Ranking Every Demon Finn Bálor Match In WWE And NXT
6. Vs. Samoa Joe (NXT TakeOver: London)
Although Samoa Joe had his sights set on the NXT Championship coming off of TakeOver: Brooklyn, he agreed to team with Finn Bálor in the inaugural Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic because he knew he would benefit from being so close with the champion.
They ended up winning the whole thing, but when Joe wasn't immediately granted a shot at the strap, he snapped and took his frustration out on Bálor. That kicked off a long-running rivalry between the two that lasted nearly seven months, starting with their clash for the NXT title at TakeOver: London.
The early goings were slightly slow, but once they picked up the pace, it turned into a hard-hitting and highly exhilarating affair. Joe spent a majority of the match on offense, viciously beating down The Demon and coming within seconds of winning the prestigious prize on more than one occasion.
The London faithful never ceased to rally behind Bálor, who endured plenty of punishment at the hands of The Samoan Submission Machine and escaped with his title intact by the skin of his teeth. Of course, their feud was far from over, but Bálor reigning supreme in front of a sold-out crowd across the pond was a cool moment for him.
A nice, clean championship main event can be hard to come by nowadays, so this was a refreshing change of pace compared to the TLC 2015 main event from earlier in the week.