Can a Former North American Champion Become the NXT Champion?
On the August 26th episode of NXT, Ricky Saints defeated Josh Briggs in a number one contender’s match to earn a shot at the NXT Championship at WWE No Mercy. The champion, Oba Femi, has welcomed all challengers since winning the championship in January. He has ushered in a new era for NXT, and the Silver and Black brand is led by his dominance in the square circle. Saints, on the other hand, have been building momentum since dropping the North American Championship to Ethan Page. The former FTW Champion poses a huge threat to Femi, as many see Saints as a future main event superstar, and the WWE could look to give him the biggest win of his WWE career by knocking off the Ruler. However, can he do it?
Saints came into NXT with so much fanfare and popularity. The wrestler formerly known as Ricky Starks made a name for himself in AEW, All Elite Wrestling. There Saints elevated his name, and he was put on WWE’s radar once his contract was up. The former AEW Tag Team Champion achieved success by winning the North American Title very quickly since his debut. He defeated Shawn Spears for the title in his first two months in NXT and went on to have a fun rivalry with Page from WrestleMania season through the summer in one of NXT’s best rivalries of the year. After dropping the title to Page and losing the rematch, Saints went on to work himself up to the main-event picture. After defeating Jasper Troy and putting that rivalry behind him, Saints made his intentions clear in a backstage segment with Je’Von Evans at WWE Heatwave. The former North American Champion told Evans that he was coming after the winner of the NXT title match, which turned out to be Femi. Heatwave ended with a staredown between the two, teasing that this match was going to happen sooner rather than later.
As Saints prepares for the biggest match of his WWE career up to this point, Femi has continued to put on big-time match after big-time match. The Ruler is one of the WWE’s fastest-rising stars, and he has only been on NXT television for two years. His look and size are intimidating, and he has proven he can work with anybody, big or small. Saints is going to have to reach another level to defeat the mountain that is Oba Femi. However, if there is anyone who has the will to win and the belief that he can overcome the challenge of Femi, it is Saints. Never before in the Ruler’s reign has it felt more than now that he would most likely drop the belt to someone. It feels like the time is now, and Femi’s reign might be coming to an end. If it does, then the WWE is showing incredible faith in Saints and sees him as the future main event superstar that he is.
