NXT General Manager William Regal may have found the one way to add more fuel to the already supercharged conflict between Matt Riddle and Killian Dain — hang a chance at NXT’s richest prize in the balance.
After sending Full Sail University into sheer chaos last week with a fierce brawl that entangled numerous other NXT combatants, Regal pit Riddle and Dain in another Street Fight to settle the score and determine the next challenger for Adam Cole’s NXT Championship.
The bitter foes’ unleashed physicality was heightened by Regal’s stakes, with both men trading control at various points in the match. They wasted little time before moving outside of the ring and employing the Full Sail Live environment as a weapon — most notably with Dain putting Riddle through a wall and Riddle answering by smashing Dain through a table.
The action eventually found its way back into the ring, and Riddle dug deep to escape a pin attempt following three destructive Vader Bombs from Dain. The Beast of Belfast was equally defiant, kicking out after Riddle sent a chair into his face with a knee strike.
It was Riddle who ultimately emerged victorious, submitting Dain after wrangling him into a Fujiwara Armbar.
Riddle’s night wasn’t over just yet, however. Cole immediately took to the ring afterward to confront his seemingly weakened opponent — only for Riddle to lock The Panama City Playboy in the Fujiwara Armbar.
The rest of The Undisputed ERA wasn’t far behind with backup for Cole, and Riddle wisely got out of dodge after realizing he was on the wrong side of the numbers game. But ahead of next week's encounter, The Original Bro already put the NXT Champion on notice. Even more importantly, he may have gained a physical advantage with Cole showing signs of damage from Riddle’s devastating hold.