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WWE Fastlane 2019: Imagine An Open Challenge Between Finn Balor, Johnny Gargano

By Kevin Parvizi

LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 14: WWE wrestler Finn Balor poses for photograph with Tottenham Hotspur shirt after the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Hull City at White Hart Lane on December 14, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Tottenham Hotspur FC/Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 14: WWE wrestler Finn Balor poses for photograph with Tottenham Hotspur shirt after the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Hull City at White Hart Lane on December 14, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Tottenham Hotspur FC/Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images) /
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WWE Fastlane 2019 will have a loaded card featuring The Shield in a reunion match, Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair in a high-stakes matchup, and a pre-show battle between Andrade and Rey Mystero. But imagine if an “Open Challenge” match between Johnny Gargano and Finn Balor were thrown into the mix.

Finn Balor is one of the best babyfaces in wrestling, but the Intercontinental Champion doesn’t have a match set for WWE Fastlane 2019. Currently, there are nine matches scheduled for the Pay Per View in Cleveland, but the last “B” PPV without lengthy Elimination Chamber matches, TLC, had 12 matches in total.

That means WWE could have room to add to the card, so Balor could defend the title he recently won at the Elimination Chamber Pay Per View against Bobby Lashley. The IC Title is meant to be defended on a near-weekly basis, so it’d be awesome for Balor, one of WWE’s best wrestlers, to get a chance to defend the championship at Fastlane.

One of our followers, @ZNaddy23, had a fantastic idea for a possible match for Balor at Fastlane, which will take place in Cleveland at 6 p.m. ET on Mar. 10.

His idea? An “Open Challenge” invitation from Balor at the IC Title, which is promptly answered by Cleveland’s hometown hero, Johnny Gargano.

It’s an awesome idea on a number of levels. First of all, Gargano’s tag team partner, Tommaso Ciampa, will have to miss some time with a severe neck injury, and it’s an awful, scary situation for a wrestler who just came back better than ever from a severe ACL tear in 2017.

Gargano can’t bring DIY to the main roster with Ciampa out, but he’s still a huge star in his own right. For months, Gargano has put on some of WWE’s best matches as a member of the NXT roster, and WWE will want to showcase one of its four recent call-ups. Gargano has plenty of potential on the main roster, and a match with Balor in Cleveland would get the crowd going and put a spotlight on him.

As @ZNaddy23 noted, Balor vs. Gargano wouldn’t even have to be a lengthy match as an addition to the Fastlane card. In about 10 minutes, Balor and Gargano could tear the roof off of the “Q” and give the WWE Universe a surprise match for the ages. Gargano pulls great matches out of thin air, and the same can be said for Balor, whose surprise match against Jordan Devlin at NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool helped had more buzz to the United Kingdom brand.

Next. The 3 Biggest Storylines Heading Into Fastlane. dark

This Gargano vs. Balor idea is fantasy booking at its finest, but, man, just imagine these two elite wrestlers battling it out in a fast-paced, quick match for one of WWE’s most prestigious titles. And again, hometown get-over matches can be awesome, especially for a new call-up like Gargano who is a huge fan favorite. The dueling “Balor” and “Gargano” chants would slowly turn into a full-pitched fever for Gargano in Cleveland, and that would be wrestling perfection, especially with all the false finishes (a Gargano Escape spot) that are bound to happen at the end.

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