Finn Bálor Vs Johnny Gargano Confirmed For NXT TakeOver: Portland

Matches come together for TWO black-and-gold supercards on first live NXT of 2020.

by Michael Hamflett
Finn Balor Johnny Gargano
WWE.com

Recent NXT returnee Finn Bálor will face current talisman of the brand Johnny Gargano at NXT's next TakeOver.

The two set their match up in a spirited promo battle midway through the January 8th edition of the show, with their contrasting visions of the black-and-gold brand the crux of their disdain. Bálor shocking turned heel on 'Johnny Wrestling', forcing him to miss his first TakeOver in three years whilst going on to defeat Matt Riddle in his return match on the brand.

Elsewhere on a constructive but somewhat underwhelming return to going live on the USA Network, Rhea Ripley and Toni Storm teased a Champion Vs Champion match for January 25th's Worlds Collide if Storm can unseat Kay Lee Ray at TakeOver: Blackpool this weekend.

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Meanwhile, Keith Lee defeated Cameron Grimes, Damian Priest and Dominik Dijakovic to earn a shot at Roderick Strong's North American Championship in a fortnight and both Imperium and The Undisputed Era advanced in the 2020 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic with wins over Gallus and The Forgotten Sons respectively.

In a pleasing development for that, the company announced that Alex Shelley will be Kushida's partner, reforming their New Japan Pro Wrestling Time Splitters pairing.

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Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 30 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz", Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 50,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett