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NXT was just brilliant this week. The Black and Gold brand is a gift that keeps on giving and there hasn't been a single episode where the WWE Universe has been left upset with what they have seen. This week, we saw some incredible matches unfold in front of our eyes.
The show started with Killian Dain coming out and issuing an open challenge since Damien Priest wasn't cleared medically to face The Beast from Belfast. Pete Dunne accepted the challenge but was defeated in a stupendous bout. Next, we saw Keith Lee and Tommaso Ciampa take the game to a Bobby Fish-less Undisputed Era, setting up the main event.
After that, Shayna Baszler defeated Xia Li, while the Forgotten Sons got the better of Leon Ruff & Adrian Alanis.
The Rhea Ripley vs Dakota Kai, though, never got started as Mia Yim attacked Kai and took her backstage, while Ripley was jumped by Shayna Baszler and team. The NXT Women's Champion then accepted Ripley's challenge for the NXT Championship.
Then, two long-term rivals, Kassius Ohno and Matt Riddle, faced off against each other; a match that was won by the King of Bros. After that, Kuchida returned to WWE programming for the first time since suffering an injury and defeated Cameron Grimes in an engrossing encounter. Then, in the main event, Keith Lee, Tommaso Ciampa, and Dominik Dijakovic defeated The Undisputed Era.
After the match, William Regal announced that Ciampa vs Balor vs Lee for the #1 Contender for the NXT Championship will be taking place next week.
With all that in mind, let's take a look at the four hints WWE dropped on this week's NXT:
#4 Matt Riddle might be the first one to make a move to RAW or SmackDown next year
With the likes of Keith Lee and Dominik Dijakovic taking part in the main event of NXT week in week out, one has to ask - Where is Matt Riddle?
The answer to this question is quite simple - Maybe Riddle is soon moving to RAW or SmackDown in 2020 and that is the reason why Triple H doesn't have him featuring in the main events.
It's no secret that Vince McMahon likes Matt Riddle and maybe The Original Bro has been earmarked as the first Superstar from the current NXT batch to make a move to either RAW or SmackDown.
#3 Rhea Ripley might become the new NXT Women's Champion on the 18th of December
This week on NXT, Shayna Baszler finally accepted Rhea Ripley's challenge for the NXT Women's Championship but Ripley took a hell of a beating on Wednesday. On 18th December, The Queen of Spades will defend her NXT Women's Championship against the hottest thing in NXT's Women's division.
There are next to no doubts that Ripley is future NXT Women's Champion material and she could become one as soon as the 18th of December. Ripley held her own against three of the most dangerous women in NXT this week.
The Nightmare has been on a winning streak lately and there's next to no chance that Triple H would want Ripley to lose Baszler, especially when she is so over with the WWE Universe.
#2 Keith Lee is getting a huge push
Keith Lee is another Superstar who is currently on the rise and this week, he pinned the NXT Champion Adam Cole, which is a big thing in itself. Now, Lee is all set to face Tommaso Ciampa and Finn Balor in a Triple Threat Match for the right to challenge Cole for the NXT Championship.
First of all, Ciampa and Balor are both former NXT Champions and have had their good times but with Lee on the rise, it wouldn't surprise anyone if he ends up winning the Triple Threat Match next week. The huge push that Lee is receiving is definitely well-deserved.
#1 No storylines in the pipeline for the NXT Tag Team Champions and the NXT North American Champion
This is what happens sometimes when you have a stable holding all the gold in a single brand. Both, the NXT North American Champion Roderick Strong and the NXT Tag Team Champions Kyle O'Reilly and Bobby Fish, haven't had feuds of their own in a long time.
After Velveteen Dream was ruled out due to an injury, Roderick Strong hasn't had many opponents standing up to him. It's almost as if the NXT North American Championship has taken a back seat due to everything going on with the NXT Championship.
The same can be said about the NXT Tag Team Championship. There hasn't been a single tag team that has feuded with the current champions. The Forgotten Sons have been on a winning spree lately and they could, and should, be elevated to the vacant challenger's seat for the NXT Tag Team Championship. Will it happen? Only time will tell!
