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WWE really stacked the deck in its first hour of NXT on October 2nd. After Adam Cole successfully retained his NXT Championship against Matt Riddle, a huge name from the annals of the Yellow Brand's history showed up to make his presence felt.
The longest-reigning NXT Champion, Finn Balor, returned to confront Cole. The move shocked the wrestling world, as Balor had previously been absent from WWE programming following his Summerslam loss to The Fiend.
With the upcoming draft on October 11th and October 14th, many believed that Balor would likely return then or on SmackDown's FOX debut. Instead, he adds his immense talent to an already stacked roster in NXT. Balor joins The Undisputed Era, Keith Lee, Pete Dunne, Shayna Baszler, Io Shirai, Matt Riddle, The Velveteen Dream, Damian Priest, Dominik Dijakovic, Jordan Myles, and Isaiah Scott in the new NXT.
Now that he's back where he first became a WWE star, which current NXT Superstars would be the best opponents for him? Balor tore the house down in his first NXT run, facing the likes of Samoa Joe, Shinsuke Nakamura, Kevin Owens, and others. Who will be up to the task this time? Here are five potential opponents for Finn Balor in NXT.
#5 Roderick Strong
Depending on how quickly Balor is inserted into the NXT Championship picture, he might have to face some of the "underbosses" in the Undisputed Era. Kyle O'Reilly and Bobby Fish are the tag team aces, but in singles action, few others put on great performances like Roddy Strong.
The current NXT North American Champion put on instant classics in his matches with Velveteen Dream and Pete Dunne. Every other match he has participated in has been the same fantastic showcase of his in-ring ability.
Who else puts on great matches and just so happened to have returned to the site where he became a star in WWE? That's right - Finn Balor. Prior to gunning for Adam Cole, Balor might have to run through some others in order to earn that coveted NXT Championship opportunity. One of those men could be Strong, in what is sure to be a fantastic match.
#4 The Velveteen Dream
If both Superstars are staying in NXT for awhile, then Balor and The Velveteen Dream have to cross paths. Dream is one of the best characters in all of WWE and further solidifies his future-star status with his in-ring game. He has brought the house down at every TakeOver including matches with Tomasso Ciampa, Roderick Strong, and Pete Dunne.
The reason why this would be interesting is that Balor seems to get irked by truly strange beings like The Fiend. Dream is the strangest being in NXT albeit in a totally different fashion. The feud would likely require Balor to pull out his alter ego, The Demon.
If these two are around and Balor hasn't won the NXT Championship, then this would be a great match for a WrestleMania or another big PPV weekend.
#3 Pete Dunne
Pete Dunne is similar to Balor in that each man was the biggest star in their respective brands. Balor was arguably the most popular star in NXT history and Pete Dunne carried NXT UK on his back until Walter cracked his back and took his title.
While Dunne is more of a submission based wrestler than Balor, it would still be a great match up, pitting the former face of NXT against its future. Why else would Dunne have been shifted over to NXT? He joined the Yellow Brand to up the star power, have big matches, and challenge for the NXT Championship (at some point). Those are the same reasons why Balor is back at Full Sail.
Balor and Dunne could also team up against the Undisputed Era, before eventually breaking up and engaging in a feud. Creative wouldn't have to make one of the men a heel, as both are already over with the WWE Universe. WarGames is coming up fast, so if TUE is going to anchor the match for the third-straight year, they'll need a group comprised of big names as opposition. Balor and Dunne would certainly not have TUE's chemistry, but would need to co-exist. Would they be able to?
#2 Johnny Gargano
This potential showdown would be welcomed by every NXT fan. Balor is the huge hero from NXT's past and Johnny Gargano is the face of its present.
From an in-ring perspective, this could be one of the best matches in NXT history. Gargano is called Johnny TakeOver for a reason and Balor has participated in some great matches at TakeOver events as well.
They wouldn't need much of a storyline, other than the past and present colliding. Like Dunne and Balor, both men would have their cheering sections, but the winners would ultimately be the fans. Face vs. Face matches are difficult to do, but if both men are truly beloved by the fans like both Gargano and Balor are, it would be a slam dunk for WWE to book.
#1 Adam Cole
If Balor is returning to NXT, it only makes sense for him to be involved in an NXT Championship program at some point. It could happen immediately or it could be saved for a weekend where a main roster PPV takes place. Adam Cole vs. Finn Balor is a huge match, so it would make the most sense for WrestleMania weekend.
While many talented stars are waiting in the wings for a title opportunity, they haven't achieved the same level of success in NXT that Balor has. Stars like Kushida, Isaiah Scott, Damian Priest, Keith Lee, and Dominik Dijakovic are all talented in their own right, but none have been built up enough yet for a title challenge. Balor provides Cole with an immediate threat to his title reign.
The star power alone is reason enough to have these two engage in a showdown. If it wasn't in the cards, then why else would Balor confront Cole immediately following his win over Riddle? Simply put, if Balor is a full-time member of the NXT roster now, the biggest match that can possibly be booked is Cole vs. Balor for the NXT Championship.
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