ESPN’s Ariel Helwani to appear on WWE NXT TakeOver pre-show
A special guest has been announced for this Sunday’s NXT TakeOver: WarGames pre-show.
During tonight’s episode of NXT, it was announced that ESPN mixed martial arts reporter Ariel Helwani will be appearing on the TakeOver: WarGames pre-show this Sunday. He’ll be appearing with hosts Wade Barrett and Sam Roberts.
Helwani is a longtime professional wrestling fan. He’s been with ESPN since departing MMA Fighting in 2018.
The TakeOver pre-show will begin at 6:30 p.m. Eastern time on Sunday, leading into TakeOver starting at 7 p.m. Eastern. In addition to the WWE Network, the pre-show will air on WWE’s digital platforms.
Here’s the full card for TakeOver: WarGames:
- WarGames match: Undisputed Era (Adam Cole, Kyle O’Reilly, Roderick Strong & Bobby Fish) vs. Team McAfee (Pat McAfee, Pete Dunne, Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch)
- WarGames match: Team Shotzi (Shotzi Blackheart, Ember Moon, Rhea Ripley & NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai) vs. Team Candice (Candice LeRae, Dakota Kai, Raquel Gonzalez & Toni Storm)
- NXT North American Champion Leon Ruff defends his title against Johnny Gargano and Damian Priest in a triple threat match
- Strap match: Dexter Lumis vs. Cameron Grimes
- Tommaso Ciampa vs. Timothy Thatcher
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.