NXT Preview: 2 huge steel cage matches, Finn Balor to take revenge on NXT UK faction?

If you love NXT and also love steel cages, I have got some good news for you.

Tonight's episode of NXT on USA has certainly got its work cut out for it. It's going up against an AEW Dynamite episode that's following up a pretty exceptional Revolution PPV, and that's a pretty daunting task. However, The House That Hunter Hearst Helmsley Built has gained a reputation for just putting on good shows and trying as hard as they can to not be reactionary.

Way harder than I tried to find a synonym for "built" that starts with "h", let me tell you. I was really hoping to get a joke out of that.

From the looks of things, the NXT crew is looking focused on just putting on the best show possible, and they've got some matches lined up that could quite possibly help them do that.

Just a programming note: while I normally handle the live commentary for NXT's weekly show here on Sportskeeda, this Wednesday, I am taking the night off. Rest assured, Sportskeeda has the coverage in good hands.

So, let's take a look at some of the scheduled matches for the show:

Roderick Strong vs Velveteen Dream IN A STEEL CAGE

Imagine this... but in a cage

Holy cannoli, this feud! Dream has had it out for 'The Messiah of the Backbreaker' since coming back from his injury/attack at the hands of the Undisputed ERA weeks ago. While The Guy With Pretty Interesting Sunglasses I'm Not Gonna Lie defeated The Guy With The Nickname That Makes No Sense To Me I Mean Why Do Backbreakers Need a Messiah during their first battle following Dream's return, the rest of the UE helped Strong beat the snot out of him after the match - setting up this cage match.

Also, I totally made up those nicknames - in case you couldn't tell.

Well, tonight we're getting these two locked in a cage to settle these differences. My guess? While cage matches usually lead to the end of a feud, this one is going to go on until TakeOver: Tampa Bay, so expect some shenanigans. We're gonna see this feud stretched out until WrestleMania.

Tegan Nox vs Dakota Kai ALSO IN A STEEL CAGE

The Kai/Nox Street Fight didn't really end the way any of us expected it to

This has been one of the more intense feuds in NXT since WarGames - and it also, weirdly, seems to be tapering off. An alliance between Dakota Kai and recently debuted Raquel Gonzalez was clearly established during the Tegan Nox/Kai street fight at TakeOver Portland, and it feels like NXT is moving this pair on to other things before this feud has been finalized.

So, it's kind of a toss-up how this match ends up. The brand clearly has plans for Dakota and Raquel. But, unless they have zero plans for Nox, Dakota's former Team Kick partner is looking at a loss tonight. And that might be the case.

What I'm hoping for is a creative way to end this match - which should be amazing, considering the talent involved - that moves both of them onto other things, keeps them in the NXT fandom's attention, and maybe helps build this feud further for future events.

And now... for the rest of the show

When you remember stuff like this, is it really hard to blame Johnny?

It looks like we're finally getting the payoff of the original Tommaso Ciampa/Johnny Gargano feud - albeit with all the players in different roles and no title on the line. Rumors are pointing towards a Loser Leaves NXT match between the two eventually at the NXT Tampa Bay show, but who knows? Whatever the plan is, we'll get more information on it during tonight's episode of NXT.

Also, what is going on with Finn Balor and his character? He returned to NXT and attacked a then-face Johnny Gargano, establishing himself as arguably the top heel in the US's NXT. Yet, following a TakeOver Portland win over Gargano, Johnny Wrestling has, confusingly possibly taken that title of the top heel. Add to that the attack by a clearly heel Imperium attack Balor, and it looks like we might see what the Prince is like as a good guy.

A group of bad guys stand over a fallen... other... bad guy.

That's the thing about Finn Balor's latest persona, though. Just because he's been kind of antagonistic, doesn't mean he's a villain. Or, as Zangief put it in Disney's Wreck-It Ralph "just because you are Bad Guy, doesn't mean you are bad guy." Plus, this new version of Balor hasn't exactly been antagonistic towards the fans - maybe this is a natural evolution of the character Fergal Devitt wanted to bring to WWE all along.

Who knows. Either way, I'm looking forward to watching tonight's episode of NXT... on DVR.

That being said, I plan on doing this weekly preview of NXT each, you know, week - whether I'm able to do the live coverage of the show or not. So, I hope you'll keep coming back and checking it out.

In the meantime, thanks for reading!