Big Spoilers On Samoa Joe, A Top Star Turning, Wrestler Returns, Takeover Matches
Samoa Joe is set to return to the ring at the WWE NXT Takeover 36 event scheduled for SummerSlam Weekend.
As noted, Tuesday's NXT episode saw Joe's feud with NXT Champion Karrion Kross continue as Kross taunted Joe by laying out NXT General Manager William Regal to end the show. In an update, Wednesday's NXT TV tapings featured a segment where Regal accepted Joe's resignation as an authority figure for the brand. Regal then booked Joe vs. Kross for the NXT Title at Takeover.
WWE taped two weeks worth of NXT shows on Wednesday due to the Olympics. The July 27 and August 3 NXT shows will air on Syfy at 8pm ET. You can click here for full spoilers from Wednesday's tapings.
In other big news from the tapings, Dakota Kai turned on NXT Women's Champion Raquel Gonzalez. Kai and Gonzalez came out for an in-ring segment, bragging about this week's win over Xia Li, and how no one can take the title from Gonzalez as long as Kai has her back. Gonzalez then turned to pose with the title, but Kai attacked from behind and laid her out. It appears Gonzalez is turning babyface.
Kai vs. Gonzalez looks to take place at Takeover as well.
Wednesday's tapings also saw Ridge Holland return to action. He returned after the Pete Dunne and Oney Lorcan vs. Timothy Thatcher and Tommaso Ciampa match that will air next Tuesday. Holland helped Dunne and Lorcan attack Thatcher and Ciampa after the match, which saw Dunne and Lorcan get the win.
Holland had been out of action since suffering leg injuries in what he called a "freak accident" during the October 7, 2020 NXT episode. Holland, who suffered the injuries while catching then-NXT Tag Team Champion Lorcan, underwent surgery the next day. WWE announced that he suffered a left ankle dislocation and fracture, a right knee patellar dislocation, and a patellar tendon rupture. The knee dislocation was put back into place at ringside, and the ankle dislocation was put back into place at the emergency room, according to WWE's announcement at the time. Holland reportedly began inpatient rehab on both of his legs the following week. It was reported back in mid-June that Holland was working on getting cleared, and had been training at the WWE Performance Center.
NXT Takeover 36 will air live on Sunday, August 22, during WWE SummerSlam Weekend, from the Capitol Wrestling Center at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando. After the two episodes that were taped on Wednesday, there are still two episodes that will air live in the lead-up to Takeover. Based on what happened at Wednesday's tapings, here is what could be the updated Takeover card:
NXT Title Match
Samoa Joe vs. Karrion Kross (c)
NXT Women's Title Match
Dakota Kai vs. Raquel Gonzalez (c)
Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae vs. Dexter Lumis and Indi Hartwell
Finals of the 2021 NXT Breakout Tournament
Hit Row (NXT North American Champion Isaiah "Swerve" Scott, "Top Dolla" AJ Francis, Ashante "Thee" Adonis) vs. Legado del Fantasma (Santos Escobar, Raul Mendoza, Joaquin Wilde)
(This could be a singles match with Escobar vs. Scott for the title)
You can click here for full spoilers from Wednesday's NXT tapings, and you can click here for full spoilers from Wednesday's 205 Live tapings.
Stay tuned for more.