The NXT Championship picture flipped in seconds on Saturday night. Grayson Waller had just used a crowbar and a Rolling Stunner to put away Tony D’Angelo at Halloween Havoc.
Post-match, Danhausen once again made his way out to the ring, grabbed the microphone, and told the champion his celebration was premature. The Very Nice, Very Evil host had a message from a friend, and that friend turned out to be none other than CM Punk, who appeared on the titantron to challenge Waller for the title on the November 4th edition of NXT.
Thanks for the submission!
WWE made the match official without wasting any time. The November 4 episode of NXT airs on Wednesday instead of Tuesday because The CW has midterm election coverage, and WWE has stacked the card with an appearance from John Cena, Cody Rhodes, who will present the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic trophy, and UFC’s Michael Chandler, who is the special referee for the Dion Lennox vs. Cruz Montana unsanctioned match. NXT also runs head-to-head with AEW Dynamite’s Blood & Guts show, which also explains why WWE decided to put Punk in the main event of the show.
Punk’s message to the champion was short and to the point.
“You say that NXT is your house? Kid, I’m the landlord, and Wednesday the rent is due.”
Nobody outside the room knows how this one ends, and here are five finishes that would work when Punk challenges Waller for the NXT Championship.
#5. Tony D’Angelo crashes it, and the NXT Championship match is thrown out
Tony D’Angelo failed to dethrone Grayson Waller controversially after he had the reigning champion down for a 10-count while the referee was down. It would make all the sense in the world for the former champion to crash the main event after he was blasted with a crowbar in front of his own wife and son.
D’Angelo’s run-in could see the referee throw out the match, Punk never gets a three-count, and NXT suddenly has a triple threat for its next premium live event. It is the messiest option on the list, and the one that keeps the most people hot at once.
#4. Kevin Owens shows up and costs CM Punk
CM Punk’s week is a lot busier than Grayson Waller’s. The former Undisputed WWE Champion faces Kevin Owens in a No Holds Barred match on the November 6th edition of SmackDown, the go-home show before Crown Jewel, and the two have spent months blaming each other for the Undisputed WWE Championship landing around Sami Zayn’s waist on the September 11th episode.
Owens wants Punk out of WWE badly enough to say it out loud before Money in the Bank, and a man with that on his mind does not need an invitation to Orlando. One chair shot, one Stunner, and Waller covers Punk for the three-count. Punk loses nothing in defeat, Waller beats a former world champion, and the No Holds Barred Match on Friday gets another layer.
#3. Grayson Waller keeps the belt on a count-out or disqualification
The reigning NXT Champion could keep his belt without winning on Wednesday. A count-out or a disqualification does not change hands, so Grayson Waller grabs his title and walks up the ramp while the referee counts to ten, or to make things a lot more interesting, Waller could crack Punk with the belt in front of the official and take the DQ instead. Punk wins the match, gets no belt, and NXT gets a rematch with a stipulation attached at the next Premium Live Event.
#2. Grayson Waller steals it with the Rolling Stunner
Grayson Waller already has the blueprint from Saturday after his win over Tony D’Angelo. At 204 pounds, he is not going to out-wrestle Punk, so the play is attrition: work the ribs, cut the ring in half, wait for one mistake.
Run it again with a twist. Punk lifts Waller for the GTS, Waller grabs the top rope, lands on his feet, and hits the Rolling Stunner as the referee counts three. That is the win that would define the Aussie Icon’s reign. A first title defense against a former world champion, stolen.
#1. CM Punk wins the NXT Championship
For all CM Punk has accomplished, he has never held the NXT Championship, and this is his first crack at the title. The clean finish writes itself: Waller goes for one Rolling Stunner too many, Punk slips behind him, hoists him up and hits the GTS in the middle of the ring. Three count, new champion, and the one piece of WWE gold the Second City Saint has never worn.
Punk is also advertised for NXT live events later in November, and the Title has changed hands at a house show before, when Samoa Joe took it off Finn Bálor in 2016, so a short reign is not as far-fetched as it sounds.
The downside is of it is obvious, a champion who works SmackDown every week is not much use as the face of the brand, and Punk’s real business is Kevin Owens and the world title picture.
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Edited by Soumik Datta
