WWE NXT tag titles vacated due to Danny Burch’s injury

Injuries are an unfortunate part of professional wrestling. They can immediately halt the momentum of a particular individual and completely derail storylines. The NXT tag team division is going through such a situation at the top of the group as Danny Burch has suffered a separated shoulder. Now, the titles are vacated and there is a need to figure out what to do next with the division.

Burch suffered the injury during last week’s match against Finn Balor and Karrion Kross. Kross was attempted a double suplex on both tag team champions, and Burch did not land flat on his back, instead he crashed down on his shoulder, causing the injury. Oney Lorcan ended up working the rest of the match on his own, being able to get to the finish without any clear issues.

NXT General Manager, William Regal, took to social media to announce that the titles will be vacated.

“I can confirm this incredibly unfortunate news and make the difficult decision to vacate the WWE NXT tag titles,” Regal posted. “Furthermore, I will address the state of the titles further, tomorrow night on WWE NXT.”

The question is now what does “next” look like. The NXT tag team division was once one of the best groups of all wrestling. Sadly, the WWE’s stance on tag team wrestling is not in the same place as those days when American Alpha, DIY, the Revival, and other groups were at the top. The 2021 edition of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic helped turned things around. MSK, Grizzled Young Veterans, Lucha House Party, Legado del Fantasma, and others put on an exciting tournament, right up to the final that saw MSK get the win.

With NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver two weeks away, expect some type of match to crown new champions at that show. The card on the two-day show continues to take shape, and something must materialize around the tag titles. It is too soon to do another tournament between now and then. Perhaps there could be two gauntlet-style matches with the winner of both facing off on the WWE Network special to win the vacated titles. If the Dusty Classic showed anything, it is that there is a lot of great tag team wrestling available in the WWE, even in the promotion has devalued it as of late.

In the past, WWE has found a way to respond to injuries with interesting booking that leads to a solution. NXT has seen a rebirth of its tag team division and this injury to Danny Burch has come at a horrible time. Here is to seeing how William Regal answers the call heading into this important event season.