Tonight is the night we have been waiting three weeks for. After NXT TakeOver: Dallas, Finn Balor had one question to ask, “What’s next for Finn Balor?” Well, that question was almost immediately answered when the most charismatic NXT signee of the year, Shinsuke Nakamura, came down to the ring. Nakamura has his sights set on the NXT Championship, but Nakamura needs to prove to himself that he is good enough. In order to prove this to himself, the King of Strong Style must defeat who he calls the Icon of NXT.
Opening Segment
To kick of a show that has a loaded main event, it starts off strong as well with NXT Champion Samoa Joe coming down to the ring. Joe knows what the main event means for him: it is implied that the winner of that match would be in line for an NXT Championship title match. Joe makes a good point that it was never technically a #1 Contender’s match, which does not guarantee either men an opportunity, even with a high profile victory. Either way, Joe does not care who wins, as he thinks he will destroy all who challenge him.
Speaking of those who challenge him, Samoa Joe is interrupted by Rhyno. Rhyno challenges Samoa Joe to a match to “get to the top,” and Joe retreats. The NXT Champion takes the strategic route and accepts Rhyno’s challenge, but on his time. (Sound familiar, Seth Rollins?)
Tom Philips and Corey Graves officially announce three big matches for next week. Bayley will attempt to get revenge on Nia Jax, American Alpha try to take out the unknown Authors of Pain, and William Regal officially schedules a match between Rhyno and Samoa Joe.
Finn Balor vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
With a match of this calibur and this amount of buildup, it makes sense that this is the only match on an episode of NXT that only spans an hour. What is interesting is the timing of this match. The Brand Extension starts next week when Smackdown switches from Thursday to Tuesday and goes live for the first time ever. Will this be the last time Finn Balor steps in an NXT ring because of the draft? Will Nakamura be the surprise draft pick (please, WWE, I beg of you)? This could easily be a main event on any card, including a TakeOver special, or even WrestleMania, but instead, this is on a “normal” episode of NXT. This alone makes me wonder if this is the end of NXT for Finn Balor.
Whether Balor stays in NXT or not, he needs a victory to build his momentum. Balor has spent the last several weeks in NXT failing to reclaim the NXT title after unexpectedly losing it to Samoa Joe at a house show in Lowell, Massachusetts. Nakamura has gone undefeated since his debut, so a win here would increase the incredibly impressive winning streak. However, if Balor could stop the winning streak, it could do wonders for the direction of his career.
Shinsuke Nakamura rolls out of the day to dodge the Coup de Grace from Finn Balor, and capitalizes with a knee from the second rope. Nakamura then ends the match with the second attempt at Kinshasa, knocking out Finn Balor for the three count. With an epic match in the books, Nakamura has indeed defeated the Icon of NXT. Winner: Shinsuke Nakamura
After the match, Nakamura and Balor have an emotional showing of respect in the ring, which makes sense for such great friends. By the way Finn Balor reacted to the match ending, along with the “Thank you Finn!” chants, it seems very likely that Balor is going to be called up to the main roster next week.
What does this mean for Nakamura? He most certainly can plead his case to William Regal about becoming the new #1 Contender to Samoa Joe’s NXT Championship, but it is not official. Nakamura can only go up from here, and that seems like the only viable option. For now, however, we just have to wait and see.
