NXT preview (Aug. 21, 2019): Beast vs. Bro

NXT returns to us tonight (Aug. 21) with their first real episode after TakeOver: Toronto. This month is the last month of one hour pre-taped NXT episodes prior to moving to live two-hour episodes on USA Network.

Advertised for tonight:

• Matt Riddle vs. Killian Dain
• Vanessa Borne vs. Mia Yim
• Shane Thorne vs. Bronson Reed
• Undisputed ERA in the house

As per usual, here are our five questions about NXT tonight:

1) Is this main event getting a real finish?

Matt Riddle will face Killian Dain in the main event of tonight’s episode of NXT. That’s a great match to end a show with. It’s a hot angle that could have snuck onto the TakeOver card. (That spot went to Candice LeRae and Io Shirai, who proved they definitely deserved it.)

Not that Riddle and Dain were left off TakeOver entirely. They had brief but fun brawl between matches to help hype this match.

Is that enough to make this the definitive match of the feud? Or do they find yet another way to extend it?

I could see it going both ways. On one hand, they’ve promised this match without delivering before. They can only go to that well so much without fans losing some faith. But on the other hand, this is a strong program they can get more mileage out of.

2) If there’s a finish, who wins?

This is a match where a win is huge.

The Beast of Belfast has not had a match since his return to NXT so winning is really important for him. A loss could derail any early momentum. Plus, Riddle is a star in the promotion. That’d be a marquee win and one that could put Killian in contention for a title sooner than later.

However, the Bro is a blue chipper. A win here would surely put him in NXT title contention. With Gargano out of the title scene, the opening would be there. But a loss would knock him back.

If I were to guess, Dain wins since he needs to win more. But if they may want to position Riddle vs. Adam Cole as the big title match for move to USA. We’ll have to wait and see tonight.

3) So Gargano is sticking around, right?

Normally, after losing to Adam Cole at TakeOver: Toronto, we’d be waiting for Johnny Wrestling to show up on Raw or SmackDown.

But now, NXT is head to USA in a month, pretty much making it an equal brand. With an extra hour to fill (well, 20-30 minutes if you take into account that USA is going to have a lot more commercials), they’re not going to send talent to the other brands.

However, if they feel they’ve done all they could with Johnny Wrestling, they could trade him for someone else on Raw or SmackDown. It would have to be a pretty strong addition though since Gargano has been one of the faces of NXT for awhile.

4) Who will Jordan Myles choose?

Jordan Myles won the Breakout Tournament last week and now has the right to challenge anyone for a title. That could lead to some fun matches ups: Myles vs. Cole or Myles vs. Velveteen Dream if he doesn’t wait.

If they do it now, it’ll be a good match that Myles will definitely lose. Or Jordan can take some time, establish himself on the roster, and possible win himself a title.

5) Is Shayna going to be champion forever?

The question about Women’s champion Shayna Baszler has been “When is she getting called up?” But like with Johnny, maybe she doesn’t.

That’s always been a reason to predict she’s going to lose that title she’s held for so long. But now that reasoning/rationalization could be off the table.

There’s still a story to be told about someone finally dethroning such a long standing heel champion. But the idea of rushing her up to the main roster since she’s one of the older members of the roster may no longer be valid.

We’ll see if we get answers to any of these questions to night at 8 ET on the WWE Network.

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