Fans hoping to see Kushida defend the WWE NXT Cruiserweight Title against Roderick Strong tonight are sure to be disappointed.
NXT General Manager William Regal has announced that Kushida is off tonight’s card as he has not been medically cleared to compete. Strong will remain on the card, however.
“Unfortunately after a medical examination, officials learned Kushida
is not cleared to compete tonight. When I informed Malcolm Bivens and Roderick Strong, they expressed Roderick’s desire to compete.
Therefore, WWE NXT will begin with a Diamond Mine open challenge.”
This edition of NXT will be the go-home show for TakeOver 36. The TakeOver show will be held on Aug. 22. This will be the night after WWE SummerSlam.
At TakeOver 36, Samoa Joe will challenge Karrion Kross for the NXT Championship. Plus, Adam Cole and Kyle O’Reily will collide in a best two-out-of-three falls match. Also set for the card will be an NXT UK Title match between champion WALTER and Ilja Dragunov.
That’s not all for TakeOver 36 this weekend. Raquel Gonzalez will put her NXT Women’s Title up for grabs against former friend Dakota Kai. LA Knight will meet Cameron Grimes once again for the Million Dollar Championship. This time, if Knight wins then Ted Dibiase will become his butler.
Here’s an updated look at what’s in store for NXT tonight.
- Roderick Strong vs. TBA – Diamond Mine Open Challenge
- Carmelo Hayes vs. Duke Hudson – NXT Breakout Tournament semifinals
- Timothy Thatcher vs. Ridge Holland
- Robert Stone & Jessi Kamea vs. Dexter Lumis & Indi Hartwell
- MSK (c) vs. Imperium – for WWE NXT Tag Team Titles
- Interview with WWE NXT Women’s Champion Raquel Gonzalez & Dakota Kai
- WWE NXT Champion Karrion Kross & Samoa Joe meet face-to-face