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WWE NXT's Tuesday debut on the USA Network this week saw a shocking title change as Santos Escobar lost the NXT Cruiserweight Championship to KUSHIDA.
This shock title loss for Escobar came just days after the Mexican WWE Superstar became the undisputed WWE NXT Cruiserweight Champion by defeating former crusierweight champion Jordan Devlin in a ladder match at NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver Night Two.
Now that Santos Escobar is a former WWE NXT Cruiserweight Champion, one must wonder what is next for Escobar on the black and gold brand on Tuesday nights going forward.
Let's take a closer look at five directions for Santos Escobar after losing the WWE NXT Cruiserweight Championship.
#5 Feud with new WWE NXT Cruiserweight Champion KUSHIDA
KUSHIDA won the first WWE NXT Cruiserweight Championship of his WWE career this week when he defeated Santos Escobar.
However, it can't be assumed that Santos Escobar will be willing to move on so quickly. While re-match clauses may no longer exist on WWE television, it seems inevitable that Escobar will want to reclaim the Cruiserweight Championship.
Santos Escobar was the interim/undisputed Cruiserweight Champion for 314 days on NXT television. With Legado Del Fantasma by his side, rest assured he will do everything in his power to defeat KUSHIDA and become the NXT Cruiserweight Champion once again.
This could mean that Santos Escobar continues to feud with KUSHIDA on WWE NXT television, as well as 205Live on WWE Network, to earn another Cruiserweight Championship opportunity against KUSHIDA.
This may lead to another KUSHIDA vs Santos Escobar match on television or at the next Takeover event.
#4 Feud with former WWE NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa
WWE NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver Night One saw one of the most physical and critically claimed matches of WrestleMania 37 week.
NXT United Kingdom Champion WALTER defeated former NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa to retain the NXT United Kingdom Championship in a stiff and vicious match.
The storyline heading into the match centered around the challenger being able to find the "old" Tommaso Ciampa that ruled over WWE NXT in 2018 and 2019 on television.
Despite the best efforts of Tommaso Ciampa, WALTER was able to leave NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver Night One victorious. However, it certainly could be argued that the "old" Tommaso Ciampa once again appeared.
Now that Santos Escobar has lost the Cruiserweight Championship, it could mean the beginning of Escobar ascending to the main event scene. A feud against Tommaso Ciampa could certainly help elevate Escobar into the main event picture.
Santos Escobar vs Tommaso Ciampa would certainly provide some exceptional matches and give fans a storyline that could be fascinating to watch.
#3 Legado Del Fantasma splits up on WWE NXT television
WWE NXT and 205 Live has seen Legado Del Fantasma become one of the most dominant factions in WWE over the past 12 months.
Led by Santos Escobar, Joaquin Wilde and Raul Mendoza have been front and center in assisting Escobar in retaining the WWE NXT Cruiserweight Championship on several separate occasions.
However, now that Santos Escobar has lost the Cruiseweight Championship to KUSHIDA, could cracks within the dominant faction begin to show?
The consummate heel, perhaps we could see a scenario whereby Santos Escobar blames his Legado Del Fantasma minions for not helping him retain or re-capture the NXT Cruiseweight Championship over the course of the next few weeks. This could lead to the faction splitting, with Joaquin Wilde and Raul Mendoza remaining as a tag team while Santos Escobar transitions into a singles star in the main event scene.
Whilst many in the WWE NXT Universe will not want to see a fantastic faction like Legado Del Fantasma split up, there is certainly past history that suggests that factions inside the WWE Universe unfortunately do not last that long.
#2 Challenge for the WWE NXT Tag Team Championships against MSK
WWE NXT Takeover: Stand and Deliver Night One saw MSK capture the vacant NXT Tag Team Championships for the first time in their WWE careers. They defeated the Grizzled Young Veterans and Legado Del Fantansma in a triple threat tag team match.
Now that Nash Carter and Wes Lee hold the NXT Tag Team Championships, the next challenge is if the upstart tag team can hold onto the prestigious tag team gold.
Now that Santos Escobar has lost the NXT Cruiseweight Championship, perhaps the Mexican WWE Superstar could turn his attention to tag team gold. Legado Del Fantasma came very close to winning the NXT Tag Team Championships on several occasions at NXT Takeover: Stand & Deliver Night One, but ultimately came up short.
But, as the saying goes, if you want something done right, do it yourself. Santos Escobar could decide to replace either Joaquin Wilde or Raul Mendoza while representing Legado Del Fantasma in tag team action.
This could lead to Santos Escobar teaming with Wilde or Mendoza to take on MSK for the Tag Team Championships.
#1 Feud with current WWE NXT Champion Karrion Kross over the NXT Championship
WWE NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver Night Two saw Karrion Kross capture the NXT Championship for the second time in his WWE career. He defeated former champion Finn Balor in the co-main event.
This past week on WWE NXT on USA Network, Kross warned everyone that he will take on all comers for his prized championship gold. Could Karrion Kross' first challenger for the title be none other than Santos Escobar?
It's been very apparent that Escobar is good enough and ready to transition into a main event position on the black and gold brand. After losing the WWE NXT Cruiserweight Championship to KUSHIDA, now may be just the time for Santos Escobar to challenge for the NXT Championship.
While it would appear that Karrion Kross is set for a dominating and lengthy NXT Championship reign, Santos Escobar could prove to be the perfect opponent for Kross to establish himself as a dominant champion.
Santos Escobar vs Karrion Kross would certainly be a worthy main event feud. It would also provide the fans with a match we haven't seen before.
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