WWE NXT Preview 7/8/15: Finn Balor New Champion After Beating Kevin Owens at Beast in The East

The July 8, 2015 edition of NXT will air on the WWE Network tonight at 8 p.m. Eastern, and the show will feature Finn Balor's first appearance as NXT Champion since he defeated Kevin Owens at the Beast in the East special on July 4 in Tokyo.

Balor had an emotional victory over Owens in Tokyo, where the Artist Formerly Known as Prince Devitt spent much of his career. The fans were squarely behind him, and Balor even busted out some moves from his New Japan Pro Wrestling days in order to take out Owens. In the end, a second Coup De Grace put KO down for good and Balor scored the clean pin over his opponent. Predictably, Owens blew off Balor when the new champion extended his hand in a show of respect.

Owens remains embroiled in his feud with John Cena, so does this mean he will not be appearing on NXT programming going forward? It would make sense for his character and for the story that he would want a shot to reclaim the belt, but his program with Cena has been so white hot that it almost doesn't make sense for him to split his time between the developmental brand and the main roster. So will Owens look for revenge on Balor, or will the new NXT Champion begin a program with a new challenger?

Last week, Balor and his tag team partner, Samoa Joe, defeated Owens and Rhyno. Joe made a splash when he came after Owens at the conclusion of NXT Takeover: Unstoppable. But where does the indy star go now? Does he feud with Rhyno? Does he make a play for Balor's title? Or does he go in another direction?

The women of NXT have been suspiciously quiet recently, though this could have something to do with an impending call up to assist Paige on the main roster in taking out The Bella Twins. Becky Lynch is recovering from an injury she suffered during her classic championship bout with Sasha Banks at Unstoppable, while the champ herself has been seen sparingly since. Will the women be back in action tonight?

There also hasn't been any hints as to the next NXT live special, but with Balor as champion, things can start fresh at the top of the brand and trickle down. Let's see what new feuds develop tonight.

As always, check back with MStars after the show for a full recap of all the action. But for now, let us know your thoughts, guesses, opinions, and predictions for tonight's show in the comments section.