Former WWE Champion Makes His Return To WWE After Eight Months Following Injury And Surgery

Elio LeFluer makes his WWE comeback following a lengthy injury recovery.© NDTV Library

Elio LeFleur is back. The NXT star wrestled for the first time in nearly eight months, but you wouldn't have seen it on TV, because it happened in a dark match before the latest episode went on air. Those bouts don't get broadcast, so his return stayed with the live crowd. His layoff started on March 20 at an NXT house show in Lakeland, Florida, where he got hurt in a multi-man tag match. He was wearing a sling on the next TV show, and he told viewers he had torn labrum ligaments and would be out around six months.

Elio LeFleur has returned from injury ahead of #WWENXT https://t.co/uqQizBblNV

— False Finish (@FalseFinishHQ) October 27, 2026

Elio LeFluer returns to the ring after surgery forced him away from WWE NXT

Elio LeFluer's surgery came in April, and he posted that it was a success. The injury also cost him the Men's Speed Championship. He'd won it on February 24 by beating Jasper Troy and Eli Knight in a triple threat, then had to give it up after just 34 days. NXT ran a tournament to crown a new champion while he recovered.

Before NXT, LeFleur worked for Lucha Libre AAA under a mask, and WWE could potentially use him there again. For now, though, he's back around the NXT roster, and nothing has been said about what he'll do on screen next.

Noam Dar and Romeo Moreno defeat NXT Tag Team Champions in the Dusty Classic semifinal

On the televised show, the Dusty Rhodes Classic got its first finalists. Noam Dar and Romeo Moreno faced The Vanity Project's Brad Baylor and Ricky Smokes in a semifinal elimination match.

Baylor and Smokes came in as the reigning NXT Tag Team Champions, and they didn't make it out. Dar and Moreno won and booked a spot in the final.

It's been a pretty good run for them, honestly. They beat Los Americanos in the first round on September 22, then knocked off Fraxiom on October 13 in the quarterfinals.

WWE called that Fraxiom result one of the biggest upsets in Dusty Cup history. Beating the champions on top of that makes it three wins in a row over teams that looked tougher on paper.

The final is set for Wednesday, and Cody Rhodes will be in the building to watch it. The tournament is named after his late father, Dusty Rhodes, so his being there fits. The other semifinal was also on the October 27 card, with Hank and Tank against The Wagner Brothers.