Why Adam Cole Must Be Drew McIntyre's Next Opponent After NXT TakeOver: WarGames

On the heels of Drew McIntyre shockingly losing the NXT Championship to Andrade "Cien" Almas at NXT TakeOver: WarGames on Saturday night, The Celtic Colossus needs a high-profile feud with Adam Cole in order to get back on track.

Cole wasted little time making his presence felt in NXT when he made his debut at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III after a hugely successful run on the independent scene.

Along with Undisputed Era stablemates Kyle O'Reilly and Bobby Fish, Cole decimated McIntyre after he defeated Bobby Roode to become NXT champion for the first time.

In the weeks since that incident, Cole and The Undisputed Era have largely been occupied with Sanity and The Authors of Pain because O'Reilly and Fish attacked them in Brooklyn as well.

While O'Reilly and Fish will likely continue to feud with them moving forward, the door is open for Cole to pursue his individual interests following the WarGames match.

In addition to the incident at TakeOver: Brooklyn, Cole and McIntyre already have some experience facing each other in an NXT ring.

On Friday night in San Antonio at an NXT live event, Cole and McIntyre did battle in a match with Shawn Michaels serving as the special guest referee.

That suggests the NXT creative team may have been further testing the waters to see how well Cole and McIntyre work together before putting them in a full-fledged program.

Both Cole and McIntyre are versatile Superstars who excel in the ring and on the mic, and they are capable of meshing with seemingly any type of competitor or style placed in front of them.

Although Cole is still very young in wrestling terms at 28 years of age, it has long been clear that he was destined for stardom in WWE.

He has the look and in-ring chops needed to be a top guy, but he truly sets himself apart from the rest with his attitude and ability to express himself from a promo perspective.

Cole almost immediately established himself as the premier heel in NXT, and with McIntyre as the current face of the brand despite Saturday's loss, a clash between the two Superstars is inevitable.

The dynamic between them is intriguing since McIntyre is far bigger and physically imposing, which would naturally cause observers to consider Cole the underdog.

Cole isn't likely to garner any sympathy, though, because he'll take plenty of shortcuts and utilize O'Reilly and Fish as much as possible.

The story of the top babyface having to overcome the evil heel stable is ageless in wrestling, and it works when the right pieces are involved.

While McIntyre may try to win the NXT title back from Almas, that isn't the type of match and feud meant to headline multiple TakeOver events.

Having Cole cost McIntyre in his rematch for the title on an episode of NXT TV would add even more heat to their feud, and a match between them at the NXT TakeOver event in Philadelphia the night before the Royal Rumble in January could potentially be for the No. 1 contendership.

Even if Cole vs. McIntyre isn't for the title itself in Philly, it is a main event-caliber match that will go a long way toward selling the WWE Universe on watching that show.

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