Dexter Lumis has become the second Superstar to qualify for the North American Championship ladder match that's set to take place at NXT TakeOver XXX next month. He joins Bronson Reed, who earned his spot last week.
The Tortured Artist faced Finn Balor and Timothy Thatcher in a triple-threat qualifier last night on NXT, and although The Prince was the clear favorite going in, Lumis managed to prevail. After a solid, if unremarkable encounter, Thatcher was able to hook Balor in an ankle lock, but before the Irishman could tap, Lumis forced Thatcher to pass out from his "Silence" submission hold.
It seems clear that NXT is attempting to make new stars by adding up-and-coming talent to this NA title ladder match, and while that's obviously a good thing, it's a shame to see Balor on the losing end here. Finn returned to the black and gold brand because he was being overlooked on Raw, but, quite honestly, it's beginning to look like a similar situation on NXT.
Let's hope that rumored match with Edge happens at TakeOver: Dublin once things return to some semblance of normality.