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NXT TakerOver: WarGames is just a few weeks away, and WWE was looking to make a big statement in the Black & Gold brand by booking Finn Balor’s first angle back in NXT against Johnny Gargano.
However, Gargano will not be medically cleared to compete against Balor at WarGames, and this left Balor no option but to direct his attention to one of NXT’s finest Superstars, Matt Riddle.
Riddle has now been attacked by Balor twice in two weeks, and The King of Bros sent out a challenge to Finn Balor for a match at WarGames. Now that we’re certain that the two extremely distinct and talented Superstars will lock horns at the event, we can’t hold back our excitement!
In this article, we will look at the 5 reasons why Matt Riddle will battle The Extraordinary Man at the event, and why it’s the right decision.
#5 To continue the storyline
Last week, The O.C. invaded NXT and made a huge statement before they were confronted by a team of Tommaso Ciampa, Keith Lee, and Matt Riddle. Ciampa welcomed the RAW Superstars to the main roster, and the segment booked a match between the two teams.
As the action between the two strong teams got all over the place, Finn Balor made an entry and attacked Matt Riddle by laying him out with a Bloody Sunday before paying his respects to AJ Styles of The O.C.
While this was seen as an attack to make a statement, and spark speculations regarding Balor joining The O.C. or betraying NXT, it now seems like the company was already preparing for the worse.
The team backstage must have known that Johnny Gargano might not be able to compete at WarGames, and thus they planted the seeds for a Matt Riddle vs. Finn Balor rivalry.
This was a good touch that the company added before announcing that Gargano will not be medically cleared to compete at WarGames against Balor, and the storyline from Balor’s attack on The Original Bro last week was picked up quickly this week to build a bigger story for the event.
#4 It opens up a spot for a fresh face in the men’s WarGames match
Matt Riddle was one of the biggest faces who were made a part of the men’s WarGames team along with Tommaso Ciampa and Keith Lee. While Ciampa was being looked up to as the leader of the team, it was evident that Riddle had as much experience, backing, and talent to be his parallel in the team.
Riddle and Lee were easy picks for the company, and fans were almost certain that Dominik Dijkovic would join the team to complete the team, something he did this week.
However, with Riddle opting out of the team to battle The Extraordinary Man at WarGames, a void has been created at the top of the babyface men’s team for the WarGames match.
This void will be difficult to fill, and therefore the company will look to a newer star who can match the reputation of the other three men to get a once in a lifetime chance. We’ve already seen numerous NXT Superstars tweet out that they want to be part of Ciampa’s team, and this spot can allow a mid-card Superstar of NXT to become a breakout star at the end of the event.
Therefore, taking Riddle away from the men’s WarGames match will not hurt the Superstar, and it will give a huge opportunity to another Superstar in the process.
#3 Both are two of the biggest stars in NXT
WWE needed two big names for a big single’s match for WarGames. Since the traditional WarGames match will already consist of the NXT Champion, the North American Champion, the NXT Tag Team Champions, and Ciampa, Lee, and Dijakovic, it was sensible of them to bring Finn Balor back to NXT and book him in a feud with Johnny Gargano right away.
The women of NXT will also feature in a WarGames match at the event for the first time, and this left way too few top Superstars to have a huge singles match for the event for fans to look forward to.
Balor’s booking with Gargano would have been perfect, but his injury left a big hole on the entire plan that the company had built. Riddle is also one of the biggest stars NXT has got and is currently not in pursuit of any Championship.
Therefore, him going after Balor makes sense since the booking seems to be as massive as the one between Balor and Gargano, and Riddle could draw in the babyface reactions from the crowd as well as the company would have expected from Gargano.
#2 Riddle has nothing to lose
One of the biggest factors in this match is that Matt Riddle has nothing to lose walking into the match. There are no titles on the line, and he is clearly fighting a Superstar who is much more superior than him in terms of popularity. This is nothing more than a plain old grudge match.
This allows both men to battle with freedom without worrying about anything other than their personal rivalry being on the line. Matt Riddle is still new to NXT as compared to Finn Balor and hasn’t won any Championships yet. This allows him to even take the fall against Balor without losing much credibility.
As compared to Gargano, a loss to Balor won’t hurt the Superstar much at all as he will still benefit from battling the overall bigger Superstar and proving that he’s worth it in the ring and the many fans outside the NXT circle too.
Riddle has been dominating in the ring in every match he’s had apart from those that have really mattered to shoot him up the roster, and this match could help him reach the top of the roster even if the booking is not in his favor.
Balor, on the other hand, is a Superstar who can give Riddle the match of his life.
#1 Balor needs a strong opponent
One thing WWE was looking for was a strong opponent for Finn Balor in his return match in NXT. We’d already taken a look at possible first matches for Balor upon his return, and Riddle made the list without a doubt considering his character, in-ring abilities, and connection with the crowd.
NXT required the biggest babyface they could get their hands on to give the recently heel turned Balor a match in which he could enhance his character.
The Original Bro has become a crowd favorite, and his character has worked extremely well with the WWE Universe. To top that off, Riddle is arguably the strongest man in the NXT and has the ability to give anyone in the company a tough fight.
The make the match look more believable and equal, the company did the right thing by pulling Riddle out of the men’s WarGames match to take on The Extraordinary Man.
Balor will be looking to make a statement in his first match back in NXT and making sure that the fans and the entire locker room know what they’re dealing with.
In that case, a statement battle and victory over The Original Bro will help him get into the character and place he’s looking for after just a single match while saving his battle against the mighty Gargano for a later date.
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