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Credit: WWE.com
WWE NXT 2.0 opens WrestleMania Weekend on Saturday morning with Stand & Deliver 2022, which is set to start with a pre-show at 12 p.m. ET.
All the titles will be up for grabs as over 20 of the brand’s best and brightest names battle it out to carve their names in the history books and have their own version of a WrestleMania moment.
This is being touted as the biggest show of the year for NXT 2.0, so we can expect everyone to give it their all. But who should we expect to see walk out of their respective matches victorious?
Let’s run down the card and toss out some picks of who will win at NXT Stand & Deliver.
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Credit: WWE.com
The Women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic was effectively pointless this year.
It took forever to get started, as WWE forgot no tag teams existed on the roster. People were randomly thrown together with a “good enough” attitude, and the whole thing became a moot point by the end.
Io Shirai and Kay Lee Ray won the tournament by beating Wendy Choo and Dakota Kai, but they were inserted into the NXT Women’s Championship picture instead. More on that later.
Then, Kai went after Toxic Attraction and was aided by her former friend-turned-rival, Raquel Gonzalez. They reunited and were immediately granted a shot at the NXT Women’s Tag Team Championship.
Choo has now been sidelined, and fans are clearly supposed to just be happy the friends are back together.
This match could go either way. Kai and Gonzalez didn’t get a proper run with the titles the first time, so this may be WWE’s attempt to rectify that. However, both are more than ready for the main roster, so if there are any plans to bring them to Raw or SmackDown soon, they shouldn’t win the belts.
Since this is the kickoff, the smart bet is for the titles not to change hands. Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jayne should squeak by with a victory.
Prediction: Toxic Attraction retains.
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Credit: WWE.com
Ladder matches are typically a ton of fun, especially in the NXT environment. While NXT 2.0 isn’t the same as the black-and-gold era, there are still five talented Superstars vying for the North American Championship on this show.
Grayson Waller, Santos Escobar and Solo Sikoa can all be written off as winners, though, as none of them have the momentum on their side to justify walking out as champion.
This is down to either Carmelo Hayes retaining or Cameron Grimes winning the belt to make good on his promise to his late father to become a champion.
Hayes has been treated so well so far, so it’s hard to see him losing the title. He’s been positioned as a standout talent since his debut last June. Clearly, WWE sees big things in his future. With that in mind, he seems a safe bet to retain.
However, this sympathy angle makes Grimes winning a great feel-good moment. It also protects Hayes from having to take a pinfall or submission loss while dropping the title. Then, he can move on to becoming one of the top contenders for the NXT Championship, which is a much bigger deal in the long run.
This is another coin flip that will only make sense in retrospect. Without the benefit of hindsight to distinguish between Hayes and Grimes, let’s go with the latter winning for the big pop.
Prediction: Grimes wins.
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Credit: WWE.com
Tommaso Ciampa’s time in NXT appears to be coming to an end. Whether that means he’s leaving WWE entirely or going to Raw or SmackDown remains to be seen, but while he’s determined to make Stand & Deliver a suitable ending, Tony D’Angelo is seeking the glory of sending him off with a defeat.
How this goes depends on the future. If the intention is for The Blackheart to head to the main roster, he should win so he has momentum on his side. Losing to D’Angelo would be ignored at beast, but it could make him look weak at worst.
However, if this is it for Ciampa in WWE as a whole, he should do the honors in a traditional sense and help give a boost to the person who is staying.
Beating The Blackheart would mean a lot to D’Angelo, but Asuka and The Viking Raiders are two examples of NXT talent who didn’t go out on their backs. The same courtesy should be extended to Ciampa.
Prediction: Ciampa wins.
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Credit: WWE.com
After The Creed Brothers won the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic to earn their shot at the tag team titles, MSK were added into the mix via an angle in which Julius and Brutus were attacked by an unknown assailant.
Most likely, WWE put Nash Carter and Wes Lee in this so they could be the true babyfaces, which would help offset how both The Creed Brothers and Imperium are heels.
Rather than turning The Creed Brothers babyface to ensure they’d get cheered, bringing MSK in solves that problem and also gives Imperium an opportunity to lose the titles without being pinned.
The best course of action is for the belts to change hands and go to Diamond Mine. Then, The Creed Brothers can feud with the mystery attackers after putting MSK and Imperium behind them.
Prediction: The Creed Brothers win.
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Credit: WWE.com
Gunther was too big a deal in NXT UK to come over to NXT 2.0 and start losing left and right. He’s already had a few moments where he’s looked weaker, so it’s time to get him back on track.
Defeating LA Knight isn’t going to restore him to the level of an unstoppable juggernaut holding the NXT UK Championship for a record title reign, but it’s a start. But losing to Knight would do major harm, so that has to be avoided.
Knight can take a loss and bounce back or even be moved to Raw or SmackDown. Gunther can’t lose and look as intimidating without WWE rehabbing him, which is more effort than what it is worth just to have Knight score a random meaningless victory.
A win over Knight would also help Gunther become a top contender to the NXT Championship, especially if it comes back to a babyface such as Bron Breakker.
Prediction: Gunther wins.
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Credit: WWE.com
Io Shirai and Kay Lee Ray found a loophole to turn their Dusty Cup win into becoming contenders for Mandy Rose’s NXT Women’s Championship alongside Cora Jade.
This may have happened because WWE realized Rose vs. Jade had already happened and it needed more star power. It could be that there isn’t enough faith those two could have a great match on their own, so the veterans were added as anchors.
But Shirai and Ray likely weren’t added to factor into the finish. The former has had her time as NXT women’s champion and needs to go to the main roster, while the latter was already the longest-reigning NXT UK women’s champion until recently.
The better story to tell is for Jade to win and help continue the youth movement of NXT 2.0. Otherwise, why is she even fighting for the title again after having failed numerous times before, when WWE could have built up someone else to fight Rose?
Much like Meiko Satomura, Ilja Dragunov, Bron Breakker and others from the NXT system who only won championships on their second or third attempts, now could be Jade’s time to hold the gold.
If Dolin and Jayne retain, though, Rose stands a good chance to keep her belt, too. That is especially true if the North American, tag team and NXT titles are changing hands. WWE won’t want to have all the belts on new faces.
Also, Jade isn’t the only option to dethrone Rose. Nikkita Lyons is becoming a major force and could easily be the next champion.
This isn’t an easy pick between Jade and Rose, but when in doubt, go with the champion retaining.
Prediction: Rose retains.
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Credit: WWE.com
While there is a slight chance Bron Breakker lost the NXT Championship so he could be moved up to the main roster, there is a much stronger likelihood this was a plan from WWE to check a few other things off the list.
Putting the belt on Dolph Ziggler was shocking, and it generated buzz and interest in what would happen next. It also provided a reason for a notable main roster Superstar to be a guest on NXT for a few weeks as a test run to see if that would improve the ratings.
The Showoff has been in the company over a decade and always finds himself underutilized. Giving him the NXT Championship to allow him to become relevant again and contribute in a more meaningful way than if he was just another contender for the Raw Tag Team Championships.
Most importantly, though, this means Breakker can win the title back. It would be a major surprise if the title doesn’t change hands here.
Prediction: Breakker wins.
Anthony Mango is the owner of the wrestling website Smark Out Moment and the host of the podcast show Smack Talk on YouTube, iTunes and Stitcher. You can follow him on Facebook and elsewhere for more.
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