Tonight is a big one, folks… NXT takes the spotlight this evening with WWE NXT TakeOver: Portland! We’ve got arguably one of the biggest NXT cards yet on our hands tonight, including this big dream match! Johnny Gargano will face Finn Balor! And that’s just the start of what we’ve got on tap here this evening! I’m Jordan Huie of the Overtimer, ready to give you the full coverage of tonight’s event! That means a live recap of every match posted mere moments after they conclude! And a preview of all six bouts on the card! Let’s not waste any time here!
Johnny Gargano vs. Finn Balor
You wouldn’t think there’s many people out there, particularly on WWE’s roster, that Johnny Gargano has never wrestled. And you could say much the same for Finn Balor. The two are both veterans of the sport, with 33 years of combined experience between them, and they’ve basically been everywhere. And yet… the two of them have never crossed paths before. It’s kind of amazing to think that this is a first-time-ever meeting, but it is, and that’s pretty damn exciting.
As has actually been acknowledged on-screen, this match was meant to happen at TakeOver: WarGames back in November, but Johnny couldn’t get cleared in time. In storyline, this was attributed to Finn’s surprise heel turn attack. But now Gargano’s finally ready to face off with him in earnest.
The story here is as near and dear to the black and gold brand as can be. Finn Balor was a proud flag bearer of NXT in it’s earlier days, the first performer as far as I recall to publicly state that he never wanted to be called up to the main roster. Johnny Gargano would later take that mantle, when he became the face of NXT and has gone on record several times to say much the same. However, whilst Johnny legitimately has never truly left NXT, Finn eventually did. Whether by choice or not, he found himself on Monday Night Raw in 2016 and, he did start at the top but dropped very quickly.
While he’s been a popular babyface his whole run there, he never did seem to fully recover from having to vacate the Universal title immediately after he won it. Something Gargano has reveled in reminding us! When these two finally face off, it should be something special for certain. So… who wins? It’s hard not to think that the winner here will be going after the NXT title next. Given that, I’m thinking Finn Balor over.
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