Adrian Neville vs. Finn Balor: Winner and Reaction from NXT TakeOver Rival Event

Finn Balor took NXT by storm when he debuted just a few short months ago, and his rapid ascent to the top continued Wednesday night at NXT TakeOver: Rival with an impressive victory over former NXT champion Adrian Neville.

In a scintillating battle that featured countless breathtaking spots and near-falls, Balor eventually scored the win after hitting the Coup De Grace from the top rope. After the thrilling battle, the competitors acknowledged each other with a handshake: 

John Layfield summarized the highly entertaining match:

Both Neville and Balor won a pair of matches in the weeks leading up to Rival, which set up a clash between them in the finals of a tournament to determine a new No. 1 contender, according to WWE NXT on Twitter:

NXT is brimming with elite in-ring talent, and there is no question that Neville and Balor are two of the best. They proved that when they stepped into the ring together for the first time on NXT programming and put on a spectacular match at Rival.

While face vs. face bouts don't always work, that wasn't an issue for Neville and Balor. They were both solely focused on winning in order to get a shot at NXT's top prize, and that was a big enough angle to make up for a lack of storyline heat between them.

As pointed out by former WCW manager Missy Hyatt, the build toward their match was very quick and simple in that it involved only one segment, but it did its job in terms of generating interest leading up to the WWE Network special event:

That was all Neville and Balor needed to proceed with a match many fans are likely to claim was a show-stealer in the coming days and weeks.

Neville has been one of the most exciting and explosive entertainers since joining NXT in 2012. Balor's debut match aired on an October 2013 edition of NXT, and while he has only been on the roster for a few months, it is already obvious he is an elite showman with the potential to be a true star at the WWE level.

Both performers put their skills on full display Wednesday as they dazzled with an array of aerial attacks, technical mastery and old-fashioned psychology. The live crowd clearly loved both Superstars, but only one of them could come out on top.

It stands to reason that this was only the first of many Neville vs. Balor matches under the WWE umbrella, but it was the Irishman who prevailed over his English counterpart this time around.

Balor's win was somewhat expected due to the fact that he has been built as NXT's next big thing. Also, Neville's extremely lengthy reign as NXT champion just ended at the last NXT special two months ago, so it seemed a bit soon to insert him back into the title scene.

This victory elevates Balor to main event status, but it raises some questions regarding Neville. He could conceivably fall down the card a bit for the time being, or a call-up to the main roster could just as easily be in the cards since he certainly seems ready for prime time.

If it was one of Neville's final NXT matches, then it is fair to say he went out on a high note.

The No. 1 contender's match at Rival truly spoke to the depth of talent near the top of the card of NXT, and it was a prime example of why the brand has developed into such a huge success.

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