NXT Takeover: Stand & Deliver 2021 Match Picks Interview with Cliff : Part 2

April 8, 2021 TimandLeander Articles

By Olivia Clark

This is a continuation from part one of this series. I interview Cliff and we talk about the announced matches for night two of NXT Takeover: Stand & Deliver. Enjoy!

Olivia : Alright. So, we’re on to night two. For night two we have a singles match for the NXT Championship, which is Finn Balor vs. Karrion Kross. I think maybe Finn might lose the belt here?

Cliff : Drop it back to Karrion?

O : Yeah.

C : Since Karrion only lost the belt because of a separated shoulder. I think it’s kinda interesting with the two of them because Finn won the Universal title. Separated his shoulder during the match. Had to give up the belt…

O : That’s right!

C : …but he never got his shot until years and years and years later against Brock. Karrion won the belt and had to drop it because of his separated shoulder. He came back a little sooner and they kinda pushed him back into the picture the right way. But I’m picking Finn because I want to see Finn vs. Walter for the NXT Championship.

O : Okay. Gotcha. You’re thinking more long term here.

C. I think it’s going to be an incredibly close match, but I think Finn is going to pick up the win. And it won’t hurt Kross. And then it just sets up Finn vs. Walter and then Kross can go after the North American Championship or just stay in the title hunt. And then if Walter picks up the belt off Finn at the next event, you can set it up for two big boys to beat each other up.

O : Okay. I like that.
Next is an unsanctioned match, which means it doesn’t count for anything.

C : There’s no rules!

O : [laughs]

C : Basically a hardcore match.

O : Okay. With Adam Cole vs. Kyle O’Reilly. Who do you have?

C : This match could also be the match of the entire weekend because Adam Cole’s amazing and Kyle O’Reilly’s amazing.

O : We know they got chemistry. So…

C : This is like their blow off feud from Adam breaking up the Era by taking out Roddy and Kyle. I think Kyle should win and I think he is with the help of Roddy.

O : True!

C : I think Roddy’s going after Adam and help put Kyle over the top. Before Finn takes on Walter, we’ll have Finn vs. O’Reilly since they’ve kinda formed a friendship in the meantime. So I think that whole story is just building itself without any help.

O : Yeah. I definitely see a lot of outside interference in this match.

C : And Bobby Fish could come back from injury and we don’t know what side he’d be on.

O : True. I’m picking Adam Cole on this one. I think there’s gonna be outside shenanigans involved.

C : Shenanigans will be afoot.

O : Yes.

C : What if it is a foot? Like a mannequin’s foot?

O : I wish Mauro was still commentating. [laughs]. Just having him say, “There’s shenanigans… A FOOT!” And having him just say his awesome one-liners. Oh well.
Next we have a singles match for the NXT North American Championship which is Johnny Gargano vs. The Gauntlet Eliminator winner. So, we’ll go back to night one. You picked…

C : Dexter Lumis. And again, I still don’t like him. I still don’t understand how a sociopathic, pedophiley character is babyface, but Gargano had been heeling it up and I think since like he’s the scared little shit heel, he’s going to lose to the creepy pedophile. So Dexter Lumis is going to end these two nights as the NXT North American Champion as the STRANGEST babyface in the history of WWE.

O : Mm Hm. Yeah, I definitely see the Johnny Gargano vs. Dexter Lumis match happening and I feel like… [laughs] shenanigans will be afoot on this one too. I think Johnny’s gonna retain the belt through some kind of shenanigans.

C : So… Oh god… What’s his name?
[Three minutes of Google searching later]
Austin Theory! He’s in Gargano’s stable, or he was, he is… He was feuding with Dexter Lumis for a little bit. Dexter Lumis kidnapped him and probably touched him inappropriately.

O : Oh… You think he might come out?

C : Maybe. Alright we got the unification NXT Cruiserweight Championship match as the next one. So I’m picking for the two nights being big for Legado Del Fantasma. Santos Escobar keeping the Championship over Jordan Devlin. With help from the new NXT Tag Team Champions Raul Mendoza and Joaquin Wilde. It’ll probably be a match that involves a lot of flippy-dos. Very fast paced, high-flying nonsensery.

O : Probably. Yep.

C : I’m taking Santos Escobar. Oh, it’s a ladder match.

O : Yeah. So, flippy-dos off of ladders.

C : Yeah, something disgusting is going to happen with a ladder.

O : Yep. That’s a good enough reason for me. I’ll also take Santos Escobar.
Alright, we have for our last match a tag team match for the NXT Women’s Tag Team Championships. Ember Moon and Shotzi Blackheart vs. The Way.

C : Which is Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell. I am taking Ember Moon and Shotzi Blackheart. They haven’t had the belts for very long. These belts are new. NXT seems to actually care about writing, their champions, their championships, and storylines unlike Raw and Smackdown. So I think it would be foolish of them to hotfoot these new belts around because that would make them worthless. And it just adds into the heel team of Johnny Gargano, his wife Candace LeRae, Indi Hartwell, and Austin Theory having a bad night. So, while I don’t understand the team of Ember Moon and Shotzi Blackheart. One’s a druid that talks to trees…

O : They both howl at the moon!

C : …okay, and the other one drives a tank. Which is cool. So I’m gonna go with Shotzi Blackheart with Ember Moon hitting the best finisher of all of wrestling, the Eclipse. There’s nothing better than it.

O : Mm Hm. I agree with that, but I think the only way “The Way” wins… is with some shenanigans.

Did you enjoy this interview? Do our picks line up with yours? Tell us what you think on Twitter @CapesandScowl or bother Tim @Mad_Dog_Tim. Email us at [email protected]. Cliff is also on Twitter @hyprhippo.

Olivia Clark is a bubbly barista by day and a sleuthing, scowling writer by night. She is knowledgeable in all things coffee and horticulture, with a special interest in comics, TV, film, music, and literary fiction. Contact her on Twitter @swahililove or Email [email protected]