Why WWE Are Taping Upcoming Episodes Of NXT Revealed

WWE's preparations for Elimination Chamber are well underway and the company are set to tape the February 23 edition of Friday Night SmackDown from Salt Lake City, Utah on February 16 following a live episode of SmackDown at the Delta Center. This is due to WWE talents travelling to Perth, Australia for Elimination Chamber next week, with the show set to take place at Optus Stadium on Saturday, February 24.

WWE won't just be taping SmackDown, though, and the company will be filming the February 20 edition of NXT following tonight’s live episode from the WWE Performance Center. No NXT talents have been booked for Elimination Chamber but Dave Meltzer reported in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that WWE is holding tryouts in Perth during Elimination Chamber week and "key people from NXT" will be in Australia for the tryouts, which is why the company is opting to tape two editions of NXT tonight.

Already announced for tonight's episode of NXT is an NXT Tag Team Title match. Tony D'Angelo and Channing "Stacks" Lorenzo will defend the belts against Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic winners Bron Breakker and Baron Corbin of the Wolf Dogs.