6-Time WWE Champion Set To Return For First Time In Nearly 3 Years After Huge Announcement

Chad Gable is officially heading back to NXT after 1025 days away from the brand. WWE has announced that the current Intercontinental Champion will defend his title against Saquon Shugars at an upcoming NXT Live Event. The match will be Gable's first NXT appearance since December 2023. Shugars has already sent a message ahead of the match, posting on X, “can he hang? SS COLUMBIA, SC TOMORROW finna blow up @WWEGable.” Gable's return comes after a long stretch on the main roster, where he recently reached the top of his chase for the Intercontinental Championship.

can he hang? ???? SS

COLUMBIA, SC????TOMORROW

finna blow up @WWEGable (1/2) #wwenxt pic.twitter.com/QMyiJ2JLBB

— Saquon Shugars ???? (@SaquonOffWwe) September 25, 2026

Chad Gable will defend the Intercontinental Championship in NXT 

Gable won the Intercontinental Championship at this year's SummerSlam after defeating Penta. Since then, he has continued defending the belt, and his next title match will take him back to the brand where his WWE career started.

The upcoming bout against Saquon Shugars is set for an NXT Live Event tomorrow. Shugars used X to directly address Gable before the match, writing, “can he hang?” He also mentioned Columbia, South Carolina, and tagged the champion in the post.

Gable originally became known to NXT fans during the Black and Gold era. His early WWE run also included American Alpha, the tag team he formed with Jason Jordan, before he moved to the main roster.

His singles career later became a bigger part of his WWE run. Gable spent years chasing the Intercontinental Championship before finally winning it at SummerSlam.

Gable returned to WWE after losing a Mask vs. Mask match 

The road to Gable's current title reign included his El Grande Americano character. The gimmick began after a series of losses to luchadores and was initially used as a jab at AAA following WWE's acquisition of the promotion.

When Gable was injured, Ludwig Kaiser took over the El Grande Americano role and became one of the leading babyfaces in Lucha Libre AAA. Gable returned at the Royal Rumble and later entered a feud with Kaiser over the character.

The two eventually faced each other in a Mask vs. Mask match at Noche de Los Grandes in May. Gable lost the match and his mask.

After that defeat, he returned to RAW and began pursuing the Intercontinental Championship. He eventually defeated Penta at SummerSlam to win the title.

Now Gable is taking the championship back to NXT for his first match there since December 2023. Saquon Shugars will be waiting, and he has already made his challenge pretty clear.