Sunday night, the talented men and women of NXT will not be piggybacking off a WWE pay-per-view weekend. Instead, they will have the stage all to themselves as NXT TakeOver: Portland takes place inside the Moda Center. Though TakeOver events are usually held on Saturdays, this edition will go down Sunday night beginning at 7 p.m. ET, streaming live on the WWE Network. There will also be a kickoff show getting the festivities started a half hour prior at 6:30 p.m.
With Adam Cole taking defending his NXT championship against Tommaso Ciampa in a bitter grudge match, Rhea Ripley looking to build on her incredible recent run against the always-dangerous Bianca Belair, Finn Balor and Johnny Gargano meeting for the first time in their careers and more, things look on track for another tremendous night of action.
Let's take a look now at the card for NXT TakeOver: Portland, and make some predictions on the outcomes of each match.
NXT TakeOver: Portland matches, predictions
NXT Championship -- Adam Cole (c) vs. Tommaso Ciampa: Ciampa wants the NXT title back, and has taken every opportunity to try to get one over on Cole and his Undisputed Era teammates. Before signing his contract to face Cole, Ciampa took out the Undisputed Era, including putting Cole through a table. Ciampa never actually lost the title, but Cole claims "Goldie" has "a new daddy." Cole won the title in June 2019 as the Undisputed Era has tightened their control of NXT. Ciampa regaining the title feels like the proper step for his development and to maybe begin readying Undisputed Era for a move to Raw or SmackDown either before or after WrestleMania Pick: Tommaso Ciampa wins the title
NXT Championship -- Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Bianca Belair: Ripley defeating Shayna Baszler in December felt like a massive moment, and paid off a lot of faith WWE has placed in Ripley to develop into a true star. Ripley had a bit of an issue with Toni Storm to carry her through Worlds Collide, but Belair still feels like the big post-Baszler test for Ripley. Belair earned her way to the title match by winning the No. 1 contender battle royal on Jan. 15. She then put on a dominant Royal Rumble performance to position herself as an even bigger threat. Still, this feels largely like a match to hold Ripley over before she turns her focus toward a potential WrestleMania showdown with Charlotte Flair. Pick: Rhea Ripley retains the title
Finn Balor vs. Johnny Gargano: Balor's shocking heel turn came with a Pele kick to the face of Gargano. The two have been on a collision course since, including Gargano getting involved with Balor's attempt to win the NXT championship from Adam Cole in December. Now, the two will finally square off in one of the most highly-anticipated, first-time-ever matches in all of WWE, with revenge and placement among NXT's elite at stake. Gargano's allure is not in need of a win in the same way as Balor to feel like a threat in the larger NXT picture. Pick: Finn Balor wins
NXT North American Championship -- Keith Lee (c) vs. Dominik Dijakovic: Lee and Dijakovic have a long and storied rivalry that predates their time together in NXT. It's a natural chemistry between two different types of "big man" with ridiculous athleticism that goes well beyond "size." This will almost certainly deliver another great match, and for that we should be thankful. Though, with Lee so recently having won the title, there's little doubt who should be walking away the winner. Pick: Keith Lee retains the title
NXT Tag Team Championship -- Undisputed Era (c) vs. The BroserWeights: Matt Riddle and Pete Dunne have made quite the formidable team as the BroserWeights. The duo advanced to a title shot by winning the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, beating Grizzled Young Veterans in the finals of the eight-team tournament. Kyle O'Reilly and Bobby Fish have dominated the tag ranks in NXT, and have combined to hold the titles longer than any other duo in NXT history. Dunne vs. Riddle feels like a potentially hot rivalry, so them losing before pairing off to feud with each other could deliver the goods, even if it goes against the logic I applied to Cole losing the NXT title. Pick: Undisputed Era retain the titles
Dakota Kai vs. Tegan Nox (Street Fight): After Kai's shocking turn on her former teammate during NXT TakeOver: WarGames, things with Nox were destined to come to a violent end. Nox got a win when they finally faced off in singles action on the Jan. 29 episode of NXT, but things are hardly settled, and now they'll meet with the rules put on hold in a street fight. Pick: Dakota Kai wins
