WWE announces the final entrant for the NXT Gauntlet Eliminator match
The first-ever Gauntlet Eliminator match to determine the new #1 contender for Finn Balor's NXT Champion will air on next week's episode of the Black and Gold brand.
As confirmed by the WWE, Bronson Reed is the final entrant to have been announced for the match. The other confirmed participants include Kushida, Kyle O'Reilly, Cameron Grimes and Timothy Thatcher.
The winner of the first-ever NXT Gauntlet match will go on to face Finn Balor at the next NXT TakeOver show scheduled to take place on Oct. 4.
Given below are the rules of the unique match as revealed by the WWE:
- Two men will start in the ring.
- Every four minutes, another competitor will enter.
- The only way to be eliminated is via pinfall or submission. The last man standing will be named the No. 1 Contender and challenge Finn Bálor for the NXT Title at the next edition of NXT TakeOver on Sunday, Oct. 4.
NXT 'Take Off to TakeOver'
The upcoming episode of NXT has been labelled as the 'Take Off to TakeOver' show, and the WWE has announced another big #1 contender's match for Io Shirai's NXT Women's Championship.
Eleven NXT Superstars will compete in a massive Battle Royal with an NXT Women's title shot on the line. The announced contestants of the match include Rhea Ripley, Dakota Kai, Candice LeRae, Kayden Carter, Raquel Gonzalez, Indi Hartwell, Shotzi Blackheart, Tegan Nox, Aliyah, Kacy Catanzaro and Xia Li.
It should be noted that the next episode is not the go-home show for TakeOver as the final instalment of the Black and Gold brand before TakeOver will air on Sept. 30. The 'Take Off to TakeOver' tag for the next show could be due to the high-stakes nature of the announced matches.
NXT drew 689,000 for last week's episode in comparison to AEW's strong figure of 886,000. AEW almost doubled their lead in the key 18-49 demographic by getting a 0.34 rating while WWE managed to get 0.18.
The dip in viewership figures and TV ratings for NXT may have compelled the WWE management to stack up the next episode with two high-profile matches. Are you excited to the 'Take Off to TakeOver edition of NXT?