Last night’s NXT TakeOver: In Your House was action-packed, and throughout the night a number of surprising twists and turns presented themselves. Some rivalries were completely wrapped up, while others got off to a hot start and still others left fans completely shocked, and that’s not even including the new title picture. There are a number of questions about what comes next, but we’ve also got a few ideas on what we would like to see next for our favorite NXT superstars. That’s why I’m breaking down the 7 feuds that I want to see spin out of TakeOver: In Your House, and you can check them all out starting on the next slide!
Videos by ComicBook.com
To get you up to speed with what took place on last night’s TakeOver, Adam Cole managed to retain his NXT Championship against Velveteen Dream, and his win means Dream cannot challenge for the NXT Championship again as long as Cole holds the title. Elsewhere in the title picture, Keith Lee retained his North American Championship after a hard-fought match against Johnny Gargano, who tried just about everything, including hitting Lee with keys to the face, to take the victory.
In the final title match of the night, Io Shirai took down Charlotte Flair and Rhea Ripley to become the new NXT Women’s Champion, and a brand new era begins with her win.
It wasn’t just about Championship gold though, as Karrion Kross came out swinging and got a huge and surprisingly dominating win against Tommaso Ciampa. Elsewhere Finn Balor was able to weather the storm and take the victory against Damian Priest, and it looked like these two will both move onto other things from here.
There was also a huge 6 Woman Tag Team Match that included Mia Yim, Tegan Nox, Shotzi Blackheart, Dakota Kai, Candice LeRae, and Raquel Gonzalez, and despite all the people involved, Nox managed to pin her former best friend and now hated enemy Kai clean for the win. That was a big win for the team and for Nox, and we’re definitely interested to see where all of these talented stars go from here.
The good news is I’ve already got some ideas, so hit the next slide to see the 7 feuds we want to see kick off from last night’s TakeOver. As always let us know what you think in the comments or find me on Twitter @MattAguilarCB for all things NXT!
Velveteen Dream vs Finn Balor
Now, this one really depends on what the plans are for Dream. Like Riddle, Dream’s loss might be a way to end his feud in NXT in preparation for a move to Raw or SmackDown, and if we had to guess it would most likely be Raw.
That said, if he isn’t red or blue brand bound, then this would be a great time to follow up on an earlier tease we got between Dream and Finn Balor, who is also in need of a new opponent after his win against Damian Priest at In Your House. These two can be insanely creative in the ring and would put on one hell of a show in a full-on feud.
Tegan Nox vs Candice LeRae
The seeds for this one have already been planted, and Nox’s pin and win for her team at In Your House will only add more fuel to the fire for LeRae. Nox also got a clean pin on Dakota Kai in the match, so while it’s not the true ending to their feud, they could leave it there for a bit and let Nox and LeRae go at it until they are ready for that feud to truly end.
This feud could benefit both Nox and LeRae if the right mix of storytelling and reality is found, and both are always dynamite in the ring, so fingers crossed this happens.
Io Shirai vs Candice LeRae
Now, if Nox ends up finishing off her feud with Dakota Kai for at least a bit longer, LeRae will need an opponent. If that’s the case, then why not have LeRae beย Io Shira’s first challenger for her NXT Women’s Championship? LeRae’s new persona has been a hit with fans, and it would play quite well against Shirai’s pseudo-anti-heroย character.
The two have been involved in plenty of matches together, but few not with the current iterations of either star and LeRae’s heelish antics could make a No DQ or Ladder Match style match immensely entertaining. Plus, it would be the polar opposite of Charlotte and Ripley, who Shirai has faced countless times over the past few months in some form or fashion.
Finn Balor vs Adam Cole
While the previously mentioned matchup of Velveteen Dream vs Balor would be great, it might be time for Balor to reclaim his Championship gold, and the only way he can do that at the moment is to take down Adam Cole and his Undisputed ERA faction. The Priest Balor feud resulted in a small loss of steam for Balor’s recent momentum, and this would be the perfect way to fix that and get the train moving once more.
Balor has been on a mission to show that he “is” NXT, and there’s no better way to do that than by becoming Champion once more. Plus, if someone was going to take down Cole, there aren’t many left who have a credible chance or aren’t tied up in other feuds, and Balor is one of the few that is free at the moment and has the cache to take Cole down in a believable way.
Balor could take on the individual parts of the Undisputed ERA like he was with Imperium before that fell apart due to some members of the squad being started in the U.K. Then at the next TakeOver Balor would take the gold and the team might just dismantle completely or move to another Brand.
Keith Lee vs Adam Cole
When I said there were only a few credible threats to Adam Cole, the other main person I had in mind was Keith Lee. The Limitless one retained his North American Championship successfully at In Your House, and while there are probably a few more matches with Gargano to look forward to, his next adventure might mean dropping the title so he can go after an even bigger prize.
Having Lee in the NXT Championship picture means we get to see Cole take on Lee in a series of matches that have the potential to be jaw-dropping, especially with their contrasting styles. We saw a bit of that with Lee’s match with Gargano, and Cole can definitely deliver the same sort of energy and contrast to a powerhouse like Lee. Plus, this would be the best way to segue Cole out of the title picture and possibly onto another brand and kickstart the Lee Championship era in grand fashion.
Finn Balor vs Karrion Kross
If Balor isn’t NXT title bound, then there’s another force of nature that could be fantastic. Karrion Kross and Scarlett have already built great buzz with their first appearances and a surprising win against Tommaso Ciampa at In Your House. It’s easy to see a few more matchups between Ciampa and Kross before this feud ends, but once it’s done, pitting Kross against Balor would be instant money.
Their athleticismย and speed match up well, and these could really be stellar matches if the right program is built around it. That said, we’re not sure how you build this in a way that doesn’t halt the momentum of either star, so it might not be a great thing to do this right now. Still, when it does happen, it should deliver some memorable matches, and we hope NXT can figure out a way to make it happen sooner than later.
Shotzi Blackheart vs Dakota Kai
Dakota Kai was pinned by Tegan Nox, and while there is the chance the two will finish off their long-running feud with a one on one match at some point, In Your House might have been the end of it for now. If that’s the case, you could finish off Blackheart’s current feud with Raquel Gonzalez and tag in Kai as the next obstacle for Blackheart to overcome.
Again, there’s already enough here to kick off a proper feud, and as Kai has already shown, she can have all sorts of fun in the ring with Blackheart, including many other tank jacking scenarios. Kai and Blackheart’s styles match up well, and both could really put on a show in the ring if both are given the room to maneuver and the match stipulations to bring out the best in their rivalry.
