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WWE

After years of wondering when it would happen, NXT is finally making the jump from the WWE Network streaming service to cable television with the brand debuting on USA Network on Wednesday, Sept. 18. NXT -- long lauded for an "old school" presentation of professional wrestling with clean storytelling and stellar in-ring action -- will eventually bring two hours of action to USA Network on Wednesday nights, beginning Oct. 2. But first, it will kick off with one hour of live action the next two weeks with a second hour streaming live on WWE Network.

The split broadcast will only last two weeks before NXT fully transitions to having its two-hour shows completely on USA Network. The schedule wrinkle is to allow network staple "Suits" to wrap up the series' final two episodes before NXT debuts in its place.

That does not mean that NXT is saving its big guns for that Oct. 2 date. Not in the slightest. Over the last few days, the brand has announced three major matches for its first live episode.

  • North American Championship: Velveteen Dream (c) vs. Roderick Strong
  • Candice LaRae vs. Bianca Belair vs. Io Shirai vs. Mia Yim (No. 1 Contendership)
  • Matt Riddle vs. Killian Dane (Street Fight)

Subscribe to the State of Combat podcast by hitting the link below, and be sure to listen to our exclusive interviews with Paul "Triple H" Levesque and "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels on the launch of NXT on USA Network in the embedded player.

One of the key moments in the NXT debut show will be Dream putting his title on the line against Strong in a long-anticipated one-on-one showdown. The match is announced for the first hour of the show, which begins at 8 p.m. ET. Strong was to have a shot at the title at NXT TakeOver Toronto in August, but Pete Dunne was added to the match, making it a triple threat. Dream would pin Dunne to retain the title, leaving Strong to push again and again for the title shot he felt he was owed. This eventually led to Strong setting Dream's couch on fire and provoking the champ to accept the match.

Strong is the lone member of The Undisputed Era not currently holding a championship with Adam Cole holding the NXT championship and Bobby Fish & Kyle O'Reilly recently recapturing the tag team titles from The Street Profits, who seem to be headed toward a rematch with Fish & O'Reilly on the card. While the match has not been officially announced, it has been teased on Twitter by NXT.

Another featured match planned for the USA debut card is the Fatal 4-Way for a chance to take on women's champion Shayna Baszler. The dominant Baszler has defeated Yim, Shirai and Belair in recent TakeOver events. LeRae was added to this match in the final edition of NXT on WWE Network and will be looking for her own opportunity to go one-on-one with the champ.

The final match announced as of now is a street fight between Dain and Riddle, the former UFC standout. After proving himself a pro wrestling prodigy on the independent scene, Riddle has kept things rolling since signing his NXT contact. In Dain, he's met someone able to match his physicality, leading to a series of brawls and a one-on-one match where Dain picked up a win by attacking Riddle's injured ribs.

That match didn't end things for the night, let alone for good, because the men continued to fight outside the arena after the show went off the air.

The street fight between Dain and Riddle is sure to be brutal and will take place as the action switches from USA Network to WWE Network at 9 p.m.