The NXT Injury Report coming out of their Aug. 12 episode is only two names deep. Both men’s issues are clearly kayfabe, so there’s no “work or shoot?” to play this week. Do either of these storyline statuses help with the booking challenges WWE faces wit Keith Lee or Kushida?
Karrion Kross & Scarlett’s fireball attack on the NXT champ was a weird twist on what had otherwise been a pretty basic build to their TakeOver: XXX encounter. I don’t think it derails any of that, although if it was a little too goofy or over-the-top for you, I can’t argue that it wasn’t. Love it or hate it, it doesn’t change the fact Triple H & company either need to give Lee a short reign, give the monster character they wrote Tommaso Ciampa out to get over his first loss, or book a rare TakeOver non-finish for next Saturday.
Meanwhile, Kushida continues to struggle to find his footing in NXT. He did have Velveteen Dream on the verge of tapping to his Hoverboard Lock submission, but he still got pinned by Cameron Grimes. That means he’s out of next week’s second chance match for another shot at qualifying for the North American title ladder match. But the post-match beatdown he took from Dream probably sets him up to feud with the now clear-cut heel. Anybody have much confidence the Japanese Super-Junior legend wins that feud, though?
We’ll leave those problems to the NXT creative team. Here’s their latest effort, and a list of what it covers.
- Keith Lee - corneal and facial burn; left ER while still suffering blurred vision, expected ready for TakeOver
- Kushida - body contusions; day-to-day
For complete results and the live blog for NXT this week click here. To read a recap & review of all the night’s events click here. For a full playlist of the show click here.