In a shocking turn of events this evening, Samoa Joe has announced he is relinquishing the WWE NXT Championship ahead of the 'new era' of NXT on September 14.

The NXT Champion revealed in a video on his social media that due to injuries he has been informed by WWE medical that he will need to step away from the ring for a while. It remains unclear how long Joe will need out of ring action.

Joe said that NXT’s new era deserves a “fighting champion" and as such must relinquish the NXT Championship. He ended the video wishing the next NXT Champion the best.

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, Samoa Joe (@SamoaJoe) September 12, 2021