Dorian Van Dux has been ruled medically unable to wrestle after suffering a punctured lung, sidelining the rising NXT star just as the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic approaches. The injury forced a change to the September 22 episode of WWE NXT on The CW, where Van Dux had been advertised alongside Zilla Fatu and Sean Legacy in a six-man tag team match against BirthRight, the trio of Uriah Connors, Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo and Lexis King.
According to Fightful, the news broke backstage when Legacy revealed to Fatu that his tag partner, Van Dux, was not cleared to compete. WrestleTalk, which noted Van Dux hails from Brussels, Belgium, and has been on an impressive rise up the NXT ranks, confirmed he was ruled out of the night’s card for the same reason.
WrestleZone reported that the punctured lung now puts Van Dux’s status for the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic in doubt, though no timetable for his return has been disclosed by WWE or NXT officials. It remains unclear how the promotion will adjust the tag team tournament bracket or whether Fatu and Legacy will need a new partner in Van Dux’s absence.
What It Means For the Dusty Classic
With the annual tag tournament named for Dusty Rhodes on the horizon, Van Dux’s injury creates immediate uncertainty for any team he was set to be part of. No further details on the severity of the injury or a recovery timeline have been made public.
