'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
This week’s WWE NXT had some interesting matches and segments which gave us two huge matches for the future. Firstly, Shayna Baszler announced that she would give Rhea Ripley a shot at the NXT Women’s Championship two weeks from today.
The second major announcement came from William Regal himself, as he has booked a massive triple-threat match between Finn Balor, Tommaso Ciampa, and Keith Lee to determine the #1 contender for the NXT Championship next week.
The winner of the match will receive a shot at Adam Cole’s NXT Championship on December 18.
Trending
The massive match is sure to excite the NXT Universe, who have always put their fate in the Black & Gold brand to deliver. In this article, we'll look at the 5 reasons why William Regal has announced a triple-threat match to determine Cole’s challenger.
#5 We’ve already watched Finn Balor defeat Tommaso Ciampa
Last week, Tommaso Ciampa challenged Finn Balor to a match for the main event of the night. The brand gave the fans a match they were expecting to get further down the road.
During the match, Balor and Ciampa gave it everything they had before Adam Cole appeared to attack Ciampa and hand Balor the advantage. The Prince of NXT took full use of the NXT Championship which was dropped in the ring and the attack by Cole, scoring a victory over Ciampa.
Although Balor scored an unclean victory over Ciampa last week, it will still go down as a victory for the former Universal Champion.
With that in mind, the brand may have decided against booking a rematch between the two men and opted to add another dimension to the battle instead.
Since Balor already has a victory over Ciampa under his belt, and Lee is relatively new to NXT, he will walk into the battle as the favorite to win the match. This could result in some interesting spots and booking for the three men.
#4 To make the match more exciting
One of the main reasons NXT is looking to get these men involved in a battle is to make things very interesting on the Black & Gold brand. The Undisputed Era has held the top position in NXT for some time, and now we are seeing the rise of many Superstars in the past six months to challenge the heels.
Tommaso Ciampa’s return has helped NXT grow, while Finn Balor’s return has blown the roof off Full Sail during the past couple of months. Add NXT’s hottest prospect to the mix, and we’ve got a potential Match of the Year on our hands to crown the #1 contender for the top championship.
With all that on the line, and with all three men trying to prove themselves, it’d be interesting to see how Lee and Ciampa work together to eliminate Balor out of the competition. All three men are trending in the news at the moment, so using them well in a single match will help NXT hit gold and potentially increase ratings.
Since all three men have recorded some praiseworthy achievements recently, it'll be difficult for the NXT Universe to pick a favorite.
#3 To ensure Finn Balor doesn’t jump the line
Before Finn Balor returned to NXT, there was no doubt in anyone’s mind that Tommaso Ciampa will be the first challenger to Adam Cole’s title once he returned from injury. Afterall, Ciampa never really lost his NXT Championship but had to relinquish it.
Ciampa returned to NXT the same night Balor returned, and things got complicated & interesting at the same time. The Prince of NXT is the longest-reigning NXT Champion of all time, and there is no doubt that he deserves to get back in the NXT Championship picture once again.
However, NXT is not the same as it used to be, as currently there are men such as Pete Dunne, Matt Riddle, Ciampa, Keith Lee, and Velveteen Dream who are as deserving of an NXT Championship shot as Balor is.
Therefore, to ensure that Balor does not jump the line, it makes perfect sense that William Regal wants him to earn his spot for the title. Balor has already defeated Ciampa, but not in a clean manner, and Lee is also on the rise and deserves a few title shots.
Therefore, a triple-threat match between these three men is the perfect way to give Adam Cole a deserving challenger.
#2 A possible KeithMania moment?
There’s no possible way we can compare Kofi Kingston and Keith Lee, except for the fact that both Superstars are big with the WWE Universe.
Kofi got his WWE Championship shot after the fans backed him up for a long time, and we have now seen Lee get a lot of backing from the fans. Lee hasn’t been in WWE for even a fraction of the time Kofi has but managed to build a massive reputation for himself during the build-up to Survivor Series.
The Limitless One has already received a North American Championship match along with Dominic Dijakovic, and both men together have also challenged for the NXT Tag Team Championships.
Even though Lee does not have an impressive success rate, NXT will be looking to cash in on his recent surge in following, and that could help the brand get more viewership.
NXT has usually given the fans what they want, and this could be another one of those moments that could give fans what they want and help build a bigger connection between the company and the NXT Universe.
Lee doesn't need to go on to win the NXT Championship, but if he is booked to win against Balor and Ciampa, we could see his reputation skyrocket as much as the time he pinned Seth Rollins.
#1 To protect both Tommaso Ciampa and Finn Balor
NXT has to protect two of their biggest non-champion Superstars in the matchup. Tommaso Ciampa and Finn Balor are currently the biggest names in NXT after Adam Cole and need to be protected.
Balor has battled in two matches since his return and pinned both Matt Riddle and Ciampa to remain undefeated. Ciampa himself is having a fairytale run at the top and has led his team to victory at WarGames and close to victory at Survivor Series.
While Balor pinned Ciampa last week, it’s important to note that the brand used Cole as a tool to orchestrate Balor’s win. They won’t be looking to allow Balor pin Ciampa once again as that will shatter the latter's reputation.
Adding Keith Lee to the mix gives Balor and Ciampa a Superstar who they can pin to win the match while protecting both of them at the same time. WWE used this tactic in the Survivor Series Women’s Championship match, and Bayley took the fall to protect both Shayna Baszler and Becky Lynch.
Similarly, Lee could easily eat the pinfall from either Superstar as they are much bigger than him right now and it wouldn’t hurt his reputation much.
