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WWE NXT TakeOver XXX Odds, Preview and Predictions

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by Graham "GSM" Matthews in Entertainment

Updated Mar 12, 2021 · 1:47 PM PST

Pat McAfee
Former Indianapolis Colts player Pat McAfee announces the Colts' third round pick at the NFL football draft, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Gregory Payan, File)
  • NXT TakeOver XXX will take place on Saturday, August 22 at Full Sail University
  • It will mark the 30th installment of NXT TakeOver since its inception over six years ago
  • Who do betting odds favor going over in each matchup? Find out below

Even without a formal audience in attendance, WWE NXT TakeOver XXX on Saturday night promises to be just as exciting as every installment that has preceded it given what’s on tap. Three championships will be up for grabs, Finn Balor and Timothy Thatcher will square off for the first time ever, and Pat McAfee is set to make his anticipated in-ring debut against Adam Cole.

There’s a lot to like about this TakeOver event on paper, but whether it will live up to the lofty expectations remains to be seen. Then again, fans should know by now that the black-and-gold brand never ceases to deliver whenever the lights are on bright.

Here are the last-minute betting odds that matter most with TakeOver XXX fast approaching.

NXT TakeOver XXX Odds

Tag Team Odds
Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch -200
Breezango +200
Legado del Fantasma +300
Wrestler Odds
Finn Balor -115
Timothy Thatcher -115
Wrestler Odds
Io Shirai (c) -700
Dakota Kai +400
Wrestler Odds
Damian Priest +150
Bronson Reed +275
Johnny Gargano +325
Velveteen Dream +500
Cameron Grimes +650
Wrestler Odds
Adam Cole -170
Pat McAfee +130
Wrestler Odds
Keith Lee (c) -140
Karrion Kross +100

All odds taken August 21st

Lorcan & Burch vs Breezango vs Legado del Fantasma

NXT’s tag team division is so depleted at the moment that the NXT Tag Team Championship will not be defended on a TakeOver special for the second straight month. Instead, this Triple Threat tag team match will determine Imperium’s next challengers.

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Lorcan and Burch have challenged for the NXT Tag Team Championship in the past and have never been able to win them, simply because NXT doesn’t view them as being championship material. There’s no reason to feed them to Imperium if the outcome isn’t going to be in much doubt, and Breezango has also fallen short in every opportunity they’ve had too.

That leaves Legado del Fantasma, who are the clear underdogs here but would be the best choice to win given the roll they’ve been on lately.

Balor vs Thatcher

Timothy Thatcher cost Finn Balor the chance to qualify for the NXT North American Championship Ladder match at TakeOver XXX by interfering in his bout with Velveteen Dream on Wednesday night. One day later, it was confirmed by WWE.com that they would go one-on-one at the event.

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The sole reason why this is even happening is because Balor shouldn’t be left off the card, as he’s one of the biggest stars. A return to the main roster should be imminent now that he’s done all that he can do while being back on NXT, but a loss to Thatcher on the way out, while ideal, isn’t likely.

Tied at -115 in the odds means they have an equal chance of winning, but Balor reigning supreme and rebounding from his recent string of losses has to be considered the most probable path they’ll take.

Shirai vs Kai (NXT Women’s Championship)

Io Shirai has been an excellent NXT Women’s champion so far, with wins over Sasha Banks and Tegan Nox to her credit. She and Dakota Kai have been on a collision course toward TakeOver for several weeks. It’s bound to be a battle when they finally step in the ring with each other on Saturday.

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This is perhaps the most predictable match of the night, as it would be foolish to take the title off Shirai so soon. Kai has been doing brilliant work as a heel and the hope is she’ll look strong in defeat, but the odds are right to position Shirai as the heavy favorite.

Priest vs Reed vs Gargano vs Dream vs Grimes (NXT North American Championship Ladder Match)

The betting odds tend to be spot-on for most NXT Takeover specials, but they are clearly off in the case of this contest. Cameron Grimes has been a fixture on NXT TV for months and should be considered the favorite to become the new NXT North American champion.

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Damian Priest is unsurprisingly leading in the odds right now at +150, but that’s only because he’s been primed for that top spot for some time. He’d be a perfect fit, but taking the title here would almost be too obvious, which is why Grimes escaping with the gold in his grasp would be the better pick despite what the odds indicate.

Bronson Reed, Johnny Gargano and Velveteen Dream would all be solid options as well, but Grimes makes more sense than any of them based on how he’s been used up to this point.

Cole vs McAfee

What started as a uninteresting “celebrity” match has turned into quite the compelling angle with Adam Cole and Pat McAfee. The former All-Pro punter has proven that he’s passionate about pro wrestling and that he’s willing to learn the literal ropes, so there’s a good chance this exceeds expectations.

Interestingly enough, Cole was heavily favored when the matchup was originally announced two weeks ago, whereas it’s almost too close to call now. Cole has the advantage at -170 to McAfee’s +130, but it should be a much larger gap given McAfee’s inexperience.

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The idea shouldn’t be to have the rest of Undisputed Era to turn on Cole to aid McAfee to victory. No one benefits from that, not to mention that splitting up Undisputed Era before they have a chance to dominate the main roster as a unit would be incredibly stupid.

You never know what might happen in WWE, but your best bet is putting money on Cole to come out on top.

Lee vs Kross (NXT Championship)

Both of these men have been on absolute tears in 2020 and haven’t been pinned all year long. The unpredictable outcome makes this encounter all the more epic and tougher to determine who has the strongest chance of emerging victorious.

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Fans could feasibly go with either one of these guys and they wouldn’t be wrong to do so, but of the two, Lee needs the win more. He’s held the NXT Championship for just over one month and it would be anticlimactic for his reign to end so suddenly. That’s in addition to him already vacating the NXT North American Championship.

Kross can bounce back from the loss and the inevitable rematch could be where he captures the championship. Either way, Lee barely edging out Kross in the odds is accurate as that’s the best possible finish for this TakeOver main event.

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