Kushida not cleared to compete tonight, updated WWE NXT preview

WWE NXT has one less title match on their show tonight.

Tonight's episode of WWE NXT was originally supposed to feature Kushida defending the NXT Cruiserweight Championship against Roderick Strong of Diamond Mine.

NXT General Manager William Regal took to social media this afternoon with the unfortunate news. He stated that Kushida has not been medically cleared to compete tonight and that Roderick Strong will have a Diamond Mine open challenge instead. There is no timetable on when Kushida is scheduled to return to the ring.

Who will step up to face Roderick Strong tonight? Tune in to find out.

Unfortunately after a medical examination, officials learned @KUSHIDA_0904 is not cleared to compete tonight. When I informed @Malcolmvelli and @roderickstrong, they expressed Roderick’s desire to compete. Therefore, #WWENXT will begin with a #DiamondMine open challenge.

— William Regal (@RealKingRegal) August 17, 2021

Samoa Joe will go face-to-face with Karrion Kross tonight on WWE NXT

Also scheduled for WWE NXT tonight will be a confrontation between NXT Champion Karrion Kross and Samoa Joe before their big title match at TakeOver 36.

While Kross has had a string of matches on WWE RAW as of late, this Sunday will be Samoa Joe's first match in well over a year. What will take place between these two mean ahead of their match on Sunday? We'll find out soon enough.

Here is everything currently announced for tonight's episode of WWE NXT:

• Dexter Lumis and Indi Hartwell face Robert Stone and Jessi Kamea in mixed tag team action
• Roderick Strong's Diamond Mine Open Challenge
• Carmelo Hayes goes one-on-one with Duke Hudson in an NXT Breakout Tournament semi-finals match
• Samoa Joe and Karrion Kross will go face-to-face
• MSK defend the NXT Tag Team Titles against Imperium

Make sure to tune into WWE NXT tonight at 8 PM EST live on the USA Network.

Are you excited for tonight's episode of WWE NXT? What match or segment are you most looking forward to? Let us know your thoughts by sounding off in the comments section below.