WWE NXT fans spotted a familiar face on a recent episode of SmackDown.
Dragon Lee has been putting on impressive performances over the last few weeks following his official call-up to the main roster, picking up victories over Cedric Alexander and Austin Theory. Lee’s latest opponent on the November 17th episode of SmackDown was not a member of the roster but an opponent that the luchador is familiar with, NXT star Axiom. While the match announcement would have surprised some fans, it appears that they were not the only ones.
As reported by PWInsider, the decision to have Dragon Lee face Axiom on SmackDown was “a literal last-minute decision” and Axiom was booked for SmackDown on the morning of the show. In regards to Axiom’s status, it is also stated that he is still listed internally on the NXT roster. This is also backed up by Fightful Select, who have reported that they have not heard anything in regard to an Axiom main roster call-up.
Lee and Axiom have previously been tag team partners and opponents in NXT. Both men were involved in multi-man matches when challenging for a future opportunity at the North American Championship or challenging for the title itself.
WWE Surprises Continued
The main storyline that ran throughout the night saw Bianca Belair, Charlotte Flair and Shotzi try to find a partner for WarGames to take on Damage CTRL. As multiple Superstars were taken out throughout the night, the closing segment saw Becky Lynch make an unannounced appearance on the blue brand and team up with Shotzi, Flair and Belair.