The lead item in Matt Camp’s latest NXT Injury Report video is, of course, Adam Cole’s status after Pat McAfee punted him in the head to close the brand’s Aug. 5 episode. Triple H & team obviously believe the worked shoot feud between the longest reigning NXT champ in history and the NFL star-turned-media maven is going to be big for them. Expect a lot of promotion for their TakeOver: XXX match over the coming weeks.
Camp’s second item is one of the things the build for Cole vs. McAfee overshadowed on this week’s show. Thanks to the involvement of Mercedes Martinez, Dakota Kai beat Rhea Ripley and will face Women’s champ Io Shirai for the belt on Aug. 22. That’s a fresh match-up between two great wrestlers.
It also means Ripley will want revenge against Martinez, which is a mind-blowingly cool showdown between a legend still in her prime & a rising star who should be main eventing WWE PPVs within the next decade. The Nightmare vs. Robert Stone’s new client might not make the cut for TakeOver, but it should. And it’ll be a treat whenever we get it.
Anyway, here’s this week’s Report, and a list of what it covers.
- Adam Cole - undisclosed injuries; no further information
- Rhea Ripley - nose bloodied but not broken; cleared to compete
- Dexter Lumis - ankle injury worse than initially reported; no timetable for return
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.