Samoa Joe Must Turn Heel on Finn Balor in NXT Tag Team Tournament

Ever since Finn Balor successfully defended his NXT Championship against Kevin Owens at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn, wrestling fans have been wondering who will be the next challenger for the title.

All signs point to Samoa Joe being the next No. 1 contender.

With Samoa Joe and Balor teaming up as strange bedfellows in the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic tournament, this would be the perfect opportunity for Joe to turn his back on the champion by costing the duo a win in the tournament finals.

Balor and Joe had few interactions before being put together as a team, so there is no allegiance between the two men other than the desire to win the tournament. The lack of a previous on-screen relationship will help fans think that the two men can coexist and work together as they make a deep run to the finals.

The hope is that the two top-caliber athletes work as a cohesive unit—just as they did during this week’s episode of NXT against The Lucha Dragons—and make a run to the finals. The WWE Universe will be in total support of the dream team until Joe turns on Balor in the final match of the Dusty Rhodes Classic and begins the singles feud for the NXT Championship.

Joe made a passing reference to Balor’s championship on this week’s episode of NXT, laying the groundwork for the eventual turn.

The defending champion needs a viable challenger moving forward after the tournament, and Samoa Joe is the biggest name left on the roster after the recent string of call-ups (Owens) and injuries (Sami Zayn and Hideo Itami).

Balor and Joe deserve a marquee storyline, and a battle that culminates in a main event at a TakeOver special is the ideal booking for this feud. With Joe playing the relentless heel who will do anything to get his hands on a title—a role he thrived in during his runs in TNA and Ring of Honor—the potential championship match between the combatants would be the perfect main event to help sell out the building for the NXT TakeOver: London show on December 16.

Balor is one of the top faces in wrestling, and he needs a worthy heel to get the most out of his character. Wrestling fans have been waiting to see the relentless side of Samoa Joe finally unleashed on the NXT roster, and an in-ring war against Balor is exactly what the WWE Universe needs.

While WWE Raw and SmackDown have the more impressive rosters overall, few feuds will entertain wrestling fans more in the coming months than Joe challenging Balor for the NXT Championship.

Joe is great, but we’ll see what he is made of when Balor unleashes the demon.

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