By Don Murphy, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@DonThePredictor)
NXT presents Heatwave on Sunday at Bert Ogden Arena in Edinburg, Texas. This is WWE’s latest attempt at counter-programming AEW, and while I don’t know if it’s going to make much of a difference, it’s not a bad lineup. There are a couple of instances of multi-person title matches that I’m not a fan of, but that’s more of a “me” thing. As a brand, NXT is in a true rebuild mode, which makes it interesting to see who is going to catch on and who isn’t. Let’s run down the card!
Tony D’Angelo vs. Cruz Montana vs. Grayson Waller vs. Zilla Fatu in a four-way for the NXT Championship. As regular readers know, I’m not a fan of these unless there’s a good storyline reason. And in this case, I’m not seeing it. I think it’s designed to move the title off of D’Angelo while protecting him from taking the loss. He’s had a fine run on the brand, but his title run is flat, and I think he’s due for a run on the main roster. I’m not sure how he’ll fare, but I think he’s hit the NXT ceiling. In the end, I think the stage is set for Fatu to take the title and for Waller to take the pin. Fatu has been an indie darling for some time, and while I think putting the title on him out of the gate may be premature, I’m curious to let that play out. I’m also interested to see what Montana can do in NXT. He’s a very good promo and worker, as evidenced by his body of work in TNA. The opportunity is there depending on how he’s presented.
Don Predicts: Zilla Fatu defeats Tony D’Angelo, Grayson Waller, and Cruz Montana in a four-way to win the NXT Championship.
Kendal Grey vs. Kelani Jordan for the NXT Women’s Championship. I’ve enjoyed the work of both Grey and Jordan. Grey has it in the ring, though she could use a bit more seasoning as a character. Jordan has found her voice as the obnoxious heel. I don’t see Grey dropping the title here, but I expect to see something happen that gives Jordan an “out” for losing and another reason to complain, which will prolong this program.
Don Predicts: Kendal Grey defeats Kelani Jordan to retain the NXT Championship.
Myles Borne vs. Jackson Drake for the NXT North American Championship. They’ve tried to get Borne over. He’s definitely talented, but something’s missing from a character standpoint. I enjoy Drake and the Vanity Project, and I think his time will come. But, for now, I think the play here is for Borne to retain in a highly competitive match, possibly suffering an injury along the way. This sets up what I think may happen in the next match. More to come…
Don Predicts: Myles Borne defeats Jackson Drake to retain the NXT North American Championship.
Myles Borne and Tavion Heights vs. Brad Baylor and Rick Smokes for the NXT Tag Team Titles. The story here is that Heights has been obsessed with winning a title and elevating himself. While I wasn’t a fan of taking the titles off Baylor and Smokes, I have an idea of where they’re going from a storyline standpoint. Heights wasn’t a fan of Borne putting the North American title up on the same show. As I said, I expect Borne to retain, but have something happen to him that will put him at less than 100 percent here. This sets him up to take the fall and lose the titles, which will likely lead to a Heights heel turn. They didn’t have the best outing last time, but perhaps may find some new energy with a traditional babyface vs. heel dynamic.
Don Predicts: Brad Baylor and Rick Smokes defeat Myles Borne and Tavion Heights to win the NXT Tag Team Titles.
NXT Women’s North American Champion Zaria vs. WWE Women’s Speed Champion Wren Sinclair vs. Kali Armstrong in a Triple Threat unification match. The end of the Women’s Speed Championship? Say it ain’t so! I’ll allow the triple threat solely on the fact that it means the end of that title. I will say that it did help to give Sinclair a bit of a boost. She’s decent in the ring, and she’s coming along nicely as a character. Without the title, I’m curious to see if she can continue to evolve beyond being Kendal Grey’s cheerleader. I actually think she could play a good heel challenger to Grey down the road, but we’re not there yet. I am very high on the potential of Armstrong. I’ve watched her in Evolve and NXT, and she has “it.” That said, I don’t think now is the time to put a title on her when they’re still trying to establish Zaria as a monster heel. I see Zaria retaining but could also see them launching Armstrong as well.
Don Predicts: Zaria defeats Wren Sinclair and Kali Armstrong in a Triple Threat to retain and unify the NXT Women’s North American and WWE Women’s Speed Championships.
Jaida Parker vs. Nattie in a submission match. I’ve been waiting for the creative team to start the Parker push for quite some time. I fear that they may have missed their opportunity, but a win over Nattie gives them the best shot to rekindle any hope of making Parker relevant. As an aside, I can’t say that Nattie’s partnership with Nikita Lyons and Karmen Petrovic is doing anything for me, but it’s still early.
Don Predicts: Jaida Parker defeats Nattie in a submission match.
NXT Heatwave will air live on The CW and stream on ESPN Unlimited (and Netflix internationally) on Sunday at 2CT/3ET. The three-hour show will follow the AAA Ola de Calor event that will stream on YouTube on Sunday morning from the same venue at 11CT/12ET. Join John Moore for his live reviews of both shows. The CW will replay NXT Heatwave on Sunday night at 6CT/7ET. Enjoy Heatwave and enjoy wrestling!
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