Johnny Gargano set to face former WWE Universal Champion at NXT TakeOver: Portland
Another exciting singles match has now been added to the upcoming NXT TakeOver: Portland card, as former NXT Champions Johnny Gargano and Finn Balor finally have a date and are set for a huge collision on the 16th of February, 2020.
How Finn Balor and Johnny Gargano's rivalry began on NXT?
On the October 23rd edition of WWE NXT, the trio of Finn Balor, Johnny Gargano, and Tommaso Ciampa squared up to The Undisputed Era, only for Balor to turn his back on Gargano and take him out with a gruesome attack. The attack from Balor eventually led to Gargano suffering a legitimate neck injury after the former had performed the 1916 on Gargano on the ramp.
On December 18, Gargano finally made his return to WWE NXT, as he distracted Balor during his NXT Championship match against Adam Cole and it eventually led to the former losing the match. Post-match, Gargano got his revenge on Balor by beating him up with a steel chair and it eventually led to the latter challenging the former NXT North American Champion to a match at TakeOver: Portland.
Balor vs Gargano set for NXT TakeOver: Portland
With Johnny Gargano officially accepting Finn Balor's challenge to a singles match at NXT TakeOver: Portland, WWE has now taken to its official website and various social media platforms in order to announce the first official match for the first NXT TakeOver event of the new decade and the new year.
WWE made the following announcement on Twitter:
When is NXT TakeOver: Portland?
NXT TakeOver: Portland is set to take place on the 16th of February, 2020 and so far only one match has been made official for the show and that is, the singles contest between Johnny Gargano and Finn Balor. NXT Women's Champion Rhea Ripley is also confirmed to be defending her title at the show in Portland but her opponent hasn't been revealed yet.