NXT TakeOver shows have become monumental events for some wrestling fans — circled on calendars and eagerly anticipated. The next of NXT’s pay-per-view efforts will serve as a major milestone as it will mark the 30th time the brand has held one of its exciting TakeOver specials.

There are some intriguing matches set up set for NXT TakeOver XXX, including the most accomplished NXT champion in history taking on a former NFL punter and current radio personality as well as an NXT women’s championship match that is a potential show-stealer. In the show’s main event, NXT champion Keith Lee will put the title up against Karrion Kross.

NXT TakeOver XXX goes down on Saturday, Aug. 22 from Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida, the longtime home of NXT. The show will kick off at 7 p.m. ET with the kickoff show leading us in beginning at 6 p.m. 

NXT TakeOver XXX predictions

Legado del Fantasma vs. Breezango vs. Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch (No. 1 contender match for NXT tag team championship)

Legado del Fantasma would make sense to pick up the win were this not to determine the team to challenge Imperium. The heel vs. heel tag team dynamic does not work well at all, so it seems unlikely things go their way. Legado and Breezango have had their issues, which make them central to everything heading into the match, leaving Lorcan and Burch with the opportunity to swing in and steal the win to set up a solid hard-hitting match with the champs.  Pick: Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch win

Finn Balor vs. Timothy Thatcher

Balor and Thatcher have mixed it up lately with Thatcher ultimately costing Balor his shot at the North American title ladder match. Now they clash in what could be a show-stealing match. While it would be great to see Thatcher pick up a big win, it feels like this is a spot where Balor is able to get a needed win to keep himself in the mix as a contender. Pick: Finn Balor wins

Adam Cole vs. Pat McAfee

I don’t know how you put the former NFL punter, preshow host and radio personality over the most successful NXT champion in the brand’s history, but that’s what I’m going with here. It seems like this is an angle that has some sort of longer term play in mind, and I don’t know that going the very expected direction of having Cole go over does anything other than immediately halt any momentum on the already-questionable storyline. The assumption here is someone helps McAfee score a cheap win to set up the next step in Cole’s career. Pick: Pat McAfee wins

NXT Women’s Championship — Io Shirai (c) vs. Dakota Kai

It seems unlikely that anything happens other than Shirai winning clean. Since winning the title at TakeOver: In Your House, Shirai has only defended the title once. Kai will be an excellent opponent for Shirai and the in-ring action should be great, but even with the potential for outside interference, there’s little doubt on who has the title at the end of the night. Pick: Io Shirai wins, retains the title

NXT North American Championship — Bronson Reed vs. Damian Priest vs. Johnny Gargano vs. Cameron Grimes vs. Velveteen Dream (Ladder Match)

After winning the NXT championship, Keith Lee relinquished the North American title to open up opportunities to other members of the roster, leading to this ladder match — and a complicated path to name the participants. Now, seeing the line-up, there are a few directions things could go. The biggest stars coming into the match are Gargano and Dream, but putting the belt on Gargano wouldn’t really benefit him and putting it on Dream feels like a potential PR disaster. Priest feels like the right choice here, as a guy who would gain a career milestone and be a force as a champion. Pick: Damian Priest wins the title

Championnat NXT – Keith Lee (c) contre Karrion Kross

Cela ressemble à une situation où le match lui-même est gros et il y a des raisons d’être excité à ce sujet, mais cela se produit trop tôt pour les deux hommes. Kross a été précipité dans un tir au titre et il se sent trop tôt pour qu’il perde. Dans le même temps, nous sommes encore si tôt dans la course de Lee en tant que champion qu’il est trop tôt pour lui faire perdre la ceinture. Cela laisse quelques trappes de disqualifications, de décomptes ou d’autres options de “non-finition” s’ils veulent éviter de mettre l’un ou l’autre des gars à l’écart. Pourtant, j’ai l’impression que Kross va simplement manger la perte puisque son personnage ne dépend pas entièrement du fait d’être un champion pour être efficace tandis que Lee en tant que champion est un grand coup de pouce. Choix: Keith Lee gagne, conserve le titre