Move over Drake Maverick. You’re not the only person WWE let go on April 15 being promoted for next Wednesday’s episode of NXT.

Because Pete Dunne can’t travel to the United States due to the pandemic, the Bruiserweight recruited Timothy Thatcher to fill in for him as Matt Riddle’s partner. Tensions were evident between the fun-loving stoner & former MMA fighter, and the all-business MMA-trained indie veteran from the jump. They finally boiled over during a defense of the NXT Tag Team titles on the May 13 edition of the black-and-gold brand. Riddle & Thatcher lost the belts to Imperium, and started a feud of their own.

In the aftermath of a singles match won by Riddle via roll-up, Thatcher attacked the King of Bros and left him unconscious. That led to a “knock out or tap out” stipulation for their rematch, which will happen in a cage on May 27.

And in a further nod to the combat sports pedigree of both men, the bout will be refereed by Olympic Gold Medalist and WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle!

Which is cool! But also weird, seeing as Angle was released last month. But then so was Maverick, and he’ll be competing in a tiebreaker Triple Threat semi-final of the Interim Cruiserweight Championship Tournament where the main storyline is Drake’s release.

The Riddle/Thatcher match should be a doozy. Many, including this writer, had it pencilled in for June 7’s TakeOver: In Your House event. But we’re getting in next Wednesday.

Excited?