Hello everyone my name is Brendan Bradley and I am one of the newest contributors here at Bodyslam.net, My first article for the site is a look at potential challengers for new NXT Champion Keith Lee, after his iconic and impressive victory this past Wednesday. Let’s get this journey started shall we?
Challenger 1.
Johnny Gargano.
Kicking off this list is the only triple crown winner in NXT history Johnny Gargano, who has made a career of putting NXT on his back time and time again. Recently, he came within an eyelash of beating Keith Lee for the North American championship in what was an absolute classic at NXT Takeover In Your House!
I personally have always enjoyed Johnny’s work and think he is more than deserving of another prime-time spot somewhere down the line and depending on how long Lee holds these two prestigious championships, I would love another installment in their fantastic rivalry!
Obviously, Johnny would have to be built up a little bit more first but that is very feasible thanks to his new aggressive edge and extremely credible history on the brand. There’s not much I can really say about the in-ring match itself that hasn’t already been said. It would just be incredibly drama-filled and action-packed as Johnny Wrestling tries his hand at becoming Johnny two belts!
Challenger 2.
Pete Dunne.
Second, on this list is a former NXT Tag Team Champion and the longest-reigning NXT UK Champion of all time in Pete Dunne. This young man has an incredibly bright future ahead of him, considering how talented he is at such a young age. I think he and Keith would mesh really well together thanks to both men’s terrific talents and opposing styles. This is a rivalry that I definitely want to see it!
While I really enjoyed his team with Matt Riddle, Pete just works better as a vicious heel so sliding him back into that role where he is most comfortable would be a great idea. It would make sure that Lee’s run has a great first feud right out of the gate and instantly building up its legacy, killing two birds with one stone.
This would certainly be a fun clash of styles in a battle for the ages, the likes of which NXT has never seen!
Opponent 3.
Samoa Joe.
Last on this list is one of the most dominant and destructive NXT champions in history, Samoa Joe! Everything about this man just screams star power and I think a short return to NXT would be a great way to reignite his credibility after an up and down main roster run thus far, while also helping the brand itself gain notoriety with more casual viewers.
I understand Joe is by far the most unlikely of the opponents that I mentioned here for a variety of main-roster shaped reasons, but I just think this would be a really fun and brutal feud to witness that would also serve multiple purposes. Not only does it help Joe, but having Lee beat another monster would help solidify him as the top dog in town.
Lastly, if for some reason he does beat Lee, the idea of Joe becoming the first ever three time NXT champion sounds incredibly tantalizing as well as the multitude of unique opponents he would now get to work with who were not a part of the company during his initial NXT run. Joe VS Gargano, Joe VS Kross, Joe VS Dijak, Joe VS Cole and so on. Yes please!
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