Interim NXT Cruiserweight title tournament finals set for next week

Drake Maverick is going to the finals of NXT’s interim Cruiserweight Championship tournament.

Maverick and El Hijo del Fantasma will face off in the finals of the tournament on next Wednesday’s episode of NXT. That was confirmed when Maverick defeated Kushida and Jake Atlas in a triple threat match on NXT tonight.

The story for Maverick vs. Kushida vs. Atlas was that it had a controversial finish. As Kushida had Atlas in a cross armbreaker at the end of the match, Maverick put his arm across Atlas and the referee counted to three. It was shown that Atlas had actually tapped out before the referee finished counting, but it was said that the referee’s decision is final.

Maverick did an interview after that was revealed and said he wanted to compete fairly. He offered to have another match, but Kushida told him to fight for the title and win. Maverick said he has all the respect in the world for Kushida and told Kushida he’ll have the first shot at the title when Maverick wins the tournament.

Maverick was part of last month’s WWE releases. He’s had an underdog story for the tournament, trying to win to save his job.

Tonight’s triple threat match was made after Maverick, Kushida, and Atlas were tied at the end of Group A action. Fantasma defeated Akira Tozawa last week to win Group B.

Maverick and Fantasma shook hands after Maverick’s win tonight. Maverick told Fantasma that it’s more than winning the title for him, it’s his life and his job.

Jordan Devlin is the NXT Cruiserweight Champion, but he’s currently unable to travel and defend his title due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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Joseph Currier
Joseph Currier

Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.

In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.