WWE NXT Battleground 2023 Preview: Full Card, Match Predictions & More
WWE NXT Battleground 2023 is coming up this Sunday and before the event takes place, let’s run down everything you need to know about the upcoming pay-per-view.
Who is scheduled for the card? How interesting does the show seem? What’s going to happen with all the matches?
Here is a full preview of WWE NXT Battleground 2023.
PPV EVENT INFORMATION
Date: Sunday, May 28, 2023
Start Time: 7:30 p.m. ET (pre-show), 8 p.m. ET (main show)
Location: Tsongas Center in Lowell, Massachusetts
MATCH CARD, PREDICTIONS & HEAT INDEX ANTICIPATION LEVELS
(as currently advertised; card is always subject to change)
Temperature Scale = Scorching > Hot > Lukewarm > Temperate > Chilly > Cold > Freezing
Heat Index is my assessment of how interesting the segment is, including how excited I am for the match and how intriguing the feud has been. The hotter, the better. Scorching translates to not being able to wait to see it, while Freezing means I couldn’t possibly care less and think it will be awful.
NXT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH:
Carmelo Hayes (c) vs. Bron Breakker
Heat Index = Temperate
Prediction: Carmelo Hayes wins.
Thoughts: Remember that match from the last event? Well, that one. Again. Except this time, the heel and face dynamics are 100% set in stone, rather than being a little ambiguous. Plus, Hayes is the hometown hero. I don’t think the belt is changing hands whatsoever, meaning they’ll have a decent match, Hayes will retain and it’s essentially a copy/paste to just kill time before Hayes hopefully moves on to someone else.
NXT WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH:
Lyra Valkyria vs. Tiffany Stratton
Heat Index = Temperate
Prediction: Tiffany Stratton wins.
Thoughts: No way they go with Lyra Valkyria. I’m sorry, but if you compare the two, there just isn’t a comparison. One of them has taken considerable steps in advancing over a short time frame, has been developing presence and character, can cut some halfway decent promos and carries herself as a star. The other is Lyra Valkyria, who gets lost in the shuffle as far as personality and looks and doesn’t even have the ability to stand out from the pack in the ring or on the mic to compensate. I thought it would be Cora Jade winning this over Roxanne Perez, but Stratton is a good alternative. This match won’t be great.
NXT NORTH AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIP TRIPLE THREAT MATCH:
Wes Lee (c) vs. Joe Gacy vs. Tyler Bate
Heat Index = Lukewarm
Prediction: Wes Lee wins.
Thoughts: Up until the go-home episode of NXT, I was thinking Joe Gacy would win this. Now that he took both of them out and stood tall with the belt in his grasp, I’m not so sure. Going with Bate is a lateral move, so Lee retaining is the most likely option in my mind now. He overcomes the odds here and there, so he’ll do it again here. Gacy winning isn’t entirely out the running, but I’m 75% on Lee.
LAST MAN STANDING MATCH:
Dijak vs. Ilja Dragunov
Heat Index = Hot
Prediction: Ilja Dragunov wins.
Thoughts: They’ve been doing a lot to try to let everyone know these two are going to beat the piss out of each other. Good. That’s what we’re going to need. Dragunov is at his best when he’s in a brutal fight and Dijak should be rehabbed to look like a bad ass again. I’m hoping Dijak wins, but the overall theme is more so leaning toward Dragunov being able to take the pain and deal with it. If I’m WWE, I’m setting up Dijak as the next threat to Hayes and having him go over, but I think they’ll go the opposite route.
NXT HERITAGE CUP CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH:
Noam Dar (c) vs. Dragon Lee
Heat Index = Lukewarm
Prediction: Dragon Lee wins.
Thoughts: It still baffles me why they spent so many months just not acknowledging this title’s existence, only to randomly put it on an episode as if nothing had happened, and then follow it up with a lot of “We haven’t seen Dar in a while” talk. Strange. That’s why I think the main reason they brought it back was specifically so Dragon Lee could win it and keep him away from the other championships. These aren’t my favorite style matches, so I think that will hinder this segment, but Dar and Lee are solid performers, so they’ll at least make this worth checking out.
NXT TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH:
Gallus (c) vs. The Creed Brothers
Heat Index = Lukewarm
Prediction: Gallus wins.
Thoughts: Gallus has been booked so odd. They’re perpetually tweeners who tend to say they’ll fight anyone, but only if they play some darts and drink some beer with them. Now, they’re dodging Tony D’Angelo and Stacks? Meh. The Creed Brothers are great, and I would be fully down to see them win the belts back, but I’d imagine D’Angelo and Channing Lorenzo are the real next in line, once Tony gets out of his legal problems. Maybe he should hire Luca Crusifino.
OVERALL PPV:
How excited am I for the event as a whole?
Heat Index = Lukewarm
Thoughts: This has stiff competition with Double or Nothing. Very few people will be dedicating their full attention to this over that show (or any other alternative plans, for that matter). But while some matches aren’t lighting a big fire underneath me, I think the overall show will be decent.
What do you think is going to happen at WWE NXT Battleground? Which matches are you most excited to see? Keep the discussion going in the comments below!
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