’s last stop before moving up to the big leagues (and probably getting buried for not looking like a He-Man action figure) and Roode hasn’t held the belt for that long, so I can see the Glorious one picking up the win with some classic heel strategies.
Winner: Bobby Roode

Penny – Roode is exactly where he needs to be right now, giving a badly gutted NXT some star power and credibility. And Nakamora is on his way to Smackdown, so consider this his send-off.
Winner – The Glorious No Brainer

Jake Ziegler – Sounds like Nakamura is on his way to the main roster, so I see Roode retaining here and continuing on his glorious reign.
Winner: Bobby Roode

Sam P: – In what should be a step up from their previous bout, I’m mainly looking forward to the entrances. Roode could enter to a 200 man choir, who then turn on him to reveal violins and play in Nakamura. You’re welcome WWE.
Winner: Bobby Roode

Michael McMonigle – I can’t help but think Nakamura shows up either Monday or Tuesday on one of the main brands. And if that is the case, he probably doesn’t need to be carrying the NXT strap with him. Plus, giving Roode another win over Nakamura further legitimizes him as champ. Maybe Hideo Itami or someone can come down and accidentally nail Nakamura so Roode gets the cheap victory and his next opponent.
Winner: Bobby Roode

Lewis Michie: As I feel that I am desperate to see Nakamura on the main roster, I’ve got to go with Roode here, and I’m sure it will be fantastic bout.
Winner: Roode

NXT Women’s Title
Asuka (c) vs. Ember Moon

JT: Asuka has been on a roll lately, taking out competitors left and right, while Ember Moon has a great look but might be a tiny bit dangerous in the ring. I have a sneaking suspicion that the uninjured Aussie mean girl might play a role in the finish of this match, but it should be a fun time either way.
Winner: Ember Moon

Penny – Speaking of the gutting of NXT, Asuka has literally NO competition that poses a believable challenge thanks to said roster gutting. Moon has talent and potential, but she’s just not ready to carry the division.
Winner – Asuka’s gonna kill about 5 minutes or so.

Jake Ziegler – Ember is cool but doesn’t seem quite over enough to take the title from Asuka yet. They’ve been teasing Asuka’s winning streak a la Goldberg, so I think they’ll keep that going.
Winner: Asuka

Sam P: – Hyping the Eclipse as the deadliest move in all Christendom is supposedly what is giving Ember Moon a fighting chance in this match. Hopefully, Wrestlemania is will see Asuka move up to the main roster, and while this is an opportunity to have her drop the belt before the promotion, it’s a little too early for Ember. Having Asuka forced into relinquishing the NXT Women’s Title would keep her super strong, and leave her with an unblemished record.
Winner: Asuka

Michael – I don’t know. As weird as it sounds, this seems rushed to me. I mean, everyone was saying Ember Moon was the next opponent for Asuka from the moment she came into NXT. But all the heat has been on Peyton Royce and Billie Kay for the longest while. Plus, at the last Takeover event, they sure teased an Asuka/Nikki Cross confrontation as the next hot feud in the Woman’s division. Anyway, forget all of that because this should be a really good match. The potential to bring Asuka up to the main rosters is definitely there, but I am not sure they have a storyline ready.
Winner: Asuka

Lewis Michie: Part of me really wants to see Asuka come to the main roster with a 100% record, but if Ember Moon is to take the title, this is the stage and I simply don’t see anyone else doing it.
Winner: Ember Moon

NXT Tag Team Titles
The Authors of Pain (Akam and Rezar) (c) (with Paul Ellering) vs. #DIY (Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa) vs. The Revival (Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder)

JT: There are two really good teams in this match, and also the Authors of Pain. While triple-threat tag matches are often a bit of a clusterf**k, if the big guys let DIY and The Revival call the shots we might end up with a decent match.
Winners: DIY

Penny – Rumours have both DIY AND The Revival getting callups soon, so chances are LOD Lite will retain here.
Winners – The Authors of wasting Paul Ellering’s talent.

Jake Ziegler – I’m thinking there has to be one title change, and giving #DIY a big moment on WrestleMania weekend sounds right, conquering their two biggest rivals.
Winners: #DIY

Sam P: – Raw and Smackdown desperately need an extra tag team or two, so surely The Revival are primed to fill that void, and there’s still legs in pitting DIY against each other after a possible heel turn. All of this points at an The Authors penning another victory story.
Winner: Authors Of Pain

Michael – Have the WWE brass given up on the Authors of Pain already? I doubt it. #DIY and The Revival handle the majority of the match and make it a really good. Then the Authors of Pain destroy both teams and win. And everyone boos.
Winner: The Authors of Pain

The Authors of Pain (Akam and Rezar) (c) (with Paul Ellering) vs. #DIY (Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa) vs. The Revival (Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder)
Lewis Michie: Well this has probably got to be the match on this card I’m most excited for. The tag team division in NXT has been killing it for over a year now and despite loosing important parts, such as American Alpha, it has barely lost any momentum. Although there really can only be one winner here.
Winner: Authors of Pain

Andrade “Cien” Almas vs. Aleister Black

JT: After putting on a great showing against Oney Lorkin last week, I’m starting to like Cien Almas a little more, but there is no way in hell they’re bringing in Tommy End/Aleister Black after weeks of awesome promos and then jobbing him out.
Winner: Aleister Black

Penny – I’m sorry but who cares?

Jake Ziegler – Very few people in NXT lose in their debut. I can’t remember the last time actually.
Winner: Aleister Black

Sam P: – If you’ve never seen any of Black’s work as Tommy End, you’re in for a treat. The guy is a machine, and while Almas’ style doesn’t necessarily mesh with the hard hitting Dutchman, this will be solid showcase for the renamed Anti-Hero to announce his arrival on the yellow brand.
Winner: Aleister Black

Michael – Andrade “Cien” Almas has found himself a role in NXT. Unfortunately that role is being incoming fodder for new, highly-touted recruits. That’s not the worst thing in the world, but having Almas actually string a few wins together will just enhance that role. As for Aleister Black, I know very little of his gimmick, but I know Tommy End was pretty solid in the ring. Hopefully, NXT signs Kyle O’Reilly soon so we can get an Aleister Black/Kyle O’Reilly feud which will end only when one of them is turned into ground chuck.
Winner: Aleister Black

Lewis Michie: I’ve been really enjoying Almas’s work as of late, which grates with me a little that he has to lose here and is playing a gate keeper role here. Nonetheless I love Black’s look, and whenever I’ve seem him wrestle, it’s a hell of a watch.
Winner: Aleister Black

SAnitY (Eric Young, Killian Dain, Alexander Wolfe, and Nikki Cross) vs Tye Dillinger, Roderick Strong, No Way Jose, and Ruby Riot

JT – the create-a-wrestler stable known as Sanity (I refuse to capitalize mid-word) take on the oddball team of No Way Jose, Roderick Strong, Tye Dillinger and recent addition Ruby Riot in what promises to be a bit of a shambles. Dillinger has been on a good run lately but seems to have lost some momentum by picking up dead wood (I’m looking at you, Jose) while Ruby Riot looks like she should be joining Sanity. There is a chance that this could be okay if they keep the interference to a minimum, but I don’t really expect that to happen. Since his debut Eric Young hasn’t really done much to impress, while Alexander Wolfe struggles not to suck, so let’s hope crazy Scot Nikki Cross and man-bear Killian Dane can carry the load.
Winners: Dillinger, Strong, Jose and Riot

Penny – Sanity is kinda treading water and not really hitting it’s stride as a psycho faction, despite Eric Young’s strong work. I think the main draw of this match will actually be the interaction between Ruby and Nikki. At the end of the day though, the faces usually go over in clusterfuck multi-participant tags like this, so let’s go with them.
Winners – Not the Diet Wyatts 2.0

Jake Ziegler – I think Ruby Riot is going to go over on Cross here to set up another match. This should be a lot of fun.
Winners: Tye Dillinger, Roderick Strong, No Way Jose, and Ruby Riot

Sam P: – I feel like we’ve already seen this match a bunch of times. Still, there’s enough talent here to keep it entertaining. If Dillinger isn’t on the main roster this year, there’s no justice in this world.
Winner: The Faces

Michael – I see no reason why either of these teams should go over. The lack of direction to the face side’s careers is startling. Dillinger, Strong, and Jose could and should all be in the title hunt. At the very least, it would get some good matches out of Roode’s title reign. Ruby Riot is the new wrestler in town, so her team should take the victory.
Winners: Not-SAnitY

Lewis Michie: I’m looking forward to this one. There is going to be a lot of moving parts here, but these are some good parts. Can only assume there is one possible winning team here.
Winner: Tye Dillinger, No Way Jose, Roderick Strong and Ruby Riot.

Jonathan Widro is the owner and founder of Inside Pulse. Over a decade ago he burst onto the scene with a pro-WCW reporting style that earned him the nickname WCWidro. Check him out on Twitter for mostly inane non sequiturs