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Edge defied all odds once again and won the 2021 WWE Royal Rumble match exactly eleven years after he first won it in 2010. The Superstar who has predominantly appeared on WWE RAW since his return during last year’s Royal Rumble will now be looking for a Champion to challenge at WrestleMania.
This will likely take him to all brands of WWE before he makes his final decision. The Rated-R Superstar recently revealed that he will be heading to NXT this week to meet his wife and possibly take to the ring to address the WWE Universe.
Since the Superstars of NXT are pretty aggressive, fans can expect one of the many top talents to come out and confront the legend.
Keeping that in mind, let’s take a look at the 5 Superstars who could confront Edge on his first night out in NXT.
#5 NXT UK Champion WALTER could make his return to confront Edge
One of the biggest men in WWE today is WALTER. The WWE NXT United Kingdom Champion has held the title for over 670 days now and will likely become the longest-reigning Champion soon.
While WALTER was restricted to NXT UK for some time due to travel restrictions, the Superstar has been teased to return with Imperium soon. If NXT is planning to have WALTER and his men appear this week, they could allow them to come out and surround Edge while he’s cutting a promo.
WALTER is one of the men Edge has already revealed he wants to compete against, and WWE could tease that encounter for WrestleMania.
"I think Brock knows how and you saw two minutes of that. That's fun. God, you can look at that UK: [Tyler] Bate, Walter and I know I'm forgetting names. Shane Thorn, I'd love to get in there with him. I'd love to get in and really really just see what they got and see and try and give them some tools to take it to the next level. You know what I mean? And and there's so much untapped potential there. Roddy [Roderick Strong], [Bobby] Fish and [Kyle] O'Reilly just give me a partner. There's just there's so much there."
Since WALTER is the NXT UK Champion, he could appear to try and force The Rated-R Superstar to challenge him for the title and allow him to appear at WrestleMania. This will allow fans to get more interested in NXT and NXT UK while giving Edge a chance to choose from a greater pool of Champions on the Road to WrestleMania.
#4 NXT newcomer Tyler Rust (with Malcolm Bivens) will be looking to confront Edge
Edge could be looking to put over some new talent in WWE NXT with his arrival. Tyler Rust is one of the newest talents in WWE. Rust appeared on NXT as part of Timothy Thatcher’s students before he was put under Malcolm Bivens’ management. Rust has impressed the WWE Universe with his performances ever since, and Triple H has already showered him with praise since his debut.
NXT could look to push the youngster with the help of a veteran on this week’s show. Edge could come out to cut a promo and talk about how good NXT is and his Royal Rumble victory before Rust comes out with Bivens to interrupt the former WWE Champion.
Bivens could do a good job on the mic opposite Edge who is flawless. This could lead to a stand-off between Edge and Rust and NXT could tease a match between the two men before Bronson Reed or another Superstar comes out to take the fight away from Edge.
Edge is one of the biggest names in the industry, and WWE could use the legend to elevate two up and coming Superstars on NXT without having him get physical.
#3 NXT North American Champion Johnny Gargano will be looking to show Edge the door
Johnny Gargano’s heel character seems to be working well for him on WWE NXT, and he is carrying a few other Superstars with him. Gargano and Candice LeRae are doing a good job at taking youngsters like Austin Theory and Indi Hartwell forward.
The NXT North American Champion has received praise from Edge, and The Rated-R Superstar has expressed his desire to step into the ring with Gargano one day.
“There are so many talents, you can seriously point to everyone on the roster. Obviously (Tomasso) Ciampa and I have a very close relationship, we're both 'neck' guys for a lack of a better term. So he's picking his brain a lot and I love it because he cares a lot and he'll try the ideas too. I love [Johnny] Gargano. To me, 'the guy' who is dialed in and completely found what it is that he's supposed to do is Finn Balor. It's exciting to watch him right now. To me, he and Gargano set the template for what an NXT match should be going forward.”
Keeping that in mind, WWE could book a big match between Edge and Gargano this week after the heel confronts the Royal Rumble winner on NXT. Gargano could come out during Edge’s promo and ask him to leave the brand that he runs.
This could result in an impromptu match between the two Superstars which could come to an end with Theory’s interference and KUSHIDA’s arrival. The angle could give fans a dream match between Edge and Gargano without a clear ending and further the rivalry between KUSHIDA and the NXT North American Champion.
#2 Karrion Kross and/or Scarlett could confront Edge on NXT
Karrion Kross is one of the biggest heels in WWE today. The NXT Superstar could be the perfect man to confront Edge this week. Kross is a former NXT Champion who is looking to win back his title sooner than later.
With that in mind, Kross could come out to claim that he will win the title back from Balor and would like Edge to challenge him at WrestleMania. A match between Kross and Edge will be a dream for some fans, and WWE could tease that with a simple promo.
On the other hand, WWE could also tease the same with the help of Scarlett. Fans could watch Kross’ aide interrupt Edge’s promo and come out with an hourglass to gift to The Rated-R Superstar.
The angle will help WWE tease a massive match without having anyone get physical or revealing the date for their match. Either way, an interference by either one of the two Superstars could help NXT make headlines and possibly work towards a massive rivalry between Kross and Edge in the months to come.
#1 Edge could call out NXT Champion Finn Balor
Several Superstars in NXT can come out to confront the 2021 WWE Royal Rumble winner, Edge. However, there is only one man The Rated-R Superstar will be interested in when he makes his appearance on the Black and Gold brand.
Finn Balor is the current NXT Champion, and the Superstar has done increasingly well over the past year. Balor has helped WWE compete against its competition, and having a face-off between these two men will be epic in many ways.
Edge had an interaction with Robert Stone on Twitter last year where The Rated-R Superstar asked Stone to get him a match against The Prince of NXT. Balor too has expressed his desire to face Edge one day.
"Somebody was talking online about possibly challenging Finn Balor at NXT Takeover and that was Edge I would like to address that situation right now, Edge was saying he wanted to face Finn Balor at Takeover so if we could do it at Takeover Dublin all the better. An absolute legend in the ring, but what an absolute gent and a true pro outside the ring. "I've always said it to both him and Christian that when they retired, I met them at a couple of media appearances and I said: 'lads, you two are like how I'd look to transition out of wrestling - to carry yourself with such professionalism - and to see him (Edge) back is fantastic. Getting the chance to wrestle with him would be even better."
Since both men have already expressed their desire to compete in the ring one day, WWE could use this opportunity to both a match between the two men at WrestleMania. Edge’s appearance in NXT could be the stepping stone to build towards that match.
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