One WWE star has been pulled from action indefinitely.
The May 14th episode of NXT saw Wes Lee address the audience after recently making his return from injury. He made it clear that he wanted a chance to reclaim the North American Championship, but before he could finish his thoughts, he was interrupted by North American Champion Oba Femi, then Ivar, then Josh Briggs.
Following the main event that saw Tony D’Angelo win the Heritage Cup from Charlie Dempsey, the camera abruptly cut backstage, where Lee, Ivar, and Briggs had all been laid out by a returning Gallus.
WWE took to social media on May 16th to announce that Ivar was injured in the attack and would be out of action indefinitely, writing:
BREAKING: As a result of the heinous attack by #Gallus at the end of #WWENXT , @Ivar_WWE has suffered an injury and will be out of action indefinitely.
Update: As reported by Fightful Select, reports of this injury being a work “isn’t true whatsoever” and he is said to be on “borrowed time” following his double fusion surgery. PWInsider also reported that Ivar could be getting prepared for surgery as he was pictured at Andrews Sports Medicine.
BREAKING: As a result of the heinous attack by #Gallus at the end of #WWENXT, @Ivar_WWE has suffered an injury and will be out of action indefinitely. pic.twitter.com/8LDL9uGlMo
— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) May 16, 2024
Spoilers for the May 21st episode of NXT reveal Ivar’s replacement in the number one contender’s triple threat match on that episode.
Ivar Wants To Change The Perception Of Big Men In WWE
With his Viking Raiders tag team partner Erik injured, Ivar has moved into the world of singles competition in WWE. The heavyweight has impressing fans with his speed and impressive moveset, and speaking in a new interview with TV Insider, he spoke about having the “amazing responsibility” of changing fans’ perceptions of big men in wrestling.
“I feel like for so many years the big guys were very one-dimensional, especially in WWE. For a long time, we haven’t seen big men that can go. The last ones were like Big Boss Man and Bam Bam. It has been at least 20 years or more since many of them have been in the ring. Even Yokozuna could move for a guy his size.
Now here we are and guys like me and Otis and Bronson Reed are taking the perception of the big man and completely changing it. I feel like it’s an amazing responsibility to change the industry for the better. It’s an exciting thing.”