The NXT rivalry between Finn Bálor and Samoa Joe is the stuff of Team Yellow legend — Live Event title changes, gruesome championship matches and the only defeat, to date, of The Demon in any capacity. So, it stood to reason their first Raw collision — the result of an open challenge issued by Joe after he took out Titus O’Neil before their scheduled match — would be one for the record books. But even Raw General Manager Kurt Angle found himself impressed by what ended up unfolding when the two former champions locked up.
Bálor and Joe managed to keep their aggression barely in check for the majority of the dead-heat match, but a Double Count-out led to a brawl that required a full platoon of officials to separate the warring Superstars. Angle, who was impressed with their attitude, ended up naming both Superstars to his Survivor Series team.
Both competitors seemed pleased to get the nod, though Bálor couldn’t resist delivering one last leaping forearm to Joe off the side of the stage. Brand supremacy requires these two coexist for one night, but if this match is any indication, even that may be asking too much of them.