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Dominik Mysterio had his first NXT North American Championship defense on the latest episode of SmackDown. The Judgment Day star put his title on the line against Butch of the Brawling Brutes in the final match of the evening. Fans might wonder why Dom, who’s a RAW star, defended an NXT title on the blue brand.
It could be because WWE is trying to promote NXT as a brand of its own, just like RAW and SmackDown. The company has been regularly featuring NXT talents, including champions, on their flagship brands for the past several weeks to hype up the brand as well as the performers.
NXT stars were featured throughout the show tonight because the latest episode of SmackDown emanated from Orlando, Florida, which is the home of the developmental brand.
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Dominik Mysterio wasn’t the only one with an NXT belt to be featured on SmackDown this week. NXT Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton was spotted in the crowd during the show as well. The 24-year-old star wrestled a dark match.
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NXT Champion Carmelo Hayes and his partner Trick Williams appeared on the show as well. Trick and Melo had a backstage segment with Bobby Lashley. Dragon Lee and former NXT North American Champion Wes Lee also had cameos.
For those unaware, it was Wes Lee who dropped the NXT North American Championship to Dominik Mysterio in the main event of the show this past Tuesday.
Dominik Mysterio to defend his title at NXT: The Great American Bash
Wes Lee was originally supposed to defend the title against Mustafa Ali at NXT: The Great American Bash 2023. Unfortunately, he found himself out of the title picture after losing the championship to Dirty Dominik this past Tuesday on NXT.
It was announced that Dominik will defend the title against Ali at the July 30 event. This will be Dom’s first singles title defense at a premium live event.
The champion is expected to meet his challenger next week on NXT. It remains to be seen how the confrontation will go down.
What’s your take on this story? Let us know in the comments section below!
