Match Predictions and Heat Index Anticipation Levels
Temperature Scale = Scorching > Hot > Lukewarm > Temperate > Chilly > Cold > Freezing
Heat Index is my assessment of how interesting the segment is, including how excited I am for the match and how intriguing the feud has been. The hotter, the better. Scorching translates to not being able to wait to see it, while Freezing means I couldn’t possibly care less and think it will be awful.
NXT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH:
Bron Breakker (c) vs Joe Gacy
Heat Index = Temperate
Prediction: Bron Breakker wins.
Thoughts: Joe Gacy is a perfect challenger to feed to Bron Breakker. He would have been high up on my list to fight for the championship. However, I think this feud has been poorly executed. Gacy kidnaps Rick Steiner as a hook for the next week, only for him to have been rescued off-screen and is fine, but Gacy kept the ring, only to give it back just so he could get a title match and push Breakker off the set in an awful angle that made it look cheap and fake? All parties could have done better, as this killed my interest for this. Breakker is obviously not going to lose, either. I’m just curious where Harland has been and if they’ll pick back up on the Draco Anthony story after this, or if they nixed that already.
NXT NORTH AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIP TRIPLE THREAT MATCH:
Cameron Grimes (c) vs Carmelo Hayes vs Solo Sikoa
Heat Index = Hot
Prediction: Cameron Grimes wins.
Thoughts: I’m hesitant to say Cameron Grimes wins this, even though he’s my ultimate pick. In reality, he said he would become a champion and he needed to make his dad proud. They crossed that off the list. Maybe it wasn’t their intention to have Grimes keep the title long, though. There’s a good chance this goes back to Hayes. The way things have gone down since leading up to Stand & Deliver, where multiple titles changed hands and went back, makes me fearful WWE didn’t want to go in a different direction, but felt they needed to have some title changes just to spice things up and could just hit CTRL+Z. Whatever the case, I like these guys and I can see them having the best match on the card.
TAG TEAM MATCH:
Cora Jade and Nikkita Lyons vs. Natalya and Lash Legend
Heat Index = Chilly
Prediction: Cora Jade and Nikkita Lyons win.
Thoughts: I know some people are obsessed with Nikkita Lyons and Lash Legend, touting them as having some Austin/Rock feud or something, but I’m not that delusional. This could be a total mess. On paper, it makes sense, though. Nattie brings a main roster appeal, she can take a loss or be the reason her team wins. Jade and Lyons are two of the biggest babyfaces on the brand. Legend will learn quite a bit (hopefully) from teaming with Natalya. But I can’t say I think this is going to be worth the watch. I hope I’m wrong.
TAG TEAM MATCH:
The Creed Brothers vs The Viking Raiders
Heat Index = Lukewarm
Prediction: The Creed Brothers win.
Thoughts: Poor Erik and Ivar. You guys ruled in NXT and went to Raw with a lot of potential, but slowly fizzled out. Now, you’re going back just to put over another team, since you’re viewed as expendable. Sure, they beat Edris Enofe and Malik Blade to “build some momentum” and look more powerful, but those two are jobbers. It doesn’t mean much. Good for The Creed Brothers, though. This win will help legitimize them even more, and there’s a chance the match is quite good, too.
SINGLES MATCH:
Nathan Frazer vs Grayson Waller
Heat Index = Lukewarm
Prediction: Nathan Frazer wins.
Thoughts: I think it’s funny when WWE acts like someone is a brand new star while simultaneously reminding you that they aren’t. We’ve seen Ben Carter prior to the Nathan Frazer name change. Then, if you’ve watched NXT UK, you’ve seen him quite a bit. But he has some talent in the ring and Grayson Waller’s a fun act, so I’m down for this. WWE has two options for the win, though. Either you give it to Frazer and it’s predictable, or you completely neuter his value and derail his push by having him lose just for a swerve with Waller winning. I’m inclined to think the former will happen as Waller has his fair share of enemies, so someone like Sanga will interfere.
SIT-DOWN:
Tony D’Angelo and Santos Escobar
Heat Index = Temperate
Thoughts: Let’s be frank. This is a promo segment. That’s okay, but we know how this is going to play out. Escobar will be backed up by Legado del Fantasma. D’Angelo will be backed up by Joey Bag O’ Donuts and Vinny Salami or whatever their names are (Troy “2 Dimes” Donovan and Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo). A fight will break out. Maybe we’ll get a name for the D’Angelo faction (probably something low-effort like The D’Angelo Family) and it might solidify Legado’s babyface turn. Not the worst segment in the world, but not something to turn any heads.
OVERALL SHOW:
How excited am I for the event as a whole?
Heat Index = Lukewarm
Thoughts: Hey, I’m going to be watching it no matter what. But while the name of this show is stupid and the card could be better, it’s something slightly more than the norm, so that’s good. I have a feeling if you go into it not expecting much, you’ll be okay with it, but if you put any weight to the event, you’ll be disappointed. It’s a shame we didn’t get this approach with the Black and Gold era of NXT when things were better.
What do you think is going to happen at NXT Spring Breakin’? Which matches are you most excited to see? Keep the discussion going in the comments below!
