NXT TakeOver 31: How to Watch, What Time and What Channel

WWE will be taking over TV on Sunday night as the NXT brand will have its latest event, NXT TakeOver 31. This event will take place just a few weeks before WWE‘s next pay-per-view event, Hell in a Cell, and less than a week before the WWE Draft. And just like the previous NXT events, TakeOver 31 should provide a lot of fast-paced action in a short period. The event can be streamed on the WWE Network at 7 p.m. ET.

There are only five matches on the card, which is fairly normal for an NXT event. The top bout of the night is Finn Balor, the NXT Champion, defending his title against Kyle O’Reilly. Balor won the title last month against Adam Cole and is only the third person in NXT history to hold the title multiple times.

Another match fans are looking forward to is NXT North American Champion Damian Priest facing Johnny Gargano for the title. Priest became champion at NXT TakeOver XXX in August in a ladder match. Gargano and four other wrestlers took part in the match and is looking to be North American Champion for the second time in his career.

NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai will defend her title against Candice LeRae. Shari has been champion since June when she defeated Charlotte Flair and Rhea Ripley in a triple-threat match. She could lose the title against a very aggressive LeRae who is looking for her first title in WWE. Another championship match taking place at NXT TakeOver 31 is Cruiserweight Champion Santos Escobar facing Isaiah “Swerve” Scott. Escobar’s only loss in NXT is against Scott, so it’s possible fans could see a new Cruiserweight Champion on Sunday.

The last match on the card is The Velveteen Dream vs. Kushida. Velveteen Dream returned to NXT in August after not being seen on TV for two months and has been in a feud with Kushida ever since. Days before NXT TakeOver 31, Triple H told the media that the event would be a “game-changer” for the company.

“There’s a lot of times when you’re putting these together that you look for something that will be incredibly spectacular,” Triple H said, as reported by Wrestling Inc. “I think that the majority of NXT fans and hardcore fans that are very very into the in-ring product understand how good this will be. For those that don’t, if you are a more casual fan, this is going to be one, I think, that you will remember for a long period of time.”