Balor, Ciampa Listed as Co-Favorites

Balor has been doing excellent work for the black-and-gold brand in the last year but has yet to receive a run with the top title, at least not since winning it originally in July 2015. With Keith Lee now on Raw and everyone else in this match being a heel, this would be the perfect opportunity to put the belt back on The Prince and cement him as NXT’s new top face until someone else can rise up.

Meanwhile, Ciampa recently returned from a two-month hiatus and made a major impact upon coming back, brutalizing beloved babyface Jake Atlas. That seemed to confirm his status as a heel, and considering he was never beaten for the belt in the first place, he’s arguably the best choice to come out on top on Tuesday night and begin his second stint as NXT champion.

From there, Balor and Ciampa can continue to feud with Balor in chase mode heading into the next TakeOver special, whenever that may be. It’s entirely possible NXT goes with Balor in this bout just to give viewers the feel-good moment, but Ciampa is the stronger option of the two.

As for Cole and Gargano, there is little reason to bet on them at long odds. Cole is coming off a year-long reign as champ and has no reason to regain it at this point. In fact, an imminent main roster call-up (along with the rest of Undisputed Era) is more likely for him than re-entering the NXT Championship.

Finally, Gargano’s NXT title reign was cut short last year, so him pulling out the surprise win at +350 isn’t impossible. He has nothing else of importance going on at the moment, but it wouldn’t be as exciting of an outcome than if Balor or Ciampa were to win.

Ciampa is the safest choice to reign supreme as of now, but regardless of the result, this Fatal 4-Way is bound to be nothing short of spectacular.