NXT preview (Mar. 4, 2020): Killer Difference

NXT returns tonight (Mar. 4) from Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida. They are building towards TakeOver: Tampa on Apr. 4.

Advertised for tonight:

• Velveteen Dream vs. Roderick Strong (cage match)
• Tegan Nox vs. Dakota Kai (cage match)
• Will Imperium continue to target Finn Bálor?
• Beginning of the qualifiers for the Tampa ladder match
• Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish vs. Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch (per William Regal)
• What’s next for Ciampa & Gargano?

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

1) Is Killer Kross coming?

Last week, NXT aired a video teaser that many, including myself, think is an obvious Killer Kross promo. The “tick tock” is a pretty in your face clue given that’s been his gimmick in the past.

However, there’s also word they want to push him quickly upon his debut. And with SmackDown having its own teaser video glitches, there’s speculation those are actually for him instead.

I’d prefer Kross in NXT. Honestly, they could really some new blood, especially in their men’s division. They haven’t turned over the roster like they used to given they now have their two hour live show. And because of that, NXT has been feeling just a bit stale lately. It’s been the same guys at the top shuffled around. Hell, we’re getting Tommaso Ciampa & Johnny Gargano again. Even though it’s something I’m intrigued by, it’s not something new. And NXT needs something new.

They don’t have anyone like Kross. He’d bring a vibe they don’t have. And he from what I saw of his work in Impact, he’d bring a style they don’t have. Their matches all feel like they have too similar a style so that could help too.

NXT could use a killer to shake things up on Wednesdays.

2) Who wins the feud?

Tegan Nox and Dakota Kai meet in their rubber match tonight.

Tegan won on TV weeks back when Kai had no back up (and Tegan did in Candice LeRae). Dakota won at TakeOver when Raquel González debuted as Kai’s heavy. Now they meet in the cage to decide this.

Traditional thinking is the cage should keep out González to make this an even match. That’s traditional thinking by someone who’s never watched a wrestling match. There’s no doubt Raquel will get involved. Will it be enough for the villain to pick up a victory?

If I had to guess, I think Dakota gets the win here. It feels like she’s in a position where she’d be weakened more from a loss. They just introduce a bodyguard and she still loses? It’d be tough to sell her as a threat if that’s the case. If they give Nox a decent excuse for not winning, they can come back to this down the road when Dakota is positioned better.

3) What was up with that ending last week?

Last week’s NXT ended with a dud.

After an enjoyable match between Charlotte Flair & Bianca Belair, the Queen followed up her victory by trying to injure the leg of Bianca Belair. That’s when Rhea Ripley’s music played, and she slowly walked out to perform her entrance routine while Charlotte continued to inflict damage on Belair.

It made zero sense. Even the argument that Rhea hates Charlotte but doesn’t care for Belair, which was Ripley’s twitter explanation, doesn’t fly given she was cool to team up with Bianca and drop Charlotte weeks back. Hell, in that segment, the NXT champ said she didn’t care for the way the Queen was disrespecting the EST.

We’ll see if they pretend it never happened or if Belair walks out pissed about how the champ was more concerned about her own pose than Bianca’s leg.

4) Who will be the four in the ladder match?

Last week, NXT announced there would a ladder match at TakeOver: Tampa involving four women to decide who will be #1 contender to the Women’s title after WrestleMania. William Regal said qualifiers would start this week, but they aren’t specifically advertised in this week’s preview. So we’re going to use this space to speculate and fantasy book.

This match needs a veteran and that spot usually goes to Candice LeRae, who’s role I worry is becoming “good hand of NXT.” Personally, I’d have her win the thing and give her a real title feud. She had one of the throwaway title matches on the first 2-hour NXT on USA, but I don’t count that. They used her because they weren’t ready to put her in a longterm program.

I would put either Tegan Nox or Dakota Kai in the match, but probably not both. That program should end tonight, at least for a bit. I’d personally put Tegan in the match, even though I think Dakota should and will win tonight. But either would work.

The third should go to a rookie, and in this role I’d put Chelsea Green. She’s seasoned, so she’s ready for a big match like this. But she’s new to NXT, and this would put a good spotlight on her and the Robert Stone Brand who, right now, is just her.

I’m not as set on the forth. I wouldn’t put Bianca Belair in. She’d either have to lose, which she should avoid, or she’d win and face one of those two women she just lost to. It could work, but may be best to play up her injury to make her ineligible. I am assuming Io Shirai won’t be healthy, but if she is, I would put her in. Mia Yim is also an option. She had a killer ladder match against Io Shirai months back.

5) Is Beth going to be there?

When Randy Orton originally attacked Edge after the Royal Rumble, Beth Phoenix worked NXT two days later. She briefly made a statement and then called the show like normal.

On Monday, she confronted Randy Orton in a fantastic segment, one that ended with her taking an RKO. Now she was sitting up by the end, and it’s not like he gave her a Con-Chair-To like he did Edge or Matt Hardy. So she doesn’t need to take the show off to sell the injury.

But after taking on a larger role in this story, will she sit this episode out as she deals with all that happened? Or will she just address it briefly and go the rest of the show acting like she didn’t eat an RKO at the end of Raw?

We’ll see if we get any answers to any of these questions tonight at 8 PM ET on USA.