Balor/Nakamura From NXT, Cruiserweight Classic, Brock Lesnar & More

This past Wednesday's WWE NXT episode certainly seemed to mark Finn Balor's final match before his impending main-roster debut. Balor battled Shinsuke Nakamura, NXT's newest, hottest commodity. Balor, once NXT's biggest star, lost to Nakamura after a hard fought performance. It seemed fitting, as Nakamura seems to have taken Finn's spot as NXT's top babyface. Nakamura is poised to face current NXT champion, Samoa Joe, at TakeOver: Back To Brooklyn later this summer. 

There's been a lot of speculation on the draft, as well as WWE's plans for Balor on Raw or Smackdown. Many have suspected that he'll meet up with his former running mates in the Club, but nothing is for sure in WWE. Plans change and nothing seems to ever be set in stone. We'll have our answers in the coming weeks. 

The Crusierweight Classic debuted this past Wednesday on the WWE Network after months of anticipation. There's a ton of reasons to love this show. First, the commentary. Mauro Ranallo and Daniel Bryan completely surpassed the main roster announce team in a single, one-hour show. Ranallo, known for his sports-like announcing style, called the action while Bryan chimed in with analysis and expertise on wrestling style and the competitors' strengths and weaknesses. The show felt fresh and organic. The overall presentation of the show was almost a glimpse of what WWE could be as a whole and in many ways demonstrated the change that the main-roster programs desperately need. 

Standouts of the tournament include Cedric Alexander, Kota Ibushi, Gran Metalik, Zack Sabre Jr., and many, many more. 

The WWE Draft takes place this Tuesday, July 19 on the first live Smackdown of the brand division. There are many interesting stories in play as it relates to the draft. Roman Reigns' suspension will almost certainly have an effect on his positioning within the company. Where will he end up? Many expect that he'll land on Raw, which is most likely still the case. Another point of speculation revolves around Brock Lesnar and his recent USADA drug test violation leading into UFC 200. There's not a lot of information out about what he tested positive for and the penalties that will follow. Regardless, penalties could result in a ban that could prevent him from participating in another MMA fight in the foreseeable future. Depending on how the situation plays out, a ban handed out by the Nevada State Athletic Commission could also prevent Lesnar from working WWE shows in specific states that still govern professional wrestling through athletic commissions. This year's Summerslam takes place in New York, which could prove to be an issue for the already billed Lesnar/ Randy Orton match (Dave Meltzer, Wrestling Observer Newsletter).

Many positive and negative stories have dominated the month of July as it relates to WWE. The draft will prove to be crucial to the company in both storyline and business. 

The next few months should be very interesting.

Brady Sauvageau

The Heater