Triple H appeared on Wednesday’s episode of WWE’s digital series, The Bump. The Game was there to promote NXT New Year’s Evil and discussed some of his favorite Royal Rumble moments.

As WWE’s Executive Vice President of Global Talent Strategy & Development, Triple H is very involved with brand development and of course, NXT.

When asked about Finn Balor returning to NXT last October 2019 after wrestling on the WWE main roster for several years, Triple H said, “I think it’s been great.”

Finn Balor’s Impact on NXT

For many years, NXT had the perception of being a developmental brand. Triple H says that Finn Balor put a ‘stamp’ on NXT as it’s own brand on par with Raw and SmackDown.

“In the run up, I understand that it was sort of the place where you prove yourself, to then go on to something else, he said. “It has now become the place where you can prove yourself as being one of the best in the world” Triple H would continue.”

Triple H emphasized that an accomplished wrestler like Balor helps legitimize NXT as more than just

“I think that Finn’s return here showed that. When he left the first time? I think there were a lot of people here that said ‘well he needed to leave because there has nothing else to do here.’ There’s always something else to do, you know? It’s one thing to become a champion, it’s another thing to hang on to it. It’s another thing again to regain it. And then even more so to hang on to it again.”

Finn Balor defends the NXT Championship against Kyle O’Relly in the main event of Wednesday’s New Year’s Evil event. You can check out the full card for that show below:

• NXT New Year’s Evil Preview (1/6): Balor vs. O’Reilly, Kross vs. Priest

Do you agree with Triple H? Do you think that Finn Balor returning to NXT when he did cemented it as a brand on the level of RAW and SmackDown?

NXT Champion Finn Balor has some thoughts about WWE’s decision to feature part-time legends in high-profile matches.

Balor defends his championship Wednesday night against Kyle O’Reilly at New Year’s Evil. He spoke to Metro.co.uk this week to promote the show.

Hulk Hogan recently complained that younger WWE wrestlers are cold to him backstage. He says this is partially because they are worried about him coming in to ‘steal their spot.’

Many WWE performers have been critical about legends coming in, competing in main events and taking that main event money and spotlight from the current generation. Finn Balor was asked about this dynamic and says it doesn’t bother him at all.

“I believe that everyone has a place in this business, and if you’re on the show, you’re on the show for a reason,” he began. “If you’re on the show once a year, if you’re on the show every night, that’s down to everybody’s individual circumstance.”

Finn Balor: “I welcome these legends with open arms”

Balor believes legends have earned the right to wrestle occasional matches well after the prime of their careers. “It doesn’t affect me and it shouldn’t affect anyone else.”

On Monday’s Raw, 54-year-old Goldberg returned and shoved WWE Champion Drew McIntyre to set up a match at the Royal Rumble. Even though WWE has a locker room full of young talent that could benefit from this opportunity, Balor defends that it is better to have ‘some Goldberg’ than ‘no Goldberg.”

“For me, when the tide comes in, all the ships rise,” he said. “If we can have Goldberg on the show, if we can have anyone on the show for one night, I feel it’s better one night than never. I welcome these legends with open arms.”

Visit Metro.co.uk to read the full interview with Finn Balor.

The next challenger to WWE NXT Champion Finn Balor will be Kyle O’Reilly and it’s the first match to be added to the card of the upcoming NXT New Year’s Evil special. 

During Wednesday’s episode of NXT from Orlando, Florida at the Capitol Wrestling Center on the USA Network, WWE held a singles match between Pete Dunne and Kyle O’Reilly.

The style was physical and featured some near falls after O’Reilly made his comeback. O’Reilly hit a knee strike in the corner that knocked Dunne’s mouthpiece out. The finish saw O’Reilly hit his finisher for the win. 

Because O’Reilly was victorious, he earned the right to challenge Balor for the NXT Title. WWE holds the NXT New Year’s Evil special on January 6th and it is the first episode of the weekly television show for the black and yellow brand of 2021. 

It should be noted that Balor hasn’t wrestled since undergoing surgery for a broken jaw after successfully retaining the title over O’Reilly at the TakeOver 31 event this past October. 

Balor broke his jaw in two places in the match. No other matches have been announced for this upcoming special, but that will change in the coming weeks.

While Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows are no longer with WWE, several former members of Bullet Club still are. Finn Balor is a founding member of the group from NJPW back in 2013. Then known as Prince Devitt, he introduced Bad Luck Fale as his “personal bouncer” and they were joined shortly after by Tama Tonga and “Machine Gun” Karl Anderson.

Balor, who is scheduled to appear on NXT this week for the first time since suffering a broken jaw against Kyle O’Reilly, posted the following to Twitter:

Finn Balor, AJ Styles, and Adam Cole In “The Club”

Finn Balor and AJ Styles’ time in Bullet Club didn’t really overlap. Styles arrived in New Japan Pro Wrestling in the spring of 2014 just as Balor was leaving for WWE. Styles would win the IWGP Heavyweight Championship twice before he would leave for WWE as well in 2016. Styles was joined by Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows in WWE later that same year.

Adam Cole was briefly a member of Bullet Club as well before his untimely death on an episode of Being the Elite in 2017. Cole was one of the top members of the faction in Ring of Honor. He won the ROH World Championship at Wrestle Kingdom 11 in the Tokyo Dome as a member of Bullet Club.

• Finn Balor Provides Update Days After Jaw Surgery

Finn Balor had recently posted a photo on Twitter confirming a successful surgery for his broken jaw which he suffered during his recent match with Kyle O’Reilly.

The NXT champion provided some details about his surgery in an Instagram post recently and he confirmed that the operation actually took place this past Friday.

Finn revealed in the post that one of the fractures had gone into his tooth. The doctors had to remove that tooth and his jaw was then wired shut to restore his bite and help align the fractures.

The surgeons then screwed three plates in to fixate the fractures and the former Universal Champion confirmed that no wires were needed after the operation.

What’s interesting to note here is that while WWE has not provided a timeline for Balor’s comeback, the former Raw star himself noted that he is hoping for a quick recovery.

Previous reports have revealed that the company is actually making his injury worse than it is and the current champion is not expected to miss a lot of time.

While an actual timetable for his return is not known yet, the usual recovery time for a broken jaw is six weeks and it would be interesting to see how soon Finn Balor is able to recover and return to in-ring action.

Finn Balor posted this photo to social media on Wednesday, less than one week removed from jaw surgery.

Just a week after suffering a jaw injury, Finn Balor underwent surgery. 

The WWE NXT Champion noted in a post on Twitter Monday night that he got the successful surgery done by Dr. Patel and Dr. Edgarsosa.

Balor successfully retained the title over Kyle O’Reilly in the main event of NXT TakeOver 31 event. 

Balor had previously confirmed last week that he broke his jaw in two places during his latest title defense. He even shared an x-ray photo of it. 

Although WWE did air a video package on last week’s episode of NXT to recap the match and show photos of Balor in the hospital, they didn’t provide an update on his status. 

During a recent episode of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer noted that WWE made the injury seem to be worse than it actually is. Bryan Alvarez speculated that WWE knew the severity of the injury and that could be the reason as to why they didn’t strip him of the title.

Finn Balor defended his NXT Championship against Kyle O’Reilly in a gruesome match at the NXT Takeover: 31 event where the title holder managed to retain his championship.

Though the champion did not come unhurt out of the bout and WWE announced that he suffered a broken jaw during the fight. However, latest reports suggest that his injury is not as serious as it’s being reported.

Dave Meltzer talked about Balor on the latest episode of Wrestling Observer Radio. While he revealed that the reports of Finn’s injury are not inaccurate, the wrestling journalist noted that it was “made to be worse than it is.”

There is still no word on how long the current champion will stay out of action but the typical recovery time from a broken jaw is around 6 weeks.

Finn Balor made his return to NXT during the October 2nd episode of the show back in 2019 and he confronted the NXT Champion at the time, Adam Cole, during his return.

• Also Read: WWE Responds To Reports Of New Lawsuit From Matt Riddle Accuser

He went on to have feuds with the likes of Matt Riddle, Damian Priest and Johnny Gargano in the coming months before finally winning the NXT title back during the NXT: Super Tuesday II event last month.

So far WWE has not announced a time table for his return, but with reports of his injury not being as serious, it doesn’t look likely that Balor will stay out of action for very long. it would be interesting to see who challenges him for the title next when he comes back.

Finn Balor will miss ring time due to a fractured jaw. The NXT Champion sustained the injury this past weekend at NXT Takeover 31.

WWE has released a video of Finn Balor and his doctor discussing his condition. According to Dr. Jeffrey Westerfield, Balor fractured his jaw in two places during his match against Kyle O’Reilly.

Dr. Westerfield said it was amazing that either man was able to finish the hard-hitting match. “Finn had two fractures in his jaw,” he said. “Once the swelling goes down in a couple days, Finn’s going to be able to talk very sparingly. Obviously it’s going to have to have him out for a little bit of time.”

Balor said people are questioning if his current NXT title reign will be as good as his last. Referencing his successful title defense at Takeover 31, Balor said, “I think they just got their answer.”

For what it’s worth, Dave Meltzer noted on Wrestling Observer Radio that Balor’s injury is legitimate, however WWE is making the situation out to be worse than it is.

You can watch the video with comments from Finn Balor and Dr. Westerfield in the Youtube player embedded below.

Triple H tweeted the following regarding Finn Balor’s tenacity in light of this latest setback.

It turns out that Finn Balor suffered a jaw injury during his latest match under the WWE NXT banner. 

The NXT Champion successfully retained the title this past Sunday at the NXT TakeOver 31 event on the WWE Network over Kyle O’Reilly. This served as the main event of the show. 

Fast forward to Wednesday, Balor took to Twitter hours before the show went live on the USA Network to reveal that he broke his jaw in two places while competing in this contest. 

In the match against the Undisputed Era member, Balor was bleeding from his mouth towards the event. Even after the contest, Triple H mentioned Balor was taken to the hospital so he could get x-rays done.

In that post, he noted that it would address this on NXT, which happened. There was a video package with highlights of the match and photos shown of Balor being in the hospital.

A WWE trainer stated that Balor wouldn’t make TV this week, which he didn’t, and Balor would be out of action for a little bit. 

While it’s unfortunate that Balor suffered the injury, it appears that he won’t have to vacate the title nor miss a lengthy amount of time in the ring. 

• Finn Balor Retains NXT Title At TakeOver 31

As expected, Finn Balor vs. Kyle O’Reilly ended up serving as the main event. 

Balor put the NXT Title on the line against The Undisputed Era member at the WWE NXT TakeOver 31 event.

While the contest didn’t have the star power that other TakeOver events have had, fans had hoped the work rate would exceed expectations. Based on feedback from fans on social media, it did just that. 

The match was hard-hitting with a mix of various strikes and submission holds. Both guys were bleeding from the mouth. In the end, Balor hit the double foot stomp off the top rope for the win. 

Because Balor had won the NXT Title over top contenders such as Adam Cole, Johnny Gargano, and Tommaso Ciampa, he didn’t have a clear cut contender. Thus, WWE came up with a unique match to fill that role. 

WWE held a Gauntlet Eliminator Match on the September 23rd episode of NXT. Bronson Reed, Timothy Thatcher, O’Reilly, Kushida, and Cameron Grimes worked the bout.

The basic rules of the match was every 4 minutes, another competitor will enter, an elimination was via pinfall or submission, and the last person, which was O’Reilly, won the contest. 

What are your thoughts Finn Balor on retaining the NXT Title? Was this the right call by WWE officials? Sound off in the comment section.

Finn Balor has his next challenger as WWE determined the new #1 contender for the WWE Title that’s held by “The Prince.” 

WWE announced heading into Wednesday’sepisode of NXT that the reveal of this contender, which also marks the third match to be added to the card of the NXT TakeOver event on October 4th, would be determined. 

WWE held a Gauntlet Eliminator Match, which took place in the final 30 minutes of the show. The rules of this match are as followings:

• Two men will start in the ring
• Ever 4 minutes, another competitor will enter
• The only way to be eliminated is via pinfall or submission
• The last man standing is the winner

Bronson Reed, Timothy Thatcher, Kyle O’Reilly, Kushida, and Cameron Grimes worked the bout. Kushida and O’Reilly started things off with Reed coming out as the third star and Thatcher as the fourth. Grimes was the last to enter. 

The final two stars were Grimes and O’Reilly battling it out. O’Reilly locked in a heel hook to win the match. 

O’Reilly was victorious, which means he earned the right to challenge Balor for the WWE NXT Title. After the match, Balor and O’Reilly had a staredown to close the show. 

• Ryback on ‘Third Party’ Ban in WWE: “Everything Vince McMahon Put Out Is All Bullsh*t”

Current NXT Champion Finn Balor has shared why he believes the ‘Demon’ didn’t work on WWE’s main roster. Speaking with Vicente Beltrán of ViBe & Wrestling, Balor explained how the character had been “designed as something special,” but ultimately fell flat due to WWE’s overadvertising.

“The ‘Demon’ was designed as something special. It was one of those things that should have been saved for breathtaking occasions, but it ended up being advertised in the media and that was one of the main reasons why it didn’t work,” Balor stated. “The surprise factor was completely gone and the ‘Demon’ became Finn Balor’s savior, which was also to my detriment because I could not develop my own character separate from the ‘Demon’. I think it hurt both of us, Finn Balor and the ‘Demon’.”

When asked if the ‘Demon’ could be utilized in a cinematic matchup, Balor seemed open to the idea. He stressed how people have to evolve alongside the business, which is something the ‘Demon’ may be able to do within a cinematic feud. However, Balor remains adamant that the ‘Demon’ resonates best with an excited WWE audience and that a live experience is what he and the fans would enjoy most.

Finn Balor recently defeated Adam Cole during NXT Super Tuesday II. His victory saw him become a two time NXT World Champion.

Heading into Tuesday’s episode of WWE NXT we knew there would be a new NXT champion crowned and it just so happened to be Finn Balor. 

Last week’s show saw the entire second hour being taken up by a 60 Minute Iron Man Fatal 4-Way Match to determine the new NXT Champion. Adam Cole vs. Johnny Gargano vs. Balor vs. Tommaso Ciampa was booked. 

However,  there was no winner as Ciampa and Balor were tied with the most points, which was two while Gargano and Cole each had one point. Thus, they had NXT GM William Regal announce a Sudden Death Battle between Ciampa and Balor, which took place on Tuesday’s episode. 

It opened the show that aired on the USA Network. In the contest, WWE filmed it as a separate match with both stars getting a full entrance. 

They did some near falls, but mostly a technical match. The finish saw Balor connect with a Super 1916 DDT off the top rope for the win. 

Of course, Karrion Kross relinquished the championship two weeks ago, which is why the title became vacant. 

He had to give up the title because he separated his shoulder when he defeated Keith Lee to win the WWE NXT Title in the headliner of NXT TakeOver: XXX on the WWE Network. 

• WWE Clarifies Rules For Wrestlers Using YouTube & Twitch Accounts

What are your thoughts on Finn Balor winning the NXT Title? Was this the right call by WWE officials? Sound off in the comment section.

Heading into Tuesday’s episode of WWE NXT fans were promised that there would be a new NXT champion crowned and that didn’t happen. 

WWE booked a unique contest as there was a 60 Minute Iron Man Fatal 4-Way Match to determine the new NXT Champion. The contest took place in the final hour of the broadcast on the USA Network from Winter Park, Florida at Full Sail University. 

Adam Cole vs. Johnny Gargano vs. Finn Balor vs. Tommaso Ciampa was booked. So the way that the match worked was whoever had the most points at the end of the match whether that be by pinfall or submission was declared the winner. 

However, there wasn’t a winner. Instead, WWE booked an angle where Cole and Balor were tied with the most points, which was two while Gargano and Ciampa each had one point. 

Balor will face Cole in a singles match on next week’s episode to crown a new NXT Champion.

The title became vacant on last week’s show in the opening segment as Karrion Kross relinquished the championship. He’s on the sidelines due to a separated shoulder. 

• NXT Will Air On Tuesday For The Next 2 Weeks, AEW Returns To Wednesday

Finn Balor has opened up on his decision to take time off from WWE last summer before deciding to make a return to NXT. 

Balor was destroyed by the debuting ‘Fiend’ Bray Wyatt at the 2019 SummerSlam pay-per-view event. He had requested time off before the contest and disappeared from television after the bout. 

Balor did so while talking with Dan Matha on Spark in the Dark. He started out by talking about how he had been working since 2000 without a break unless it was due to injury. Even when he had his shoulder injury, he was working harder than ever by doing rehab three times a day to get back and get going.

He stated that the stress of the injury and the pressure to come back, that felt harder than when you’re actually working.

“I had been going for 19 years straight and I came to a point where I needed a break, not just physically, it was more mentally to be by myself and be away from the boys. I love the boys, but it gets to a point where it’s just too intense. When you’re around them all the time, you just need some space. I needed space from everything; the business, bookers, writers, schedules, everything. It had become too intense. I was turning into a different person that I didn’t like. 

I was snapping at people, I wasn’t giving people time in conversations. I was turning into a bitter dick and I could feel it building and building. Thankfully, the company gave me some time to get my head straight and get better. When I came back, the idea was pitched around to go to NXT.”

Balor took a few months off before he returned to television on October 2, 2019 under the NXT banner where he confronted Adam Cole.

He stated that moving back to NXT has been great for him because he went from working 172 matches a year and traveling to only doing 50 matches a year and doesn’t have to travel as much in NXT. 

• Finn Balor Reveals His Father Beat COVID-19

NXT Champion Adam Cole recently appeared on WWE’s The Bump. The Undisputed Era ‘leader’ appeared on the WWE Network show to discuss a plethora of topics across WWE programming.

One of the topics discussed was who the reigning NXT Champion wanted to face next now that Velveteen Dream is seemingly in his “rear view mirror.” Cole defeated Dream on a recent episode of NXT to retain his Championship and lengthen his historic and record breaking reign.

“There is someone I’ve been thinking about recently, because I surpassed his record of being the longest reigning NXT champion” Adam Cole began.

The man Cole was describing was Finn Balor. The ‘Prinxe’ was previously NXT Champion for 292 days, Adam Cole has surpassed that with a reign in excess of 340 days and counting.

“A lot of people keep bringing up Finn Balor as someone that they would love to see challenge once again for the NXT Championship” Adam Cole continued. “And the beautiful thing is? I’ve defended my Championship against Finn Balor, and guess what? Adam Cole BAY BAY beat him.”

Cole would then officially put the challenge out to Balor for the Championshp match. “So if he wants to do another match? Whether it’s NXT television, whether it’s an NXT TakeOver? I’d be happy to wrestle Finn Balor and put to rest finally, that again? Not only did I surpass his record as the longest reigning champ, I’m a better champion than he is. Anything can happen in the WWE.”

Do you want to see another program between Adam Cole and Finn Balor? Let us know in the comments

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WWE has announced that Finn Balor will take part in the NXT UK tapings scheduled for Coventry SkyDome Arena in Coventry, England on the 6th and 7th of March. Balor’s scheduled appearance for the NXT UK brand comes on the heels of the promotion announcing NXT UK TakeOver: Dublin will take place on April 26th, 2020 from the 3Arena.

WWE announced Balor’s special appearance on both nights of the tapings on social media:

WWE NXT UK TakeOver: Dublin Announced

“The stage has been set for another epic event across the pond as NXT UK TakeOver: Dublin is slated for April 26 at 3Arena and on the award-winning WWE Network,” a WWE press release for the event reads.

Jordan Devlin On Friendship With Finn Balor

NXT Cruiserweight Champion Jordan Devlin is likely looking forward to competing on the Dublin event from his home country of Ireland. He spoke to TV Insider recently about his friendship with Balor.

• Jordan Devlin On NXT UK, His Relationship With Finn Balor

“He was the best wrestler in Ireland then and probably now,” Devlin shared.” He was the person I most aspired to be like. He was always the guy I wanted to measure up to and up with. He went from Ireland to Japan to train, as did I. He went to New Japan Pro Wrestling. I went to Zero-One. He went to the States and WWE. I was a couple of years behind him when WWE signed me. We’ve been running the same path for a long time.”

The new WWE Cruiserweight Champion, Jordan Devlin, has spoken about his commitment to NXT UK, despite the fact he is allegedly primed for a major international push now that he is a reigning champion.

“NXT UK has made stars out of guys like the British Strong Style, Travis Banks and myself,” Devlin said to TV Insider. “For us to be able do independent dates in the UK as well and get people to come and see us. It’s really good for the UK scene. It has breathed life into us. To have the UK Performance Center as well and learn from the best minds in the business… NXT UK has grown so much in the last three years.”

He admitted that, three years ago, he couldn’t imagine the growth they’ve achieved. Devlin then stated how he’d like NXT UK to become a brand that tours all across Europe and not just within the United Kingdom. He highlighted how he’d love WWE to host an NXT UK TakeOver Dublin event before reiterating his interest in taking their show on the road. 

Jordan Devlin And Finn Balor

Devlin also reflected on his long-time friendship with the black-and-gold brand’s Finn Balor. “The Irish Ace” actually trained with Balor years ago when Balor was 21-years-old, and Devlin was only 12. The two faced off against each other at the original NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool event last year. 

“He was the best wrestler in Ireland then and probably now,” Devlin shared.” He was the person I most aspired to be like. He was always the guy I wanted to measure up to and up with. He went from Ireland to Japan to train, as did I. He went to New Japan Pro Wrestling. I went to Zero-One. He went to the States and WWE. I was a couple of years behind him when WWE signed me. We’ve been running the same path for a long time.”

He shared how he’s always aspired to be like Balor, noting how the two share the same work ethic. Being such an inspiration to him, it’s unsurprising that Devlin looks back fondly on their match at TakeOver Blackpool. 

Jordan Devlin has some significant supporters within WWE, and will reportedly defend his championship across all of WWE’s brands. He is currently scheduled to appear on this week’s episodes of NXT as well as 205 Live. 

Finn Balor got people talking after an interesting response to one WWE star on social media. 

The former WWE NXT Champion posted a random photo on Twitter which got Curt Hawkins to respond by noting how much he missed him. Balor then replied with, “Se3 y0u Sunday.”

Because Balor replaced the second “e” in “See” with a 3 and the “o” in “you” with a 0, this made fans think that he was teasing a potential entry into the Men’s Royal Rumble Match at the #30 spot. You can see his tweets here: 

WWE presents the Royal Rumble pay-per-view event on Sunday, January 26, 2020 Houston, Texas at the Minute Maid Park and airs on the WWE Network.

It should be noted that WWE has yet to confirm whether NXT will have any involvement in the Men’s and/or Women’s Royal Rumble matches. 

What is known is the fact that Balor will be working a WWE show on Royal Rumble weekend.

Balor will battle Ilja Dragunov in a singles match at the Worlds Collide show that goes down on Saturday, January 25, 2020 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.

Time will tell whether he appears at the Royal Rumble. 

Possible Names That Could Return At WWE Royal Rumble

A new match has been announced for the upcoming WWE Worlds Collide event and it involves former NXT Champion Finn Balor. 

On Thursday afternoon, WWE announced through the NXT Twitter account that Balor would battle Ilja Dragunov in a singles match at this show. 

WWE also officially confirmed Toni Storm vs. WWE NXT Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley for the show, which was made on Wednesday’s episode of NXT on the USA Network in Winter Park, Florida at Full Sail University.

Another Match For Finn Balor

As of late, Balor has been featured in a top feud on NXT television with fellow former NXT Champion Johnny Gargano. 

The company has already confirmed that Balor will battle Gargano in a contest at the NXT TakeOver: Portland show that goes down on Sunday, February 16, 2020 in Portland, Oregon at the Moda Center. Thus, a match for each show involving Finn Balor has been set.

WWE presents the Worlds Collide event on Saturday, January 25, 2020 in Houston, Texas at the Toyota Center that will air on the WWE Network. WWE will be announcing more matches for this show in the coming weeks. Here is the updated card:

Updated WWE Worlds Collide Card

• The Undisputed Era (Adam Cole, Roderick Strong, Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish) vs. Imperium (WALTER, Alexander Wolfe, Marcel Barthel & Fabian Aichner) – Eight-Man Tag Team Match
• NXT Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley vs. Toni Storm
• Ilja Dragunov vs. Finn Balor

Balor was supposed to be moved from RAW to SmackDown once he returned to television after taking time off a few months ago. He was moved to NXT with the idea that his star power could make more of a difference there. 

Since making his return to NXT, Balor got the wrestling world talking with turning heel by attacking Johnny Gargano.

What are your thoughts on this match being added to the card? Sound off in the comment section.

• 6 Takeaways From WWE NXT (1/8)

Wednesday’s episode of NXT is gearing up to be one of the biggest since the show moved to the USA Network. Two big title matches will take place on the show including Finn Balor challenging Adam Cole for the NXT Championship.

WWE recently announced that the Balor vs Cole title contest will open up NXT this week and the match will air commercial-free.

Cathey Kelley recently broke the news on social media:

Rhea Ripley will also challenge Shayna Baszler Wednesday night on NXT.

Finn Balor vs Adam Cole – NXT Championship

Finn Balor has spent more time as NXT Champion than anyone else in history. He’s also had the longest single-reign in the lineage of the title.

Balor’s 292-day title reign between July 4th, 2015 until losing the title to Samoa Joe on a house show in Lowell, MA on April 21st, 2016 is the longest in the history of the title.

As of this writing, Adam Cole’s title reign is currently at 198 days.

NXT Championship Statistics

1. Finn Balor (1x) 292 days as champion.
2. Adrian Neville (1x) 287 days as champion.
3. Bo Dallas (1x) 280 days as champion.
4. Tommaso Ciampa (1x) 238 days as champion.
5. Bobby Roode (1x) 203 days as champion.
6. Adam Cole (1x) 198+ days as champion.

The next challenger to NXT Champion Adam Cole will be Finn Balor.

During Wednesday’s episode of NXT on the USA Network, WWE held a match that would determine who is next line for a title shot. 

A Triple Threat Match between Finn Balor, Keith Lee, and Tommaso Ciampa took place with the winner becoming the next challenger to Cole’s title.  Balor was victorious, earning the right to challenge Adam Cole next week.

WWE holds next week’s episode of NXT in Winter Park, Florida at Full Sail University and it’s looking like a stacked card. Not only will Cole defend the title but also NXT Women’s Champion Shayna Baszler will defend her championship against Rhea Ripley. 

Outside of those two matches, this will be an important episode of NXT as it will serve as the final show of 2019 due to WWE taking the night off on December 25th for Christmas.

Head over to WWE’s YouTube channel to catch up on this week’s NXT.

Matt Riddle vs. Finn Balor lived up to expectations when they met inside of the squared circle at the WWE NXT TakeOver: WarGames III event. 

As seen in the match, Balor beat Riddle in his first match back under the NXT banner in over three years.

NXT TakeOver: WarGames III Results & Live Coverage

WWE set up Balor vs. Riddle on the November 13th episode of NXT when Balor cut a promo that eventually led to Riddle attacking him. Riddle was slated to be part of the Men’s WarGames Match at TakeOver. However, Riddle had been replaced by Donovan Dijak in the contest. 

The reason for that is due to WWE needing to find a replacement for Balor’s original opponent. Originally, Balor was expected to wrestle Johnny Gargano at this event but due to a neck injury that resulted in him being pulled from in-ring action, Gargano is now on the sidelines. 

It’s been reported that Balor was supposed to be moved from RAW to SmackDown once he returned after taking time off. 

When WWE NXT moved from the WWE Network to the USA Network starting in September and started to decline in viewership especially up against AEW Dynamite, Balor was moved to NXT with the idea that his star power could make more of a difference there. 

What are your thoughts on going over in this contest? Was this the right call by WWE officials? Sound off in the comment section.

Finn Balor recently returned to WWE’s black-and-gold brand, NXT. He immediately made an impact, expressing his interest in the NXT Championship by confronting current champion Adam Cole. 

Speaking with Corey Grave’s on WWE’s podcast, After The Bell, Balor opened up about his unhappiness on WWE’s main roster. He also addressed his NXT return and even spoke about the Bullet Club.

“[The idea to return to NXT] came to be a couple of months ago. Things weren’t going kind of as smoothly – well, I don’t want to say ‘as smoothly’. I just wasn’t happy where I was at on RAW and SmackDown,” Balor admitted. “I had a conversation with Hunter, we pinged some ideas back and forth, I took a little time off and came back in NXT. It’s all been awesome since.”

He was quick to note that he wouldn’t change anything about his main roster experience—one that saw him become the promotion’s first-ever Universal Champion. 

“[…] everyone’s been through those times in their career, and everybody’s been through s–tty times in their lives. And I don’t want to say it was a s–tty time but it was a time that looking back now, I learned more than anything on those three years on RAW and SmackDown.”

He continued, “So, I wouldn’t necessarily change anything but I learned a lot from it and I can take that forward. I’ve still got another, I believe, like eight years left in me. Not a lot of people have been fortunate enough to have done what I’ve done so fast.”

Bullet Club

Balor helped form the original iteration of Bullet Club during his time in New Japan Pro-Wrestling. With WWE openly referencing his time in the Club, as well as The O.C.’s involvement with the group, Balor admitted they are all “still boys.” But even he isn’t sure if WWE will commit to a Bullet Club reunion on their show.

“[…] whether it happens on screen or not? I don’t know,” Finn admitted. “It’s one of those things where it almost, nearly happens and then doesn’t. Is that cooler? Or will it be the case where if we give it to them, its, ‘Uh, that was it? I was hoping it was going to be cooler than that.'”

Balor continued, “And we keep talking about this five years I’ve been in WWE – that Bullet Club stuff, for me, is six or seven years ago. So, trying to go back in time that far for me is – I’d rather come up with something new, create something new, create something fresh that people can talk about that can leave another legacy and another chapter of my career. Hopefully, that’s what we can do at NXT.”

Finn Balor is set to compete against Matt Riddle at NXT TakeOver: WarGames. The two clash on November 23rd. 

H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription. 

A new match has been announced for the upcoming WWE NXT TakeOver: WarGames III event while a change has been made to a top match. 

During Wednesday’s episode of NXT on the USA Network, WWE announced that Matt Riddle vs. Finn Balor in a singles match would take place. 

Riddle was slated to be part of the Men’s WarGames Match at this same show. However, Riddle has been replaced by Donovan Dijak in the contest. 

WWE set up Balor vs. Riddle on this show when Balor cut a promo that eventually led to Riddle attacking him.

Originally, Balor was expected to wrestle Johnny Gargano at this event but due to a neck injury, Gargano is now on the sidelines. 

WWE NXT Results & Live Coverage (11/13)

WWE presents the NXT TakeOver: WarGames III event on Saturday, November 23, 2019 in Rosemont, Illinois at the Allstate Arena that will air on the WWE Network. 

Updated WWE NXT TakeOver: WarGames III Card

Rhea Ripley, Mia Yim, Tegan Nox & Candice LeRae vs. Shayna Baszler, Bianca Belair, Io Shirai & TBA – Women’s WarGames Match

The Undisputed Era (Adam Cole, Bobby Fish, Roderick Strong & Kyle O’Reilly) vs. Tommaso Ciampa, Donovan Dijak, Keith Lee & TBA – Men’s WarGames Match

Matt Riddle vs. Finn Balor – Singles Match

What are your thoughts on this match being added to the card? Sound off in the comment section.