Sarray has finally arrived in NXT. She’s had two strong match-ups so far for NXT and the future looks bright for the “Warrior of the Sun” on the black and gold brand. A 10 year veteran of the sport with seven title reigns to date totalling 809 days so far.
Sarray, fka Sareee, is a young performer who tends to use the ‘Strong Style’ popular in Japan. She has strong strikes, is quite agile, and she is constantly improving in the ring.
Knowing this, I want to take a look at five potential opponents for Sarray in NXT that could prove strong challenges for the up and coming Japanese sensation. Outside of the, hinted at, potential feud with the great Toni Storm that is.
5. Shotzi Blackheart
A former tag-team champion starts us off. The 7 year veteran Shotzi Blackheart has already shown the world that she has little regard for her own well being and she will do almost anything necessary to win a match. Sure, she’s still technically green by wrestling standards, but she is improving in the ring.
Can you imagine her in the ring with the hard-hitting Sarray? Just the thought alone excites me. Shotzi is easily one of the most popular and exciting women on the NXT roster and she would be one hell of a feud for Sarray. I don’t see how you can turn either heel either, as both are perfect faces, so maybe it’d be one of the rare face vs face match-ups.
Right now Shotzi is teamed up with Ember Moon, forming an amazing tag team, so a singles rivalry may not be in the cards for a while. If it ever happens though, I fully expect the NXT crowd to be on their feet with excitement. This match may not main event any Takeover card, but it would be a solid under-card match.
4. Xia Li
Xia Li has undergone a drastic character change in recent months, turning heel and beginning a reign of terror on NXT. She’s still really green as a performer, having three years of professional experience, and has no title reigns to date.
She’s still relatively young however and has a lot of room to improve in the ring. Putting her into a potential feud with the veteran Sarray would be a good thing for the Chinese Superstar. Both women are hard-hitting and would put on a striking clinic in there together.
I’m sure you can’t put Xia Li over Sarray when you’ve hyped the Japanese star so far, but given enough time this could be a solid rivalry for both Superstars. It’s another one that is definitely not main event worthy, but it is one that should provide some excitement for the NXT faithful.
3. Dakota Kai
The Captain of Team Kick, Dakota Kai, comes in at number three. The 33 year old, 13 year veteran, is as good in the ring as anyone and is a very well rounded performer. She’s held six titles so far in her career, counting the disastrous first reign as NXT Women’s Tag Champions with Raquel Gonzalez, but Dakota definitely deserves the chance and opportunity to challenge Sarray.
She needs to have a single’s push, even a run as NXT Women’s Champion, and she needs to show the world what they seem to have forgotten. Dakota Kai can make any opponent look like gold in the ring and she is someone that Sarray could actually main event against. If you let these two go at it in the ring, you’ve got the recipe for one hell of a match and one that just may win match of the year.
There is one caveat, however, and that is WWE needs to give them more than fifteen minutes for their matches. Give them thirty minutes minimum and you will have greatness delivered unto you.
2. Candice LeRae
Our runner-up today is The Poison Pixie, Candice LeRae. The 19 year veteran has ring experience on her side, nine years on Sarray, and is one of the best performers that NXT has in it’s women’s division. She had a couple of really good matches against Io Shirai that set the standard for NXT in my opinion.
Candice has seven championship reigns to date and I’m sure a future run as NXT Women’s Champion is in the cards for her. Currently, in a storyline with The Way and her husband, Candice sure has her hands full but she handles it admirably. Even as a heel, she is very entertaining and is one of the must-see performers that NXT has. Sure, the roster is full of them, but she has set herself apart from the majority of the women’s division.
The bar is high here, Candice is that bar, and if Sarray can perform against her then she will cement herself as a top-tier competitor for NXT. Like Dakota Kai before her, here, Candice can make nearly anyone look deadly and can have an incredible match against nearly everyone in NXT. I can easily see LeRae vs Sarray as the main event match someday. Hell, it could be a match of the year candidate or even a rivalry of the year contender.
1. Io Shirai
Was there ever any doubt about who would own the number one spot on this list? Io Shirai is the best female athlete on the WWE roster and is a candidate for the best performer in the world. I’d argue that she is actually the -best- performer that WWE has, period. Io is a fourteen-year veteran and has held numerous titles in her legendary career.
Why should Sarray and Shirai face off? Well, Io Shirai consistently puts on great matches, takes on all comers, and has one of the best entrances in all of WWE. Of course, that’s me just fanboying to her entrance. Put these two Japanese Superstars in the ring and they should have incredible chemistry together.
I would be willing to bet that a series of matches between the two could rival Io’s matches against Kairi Hojo (Sane) back in Japan. Knowing WWE, they likely would team up Sarray and Io Shirai as the “Warriors of the Sky” or the “Geniuses of the Sun”, and they would be an incredible tag-team, but each woman thrives as a singles competitor and they each deserve to remain as such.
A match between these two, at any NXT Takeover, should absolutely main event the card and be given at least twenty minutes of action. Io can handle it, Sarray can handle it, let them fight and give them time to tell the story.