On Saturday night at No Mercy, the absolute era began in NXT. After a dominant run as NXT Champion, Oba Femi’s reign at the top was ended by former North American Champion Ricky Saints. With a new face of the brand comes intriguing and fresh options when it comes to the NXT title picture. With that in mind, let’s take a look at five possible options for Ricky Saints’ first title defense, including a couple of talents from TNA Wrestling.
Oba Femi
There is a very strong possibility that Femi gets an immediate rematch for the title he held for an impressive 263 days. If his loss at No Mercy was the beginning of the end of the former champ’s run in NXT, taking one more big L on the way out to further build Saints’ legacy on the brand is probably what’s “best for business.”
Matt Cardona
Right now, NXT and TNA are in the midst of a developing war that could play out at NXT Invasion and Bound for Glory. With TNA talents unhappy about NXT still having their top title, more of them may aim to bring the NXT belt back to their company.
With former WWE star Matt Cardona doing more work of late for TNA and appearing at an NXT event recently to further the growing war, being a representative for his promotion in a matchup with Saints could be fun. The match would be good, and so would the build toward the bout.
Trick Williams
Speaking of an NXT star holding on to TNA’s top title, Trick Williams has had a stranglehold on the Total Nonstop Action world title for months. Furthermore, he has made it a top priority to regain the NXT strap and be a two-brand champion. A matchup with Ricky Saints is a dream match for many NXT fans, and the verbal sparring between the two on the road to that potential clash is sure to be a highlight of weekly programming on CW going forward.
Ethan Page
Ethan Page and Ricky Saints already have a bitter history. After quickly winning the North American title in his first few months in WWE, Saints’ former AEW co-worker made it his goal to get the belt off of him. Page was successful and has had the title ever since. Continuing that feud for NXT’s top title makes a lot of sense and would be a great chance for Saints to get revenge on Page in a huge match.
Moose
Going back to the idea of a TNA wrestler looking to bring the NXT belt back home, Moose would be another intriguing option in the next month for Saints. Moose has achieved everything possible in TNA. Sure, he would like to be world champion again, but going into enemy territory and winning a top WWE title will appeal to the long-time star. He would offer a huge test for the Saints, and it would be a great main event for NXT Invasion.
