Finn Balor, Alex Riley and Latest WWE NXT Developmental News

Finn Balor's future feuds and Alex Riley's health highlight the WWE NXT news stories as 2015 comes to a close.

NXT is reportedly considering having Balor face one of the developmental brand's best in-ring storytellers. Should that come to pass, the Match of the Year is going to start early.

As for Riley, he and Hideo Itami could be returning from injury soon. The already red-hot NXT product promises to get even better with those two back in the mix.

Elsewhere, Sami Callihan looked back at his NXT run, and a demand for the product in Chicago led to an extra show there.

Alex Riley Update

The wait to see Alex Riley resume the resurrection of his career at NXT promises to be over soon.

Knee surgery has left him out of the ring for months. He provided a promising update in a recent interview, however.

Riley told the Wrestling Compadres Slamcast that rehab has taken longer than he expected, largely because of a stem cell procedure he underwent. But it's been effective.

"My knee feels great," he said. Riley added that he feels healthy and "ready to go."

That's good news for NXT. Riley was hitting his stride before the injury. Using his real-life frustrations to fuel his character made for compelling TV.

Hopefully, NXT makes use of that character soon, letting Riley build on what he was in the midst of creating when his knee betrayed him.

Sami Callihan Comments on NXT Run

Sami Callihan (formerly Solomon Crowe at NXT) has been all over the place since leaving WWE developmental, appearing for a variety of promotions. 

He recently opened up about his time at NXT. On WrestleZone Radio (contains NSFW language), Callihan said that there were "no hard feelings" between him and NXT. He said of the situation:

"

I got dealt a weird hand. It just didn't click. It wasn't my time. I do believe that everything happens for a reason. I decided to ask myself for an early release because I wanted to go out and prove to the world again who I truly am. There's a reason I am the 5'8'', crazy little white kid with crazy hair. That's because I truly am one of the best professional wrestlers walking this planet today.

"

It's clear that Callihan is motivated to prove himself after a disappointing run with NXT.

A hungry, determined Callihan will be highly valuable for every promotion he works for. Perhaps he even generates enough momentum to have WWE come calling again.

Potential Feud for Finn Balor

Finn Balor clearly has to worry about Baron Corbin coming after his NXT title. A fellow babyface could be charging at him too, though.

According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Wrestling Inc), there has been talk of pitting Balor against Sami Zayn with the NXT Championship on the line at the Dallas TakeOver event. The report also noted that Chad Gable and Jason Jordan could potentially feud with the tag champs, Dash Wilder and Scott Dawson.

The second item seems especially likely after Jordan and Gable earned a big win on last week's NXT.

As for Zayn vs. Balor, it's a matchup that would certainly draw well. Both men are two of NXT's top talents. As thrilling as that promises to be, WWE at least mulling over the possibility is a no-brainer.

Hideo Itami Hints at Return

The NXT roster may soon suddenly get a lot deeper. Hideo Itami could be poised to make his return from injury.

He seemed to hint at returning soon when he tweeted simply, "My turn. #WWENXT."

PWInsider reported back in May (h/t WrestleZone) that he was expected to be out of action for six to eight months. December marks the seventh month since. The timing is right.

Itami lost a lot of momentum after his injured shoulder kept him out of the ring. With Apollo Crews now in the fold, NXT has at least one can't-miss option for whom to pit Itami against when he's back.

Other News, Notes

Good news for NXT fans in the Midwest. After the NXT live event in Chicago sold out in a hurry, Triple H announced on Twitter that the company added an additional show.

The last NXT of the year will be a retrospective, not a new episode. The description for Wednesday's show on the WWE Network schedule (subscription required) reads, "Rich Brennan and Corey Graves host part one of this look back at the Best of NXT in 2015!"

And Mojo Rawley's famous friend showed up to support The Hype Bros.

As seen on WWE.com, Rob Gronkowski of the New England Patriots attended a recent WWE event in Providence, Rhode Island. The All-Pro tight end danced with Rawley before the bout and took photos with him afterward.