Tyrese Haliburton may have just kicked off a heated rivalry

A week after teasing an appearance, Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton officially showed up to last night's episode of WWE NXT.

The Pacers guard was utilized on the microphone, giving a promo to set up a segment between Trick Williams, Ethan Page, and toward the end, CM Punk.

Haliburton's segment itself was nothing too special. It was fun for Pacers fans to see him on WWE television again, especially given many of his teammates were in the crowd as well, but he was essentially just used to advance the rivalry between Page and Williams.

However, there was a moment in the promo that Pacers fans may find worthy of a follow-up in a couple of months.

Tyrese Haliburton calls out the Orlando Magic on WWE NXT

At the beginning of his promo, Haliburton gave a shoutout to his "reinforcements" in the crowd, meaning his Pacers teammates. After introducing his teammates, they and Haliburton received a loud sea of boos from the Orlando, Florida, crowd. As a response, Haliburton gave a funny comeback directed to Orlando Magic fans, and essentially, the team itself.

"I get it, I get it. I would boo too if I had to be an Orlando Magic fan. I get it, I get it, " Haliburton said.

Of course, it is fair to assume this was just a playful jab. Especially in Haliburton's case, given he is not an official member of the WWE roster, most of his promo was likely scripted with a few moments of improvisation. However, it is still noteworthy due to the status of each team in the Eastern Conference.

Last season, both teams finished with a 47-35 record.

The Magic earned the No. 5 seed in the East, whereas the Pacers earned the No. 6 seed. Orlando eventually lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Pacers, however, made it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals before losing to the eventual champion Boston Celtics. For both teams, this was their most successful campaign in many years.

Furthermore, both teams should be even better next season. While the Pacers mostly stood pat, they have committed to running it back with their same core and banking on natural progression. The Magic, however, made a few changes. Most notably, they added two-time champion and 3-and-D specialist Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to the roster, who will provide an immediate boost to the team.

The two teams will likely finish with a similar record next year as well. Furthermore, both teams are considered to be in the same tier in the conference, and neither is clearly better than the other. However, they each have a legitimate chance to make some noise in the playoffs and go on a shocking conference finals run, much like Indiana did just a few months ago.

Additionally, what makes this potential rivalry the most exciting is that both teams are in similar positions. They are both incredibly young with budding stars. While the Pacers have Haliburton, the Magic have Paolo Banchero. Both players will likely be among the best in their respective positions within the next few seasons.

Unlike some particular Pacers rivalries of the past, this one is mostly done in good spirits. However, what started as just a passing comment in a WWE ring could develop into something more legitimate as both teams aim to earn their first NBA title in their respective franchise's history.