Tegan Nox Injury Update, Reported WWE NXT Plans, Gable Steveson-WWE Rumors

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe. 

Details on Nox's Knee Injury

WWE announced Wednesday that NXT Superstar Tegan Nox suffered a torn ACL, marking the third such injury she has suffered since 2017.

There are always concerns when an athlete suffers multiple knee injuries, but the reported circumstances surrounding Nox's latest injury are troubling to say the least.

According to Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t WrestlingInc.com's Felix Upton), Nox did not tear her ACL while wrestling or working out in the ring. Rather, her knee "popped" during rehab, and it was later determined that she had suffered a torn ACL.

After the injury was discovered, Nox was written off television by having Candice LeRae attack her prior to a battle royal to determine the No. 1 contender for the NXT Women's Championship. LeRae went on to win the match and will challenge Io Shirai at NXT TakeOver: 31 on Sunday.

Nox had developed into one of the premier members of the NXT women's roster, as she recently face Shirai for the title as well. With Mia Yim and Mercedes Martinez getting called up to the main roster, Nox's role in NXT was likely to expand even more.

With Nox on the shelf, it will require the likes of Shotzi Blackheart, Kayden Carter, Kacy Catanzaro and others to step up and establish themselves as being on the same level as Shirai, LeRae, Rhea Ripley and Dakota Kai.

It is difficult to say if Nox will have a tougher time coming back from this torn ACL than the previous two, but the fact that she is still only 25 years of age is something that works in her favor.

Even so, Nox may have to adjust her in-ring style and take additional precautions when she does return in order to lessen the chances of a fourth ACL tear in the future.

NXT Going Live at Performance Center?

WWE has been alternating live and taped episodes of NXT during the COVID-19 pandemic, but that may soon change.

According to Meltzer (h/t Upton), WWE is considering moving NXT from Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida, to the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. Under that scenario, it would also air live on USA Network every Wednesday.

NXT alternating between live and taped shows hasn't really been obvious to those watching at home, so switching to a weekly live show likely won't have much of an impact on the product.

Going from Full Sail to the Performance Center would be negligible as well since they are both small venues with no fans aside from the Performance Center recruits in attendance.

WWE's main roster shows in Raw and SmackDown have had a remarkably different feel over the past couple of months, as they went from the Performance Center to the WWE Thunderdome at the Amway Center in Orlando.

NXT doesn't seem likely to follow suit, so fans can largely expect the same experience regardless of whether it changes venues to the Performance Center and airs live weekly.

Latest on WWE's Interest in Gable Steveson

Gable Steveson is one of the fastest-rising stars in amateur wrestling, and he has expressed interest in making the leap to pro wrestling at some point.

WWE seems like a natural fit since the University of Minnesota standout has trained with fellow former Golden Gopher and WWE Superstar Brock Lesnar, but Steveson to WWE may not be a slam dunk.

According to Meltzer (h/t Upton), the fact that longtime employees Jim Ross and Gerald Brisco are no longer with WWE means the company may not be as willing as it once was to throw big money at collegiate wrestlers.

Brisco, who wrestled collegiately at Oklahoma State, was chiefly responsible for signing Lesnar and many of the major collegiate wrestlers WWE brought in. Brisco was officially let go from the company in September after 36 years.

Losing a talent scout of that experience level could make it tougher for WWE to analyze and sign college wrestlers, but considering how interested Steveson appears to be in pro wrestling, there may not be much of a need for a middle man.

Steveson is a physical specimen, and at just 20 years of age, he has a lengthy future ahead of him as a wrestler.

He is expected to vie for a spot on the United States Olympic team next year, and once the Olympics come and go, perhaps it will be time for him to begin pursuing a career as a pro wrestler.

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