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WWE is focused on three big title matches and the tournament finals being held at King and Queen of the Ring in Saudi Arabia this weekend. Amid the excitement, one top superstar has just discovered who his challenger is, and this will be another first-time-ever bout.
Ricochet became the inaugural WWE Speed Champion on May 3 by defeating Johnny Gargano in the tournament finals. He has not defended the title since then, but today's Speed episode featured Tyler Bate vs. Apollo Crews to determine Ricochet's first challenger. Crews replaced the injured Ivar, who previously defeated the former in the first round of a four-man tournament to earn that same spot. Bate defeated Berto in the first round.
The Iron Master defeated The One Man Nation on today's WWE Speed episode with just 56 seconds left of the three-minute time limit. The Bate vs. Crews semifinal match was taped last Friday before SmackDown.
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Bate will now challenge Ricochet for the title on Friday's special championship edition of Speed. This will be the first Speed Championship defense for The Highlight Of The Night.
Ivar replaced in another WWE championship match
Ivar is currently on the shelf with what he described as a "very serious" injury. There is still no timeframe for his return, and he is expected to be out of action indefinitely.
The Viking Raider was pulled from a shot at Ricochet's WWE Speed Championship due to the injury, but that's not the only title opportunity Ivar is missing out on. The 23-year veteran was scheduled to challenge NXT North American Champion Oba Femi at the Battleground PLE in a Triple Threat with Wes Lee.
Ivar's injury changed plans for Battleground, and now Joe Coffey will be replacing Warbeard in the title match. The former NXT Tag Team Champion previously failed to dethrone Femi on April 30 at Spring Breakin' Week 2.
NXT Battleground is scheduled for Sunday, June 9. The PLE will be held at the UFC Apex facility near Las Vegas. This will be the company's first PLE at The Apex, which was built to host studio shows and live events.
