8 Predictions For NXT TakeOver: Toronto
5. The Authors Of Pain Take The Dusty Classic
Their meddling manager Paul Ellering might be out of the equation, but Akam and Rezar will walk into Toronto as heavy favourites to take this year’s Dusty Classic. With Ellering suspended in a cage above the ring, The Authors of Pain will look to unleash their onslaught on TM-61, win the tournament, and go right after the NXT Tag Team Championships.
These two teams put on a fun match on NXT’s weekly show back in August. It was probably the best contest of both teams’ WWE runs thus far, but it didn’t even hit the 10-minute mark. Here, The Authors and TM-61 will be given far longer to shine, and with the Aussies’ flashy babyface stylings going up against The Author’s all-out brutality, it’s a huge contrast. The Dusty Classic was ravaged by injuries, but this is a very fitting final, and it won’t fail to deliver.
The Authors of Pain won the first match, and they’ll likely win this one too. They’ve been built-up too strongly to falter at this stage, and as good as TM-61 are, they haven’t gained enough momentum to be thrust into a number one contender’s spot yet. They’ll get considerably more offense in than they did during the first contest, but The Authors’ combined strength should be enough to overcome them.