SEScoops

Category: NXT

  • Samoa Joe Scouting Talent For WWE, Wants To Wrestle Again

    Samoa Joe Scouting Talent For WWE, Wants To Wrestle Again

    Samoa Joe is motivated to get back in the ring. During an appearance on the Out of Character podcast, Joe told Ryan Satin that he is “absolutely” working on getting medically cleared to compete again. He’s been sidelined since February 2020 due to concussion-related injuries.

    He recently returned to WWE television after a 2-month hiatus. He was released on April 15th, but now serves as NXT General Manager William Regal’s new enforcer. Since returning, we’ve seen Joe cross paths with some of NXT’s top stars.

    Samoa Joe sees several NXT competitors he’d like to mix it up with. “Karrion Kross and Pete Dunne are at the top of that list,” he said. “A guy like WALTER, people have been asking for it, I’m not blind. It’s for good reason. The guy is a powerhouse and people want to see some furniture moving.”

    Joe vs. WALTER is a dream match that would have wrestling fans salivating. We can only hope it comes to fruition one day. He also named Adam Cole, Roderick Strong, Kyle O’Reilly and Bronson Reed as potential opponents.

    Samoa Joe: Talent Scout

    In addition Samoa Joe’s new on-screen role, he is also scouting talent for WWE and doing other tasks behind-the-scenes.

    “It’s a transition into some of the other aspects of the business,” says Joe. “It’s an evolution of my journey. It was a cool opportunity that Hunter offered me. It was a very nice understanding that we had come to.”

    Joe is particularly well-suited for his job . He follows pro wrestling, MMA and other sports closely. His vast network of connections will be a valuable resource for WWE as they look to sign the next generation of athletes.

    H/T to Fightful for the transcribed quotes

  • KUSHIDA Reveals He Almost Retired Before Signing With NXT

    KUSHIDA Reveals He Almost Retired Before Signing With NXT

    Last night on NXT, Kyle O’Reilly and KUSHIDA faced off in the main event. It was the 6th singles match they have had dating back to 2015. O’Reilly holds a 4-2 lead in the head-to-head series.

    Kushida recently took to Twitter to note that 4 years ago he was considering retirement. He was dealing with severe abdominal pain at the time.

    “In 2017, around this time, I was considering retirement after every match. I was concerned about my mental and physical health after every match,” his statement reads. “I wrestled back and forth between Japan and the United States twice a month.”

    Kushida was in NJPW at the time. He’d win the Best of the Super Juniors tournament for a second time that year.

    “During that time, I sometimes suffered from severe abdominal pain after matches. I crouched on the floor with a cold sweat and had no choice but to wait for the pain to pass. I had to insert a gastro camera down my throat at the hospital to examine my stomach. But the doctors couldn’t find anything wrong. The doctor’s diagnosis was that my autonomic nerves must have been disturbed. My level of this abdominal pain wasn’t normal. And, if it continued, I couldn’t wrestle anymore. I knew it wasn’t an exaggeration. And I knew that my wrestling career could be over at any time.”

    O’Reilly and Kushida have met twice in singles competition for NJPW, twice for RevPro, and once each for ROH and NXT. Their last match before yesterday’s show was in the 1st round of the RevPro British J-Cup tournament. Kushida came out the victor that night.

    “I had a mach with Kyle O’Reilly at that time. It was four years ago in London. At that point, it was rumoured that Kyle O’Reilly would soon sign a contract with WWE. After our match, I talked to him directly. He told me his honest intentions. At that time, I thought it would be great to have a match against him in the WWE some day. I knew my professional wrestling life wouldn’t last forever.”

    Kushida’s signing with WWE was announced in April of 2019.

    “So Yesterday was special. WWE/NXT universe! Thank you for watching.”

    “Our fight will go on forever.”

    https://twitter.com/KUSHIDA_0904/status/1407683571666632705
  • Diamond Mine Stable Has Been “Ready To Debut” For Months

    Diamond Mine Stable Has Been “Ready To Debut” For Months

    The Diamond Mine stable officially made their NXT debut on this week’s episode of the show. The new group, lead by Roderick Strong and with Malcolm Bivens as their apparent mouthpiece, attacked KUSHIDA following the main event of the show.

    There have been vignettes promoting the debut of the group for some time now, with MMA and ‘shoot’ style footage promoting this brand new faction of performers. As of now, the group consists of the aforementioned Bivens, Strong, Hideki Suzuki and Tyler Rust.

    According to a new report from Fightful Select, the group has been ‘ready to debut’ for quite some time now. The concept was already in talks backstage since even before Roderick Strong ‘quit’ on NXT programming.

    Diamond Mine Debuts

    Select confirmed that there “were actually plans to debut the stable well before, but it was moved back on more than one occasion for it to take center stage on an episode of NXT.”

    It was also confirmed that the fan speculation of Tessa Blanchard or Parker Boudreaux being brought onto television with the Diamond Mine gimmick was just that, speculation. WWE had apparently been discussing other members for the group, but these two names were never in consideration.

    Parker Boudreaux was signed to WWE on a developmental deal earlier this year and Tessa Blanchard is still unlikely to be signed in the near future.

  • Watch The Diamond Mine Debut On NXT With A Returning Roderick Strong

    Watch The Diamond Mine Debut On NXT With A Returning Roderick Strong

    After weeks of build-up, The Diamond Mine finally made their debut on NXT this week with a returning Roderick Strong as its apparent leader.

    Mysterious MMA-themed vignettes have been airing on NXT TV for quite some time promoting the group’s arrival. The promo on last week’s episode of the show said that the mine will finally be opening this week.

    This week’s episode of NXT then saw The Diamond Mine making their debut after the main event of the show which saw Kyle O’Reilly defeating the cruiserweight champion Kushida in a non-title one-on-one match.

    O’Reilly got into a brawl with Adam Cole after the bout. They fought each other until the enforcer Samoa Joe brought some security and escorted them away.

    A mysterious man then attacked Kushida who was still in the ring. He revealed himself as a returning Roderick Strong. Though Strong didn’t come alone as Hideki Suzuki and Tyler Rust watched this from the apron.

    The two then entered the ring and stood tall with Strong. Malcolm Bivens got in the ring with the NXT cruiserweight title and he showed it to Strong before laying it over the champion.

    Bivens introduced this new faction as The Diamond Mine. The Diamond Mine stood tall over the cruiserweight champion as the cameras went off air.

    Roderick Strong had been off NXT TV in recent months. He walked out of the WWE programming after the breakup of The Undisputed Era, claiming that he was done with everything.

    Bivens had been managing Rust but the two hadn’t been seen on NXT TV since March. Suzuki on the other hand was signed earlier this year to work as a coach though it appears the company has decided to use the Japanese wrestling legend as a performer as well.

  • New Title Match Announced For NXT Great American Bash

    New Title Match Announced For NXT Great American Bash

    WWE has announced that the NXT tag team champions MSK will be defending their titles against the team of Timothy Thatcher and Tommaso Ciampa at the upcoming Great American Bash event.

    Last week’s episode of the black and yellow brand saw the current tag champions exchanging looks with their future challengers in a backstage segment.

    Thatcher and Ciampa then competed in a tornado tag team match against The Grizzled Young Veterans. The former picked up the victory in this bout which was the main event of the show.

    WWE announced during this Tuesday’s NXT that the duo of Thatcher and Ciampa will get a title shot at the upcoming special edition of the show.

    The company also confirmed several segments for next week’s episode including a face-off between MSK and their challengers.

    This is the second match that has been announced for the upcoming event. They previously confirmed that former undisputed era partners Adam Cole and Kyle O’Reilly will be competing in a one-on-one match at the show.

    WWE brought back the Great American Bash name for a two-night NXT special last year. They announced that the name will be returning for a special NXT episode on July 6 this year, making it an annual event.

  • Franky Monet Explains How She Is Different Than Taya Valkyrie

    Franky Monet Explains How She Is Different Than Taya Valkyrie

    Taya Valkyrie is now known as Franky Monet in NXT. The former Reina de Reinas and Knockouts Champion recently took part in an interview with PW Insider and spoke about the differences and similarities between Taya and Franky.

    “She is a work in progress still,” Monet said about her current character. “I just feel like Franky is just an elevated version of Taya and just a little bit nuttier. And I feel like the way people are going to get to know who I am is through these matches and through all the backstage segments and just getting to understand who I am, and also just realizing that never judge a book by its cover.”

    “A Little Bit Crazy”

    Monet continued to talk about her character and how she’s “a little bit crazy.”

    “I may be blonde and carry a puppy dog and wear fur and all this shiny stuff, but I’m an absolute bad-ass that has no problem having a street fight at a moment’s notice,” Monet continued. “I am a little bit crazy. There’s a reason they call me La Wera Loca, and I have been that for 10 years. 

    “So, I think that I’m going to surprise a lot of people, because they’re going to be too quick to judge from what they see. But it’s just going to take time and it’s going to take having killer matches, which I know I will do. And yeah, it’s going to be very interesting, but I’m super excited and just growing with my fans.”

    As Taya Valkyrie, Monet has won numerous titles in wrestling. She is a 3x Reina de Reinas Champion in AAA. In Impact, she holds the record for the longest single-reign with the Knockouts title in history as well.

    Monet defeated Cora Jade in her debut on the NXT brand. She is scheduled to have her second match on tonight’s show. Her opponent has yet to be named, however.

  • Details On NXT Shortening Ring Entrances To Avoid Losing Viewers

    Details On NXT Shortening Ring Entrances To Avoid Losing Viewers

    Ring entrances are shorter in NXT than on other WWE brands. According to a report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Shawn Michaels feels that longer ring entrances were giving fans a chance to switch over to AEW during the Wednesday Night Wars.

    “One of the reasons the ring entrances have been cut back on as far as time on the NXT TV show is Shawn Michaels felt that long ring entrances gave the viewers more time to check out AEW,” wrote Dave Meltzer.

    The brand has continued to run with that idea even since moving to Tuesday nights with the belief that it gives them more time for angles and matches. Although this has not been confirmed, there is also a rumour that it was HBK’s wife Rebecca who first suggested this.

    “Whether this is true or not, within the company the story that has gone around is that it was Rebecca, Shawn’s wife, who was watching the show and told him she thought the ring entrances were too long and giving people too much time to switch stations, and he brought that up to Levesque,” Meltzer continued.

    4 matches have been confirmed for NXT next week. KUSHDIA will face Kyle O’Reilly, while Adam Cole will face an opponent of his own choosing. Hit Row will take on Ever Rise and Franky Monet will be in singles action.

  • Virgil Sends Message To Million Dollar Champion LA Knight

    Virgil Sends Message To Million Dollar Champion LA Knight

    LA Knight defeated Cameron Grimes to become the new Million Dollar Champion at TakeOver: In Your House. According to former champion Virgil (aka Soul Train Jones, aka Vincent), Knight is just the latest holder of the title to rip off something of his.

    “First Stone Cold steals my haircut now this dude? Is it just me or am I seeing this guy rip off my exact pose when I legitimized this title? May have to show up this week and put my foot in yo ass,” Virgil wrote on Instagram.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CQHsslNlzdP/

    Million Dollar Championship History

    Virgil defeated Ted Dibiase for the Million Dollar title at SummerSlam 91. He’d drop it back to Dibiase that November. Dibiase then abandoned the title after winning the tag belts along with IRS. He brought the title back in 1995 when he began managing Steve Austin as “The Ringmaster.” The title was then deactivated when Dibiase left for WCW the following year. It would be brought back briefly again in 2010 when Ted Dibiase Jr. held the belt.

    LA Knight Comments On Match With Cameron Grimes

    Knight was interviewed recently by PW Insider and spoke about his match with Grimes at In Your House.

    “Well, hell, at this point, I think we’re both just trying to get our bodies in one piece after last night,” LA Knight said. “He took a hell of a spill at the end. And then, I took a couple of nasty spills in there. And I know if he’s feeling anything like I’m feeling today, we’re both feeling like complete crap. And at this point, it’s just take it a day at a time, and look, tomorrow’s another episode of NXT on USA. So, who knows what could happen if he shows up, if he doesn’t. Maybe he decides to take a little time off. Nobody knows, but I guess in the coming weeks, we’ll find out.”

  • Backstage Notes From NXT TakeOver: In Your House

    Backstage Notes From NXT TakeOver: In Your House

    Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated was one of the names invited to be part of the pre-show panel for this past Sunday’s NXT TakeOver: In Your House event.

    The wrestling journalist wrote about his experience at the show after the event and he provided some interesting tidbits from the latest NXT PPV.

    He mentioned that people like Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Matt Bloom, and Sara Amato were present throughout the day and they all were very hands-on with the latest TakeOver event.

    WWE executive vice president Triple H congratulated the participants of the five-way main event on the success of their bout after they returned backstage.

    Per Barrasso, it was easy to see how passionate all five of the stars in the main event were and all of them were trying to create something memorable.

    Cesaro and Reginald were two non-NXT names who were backstage for the show at the Capitol Wrestling Center to watch the event and support their coworkers.

    There was a conference room where WWE Hall of Famer Ted DiBiase was telling stories about working with Vince McMahon Sr. The famed catering of the company included salmon and vegetables, grilled chicken, and crab.

    Apart from this, the wrestling journalist noted how the space to eat was limited and Xia Li spent almost 2 hours in the makeup, getting ready for her match against Mercedes Martinez on the show.

  • Triple H & Shawn Michaels Discuss Supernatural Characters In Wrestling

    Triple H & Shawn Michaels Discuss Supernatural Characters In Wrestling

    Last night at NXT TakeOver: In Your House, Tian Sha (aka Mei Ying) rose from her seat and attacked Mercedes Martinez. The character is, or at least believes herself to be thousands of years old and trained by dragons. Triple H and Shawn Michaels were asked recently about their approach to supernatural characters on the NXT media call.

    “So, I’m a big fan of a variety within the shows and having things that are different. You know, different characters, when you can get them, different characters, different personalities, different sides of performers, all of that, but also different characters in general,” Triple H said when asked by Gary Cassidy of Inside the Ropes.

    Triple H then continued to talk about supernatural characters using Tian Sha as an example.

    “To have characters like Tian Sha, I think you have to handle them slightly differently so that you can make them sort of make sense in your world, right?”

    He continued to say what it takes to make a character make sense in NXT is different than RAW and Smackdown.

    “All the shows are slightly different. I feel like even there’s a slight difference between even just RAW and SmackDown as to what works on one show, what doesn’t on others. I feel the same way. So having that good mix is great, but also how you handle them and making sure that they fit within the sort of the universe that you’re existing in.”

    Triple H then used Marvel as an example of a company that does this particularly well.

    “Marvel does a really good job with it of having serious, almost dramatic movies and then having moments where, you know, this guy’s a god and the other guy’s a robot and this guy’s from outer space.”

    Shawn Michaels then spoke about the Undertaker and how the supernatural character felt larger than life.

    “For me, I guess I always looked at it is there are some people and some characters, or some groups, that have the ability to look larger than life,” HBK said. “I’d argue that about me. Taker was somebody who was a little bit more larger than life, so it was a much bigger production when he was coming out, as opposed to the Heartbreak Kid who was just music and silly dancing, you know what I mean?”

    Bray Wyatt, Alexa Bliss and her doll Lilly are all current examples of supernatural style characters on the main roster. Undertaker, Kane, Papa Shango, Gangrel and many others have had such powers in the past. The Ultimate Warrior also demonstrated some supernatural abilities during his WCW run as well.

    Learn more about the Tian Sha origin story with the below video:

  • Samoa Joe Returning To WWE NXT In Authority Role (Report)

    Samoa Joe Returning To WWE NXT In Authority Role (Report)

    Last night’s TakeOver: In Your House event concluded with NXT GM William Regal giving some ominous comments about it being “time for a change.” Some fans are speculating this could mean a new authority figure for the brand. According to comments made on Wrestling Observer Radio, Samoa Joe has signed a deal with NXT and might be a perfect fit for the role.

    “I think that’s the cue for Samoa Joe, I don’t know that 100%,” said Dave Meltzer regarding William Regal’s comments following TakeOver. “I was told today that Samoa Joe was in in a Regal-like role and then all of a sudden Regal’s talking like he’s stepping down. So, maybe the Regal-like role is Regal’s role.”

    “If (Regal) is leaving, based on what I was told, Samoa Joe is definitely the favorite to be the new commissioner.”

    Meltzer continued to say that Joe has signed a deal with NXT but in a non-wrestling role. He continued to speculate this could mean Joe is not medically cleared.

    “Joe is in and he’s in as a non-wrestler,” Meltzer continued. “So, I think that tells you that he’s not cleared and so even if you want him to go to another company, if he’s not medically cleared…”

    Joe’s last official match was on February 10th, 2020. He teamed with the Viking Raiders and Kevin Owens on RAW. They lost to Seth Rollins, Buddy Murphy, and AOP.

    “He has taken a job in NXT and he’s doing something there,” Meltzer continued. “He may be the new authority figure on television, or he may not be, but he’s gonna be behind the scenes.”

  • Meiko Satomura On Which Main Roster Stars She Wants To Face In WWE

    Meiko Satomura On Which Main Roster Stars She Wants To Face In WWE

    Meiko Satomura just picked up a big win, defeating Kay Lee Ray for the NXT UK Women’s championship but she already has her sight set on some even bigger opponents in WWE for her future.

    The new champion recently had an interview with Metro just before her title win where she talked about a number of things and revealed a few other WWE names she wants to compete against.

    Satomura first praised her last opponent in Kay Lee Ray. She then revealed which talents she wants to have a match against, discussing some big names such as Sasha Banks and Charlotte Flair as potential future opponents:

    “First, I want to beat Kay Lee Ray, But next, Io Shirai, Sasha Banks and Charlotte [Flair].”

    – Meiko Satomura

    The female star is a Japanese wrestling veteran who has been wrestling since the age of 15. She made her debut for the all-women promotion Gaea Japan in 1995.

    Meiko Satomura has also competed in promotions such as Sendai Girls’ Pro Wrestling and Chikara in her long career. She made some WCW appearances in 1996 thanks to Gaea Japan’s working relationship with the company at the time.

    She made her WWE debut in 2018 as part of the second Mae Young Classic and was signed to a full-time deal in October 2020. She defeated Kay Lee Ray on the June 10 episode of NXT UK, ending Ray’s 649 days long run with the title.

  • Samoa Joe Spotted At WWE Performance Center This Week

    Samoa Joe Spotted At WWE Performance Center This Week

    Former WWE star Samoa Joe was seen at the Performance Center this week, following recent reports about the officials being interested in bringing him back.

    The rumors about the heavyweight star’s return stemmed from a recent report. It said that the NXT talents have heard about the officials being interested in bringing the former NXT champion back to the brand.

    In an update to the story, Fightful select is reporting that Samoa Joe was actually seen at the Performance Center this week. His visit was brief and there is no word on why the former champion was in the building.

    The former TNA star is one of the names that were released from his WWE contract in mid-April earlier this year, as part of the company’s coronavirus budget cuts.

    Joe hadn’t been wrestling for WWE for a while before his release. The former NXT star had been working on the Raw announce team instead.

    The former WWE star is under the standard 90 days non-compete clause. This means that he cannot sign a contract with a different company until mid-July.

    With the reported talks about his return and now his visit, it would be interesting to see if the company actually re-signs Samoa Joe before his non compete clause expires.

  • Cameron Grimes Comments On WWE Stock Surge

    Cameron Grimes Comments On WWE Stock Surge

    WWE stock recently got a bump up in value thanks to a trending post on WallStreetBets. The stock rose as high as 20% before settling down to 11% growth after a big day on June 9th. The day after WWE’s stock experienced this bump, Cameron Grimes was on Busted Open Radio and spoke about any influence he might have had on this.

    “There is no coincidence, I’m just saying the Million Dollar Championship comes back and then the very next day the WWE stock skyrockets,” Grimes said. “I’m not going to say that’s coincidence. You know, I do dabble a little bit in the stock market and I do hang out with some of those guys and I may have put in a couple of words. I’m not a financial advisor so don’t get me arrested here but WWE stock to the moon, baby! No coincidence, Cameron Grimes, hahaha!”

    Grimes will take on LA Knight in a ladder match at In Your House this Sunday. The winner of the match will become the new Million Dollar Champion. Grimes also spoke about the possibility of him facing Busted Open co-host Tommy Dreamer for the belt if he wins it.

    “Tommy, you want to come to NXT? You want a chance at the Million Dollar Champion? I’m sure I could talk to some people, I don’t know how well they like you though,” Grimes said.

  • Meiko Satomura Wins NXT UK Women’s Championship

    Meiko Satomura Wins NXT UK Women’s Championship

    Meiko Satomura is your new NXT UK Women’s Champion. She captured the gold on Thursday’s NXT UK broadcast on Peacock and the WWE Network.

    Satomura defeated Kay Lee Ray in a hard-fought match. Ray had been champion for an impressive 649 days before her reign came to an end.

    The Japanese wrestling legend joined the NXT UK brand back in February.

    In this video, the Final Boss reflects on her monumental victory to dethrone Kay Lee Ray.

    Satomura commented on her victory on Twitter. She thanked everyone and it was very difficult defeating Kay Lee Ray, a true champion.

    Triple also H commented on the title change. He wrote on Twitter, “An incredible title reign ended by one of the absolute best in the world. A new era for the ENTIRE #NXTUK brand. #AndNew”

  • Ezra Judge On If AEW Was A Topic Of Discussion At NXT Backstage

    Ezra Judge On If AEW Was A Topic Of Discussion At NXT Backstage

    The competition between NXT and AEW Dynamite was a buzzing topic every week among fans during the Wednesday night wars but it wasn’t even mentioned backstage at the black and yellow brand, according to Ezra Judge.

    The former WWE star recently had an interview with WrestlingInc where he talked about a number of things including the locker room environment at NXT.

    When asked if AEW was ever a topic of discussion backstage at the Performance Center, Judge claimed that they never really talked about that stuff:

    “No, nobody really talked about that stuff, one of the things that I know for myself is you can’t stay in your lane when you’re looking at somebody else’s lane. You start to veer into their lane. I know as a group, we were just focused on putting on the best product possible,

    And everybody just showed up every day and gave it their best.” said Ezra Judge, “I honestly never heard of any comparisons or anything. I’ve always watched AEW. I like AEW. I like all wrestling.”

    The former football star also discussed how people at both companies were aware of each other’s product but at the end of the day they were focused on delivering the best product they can.

    Apart from this, Ezra Judge talked about things such as how close he was to making his in-ring debut, who were the locker room leaders at NXT, and more.

  • WWE Changes COVID-19 Policy for NXT Televised Shows

    WWE Changes COVID-19 Policy for NXT Televised Shows

    WWE has changed their policy regarding fans in attendance at NXT shows going forward. Previously, fans at the Capitol Wrestling Center (CWC) were expected to have a negative COVID-19 test result before entering the building. It appears as though this will no longer be the case as of this Sunday and the In Your House event.

    WWE NXT has been the only show with fans live in attendance since the move to the Thunderdome last August. Previously, fans had to fill in a questionnaire and take a free rapid COVID-19 Antigen test on the night of the event. Fans were also expected to complete a COVID-19 health questionnaire and sign a waiver; as well as have a thermal temperature check before entering the venue.

    COVID-19 Policy

    WWE is still asking fans not to attend if they have been in contact with someone showing COVID symptoms in the last 14 days. Of course fans who have themselves shown signs of the virus over the past 2 weeks will need to remain isolated also.

    NXT In Your House takes place this Sunday and will be available on Peacock in the United States and WWE Network everywhere else.

    Here’s the card for the event:

    • Fatal 5 Way for the NXT Championship – Adam Cole vs. Kyle O’Reilly vs. Pete Dunne vs. Johnny Gargano vs. Karrion Kross (c)
    • NXT Women’s Title Match – Ember Moon vs. Raquel Gonzalez (c)
    • Winners Take All for the NXT North American Title and NXT Tag Team Titles – Legado del Fantasma (Santos Escobar, Joaquin Wilde and Raul Mendoza) vs. Bronson Reed (c) and MSK (Wes Lee, Nash Carter) (c)
    • Ladder Match for the Million Dollar Title – LA Knight vs. Cameron Grimes (WWE Hall of Famer Ted DiBiase Sr. will be present at ringside)
    • Xia Li vs. Mercedes Martinez

  • Johnny Gargano Says He Was A ‘Made Man’ After NXT Feud With FTR

    Johnny Gargano Says He Was A ‘Made Man’ After NXT Feud With FTR

    Johnny Gargano is one of the biggest names on the NXT roster. The leader of The Way, he was also part of the biggest faction in NXT history with Undisputed Era. He is a three-time North American Champion, a former NXT Champion and a tag-team champion. He is the first-ever NXT triple crown champion.

    His NXT legacy is cemented. Yet, there is one feud in particular that Gargano credits for building his NXT career. During an appearance on the Out of Character podcast, Johnny Gargano credited DIY versus The Revival (FTR) for starting his NXT career.

    “And then obviously, our work with Revival [Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood]. I cannot say enough good things about that. That really cemented us and really kind of — that was obviously our first TakeOver. TakeOver: Brooklyn at the Barclays Center was our first one and to go in there with those guys and to have that match, I don’t think I’d be sitting here today if that match didn’t go the way it did.”

    Gargano continued, “I think that match went so well, it made them realize like, ‘Oh, wait a minute, we might have something special here with these guys and obviously the rest is history. But to be able to do that in Brooklyn then have the 2-out-of-3 Falls in Toronto, we were made men from those matches.”

    The two matches between DIY and The Revival introduced the NXT universe to Johnny Gargano. Since debuting, his character has evolved, his style has evolved. The sky is the limit for Gargano, and exciting times are surely ahead.

  • Former Indie Star Makes NXT Debut With New Name

    Former Indie Star Makes NXT Debut With New Name

    Indie star Camron Clay made her debut on NXT TV during this week’s episode of the show. The newcomer was dubbed as Amari Miller upon her arrival.

    Amari Miller took on her Twitter after the show to react to her debut for the black and yellow brand. She thanked NXT and fellow development star Zayda Ramier in a tweet:

    https://twitter.com/Amari_MillerWWE/status/1402459234286059524?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

    This week’s Takeover go-home episode of the show saw Mercedes Martinez coming out to the ring. She had a scheduled match against the newest NXT star but she was attacked by Xia Li before the bout.

    Li tried to soften her future opponent before their upcoming match at Takeover but Martinez managed to fight her off. She then asked the referee to start the match against Miller.

    Unfortunately for the new NXT star, Mercedes Martinez was able to pick up the victory in the bout. She was able to squash her opponent and Martinez pinned her rival after a few moves.

    The star who has gone by the names such as Camron Clay, Camron Connors, and Camron Bra’Nae in the past was signed by WWE earlier this year. She joined the Performance Center in February.

    Miller had been wrestling for almost 5 years before her signing with the promotion. She has previously worked for companies such as EVOLVE and WWN Live. She also made a SmackDown appearance as an enhancement talent in October 2019 where she lost a match to Lacey Evans.

  • Io Shirai Returns To NXT TV

    Io Shirai Returns To NXT TV

    Io Shirai is back on NXT TV.

    This week’s episode of NXT saw one-half of the current NXT tag team champion Candice LeRae continuing her rivalry with singing star Poppy.

    She occupied the ring during a segment on the show and said that she was tired of the Grammy-nominated singer. LeRae mentioned how Poppy hijacked her interview last week.

    The current champion then called Poppy out and demanded an apology for her recent actions. The lights went out and Poppy came out with her entrance music.

    Though she didn’t get in the ring and Poppy stayed on the stage instead. She said that she doesn’t wrestle but she knows someone who does. Then the music of Io Shirai surprised the fans.

    The Japanese star then made her return and unloaded on LeRae. She took down Candice and Shirai then hit a 619 on her rival as the fans cheered.

    The returning star delivered a missile dropkick, forcing Candice LeRae out of the ring. The segment ended with Io Shirai and Poppy standing tall in the ring as LeRae retreated on the stage.

    This is Io Shirai’s first appearance for the brand since the NXT Takeover: Stand & Deliver event in early April. She dropped the NXT women’s title to Raquel González on the show, ending her 304 days reign as the champion.

  • Ted DiBiase To Make A ‘Priceless Announcement’ On Tuesday’s NXT

    Ted DiBiase To Make A ‘Priceless Announcement’ On Tuesday’s NXT

    The storyline involving the Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase, Cameron Grimes and LA Knight has been dominating NXT. The build-up between Grimes and DiBiase grained pace when Knight stepped into the frame. Both men claiming they have what it takes to carry on the million dollar legacy.

    The pair will face off one-on-one at the upcoming NXT In Your House PPV, with the winner believing they will receive the favor of Ted DiBiase. However, the story is not yet fully told.

    WWE recently tweeted that tonight on the In Hour House go-home episode of NXT, Ted DiBiase is making a priceless announcement.

    This is most likely to be the confirmation of the return of the Million Dollar Belt. The winner between Grimes and Knight being awarded the belt at NXT In Your House.

    This would be the logical conclusion to any storyline involving Ted DiBiase. Not to mention, the poster for the NXT In Your House show already features the belt.

    With both Grimes and Knight playing heel characters the feud lacks the traditional good guy versus bad guy appeal. However, it means both men would be a perfect fit for some million-dollar tutelage.

    The Million Dollar Belt has been out of circulation since 2010 but hasn’t seriously been used since the mid-’90s. While never officially recognized as a title, there is no denying that having that on your shoulder and Ted DiBiase in your corner is a benefit for any wrestler.

  • Shawn Michaels Touts NXT’s Inspired & Passionate Culture

    Shawn Michaels Touts NXT’s Inspired & Passionate Culture


    WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels says the wrestlers in NXT are passionate and inspired. The Hearbreak Kid recently spoke with Brandon Walker for his Rasslin’ podcast and had nothing but positive things to say about NXT’s backstage culture.

    “I think it’s great. I think it will continue to grow,” said Michaels. NXT has a deep roster. In addition to headliners like Karrion Kross, Finn Balor and Adam Cole, the black and gold brand has performers like Cameron Grimes and Isaiah “Swerve” Scott fighting to climb the ranks. “There are so many people coming from underneath and there’s a whole other group of young talent that are underneath that,” he added.

    Shawn Michaels has been working behind the scenes in NXT since late 2018. The brand has undergone a significant transformation during his time there. He’s proud of the culture they’ve cultivated in NXT.

    “That’s what I enjoy about this,” Michaels continued. “We never get out of that fun and enjoyable stage when wrestling is at its purest and you’re doing it for the sheer passion and love of doing it, and that’s what I like about it.”

    He added, “We’re still at the stage where they’re very inspired and very passionate. It really is a hell of a group down here, and there’s a hell of culture down here that everyone enjoys and buys into.”

    NXT Takeover: In Your House takes place next Sunday, June 13th.

  • WWE Planning To Resume NXT Live Events In July (Report)

    WWE Planning To Resume NXT Live Events In July (Report)

    WWE’s announcement about their return to touring in July focused mainly on main roster shows in Raw and SmackDown. This led to many wondering about their plans for NXT.

    The latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter provides some update on the plans for the Black and Yellow brand. It suggests that the company plans to bring it out of the performance center soon.

    According to reports from the newsletter, NXT talents have been told that the brand will start running live events once again in July. Though the officials haven’t given any dates for the same.

    The idea is to run shows in 200 to 400 seat buildings. Similar to what the brand was doing when they ran the central and northern Florida coconut loop.

    It’s unknown whether the company plans to continue taping NXT TV episodes in the PC without an audience or if they will be held with fans in attendance as well.

    WWE announced their return to touring with a 25 city tour last month. Their loop starts with the July 16 episode of SmackDown from Houston. Though the company has only confirmed 6 locations for the tour so far.

  • Pete Dunne Talks Wanting NXT Championship Match with Karrion Kross

    Pete Dunne Talks Wanting NXT Championship Match with Karrion Kross

    WWE NXT Superstar and former PROGRESS Champion Pete Dunne recently spoke to Mike Johnson of PWInsider. The Bruiserweight discussed a number of topics, including a potential bout between himself and the NXT Champion, Karrion Kross.

    “With my style being as physical as it is, and the way the Kross wrestles, I think it does mesh together quite well” Pete Dunne would begin, discussing the potential match. “He’s somebody that I had my eye on just before he got to the company, and then seeing the way he’s come in, and he’s breezing through so fast.”

    “Obviously, he had the injury” Dunne added, alluding to the injury Kross suffered after winning the NXT Championship for the first time. “But to come back and do it all over again is impressive; and I definitely would like to work with him down the line.”

    Pete Dunne on Karrion Kross

    “And for me personally, it’s just a case of, I’ve been in NXT now for coming up to five years, I had that obviously long run in the UK with the UK title; I had a brief run with Matt Riddle as the tag champion” Dunne added.

    The Bruiserweight finished by discussing how his current work compares to his time in NXT UK and the independents; saying that he is producing the best work of his career.

    “But I really do feel like now I’m here, I’m in the best shape of my life” Pete Dunne noted. “I’m doing the best work I’ve ever done, and it’s time to take that next step. And if Kross’ is who I’d do that against, then so be it. I can’t wait to get rolling” The Bruiserweight concluded.

  • Cameron Grimes vs LA Knight Set for NXT In Your House

    Cameron Grimes vs LA Knight Set for NXT In Your House

    The story of Cameron Grimes in NXT has been an interesting one to follow. Since coming into money, he has been brought face to face with his greatest adversary yet. The Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase. The pair have met in numerous situations over recent months, with DiBiase coming out on top each time.

    Many believed it would be inevitable that Grimes would become a protégé to the Million Dollar Man. However, recent events added another name to that shortlist, LA Knight. Both men have caught the eye of DiBiase when each cost the other a match in consecutive weeks on NXT.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CPmThLRMQiY/

    Now, the pair will face off, one-on-one, at the upcoming NXT In Your House PPV.

    The prize will be more than a victory, it will be more than bragging rights. The pair are fighting for the right to carry on the Million Dollar Man’s legacy.

    With Ted DiBiase watching the match, it is widely believed that the winner will earn his favour. An experienced ring general, his helping hand could be exactly what both men need to push ahead and take their career to the next level.

    Both Cameron Grimes and LA Knight are heels in NXT, so working with a legendary bad guy like Ted Dibiase would be an easy transition. Great characters are always fun to watch, and they don’t come much larger or more entertaining than the Million Dollar Man.

    Will the In Your House PPV finally see Cameron Grimes come out on top, or will Ted Dibiase once again be a thorn in his side?