Adrian Neville (c) vs. Sami Zayn; NXT Championship
Adrian Neville (c) vs. Sami Zayn; NXT Championship
The Man that Gravity Forgot is approaching nine months with the promotion's top belt, but a couple of his latest wins have been via less-than-honorable means - and both came at the expense of his friend Sami. Zayn has had the title within his grasp many times, and his failure to "win the big one" has been the theme of this program. That Neville kept him from winning the big one by grabbing the referee to stop a three count and rolling up Zayn while another ref held up the 'X' sign to call for help for the Brit's supposedly injured knee has added a lot of gray shading to his character.
On last week's show, the Likeable One said that he would quit if he couldn't beat Neville for the championship. Both Adrian and General Manager William Regal tried to talk him down from that ultimatum, and no stipulation has officially been added to their bout as of yet*.
Charlotte (c) vs. Sasha Banks; Women's championship
Ric Flair's daughter is only the second person to hold NXT's top prize for female wrestlers, and has been champ since this Summer. She's successfully beaten back a couple of challenges from Bayley, but her former stable mate Banks has been on quite a roll over the last few months. The Boss has recruited a new sidekick in Becky Lynch, and the duo have terrorized Charlotte and the plucky challenger she's found a new respect for as a result of their title battles. Banks beating Bayley in October to become #1 contender.
Hideo Itami & Finn Bálor vs. The Ascension
Konnor & Viktor were still smarting from having the record-setting tag title reign ended at Takeover: Fatal 4Way, and they decided that taking out their frustrations on Regal's prize signee KENTA would be a good way to remind everyone at NXT about their dominence. The Japanese Superstar, who was renamed Itami at the event, fought them off that night, but the numbers game would get the better of him more often than not over the coming weeks. Three weeks ago, he brought fellow international star Bálor with him to run off The Ascension. The playing field is even, but the score still isn't settled.
Lucha Dragons (c) vs. the Vaudevillains; NXT Tag Team Championship
The neon garbed luchadores haven't been terribly active since they won the belts at Fatal 4Way, winning a rematch over The Ascension with the help of a distraction by Itami and otherwise facing a lot of enhancement talent. Kalisto & Sin Cara have not had much more than a staredown with the men they defeated in the tag tournament to earn the right to face Konnor & Viktor. That despite Aiden English & Simon Gotch using the weeks since winning a battle royal to become #1 contenders to humilate a pair of little people dressed as Lucha Dragons.
The debut of Kevin OwensFormer Ring of Honor and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla champion Kevin Steen will make his first televised appearance in WWE, joining Zayn, Neville, Itami and Bálor to round out Triple H's much hyped signing class. His promos have promised that he will fight anyone and everyone. Will he fight, Owens, fight on December 11th?The previous three shows have featured six or seven matches within their two hour run time. Possible candidates to fill out the card at R Evolutioninclude Tyler Breeze against Marcus Louis to further the beauty vs. the beast angle that started on the November 27th episode, Baron Corbin vs. Bull Dempsey in a battle of the big guys who squash people or Lynch vs. Bayley if the opt to put two women's bouts on for the first time.
WWE NXT Takeover R Evolution Match Card & Predictions
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Oleh
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