NXT Battleground held a number of intriguing developments surrounding the Title picture, including a thrilling match for the NXT North American Championship between Wes Lee, Joe Gacy, and Tyler Bate. All three were back in the mix during tonight’s episode of NXT, which featured The Dyad facing off against Lee and Bate. What no one expected though was an appearance from WWE Monday Night Raw Superstar Mustafa Ali, who just competed at Night of Champions against the Intercontinental Champion Gunther. Ali appeared in the crowd and the fans lost their minds, but he was just watching things unfold initially. That all changed later though.
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Gacy threw Lee into Bate with the Title and then started attacking Lee. Then Ali threw his headset off on commentary and jumped into the ring, attacking Gacy. Al kept punching Gacy until he threw him over the top rope to the ground below, and once he cleared the ring Lee and Bate were back on their feet. Ali held up Lee and Bate’s hands in victory.
It would seem that Ali is going to be involved with the North American Championship picture. That’s wonderful news, as Lee has consistently showcased the Title since winning it, including a thrilling Triple Threat at Battleground. Bate and Lee seem to be on the same page again, but Gacy and The Dyad still loom large, so perhaps Ali will even the odds in a Tag Team situation soon.
That’s all probably leading up to a match for the Title against Lee, and Ali vs Lee will certainly be one of the best matches of any event card it happens to be a part of. Ali has gotten more TV time recently and his match against Gunther at Night of Champions was stellar, so his match against Lee should be no different.
Ali is the latest WWE Raw or SmackDown to appear in NXT. That lineup has included Apollo Crews, The New Day’s Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston, Natalya, Raquel Rodriguez, Rhea Ripley, Dolph Ziegler, and more. Now Ali joins that group and this latest appearance has all the potential to be great. It also should only bolster Lee further as a tour de force in NXT, and as seen in tonight’s episode, the crowd is already loving having Ali as part of the brand for a bit.
We’ll have to wait and see how things play out over the next few weeks, but the next event for NXT is the Great American Bash, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see Ali and Lee involved in a match together when that event comes around.
Are you excited for Mustafa Ali in NXT? Let us know in the comments or as always you can talk all things wrestling with me on Twitter @MattAguilarCB!
