WWE NXT's Charlie Dempsey Fails To Win AJPW Triple Crown Title

Charlie Dempsey won't be returning to WWE NXT with the AJPW Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship.

Dempsey challenged Katushiko Nakajima for All Japan Pro-Wrestling's top title on their January 3 show but he was unable to put the champion away and Nakajima ultimately scored the successful title defence following his Vertical Spike Brainbuster finisher. The two wrestlers shook hands after the match before Nakajima's next challenger revealed themselves to be Shotaro Ashino, the 2023 Champion Carnival winner.

Nakajima's win ties his record with Dempsey at 1-1. The NXT talent pinned Nakajima in tag team action on January 2 when he teamed with Yuma Anzai to take on the AJPW Triple Crown Champion and Hideki Suzuki.

The partnership between All Japan and WWE NXT was revealed in the final days of 2023. Dempsey made his AJPW debut on December 31, teaming with Yuma Anzai to defeat LEONA and Tatsumi Fujinami.

Charlie Dempsey has been a part of WWE since early 2021, initially wrestling in NXT UK before he moved to NXT. He is a part of No Quarter Catch Crew.