Dexter Lumis became the second Superstar to qualify for the upcoming NXT TakeOver: XXX North American Championship ladder match last week when he defeated both Finn Balor and Timothy Thatcher in a triple-threat match, but an official WWE update casts doubt on the Tortured Artist being able to compete at the big event.
It seems Lumis suffered an injury during last week's bout, and it turned out to be more serious than anyone realized at the time.
"WWE Digital has learned that the severity of the ankle injury suffered by Dexter Lumis is worse than previously reported. In last week’s NXT Injury Report, it was revealed that Lumis had suffered an osteochondral lesion to the talus after a grueling battle with Finn Bálor and Timothy Thatcher for a North American Championship Match opportunity.
Lumis won the bout, but the growing severity of his ankle injury has raised some questions around Lumis’ status for the North American Championship Ladder Match at TakeOver XXX.
Catch WWE’s The Bump tomorrow morning on the award-winning WWE Network and WWE’s social platforms at 10 a.m. ET/ 7 a.m. PT for the latest on the developing situation."
The fact that this statement doesn't outright confirm that Lumis has been forced to drop out of the match has led to speculation that this is all part of a storyline, but it seems like an odd addition to an angle.
Anyway, we'll probably find out what's going on later today, so keep an eye out for updates.