WWE NXT is set to kick off a new era on The CW in just a few weeks, and while we already knew one of the marquee match-ups happening at the show as well as a major superstar appearance, even more revelations came to light during tonight’s NXT for the big premiere. Some of it happened on the show, some of it happened on social media, and still some other possible matches and appearances were simply teased over the course of the night. We thought would would collect everything already confirmed for the show, what’s been teased, and our big predictions for the start of NXT’s next big era on The CW.
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Superstar Appearances
Let’s begin with some of the big appearances happening at the premiere, one of which was revealed during the original CW deal announcement. That would be Mr. best in the world CM Punk, which is fitting since the premiere will take place in Punk’s hometown of Chicago. Having Punk there is a no-brainer as far as attention, but it also makes a lot of sense with how involved Punk has been with NXT overall since he returned to WWE, and that’s also why he’s not just showing up for the premier.
Tonight’s NXT revealed that Punk will be showing up before the big premiere festivities, as he will be making a mysterious announcement during next week’s episode of NXT. It’s not know what he will reveal, but he’s already had discussions with NXT GM Ava Raine, and it stemmed from his reaction to Giulia’s NXT debut. Does Punk have someone in mind from Raw that could be a great next opponent for Giulia? Your guess is as good as mine on that one.
Punk’s not the only revelation from tonight’s episode though, as WWE also announced that The Miz will be making the trip to Chicago to host a special episode of Miz TV. There’s no announcement of his guest, but one very interesting possibility is The Don of NXT Tony D’Angelo. Perhaps that’s just me wanting to wish that into existence as a huge fan of both, but even still, here’s hoping.
Before tonight’s episode even started there were two more superstars throwing their hats into the ring, as WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill both tweeted about heading to Chicago for the premiere. Then Shawn Michaels pretty much confirmed that by saying he would see them in Chicago, so it appears both the men and women’s division will be getting some welcome crossovers with the main roster at the show.
The Matches
Before tonight there was only one actual match confirmed for the show, though it was a major one, as Roxanne Perez will defend her NXT Women’s Championship against NXT’s new signing Giulia. Tonight the two superstars met again backstage after Giulia took down Chelsea Green, and this match should absolutely be the main event of the night.
Tonight’s main event cemented the other NXT Championship match for the premiere, as Trick Williams was able to defeat Pete Dunne for the number one contender spot. Williams will now face Ethan Page for his NXT Championship during the premiere, but this time they won’t be battling two other competitors. It will be one on one this time around, though you can’t help but wonder if some shenanigans are in store.
While those are the only two confirmed matches, there was one more match made all but official. During the night Wes Lee took Vic Joseph’s headset and challenged Zachary Wentz to a street fight at the premiere. Wentz took down Lee at No Mercy with a clean win, and the night before became TNA’s X-Division Champion, so Lee would love nothing more than to take his former friend down a notch with a win on the NXT CW stage.
Predictions and Surprises
That brings us to what could possibly happen, and a few things seemed pretty locked in. Right now the NXT Women’s Title and the NXT Title are both in the mix, and neither one involves someone from TNA. With the variety of crossovers every week now, there’s no way one doesn’t happen during the premiere. Since we’re obviously building to something with Wendy Choo and Jordynne Grace, we could see a one-on-one match between Grace and Choo, but it might be too early for that. If so, perhaps we get a Tag Team match between the teams of Choo and Rosemary and Grace and Sol Ruca, who faced her tonight during her open challenge.
As for other crossovers, the big one out there is Josh Alexander, who has yet to cross paths with his former Tag Team partner Ethan Page since Page became NXT Champion. There’s also the possibility of Joe Hendry getting into the lineup at the premiere, and since he also has a feud with Alexander in TNA, that could be a way to work all that in.
Then there’s Fatal Influence, who have been a factor on NXT TV but are still looking to get some big wins as a team. Tonight’s NXT teased that Jacy Jayne might be mixing it up with Grace, but then there’s another team-up being teased between Lola Vice and Jaida Parker. Kelani Jordan is the one telling Vice this is a good pairing to take down Fatal Influence, so while Vice and Parker could team-up to take them on, the Trio aspect could mean that Jordan completes the opposing team for a showdown at the premiere.
Lyra Valkyria has also popped up in NXT to help her friend Tatum Paxley, and Paxley has also run across the new team of Rosemary and Choo. If we don’t see Grace in the mix with Choo, we could see Valkyria and Paxley take point on that and deliver a tag match at the show, and who knows, maybe that is a way to also have Valkyria run into Grace for an eventual match between them.
Full Updated Card (Confirmed Matches)
- NXT Women’s Championship: Roxanne Perez (C) vs. Giulia
- NXT Championship Match: Ethan Page (C) vs. Trick Williams
Predicted Matches:
- Street Fight: Wes Lee vs. Zachary Wentz
- Jordynne Grace and Sol Ruca vs Wendy Choo and Rosemary
What do you think of the card so far? You can talk all things wrestling with me on Threads and Twitter @mattaguilarcb!
