Best Challengers for Samoa Joe at WWE NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn

Samoa Joe is as dominant as ever. Only this time, NXT is his playground.

The current WWE NXT champion turned back the demon in Finn Balor in a steel cage at NXT TakeOver: The End. Joe defeated Balor with a Muscle Buster from the top rope.

His next opponent has not been revealed since that bout. Make no mistake: There are plenty who want a shot at Joe’s NXT title. However, the star power consists of ghosts of TNA past.

For starters, there’s Bobby Roode, who hasn’t made his official NXT television debut. Second, there’s Eric Young, who already faced Joe on NXT television in May and lost. The last one on that list is Austin Aries, who’s coming off a loss to Shinsuke Nakamura.

As for Nakamura, he’s all but set to take on Balor down the line. Perhaps they’ll square off at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn.

This leaves Joe without a dance partner. The NXT championship is the equivalent of the WWE world heavyweight title. NXT has done a great job of building up its women and tag team divisions. However, it's relied solely on Joe’s feud with Balor to keep interest in the NXT title.

As NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn builds to its August 20 date, the time to build Joe’s potential opponents is now. After all, Samoa Joe needs credible opponents during his WWE NXT championship reign.

Who can the WWE NXT creative team build up for Joe at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn? Let’s run down the roster for potential NXT title challengers!

Roode seems like a great choice. He brings history because of his time with Joe at TNA and is a charismatic personality. Roode is able and willing to bring the fans to his side.

However, the creative team better hurry. The writing staff has less than two months to make him a viable challenger. It needs to launch him on the NXT roster now.

If not Roode, then Aries would be a suitable opponent. He’s battled Joe in both TNA and Ring of Honor early in their careers.

The loss Aries suffered against Nakamura at NXT TakeOver: The End will hurt his standing. Luckily, time is invaluable for Aries. He has the time to build himself up again before a potential title bout with Joe.

Young is the wild card of the bunch. According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Young is an official member of WWE’s NXT show. The question remains whether Young comes back after losing to Joe on the May 4 episode of NXT.

Regardless, those are three opponents strong enough to handle Joe in Balor’s wake. All three men have spent time in some shape or form with Joe throughout their careers.

Yet having one man take on Joe at this point wouldn’t make sense. None of them have been well developed in their NXT tenure. In fact, Aries is the only one with substance for WWE fans. He’s the only one fans have seen compete in more than one match.

The better solution is having all four men face each other at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn. A Fatal 4-Way for Joe’s NXT title would make the most sense for all men involved.

Young already has the history with Joe from his NXT encounter. Aries has the standing with battling the likes of Nakamura and Baron Corbin. Those two will fit in just fine for challenging Joe.

Roode would become the X-factor in the bout. He’ll demonstrate his talents to new fans in the WWE. Roode is the unknown wrestler for them, the big name who can show off his talents while not being lost in the shuffle.

Where does that leave Samoa Joe’s story? He did survive his war with Balor. Facing off against three others would serve him well in the context of his career and his NXT title reign.

Let’s think about this for a second. Can Samoa Joe survive the encounter against three other men? Will Eric Young, Austin Aries or Bobby Roode dethrone the current NXT champion?

The match already writes itself. Here’s hoping the WWE creative team makes that call for NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn.