8 Predictions For NXT TakeOver: Toronto

NXT have done a decent job of building-up women like Ember Moon, Billy Kay, and Peyton Royce in Bayley’s absence, but there’s still much work to be done. Ember is a ready-made superstar, but the other women are very much works-in-progress, and there’s little in the way of competition for Asuka at the moment. Her recent one-minute win over Liv Morgan shows how far ahead of the pack she is, and it’ll be a while before the women’s division reaches its old heights.

WWE have addressed this issue by bringing in former Divas’ Champion Mickie James to fight for the belt in Toronto, and they couldn’t have made a better choice. Mickie was always a strong worker, and she retains much of her old following. She’ll get a great reception from the crowd, and while it’s been a long time since we’ve seen her in a WWE ring, Mickie is a credible and exciting opponent for the dominant champion.

She’s not going to win, though. Mickie has stated that she’d be open to another full-time run, but she’s here to put Asuka over. It’s extremely unlikely that WWE would choose to have a freelancer end Asuka’s reign, and as good as the match should be, this is the most predictable fight on the card. Fans should expect a tough contest, but the outcome seems set in stone.