SPOILER: NXT Star Replaces WWE Title Holder At WrestleMania 36

Which surprise NXT talent will be wrestling at the Showcase of the Immortals?

Mar 27, 2020 March 27th, 2020

With it now known that WWE United States Champion Andrade missed WrestleMania 36 due to a rib injury, El Idolo was ultimately replaced on the ‘Mania card by an NXT talent.

Of course, it goes without saying that we’re now venturing into spoiler territory, so don’t say you weren’t warned.

Andrade was due to team with Angel Garza to challenge for the Raw Tag Team Championship at the Showcase of the Immortals. And while Garza will still face off against The Street Profits for the gold, his mystery partner ended up being a talent from the gold and black brand.

Courtesy of POST Wrestling, Austin Theory teamed with Garza against Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford.

Former EVOLVE Champion Theory was most recently seen on this week’s episode of NXT, in which he lost to Tyler Breeze. Previously, audiences have seen the hugely talented 22-year-old lose to Tommaso Ciampa and get a win over Isaiah ‘Swerve’ Scott.

An angle is expected to air on Monday’s Raw to explain Andrade’s WrestleMania absence and to introduce Austin Theory into the mix. As for Andrade, he suffered his rib injury in this week’s win over Ricochet and Cedric Alexander.

The injury to Andrade is described as minor, but he simply wasn't medically cleared by the time that WrestleMania 36 was taped across this Wednesday and Thursday.

WrestleMania 36 will air on Saturday, April 4 and Sunday, April 5 on the WWE Network.

Andrew Pollard

Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main dayjob, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg.

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