A longtime veteran is expected to replace Dragon Lee at WWE NXT New Year’s Evil.
Ahead of New Year’s Evil on January 2nd, NXT North American Champion Dragon Lee revealed that he is currently unable to leave Mexico as he deals with visa issues. Taking to social media, the star wrote:
“Feliz año nuevo! Sad news to kick off the year, but due to visa issues I am unable to leave Mexico right now. Por eso, I will miss @WWENXT New Years Evil… But the LWO has a big surprise for the NQCC and the NXT Universe tomorrow night.”
Lee had been scheduled to team with fellow LWO members Cruz del Toro and Joaquin Wilde to take on Drew Gulak, Myles Borne, and Damon Kemp of the No Quarter Catch Club. Now, a new report from Fightful Select reveals that Carlito is in attendance at today’s NXT taping and that he was seen around ringside preparing to compete. As of now, Fightful Select reports that the former WWE Tag Team Champion is expected to be Lee’s replacement on the show.
The updated line-up for the NXT special is as follows:
- No Quarter Catch Crew [Drew Gulak, Damon Kemp, & Myles Borne] vs. Joaquin Wilde, Cruz Del Toro and Carlito
- Roxanne Perez vs. Arianna Grace
- Ridge Holland interview
- Tiffany Stratton vs. Fallon Henley – Ranch Hand or Servant Match
- Riley Osborne vs. Oba Femi – NXT Men’s Breakout Tournament Finals
- Ilja Dragunov (c) vs. Trick Williams – Singles match for the NXT Championship
- Lyra Valkyria (c) vs. Blair Davenport – Singles match for the NXT Women’s Championship
When Did Dragon Lee Become NXT North American Champion?
At NXT Deadline on December 9th, Dragon Lee served as a last-minute replacement to face Dominik Mysterio after Wes Lee was injured. The two went back and forth, but eventually, Dominik saw the chance to go for a 619. Lee got out of the way and hit a Sitout Powerbomb, following up with Operacion Dragon for the victory and to capture gold for the first time in his WWE career.