Kick-Off Show
The TakeOver: Chicago pre-show begins with the panel of Charly Caruso, Nigel McGuinness and Peter Rosenberg. They cut to other presenters inside the All-State Arena who are surrounded by fans and talk about the excitement in the air tonight.
The first match the panel discuss is the United Kingdom Championship match between Tyler Bate and Pete Dunne, or, as Charly Caruso calls the Champion, “Taylor” Bate. After a video package we see Bate walking into the arena with the UK Championship over his shoulder. Peter Rosenberg says the boom of the British and Irish talent is insane and so great for WWE and the UK. Nigel McGuinness agrees with the sentiment before saying that he thinks Pete Dunne will walk out as the new Champion. Rosenberg also thinks Dunne will win the title and calls him scary.
Tensions have been mounting as #UKChampion @Tyler_Bate & @PeteDunneYxB anticipate their title match TONIGHT at #NXTTakeOver! @WWENetwork pic.twitter.com/DjL3CDWWcW
— WWE (@WWE) May 20, 2017
We take a quick break from the panel to look at the SmackDown exclusive PPV, Backlash, tomorrow night. The official theme’s of NXT TakeOver: Chicago are ‘Judas’ by Fozzy, and ‘Over Throne’ by Hacktivist.
The next match we see is the upcoming ladder match for the NXT Tag Team Championships, between D.I.Y and The Author’s of Pain. The panel say tonight is a homecoming for D.I.Y because they cut their teeth in Chicago. McGuinness says that Gargano and Ciampa will have their work cut out for them as they try to keep the ladders away from The AOP. Rosenberg agree’s that if they get the ladders it could be a bad night for the challengers. That being said, Rosenberg predicts a win for D.I.Y due to the adrenaline of Chicago. McGuinness does not agree, he thinks Akam and Rezar are too powerful to be dethroned.
“The bottom line is… #AOP are MONSTERS and they are DANGEROUS!” – @McGuinnessNigel #NXTTakeOver #LadderMatch pic.twitter.com/wRYyziGmbN
— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) May 20, 2017
The Women’s Championship is the next topic of discussion. Ember Moon has joined the panel to talk the Triple Threat match. Ember is asked about her injury and she says it could have been so much worse, so six months isn’t the end of the world. Rosenberg asks who she will want to face when she comes back, to which she says she doesn’t care. Nigel asks if she wouldn’t be disappointed if somebody else defeated Asuka, considering she said it was her destiny to end her undefeated streak. Moon says she will get retribution regardless of whether or not Asuka is Champion.
We get a quick interview with Roderick Strong backstage, in which he is asked about Eric Young dissing his family. Roderick simply tells Young to never mention his family again. The panel joke about never pissing-off a new father before talking tomorrow night’s Backlash.
Hideo Itami’s debut, rise, and injury are chronicled in a great video package for tonight’s main event. The panel question whether or not Hideo is at 100% tonight, and Nigel McGuinness reckons that Bobby Roode is the man to take advantage of an injury if there is one. Rosenberg talks-up Hideo Itami but says, ultimately, he thinks Bobby Roode’s NXT is here to stay. Nigel says this one could go either way and it’s too close to call. That’s it for the kick-off show and we’re heading to the main card!
