Bold Predictions for NXT TakeOver: Chicago II

Every time WWE offers one of its big-boy pay-per-views, NXT offers TakeOver, and it has become one the best parts about weekends where WWE is putting on its top shows. NXT has been stealing the spotlight from WWE for over a year now and NXT TakeOver: Chicago II should be no different.

With some amazing matches on the card, every contest has the potential to better than anything the main roster is offering on Sunday. The boys and girls of Raw and SmackDown Live will have to start pulling up their britches and taking their lead from their supposed rookies. It can't be fun when your developmental territory is consistently outperforming you.

Knowing that fans are in for a treat, here are our "bold" predictions for NXT Takeover: Chicago II.

Shayna Baszler (c) vs. Nikki Cross- NXT Women’s Championship

Shayna Baszler has been excellent in picking up the NXT Women's Division when it looked like the division was going to be depleted. She's dominating in a different way than previous monsters who have stormed through the other females but nonetheless, she's still a monster and a pretty easy winner to predict in this match.

She's only lost a couple of times during her entire stay in NXT and Cross, while fun to watch and worthy of putting up a fight, likely won't be a huge challenge here. Expect Cross to get some offense in and her unpredictability will likely come into play but, in the end, Baszler will retain. It wouldn't surprise us if Cross actually didn't stick around long after this and debuted with the rest of SAnitY on the main roster (whenever that eventually happens).

Prediction: Shayna Baszler retains the title

The Undisputed Era (Kyle O’Reilly & Roderick Strong) (c) vs. Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan- NXT Tag Team Championships

This may be the match most are least looking forward to, but it also has the potential to surprise. Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan are an underrated team while Roderick Strong and Kyle O’Reilly are a legit threat as one of the better tag teams in recent NXT memory. It's amazing what can be discovered when an injury changes things.

The NXT Tag Division is actually quite stacked with the Street Profits, War Raiders, and Heavy Machinery waiting in the wings, but those teams don't make much sense against Lorcan and Burch. It would be more logical that one of those duos would be next up to challenge Undisputed Era.

Prediction: Kyle O’Reilly and Roderick Strong retain the NXT Tag Team Championships

Aleister Black (c) vs. Lars Sullivan- NXT Championship

Lars Sullivan is on a roll, no doubt. But, this is the kind of roll wrestling often gives to the big, bad challenger on his way to face the champion. He seems unstoppable, but usually, in the end, the champion still retains. That's probably what will happen here. A lot of people are high on Sullivan and with good reason, but to take the title from Black now is too soon and Sullivan may not be ready to be the man. He's more like the guy to hurt the man.

Both men are in the middle of giant pushes by the NXT writers so this is just a matter of giving both men plenty of offense, making them leave looking strong and potentially setting up a rematch down the road. Black is just too good and too on fire to lose right now.

Prediction: Aleister Black retains NXT Title

NEXT: WHY ALEISTER BLACK WILL BE THE CM PUNK THE WWE ACTUALLY WANTS

Johnny Gargano vs. Tommaso Ciampa- Chicago Street Fight

Their first match was epic. There's no reason to believe this one won't be as well. Gargano and Ciampa are arguably the best things to happen in wrestling this year and a street fight makes sense to bring an end to it. This match will probably be the main event, and if things go the way things go when two guys battle so often, each needs a win, thus it goes to Ciampa this time around. If so, this would set things up nicely for him to move on to Black and potentially open the door for Gargano to jump to the main roster.

The alternative here is that someone costs Gargano the contest and an immediate feud is built from the close of the show. Since EC3 is nowhere to be found on the card, perhaps this is where he fits.

Prediction: Tommaso Ciampa wins

Ricochet vs. Velveteen Dream

We put this match last not because we expect it to be on last, but because we expect it to be the match of the night. These two have been at each other on social media, on NXT programming and everywhere else and it nobody has missed a beat. It's been one of the more entertaining battles to date and they may only be skimming the surface.

WWE is extremely high on both guys and we hope that means NXT give these guys 20 to 25 minutes to put on a display. The athleticism alone will be worth the price of admission. The match should end with Ricochet getting the win after a crazy spot.

Prediction: Ricochet pins Velveteen Dream