We now know what happened with the Indus Sher tag team on WWE NXT and how it had to do with Matt Riddle’s recent call-up to the SmackDown roster.
We noted back in April how Indis Sher, made up of Rinku Singh and Saurav Gurjar with their manager Malcolm Bivens, had attacked then-NXT Tag Team Champion Riddle. It looked like Riddle was headed for a feud with the big men from India, despite partner Pete Dunne being stuck in the UK due to the coronavirus pandemic. Indus Sher then defeated Ever-Rise the following week for their in-ring debuts. They appeared the next week on April 15 for a pre-recorded promo to warn the NXT tag team division, but that was the last we saw of them.
Riddle’s call-up to the main roster actually “sent shock waves through multiple brands” in WWE, according to Fightful Select. Vince McMahon had decided on calling Riddle up after a meeting with other officials, but it was going to take several changes to NXT plans to get Riddle to the main roster.
While WWE waited to see what happened with Dunne, the plan was for Singh and Gurjar to feud with Riddle until Dunne returned. NXT officials were then informed that Riddle needed to drop the NXT Tag Team Titles due to the call-up, but they reportedly did not have enough confidence in Indus Sher to run with the main event spot just yet. This is why Singh, Gurjar and Bivens were pulled from TV.
While NXT official didn’t feel like Singh and Gurjar were ready for a top spot in the division yet, they do have a supporter in WWE Performance Center Head Coach Matt Bloom, who believes the team has a bright future.
WWE ended up having Riddle and temporary partner Timothy Thatcher defend the titles. They turned on each other and Imperium’s Marcel Barthel and Fabian Aichner were given the titles. It was noted that NXT officials felt like Imperium was more prepared for a run at the top of the division.
There’s still no word yet on when Dunne will be able to make it back into the United States, and WWE currently has no plans penciled in for talents that are stuck due to the coronavirus pandemic. Dunne could end up working the NXT UK brand once that brand is able to resume tapings. There’s also no word on when Singh, Gurjar and Bivens may return to TV.
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