ISC Combat Sports prophecy: NXT Takeover 30

The world is experiencing something many thought would never happen and the Coronavirus outbreak has thrown a wrench into the plans of many. Stay at home orders, cleared out shelves at stores, empty arenas, no sports and very little live television were the norm in United States and around the world. The worldwide pandemic has caused the WWE and other wrestling companies to adjust their plans for some of their biggest event of the year.

While professional wrestling has done a great job of keeping people entertained throughout the pandemic, it is still difficult to see some of the storylines play out without an arena full of fans. WrestleMania was the first major event to take place in an empty arena. Now, both the WWE and AEW have done shows in front of a few people which has added to the experience. This weekend, the WWE will have their second biggest event, SummerSlam, take place in a somewhat empty arena. But first, NXT will showcase their stars in their event, NXT Takeover 30. Let’s take a look at the matches and how we see them playing out.

Breezango (Fandango and Tyler Breeze) vs. Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch vs. Legado del Fantasma (Raul Mendoza and Joaquin Wilde) in a Triple threat tag team match to determine the #1 contenders for the NXT Tag Team Championship

This match was added to the card and will be seen on the pre-show. There really isn’t much to say about this match. The most likely outcome of this matchup will see Legado del Fantasma come away with the victory. Mendoza and Wilde have seen a solid push over the last few weeks and you can expect them to continue their hot streak. A victory will give the team a chance to knock of Imperium (Fabian Aichner and Marcel Barthel) for the NXT Tag Team titles. Anything can happen in a triple threat match so that is certainly something to keep an eye on so Lorcan and Burch would also make a lot of sense winning this match.

Bronson Reed vs. Damian Priest vs. Cameron Grimes vs. Johnny Gargano vs. Velveteen Dream in a Ladder match for the vacant NXT North American Championship

The potential is there for this to be a match of the night candidate. These five guys can put on quite the show and a ladder match is the perfect showcase. Bronson Reed, along with Cameron Grimes have seen a solid push over the last few weeks, which is why they will be featured in this match. Damian Priest is another wrestler who has seen his stock rise during the pandemic. The addition of Gargano and Velveteen Dream in this match adds a lot of credibility. Losing this match would not hurt either one in any way. The money is on Priest to come away with the championship and letting him battle it out with Bronson Reed and company over the next few weeks and months.

Io Shirai (c) vs. Dakota Kai (with Raquel González) for the NXT Women’s Championship

Io Shirai has only defended the title once in her short reign so far. While Shirai is a great champion, the time is certainly not now to take the title off of her. Dakota Kai is a bit surprising to be in this position because it doesn’t quite seem like her time. Kai is a fantastic heel and one who does a great job in the ring. Even with Raquel Gonzalez with Kai, Shirai will still come away with the title. This will be a fun match to watch since both women are fantastic in the ring.

Adam Cole vs. Pat McAfee

This is the premier matchup on this show. The buildup to Cole versus McAfee has been simply fantastic. Pat McAfee is absolute money on the microphone and has been quite entertaining during this feud. It is hard to believe we will be seeing Pat McAfee in the ring against an absolute stud like Adam Cole. While the feud has been fantastic verbally leading up to the match, the question will be whether or not it will live up to it inside the ring. Now obviously Cole should be the winner in this match but that will certainly not do anything to help anyone in the future. You would have to think something will happen that will see McAfee come away with the win, which will set up a feud for Cole over the next few weeks and months. Is this where we see the Undisputed Era turn on Cole, giving him at least three new guys to work moving forward. That could be a possibility and one that helps McAfee get the cheap, dirty win.

Keith Lee (c) vs. Karrion Kross (with Scarlett) for the NXT Championship

This would be an amazing match but sadly, it is happening way too fast. Karrion Kross has been dominant during his time in NXT, causing them to thrust him into the title picture. The time is not now for this feud to happen but since it is here, is it the time to take the title off Keith Lee? The domination of Kross has been so great that it would be really hard to see him lose in this match. The same can be said for Lee who kind of needs the title around his waist to continue his rise. The timing of this matchup just feels incredibly rushed and that does not help either man. It is hard to see taking the title off of Lee after such a short reign. The only way out of this is for a double count out or disqualification finish to keep both men strong, this way, this feud can continue.

Chris Asbrock is a staff writer and analyst for Impact Sports Cincinnati and can be followed on Twitter Follow @iamchrisasbrock and Follow @ISCincy