Lars Sullivan vs. Aleister Black for the NXT Title at Takeover: Chicago Preview

NXT’s resident leviathan will get his shot to win the NXT Championship when he faces Aleister Black at NXT Takeover: Chicago

NXT Takeover: Chicago has its NXT Championship match. Current titleholder Aleister Black will defend his title against Lars Sullivan on June 16 at the Allstate Arena. This will mark Black’s first title defense at a Takeover as well as Sullivan’s first world title match.

WWE made the match official on the May 30 NXT broadcast. Sullivan interrupted the champion mid-promo and announced that general manager William Regal named him the number one contender.

Black then attempted his Black Mass kick, but Sullivan caught Black’s foot mid spin and dropped the champion with the Freak Accident. This, of course, places Black in the underdog role against monster heel Sullivan.

A monstrous challenge

The NXT title match will be a battle between two of the best-booked characters in WWE’s developmental wing. Since his reintroduction in April 2017, Sullivan has yet to be pinned in singles competition. Black has been presented just as dominantly; he’s eaten only one pinfall loss since his debut–which was due to Adam Cole’s interference in a multi-person match. The few losses between these two should add some intrigue to the bout.

Thoughts

While some fans may feel that it’s too much too soon for Sullivan, I think this is an excellent use of the big man. It’s no surprise that Triple H, who runs NXT like an old school federation, and his creative team would position Sullivan opposite Black in a title match. Many promotions have used monster heels such as Sullivan just like this: as the upper midcard menace that the valiant champion has to overcome.

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Sullivan probably has a Black Mass awaiting him in Chicago, but he’ll get a chance to show that he can hold his own in a championship match against one of the best workers in the world. Black will carry Sullivan through most of the match with his selling and psychology, but I think Sullivan will hold his own. The possibility of the Gargano/Ciampa Street Fight main eventing this show should also take some of the pressure off of these two to deliver a classic. Either way, I’m very intrigued to see what these two do in Chicago.