Per NXT General Manager William Regal, a Tournament to crown a new NXT North American Champion will take place, one that features a series of Triple Threat Matches. The winners of those matches will advance to NXT TakeOver: XXX where the brand will crown the new titleholder in a Ladder Match.
Triple H shared the news on social media after Regal's announcement, at the same time promoting the black and gold's next TakeOver event.
This all became possible when the current North American Champion, Keith Lee decided to relinquish the championship. WWE wrote, "In the spirit of opportunity, Keith Lee relinquishes the NXT North American Title." Lee said in a video that he wanted to give the same opportunity that he received, but the key would be that as many people as possible would get that opportunity.
The names of the competitors in the tournament and how many matches there would be was not announced. It appears that will be announced, either on WWE.com or in the weeks to come as NXT airs on the USA Network.
Why Relinquish The Title?
As the first ever double champion for NXT, it was a historical moment when Lee defeated Adam Cole. That said, having him hold the brands two biggest titles does handcuff the promotion in a way, especially considering how difficult it would have been to have an opponent cleanly pin or submit the champion to take the title.
This seems to be the easiest and most marketable way to get viewers to tune in each week to see who joins the tournament, including if any Raw or SmackDown rosters participate.
NXT "Takeover: XXX" will take place on Saturday, August 22 and the Ladder Match to crown the new NXT North American Champion should be a Match of the Year quality bout.