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Next week's NXT episode will be the go-home show for TakeOver: 31, and WWE is stacking it up with some significant segments. Shawn Michaels is all set to make an appearance on next week's edition of the Black-and-Gold brand. The WWE Hall of Famer will host the face-to-face segment between Finn Balor and Kyle O'Reilly.
Balor is scheduled to defend the NXT Championship against O'Reilly at TakeOver: 31, and WWE will apply the final touches to the storyline before the big show on Oct. 4.
WWE announced the following while hyping up Shawn Michaels' TV appearance:
Finn Bálor and Kyle O'Reilly set for face-to-face hosted by Shawn Michaels
Finn Bálor and Kyle O'Reilly will go face to face just four days before their NXT Title showdown, and they'll be joined by a WWE Hall of Famer. Shawn Michaels will host a face-to-face meeting between the NXT Champion and his next challenger Wednesday night ahead of their match on Sunday, Oct. 4, at NXT TakeOver 31. O'Reilly earned the right to take on Bálor after a gutsy performance in the first-ever Gauntlet Eliminator Match, going wire-to-wire and eliminating three competitors en route to the biggest victory of his career. What will unfold during the face-to-face between The Prince and O'Reilly with HBK on hand? Tune in to NXT, Wednesday night at 8/7 C on USA Network.
Kyle O'Reilly emerged as the surprising winner of the Gauntlet Eliminator match on last week's NXT episode. The Undisputed Era member has always been viewed as a tag team specialist. Still, the fans who've followed him closely throughout his career would vouch for his pedigree as a singles performer. O'Reilly is a former Ring of Honor World Champion, and he deserves a shot at the NXT Championship.
Shawn Michaels hosting the scheduled face-to-face segment should also help NXT get a bump in the viewership figures. Last week's show drew an average of 696,000 viewers with a 0.18 rating in the 18-49 demographic.
In comparison, AEW Dynamite drew 835,000 viewers with a 0.32 rating in the 18-49 demo. NXT needs a huge go-home show before TakeOver: 31, and the promotion is leaving no stone unturned to make it happen.
