{"id":103902,"date":"2020-09-03T12:33:09","date_gmt":"2020-09-03T17:33:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/?p=103902"},"modified":"2020-09-03T12:33:09","modified_gmt":"2020-09-03T17:33:09","slug":"feud-tracker-nxt-tracking-the-length-and-key-developments-with-balor-cole-shirai-vs-dakota-gonzales-priest-vs-theory-reed-vs-theory-breezango-vs-fantasma","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2020\/09\/03\/feud-tracker-nxt-tracking-the-length-and-key-developments-with-balor-cole-shirai-vs-dakota-gonzales-priest-vs-theory-reed-vs-theory-breezango-vs-fantasma\/","title":{"rendered":"FEUD TRACKER &#8211; NXT: Tracking the length and key developments with Balor-Cole, Shirai vs. Dakota &#038; Gonzales, Priest vs. Theory, Reed vs. Theory, Breezango vs. Fantasma"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pwtor-26647214\" class=\"pwtor-before-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><hr \/><b>SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)... <\/b>\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"https:\/\/widget.spreaker.com\/player?show_id=3076978&theme=light&playlist=false&playlist-continuous=false&autoplay=false&live-autoplay=false&chapters-image=true&episode_image_position=right&hide-logo=false&hide-likes=false&hide-comments=false&hide-sharing=false&hide-download=true\" width=\"100%\" height=\"140px\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe>\r\n<hr \/><\/div><hr \/>\n<h3><strong>TOP TIER FEUDS<\/strong><\/h3>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>(1) Adam Cole vs. Johnny Gargano vs. Tommaso Ciampa vs. Finn Balor<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>New Developments: <\/strong>The 60-minute Iron Man Match ended with Cole and Balor tied with two falls a piece.\u00a0 A tie-breaking match was announced for next week.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Highs &amp; Lows: <\/strong>With no real issues between the four guys in the match, it felt like watching an All-Star Game instead of a heated fight.\u00a0 Iron Man matches can be hard to watch because everyone has to pace themselves and then turn it on at the end.\u00a0 Balor and Cole each pinned each other once during the match, so that helps build the suspense and tension of the one-on-one match next week.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Start of Feud: <\/strong>August 26, 2020<\/p>\n<p><strong>Forecast &amp; Prediction: <\/strong>Balor should win next week against Cole, since Cole just lost the title after a record-breaking reign.\u00a0 Balor\u2019s win and reign would be great to rebuild him as a star after his difficulties on the main roster.\u00a0 It would be good to see him planted at the top and would give many fresh matchups at the top of the card.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>(2) Io Shirai vs. Dakota Kai &amp; Raquel Gonzalez<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>New Developments:\u00a0 <\/strong>No new developments this week<\/p>\n<p><strong>Highs &amp; Lows: <\/strong>Last week\u2019s tag match with Ripley against Kai and Gonzalez was great and laid the groundwork for the next few months of feuds at the top of the Women\u2019s Division.\u00a0 This match helped push Io, Ripley, and Gonzalez forward to their next chapters, but it seemed to leave Dakota as the odd woman out.<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-3841870231\" class=\"pwtor-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p><strong>Start of Feuds: <\/strong>August 5, 2020<\/p>\n<p><strong>Forecast &amp; Prediction: <\/strong>I think we will see more development on this feud starting next week.\u00a0 While this will eventually lead to Io vs. Ripley, Io will probably need to go through Gonzalez first.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><strong>MIDDLE TIER FEUDS<\/strong><\/h3>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>(1) Breezango (and Isaiah \u201cSwerve\u201d Scott) vs. Legado del Fantasma<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>New Developments: <\/strong>Breezango &amp; Scott took on Legado del Fantasma in a six-man street fight.\u00a0 Legado del Fantasma looked great with some creative, hard-hitting offense.\u00a0 Breezango used the street fight stipulation to do some spots that didn\u2019t match the new serious mentality that they have tried to take on in their tag matches.\u00a0 Imperium eventually came out and attacked Breeze, but Breezango was able to get the upper hand and took out everyone except for Escobar with dives to the outside.\u00a0 Scott was able to get the pin on Escobar who was distracted by the chaos outside the ring.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Highs &amp; Lows: <\/strong>Breezango has looked good since returning to NXT.\u00a0 This match brought back some of the silliness that had taken away most of their credibility on the main roster, but hopefully they are able to get back to their more serious attitude when they get back to a normal tag team match.\u00a0 Legado del Fantasma has looked like a threatening faction that could continue to dominate the cruiserweight and tag team divisions, but their credibility took a hit due to the fact that they were easily distracted and taken out by Breezango\u2019s silliness.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Start of Feud: <\/strong>July 8, 2020<\/p>\n<p><strong>Forecast &amp; Prediction:\u00a0 <\/strong>With Imperium coming out to help Legado del Fantasma, I see a rematch for the NXT Tag Team Titles on the horizon.\u00a0 I would eventually like to see the Tag Team Titles on Legado del Fantasma, but they need to make Wilde and Mendoza stand out more as individuals instead of just Escobar\u2019s henchmen.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>(2) Rhea Ripley vs. Mercedes Martinez<\/strong><\/p><div id=\"pwtor-583630966\" class=\"pwtor-content-1 pwtor-entity-placement\"><!-- Tag ID: pwtorchcom_test_300x600 -->\r\n<div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __300x600\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p><strong>New Developments: <\/strong>Ripley gave a backstage promo talking about her hatred and history with Martinez and the Robert Stone Brand.\u00a0 She said she thought Martinez would have gotten the message when she got power bombed onto the concrete.\u00a0 Ripley then challenged Martinez to a steel cage match.\u00a0 Later in the show Martinez accepted the challenge and the match will take place next week.<strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Highs &amp; Lows: <\/strong>The feud between Ripley and the Robert Stone Brand seems to have gone on longer than is necessary.\u00a0 However, a steel cage match is a great way to showcase Ripley as one of the top Women\u2019s stars and finally finish this feud.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Start of Feud: <\/strong>August 5, 2020<\/p>\n<p><strong>Forecast &amp; Prediction: <\/strong>This should be a fun match to watch.\u00a0 I expect Ripley to win and then move to a feud with Dakota Kai and\/or Raquel Gonzalez, before eventually getting a title shot against Io.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>(3) Damian Priest vs. Timothy Thatcher<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>New Developments: <\/strong>Thatcher got a tainted victory against Bronson Reed.\u00a0 Thatcher was able to show his toughness and submission capabilities over a larger opponent.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Highs &amp; Lows: <\/strong>Thatcher continues to have good matches that make him out to be an incredibly tough opponent.\u00a0 It\u2019s good to build Thatcher back up as a credible threat and challenger for the North American Title, since he has taken a few recent losses.\u00a0 I want to see more of what Priest\u2019s side of this angle will be as the feud continues to develop.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Start of Feud: <\/strong>August 26, 2020<\/p>\n<p><strong>Forecast &amp; Prediction: <\/strong>I still believe this will be resolved in the next couple of weeks on TV, before Priest eventually ends up facing one of the other ladder match challengers in a one-on-one fight.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>(4) Candice LeRae vs. Tegan Nox<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>New Developments: <\/strong>Another video package continued to highlight the history and friendship between LeRae and Nox.\u00a0 This time the video was narrated by Nox who talked about the shift in personality to the \u201cGargano Way.\u201d\u00a0 Nox talked about how she hoped the two of them could sort out their differences.\u00a0 After LeRae\u2019s win against Kacey Catanzaro, she spoke in the ring about how she was distracted during the match about the things Nox had said.\u00a0 She invited Nox to her house and said that dinner was on her.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Highs &amp; Lows: <\/strong>These two video packages have been really well done, especially having Nox\u2019s video following LeRae\u2019s.\u00a0 After watching Nox\u2019s video, I feel drawn to her and see the hope that she just wants to get her old friend back.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Start of Feud: <\/strong>August 26, 2020<\/p>\n<p><strong>Forecast &amp; Prediction: <\/strong>This will continue to play out over the next few weeks, probably with a Dinner with the Garganos video package either next week or the week after, which will lead to a couple matches to ultimately settle the feud.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><strong>LOWER TIER FEUDS<\/strong><\/h3>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>(1) Undisputed Era vs. Drake Maverick (and Killian Dain?)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>New Developments:\u00a0 <\/strong>No new developments this week.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Highs &amp; Lows: <\/strong>This feud feels like it\u2019s below Undisputed Era, mostly because it started with UE stopping a match between Drake and Killian and threw them out of the ring like it was nothing.\u00a0 The match between O\u2019Reilly and Drake was good and could be used to help establish O\u2019Reilly as a singles star, but it could also lessen UE\u2019s overall status within NXT by being involved in lower tier feuds.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Start of Feud: <\/strong>August 12, 2020<\/p>\n<p><strong>Forecast &amp; Prediction: <\/strong>This might eventually lead to a team-up between Drake and Killian or it might just lead to a match between the two without interruption.\u00a0 If Undisputed Era is going to eventually turn on Cole, establishing O\u2019Reilly as a credible singles threat now is a good move.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>(2) Bronson Reed vs. Austin Theory<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>New Developments: <\/strong>Reed had a match against Timothy Thatcher.\u00a0 Reed lost the match after sustaining an elbow injury and being attacked by Austin Theory when the ref wasn\u2019t looking.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Highs &amp; Lows: <\/strong>Reed looked good in the match against Thatcher until he was attacked by Theory.\u00a0 Theory attacking Reed helps establish him as a cowardly heel that you want to see Reed get in the ring.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Start of Feud: <\/strong>August 26, 2020<\/p>\n<p><strong>Forecast &amp; Prediction:<\/strong> This will be a short feud to help build up Reed after his loss at Takeover and will hopefully also build Theory as another solid mid-card heel.\u00a0 I\u2019d expect to see this settled in the next week or two on TV.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>RECOMMENDED:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2020\/09\/02\/tracking-the-length-and-key-developments-with-edwards-vs-young-moose-vs-ec3-kylie-ray-vs-purrazzo-rascalz-vs-ace-fulton-callihan-vs-rvd-mack-vs-myers\/\">FEUD TRACKER \u2013 IMPACT WRESTLING: Tracking the length and key developments with Edwards vs. Young, Moose vs. EC3, Kylie Ray vs. Purrazzo, Rascalz vs. Ace &amp; Fulton, Callihan vs. RVD, Mack vs. Myers<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"pwtor-end-article-groups pwtor-entity-placement\" id=\"pwtor-439087748\"><div id=\"pwtor-1559348359\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\nTHANK YOU FOR VISITING<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>TOP TIER FEUDS (1) Adam Cole vs. Johnny Gargano vs. Tommaso Ciampa vs. Finn Balor New Developments: The 60-minute Iron Man Match ended with Cole and Balor tied with two falls a piece.\u00a0 A tie-breaking <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2020\/09\/03\/feud-tracker-nxt-tracking-the-length-and-key-developments-with-balor-cole-shirai-vs-dakota-gonzales-priest-vs-theory-reed-vs-theory-breezango-vs-fantasma\/\" title=\"FEUD TRACKER &#8211; NXT: Tracking the length and key developments with Balor-Cole, Shirai vs. Dakota &#038; Gonzales, Priest vs. Theory, Reed vs. Theory, Breezango vs. Fantasma\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":103903,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[52,6447,27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-103902","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opnionandanalysis","category-feud-tracker","category-specialists"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2020\/09\/Screen-Shot-2020-09-03-at-12.31.30-PM.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103902","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=103902"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103902\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":103904,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103902\/revisions\/103904"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/103903"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=103902"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=103902"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=103902"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}