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WWE has had several top matches and dream rivalries for several decades, and we’ve enjoyed watching the largest wrestling promotion in the world give us exactly what we want all these years on RAW, SmackDown, and NXT.
To make certain rivalries and matches possible, WWE has blurred the lines between its three brands and given us cross-branded pay-per-views just so that we can watch our favorite Superstars compete against one another.
After introducing the Wild Card rule last year where fans were treated to several interesting matches and rivalries between RAW and SmackDown, the company has introduced the new Brand-to-brand Invitational matches this year to spice things up on its main brands.
However, there are several Superstars in NXT too who deserve to mingle and compete against the top Superstars on RAW and SmackDown, allowing fans to get some of the best entertainment possible.
With that in mind, we have come up with a list of 5 cross-brand matches involving NXT Superstars we need to see in WWE.
#5 Keith Lee vs. Braun Strowman
WWE has always had a knack of building matches between two men who have been portrayed as destructive monsters and have the backing of the WWE Universe.
Keith Lee is the current NXT North American Champion, and he is also playing the lead role of being the face of the Black and Gold brand. Lee’s stock has risen since the turn of the year, and he has managed to impress the WWE Universe with his performances since Survivor Series 2019.
Braun Strowman, on the other hand, is finally enjoying his time at the top of SmackDown as the Universal Champion. While he was never supposed to be the man to take on Goldberg at WrestleMania 36, a change of booking helped him achieve what he’d been working hard for through several years.
WWE's two big men have come face to face during NXT's invasion of WWE SmackDown
The two huge men have had a few faceoffs in WWE, but they still haven’t been able to trade enough blows for fans to judge who’s the better wrestler. Lee is arguably the most athletic big man WWE has seen in a long time, while Strowman has the strength to flip cars over (literally!).
This is one dream match that WWE could book if they decide to go down the path of allowing NXT Superstars to get involved in the crossover matches. And there are no doubts in our minds that the match will help the company boost its ratings across all platforms.
#4 Tommaso Ciampa vs. Kevin Owens
The NXT Universe was in for a huge surprise at NXT TakeOver: WarGames (2019) when Kevin Owens emerged to thunderous applause to fill the fourth and final spot on Team Ciampa in their quest to defeat the Undisputed Era. Owens was part of WWE RAW at the time and broke through the barriers to appear on the Black and Gold brand.
Matt Riddle had to leave Tommaso Ciampa, Dominik Dijakovic, and Keith Lee to set up a match against Finn Balor, leaving one spot wide open for any Superstar who wanted to step up to the challenge. While several names were floating social media as possible replacements for Riddle, the WWE Universe was surprised to see RAW’s Prizefighter appear as the final member of the team.
WWE's Prizefighter and NXT's Blackheart have an interesting past
Owens helped Team Ciampa pick up the victory against Adam Cole, Roderick Strong, Bobby Fish, and Kyle O’Reilly, after which he joined Team RAW the next night to take on Team SmackDown and Team NXT at Survivor Series.
While some expected Owens to turn on Team RAW and join Ciampa’s Team NXT during the match, they were in for another surprise as Ciampa ended up eliminating KO from the match.
The former Universal Champion still has a score to settle with WWE’s Blackheart, and this is one match with enough backstory to play out extremely well on television.
Owens and Ciampa are two of the most accomplished Superstars in WWE today, and a match between the two hard workers will be nothing short of A-grade.
#3 Io Shirai vs. Asuka
WWE has had a sudden influx of top-level Japanese Superstars in recent years. Kairi Sane, Shinsuke Nakamura, Akira Tozawa, and Kushida are a few of the many top wrestlers from Japan who are doing a great job in WWE.
However, two female Superstars who can end up becoming the face of WWE in the future are still working hard on their respective brands and looking for the day they come head to head in a big match.
Io Shirai and Asuka are those two women who are ranked among the top wrestlers in the world today, and while Shirai is chasing the NXT Women’s Championship, Asuka is enjoying her first reign as the RAW Women’s Champion.
WWE's Empress has teamed up with NXT's Genius in the past
Shirai and Asuka are no strangers to one another as they have teamed up and competed in the independent circuit together. Known as the Triple Tails, the two women used to team up with Io’s elder sister Mio Shirai. Shirai has since mentioned that she’d like to team up with Asuka once again to form Twin Tails.
But before that happens, WWE needs to book a dream match between these two women on WWE’s grand stage for a big prize. Both women have unique fighting styles, and The Genius of the Sky has proven to be one of the best Superstars in recent months.
This could allow WWE to give the fans a dream match similar to Charlotte Flair vs. Rhea Ripley, hopefully with a Championship belt on the line.
#2 Johnny Gargano vs. Daniel Bryan
Not too long ago, Daniel Bryan had expressed his desire to watch Johnny Gargano lose on WWE NXT, just so that he could end up on the SmackDown roster alongside him.
In case you didn’t know, Johnny Gargano is one of the best wrestlers in WWE today, and he has proven his worth by becoming the First NXT Triple Crown Champion. However, he has stated several times that he enjoys performing on NXT more than anything, and has no desire of moving to any other roster in WWE.
Daniel Bryan, on the other hand, made a miraculous return to the ring not too long ago and has continued to inspire a new generation of wrestlers by performing flawlessly in the ring.
Will fans ever get to watch NXT's best against WWE's greatest?
Bryan’s days in the ring may be numbered as he is looking to focus more on his family and give his body a rest, and this could result in fans missing out on a number of dream matches involving the Superstar.
However, one dream match involving Brayn WWE should not miss out on is the one against Gargano. Gargano has already mentioned in the past that Bryan is among his dream opponents in WWE, and the company should cash in on these two men’s desire to work against one another and give fans a stellar match.
Both men are used to delivering insanely good matches in the ring, and a match between them could end up being an easy Match of the Year candidate.
#1 Adam Cole vs. AJ Styles
Speaking of top Superstars in WWE, not many can top the work Adam Cole and AJ Styles put up inside the ring.
Styles arrived in WWE from NJPW, while Cole was famous for his work in Ring of Honor (ROH) before he trumped his performance there to make NXT his own brand.
Styles has been one of the longest-reigning WWE Champions of the modern era, while Cole has managed to pick up all the top titles in NXT to prove that he’s second to none and deserves all the respect he gets from the WWE Universe.
Cole and Styles are already legends in WWE
While both men have met in ROH in the past, a WWE ring is what is required for a match between these two Superstars who are arguably the best in the world at their craft.
Cole vs. Styles could end up being one of the biggest matches in WWE history and would rightfully deserve a spot at SummerSlam or WrestleMania where the two men could go on to headline the event.
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