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After winning the NXT Championship at NXT Roadblock last month, Dolph Ziggler surprisingly retained the title at Stand & Deliver. He initially won the belt in a triple threat match featuring Tommaso Ciampa and then-champion Bron Breakker.
Ciampa had his final match at Stand & Deliver. The same could possibly be said for LA Knight. Both have recently faced Ziggler, so that takes two of NXT's top faces out of the equation.
Instead of simply going back to RAW, The Showoff will presumably stick around in NXT with Bobby Roode. As for Breakker, he could go one of two ways. He will either get a rematch with Ziggler, or he could be headed for a main roster call-up.
However, Breakker isn't the only possible challenger for the NXT Champion following Stand & Deliver. Here are five potential challengers for Dolph Ziggler.
#5. Solo Sikoa is one of the promising guys in the reboot
The brand reboot has done an excellent job of building up several heels. GUNTHER, Tony D'Angelo, Grayson Waller, and Carmelo Hayes have become great heels. Since Ziggler is a heel Champion, he'll likely have a variety of challengers.
After getting recognition for being the younger brother of the Usos, Sikoa became known for his no-nonsense fight style. While the reboot has featured a bevy of younger and newer stars, there aren't many faces that are main-event ready. Solo still needs seasoning but could be a viable challenger after Stand & Deliver.
#4. Tony D'Angelo is one of the top heels in NXT 2.0
Despite a polarizing gimmick, Tony D'Angelo has proven that he belongs in NXT. He performed well at WarGames late last year. He was "handed" the torch at Stand & Deliver after defeating NXT Legend Tommaso Ciampa.
He had already fought Cameron Grimes, but that was when Grimes didn't hold a title. D'Angelo is also a heel, so the dynamics against Ziggler could be off.
Ziggler's whole run should be about testing the newcomers to see if they are as good as some probably think they are. Coming off a big win over Ciampa at Stand & Deliver, D'Angelo's confidence is perhaps the highest it’s been.
#3. Bron Breakker will be looking for a rematch after Stand & Deliver.
This is the easiest and most sensible challenger for Ziggler following WrestleMania weekend. The Showoff raked Breakker's eyes, which led to the former picking up the win at Stand & Deliver.
It was a simple act, but it still helped the Champion retain the title. Roode had already been kicked out of the ringside area earlier in the match.
Because of Ziggler's unfair means, Breakker will be looking for revenge. The former never beat Bron clean, and it would drive the latter crazy. Unless he gets an early call-up to RAW or SmackDown, expect the former champ to continue hunting Ziggler.
#2. Carmelo Hayes is a future NXT Champion.
Part of the reason why Hayes lost the NXT North American title at Stand & Deliver was so that he could move on to bigger things. He constantly called himself the "A Champ."
Now that Cameron Grimes has the North American belt, Hayes will claim he was never pinned to lose it. He can now refocus his energy on the real top title in the brand. Since he and Trick Williams are a team, they could also battle Roode and Ziggler in tag team matches.
He might have lost the title at Stand & Deliver, but Hayes is clearly earmarked as a top player in NXT. He might even capture the NXT Championship before the end of the year.
#1. GUNTHER will cross paths with the NXT Champion at some point.
Regardless of who holds the NXT title, GUNTHER will be looking to chop them into oblivion. He has already defeated Tommaso Ciampa, Solo Sikoa, and many others. His victory over LA Knight at Stand & Deliver should put him in the conversation for a title shot.
The big man was a dominant NXT UK Champion and has defeated every challenger so far in the states. It's only a matter of time before he goes for the top gold.
GUNTHER could take exception to Ziggler coming to NXT. The latter is also a cocky performer, so that could make the heel vs. heel dynamic work. If Bron regains the title, this could be a huge main event for 2022. Imperium could also be involved since Roode will likely continue to be on Ziggler's side.
