8 HUGE WWE NXT TakeOver: In Your House Predictions You Need To Know
3. Charlotte Flair (c) Vs. Rhea Ripley Vs. Io Shirai
The best and worst of Empty Arena NXT this, with a match that looks absolutely exceptional on paper having its anticipation ruined by the haphazard and lazy finishes of the singles combinations on television and Rhea Ripley's fairly comprehensive loss to Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania.
Please let this one bang.
Flair has been f*cking everywhere of late, to the point that even her most staunch defenders - your writer included - can't take much more of an act that still feels as if it's missing a bit of motivation other than speaking quite slowly and holding a prestigious title aloft. In her shadow sits the humanised Ripley and a narratively unfocussed Shirai. But the work could overwhelm and out-perform all of that.
A tremendous Prime Target video package positioned all three as fairly unstoppable in their sole goal to claim the brand's top strap, creating an earnest tension around who actually wins and loses on the night - which has and always will be the point. TakeOver won't (or can't afford to) f*ck everybody on the finish this time, and that decisive fall will hopefully come at the rewarding climax of a match that returns the division to its exceptional former glory.
Winner - Charlotte Flair