According to sources, MSK is the name WWE will use for Desmonz Xavier and Zachary Wentz, formerly known as The Rascalz in Impact Wrestling. Xavier and Wentz are among the latest class of WWE Performance Center recruits.
The Dusty Classic kicks off tonight with two opening round matches: The Undisputed Era vs. Breezango and Ever-Rise vs. The Grizzled Young Veterans. MSK will face Isaiah “Swerve” Scott and Jake Atlas in a first round match that is expected to take place over the next two weeks.
A tweet sent out by WWE indicates that we may find out the identities of MSK on tonight’s episode of NXT TV.
Former NWA commentator and outspoken pro wrestling personality Jim Cornette recently discussed Johnny Gargano and his role on NXT television.
Cornette was reviewing the most recent episode of NXT during the Drive Thru podcast. During the show, Cornette would make some comments towards Gargano and his wife Candice LaRae. Jim Cornette has made it clear in the past that he finds Gargano boring, bland and not the right fit for WWE television.
“I can’t explain putting these f*cking two on the show constantly” Cornette began on the Drive Thru. “I mean, even if he’s a good…her (Candice LaRae) aside? She’s just a run of the mill girl wrestler, who gives a sh*t? But he technically is a good performer.”
“Sure if it wouldn’t be for his size, his lack of personality and his obnoxiously phoney interview style and everything else about him he’d be great” Jim Cornette continued. “Give him a contract and make him a trainer, you know? He can do all the moves. Let him do motion capture for the video game.”
Jim Cornette would then finish by saying emphatically that Gargano should be taken off of NXT television. “He can do all the moves but this guy is not a television personality that anybody wants to f*cking see. The only people that want to see it are the people that want to see moves.”
Overall, Cornette appears to be far more favourable of talent in NXT than that of AEW. Every week Cornette will praise the likes of Damian Priest, but he will also lambast NXT for pushing the ‘generic’ performers he sees, such as Gargano.
Do you agree with Jim Cornette’s opinion of Johnny Gargano? Do you think that Gargano will have a good run on the ‘main roster’ if he ever gets called up full time? Let us know in the comments
WWE NXT Superstar Ridge Holland has made his first comments since being put out of the action due to a leg injury he suffered during the October 7 episode of NXT last month.
The heavyweight star was recently interviewed by Alex McCarthy of Talk Sport where he opened up about his injury and provided updates on his recovery.
Holland first provided some details on the damage he suffered revealing that his left leg was fractured and he dislocated his kneecap in his right leg:
“On my left leg I fractured and dislocated my ankle and then on my right leg, I dislocated the kneecap and ruptured my patella tendons. Kind of a buy one get one free on injuries! But, it’s coming on well. The WWE medical staff are top-notch and they’ve got me well on the road to recovery.”
When asked about a potential timeline for his recovery, Ridge Holland mentioned that it’s still early to say anything for certain but the doctors have given an initial timeline of six to nine months:
“It’s early days yet, but the doctor has said six to nine months, so I’m just taking it day-by-day and see how the knee and ankle feels.
If I look too far in the future I’ll probably take my focus on what needs to be done today. So yeah, we’ll see how it goes,”
Apart from this, Ridge Holland also spoke positively of the WWE management for taking care of him after his injury and revealed the influence William Regal has had on him.
NXT Champion Finn Balor returned to the black-and-gold brand back in late 2019 following a main roster run. In a recent interview with Digital Spy, Balor revealed how it’s a decision he doesn’t regret.
According to Balor, the sheer wealth of talented Superstars he’s been able to compete against is justification enough for his choice.
“You can make a lot of decisions in this business that you regret, but I feel like the thing that affirms that I made the right decision is the different talent I’ve gotten to work with since I’ve been in NXT, people I’ve never worked with before in the past.”
He pointed to notable NXT Superstars such as Johnny Gargano, Tommaso Ciampa, Damien Priest, and current Raw Superstar, Riddle.
Balor also revealed how returning to NXT helped push himself “to the limit.” According to him, his NXT return forced him out of the “comfort zone” he found himself in during his time on Raw and SmackDown.
Couple this with the wealth of fresh feuds and matchups he’s enjoyed since his NXT return, Balor has no doubt he made the right decision.
Finn Balor recently competed against Undisputed Era’s Kyle O’Reilly at NXT New Year’s Evil. Like their first vicious encounter, which left Balor with a broken jaw, the two faced off in another hard-hitting affair. Balor would defeat O’Reilly, retaining his NXT Championship in the process.
WWE NXT Champion Finn Balor was recently interviewed by Vicente Beltran of the ViBe & Wrestling podcast. The Irish Superstar would discuss a number of topics during his time on the show, including working with Triple H and Shawn Michaels in the ‘developmental’ brand.
“For me? I feel very fortunate that I’ve gotten to work very closely with some of my heroes in the wrestling business” Finn Balor began. “Shawn Michaels and Triple H being two. Obviously, I’ve worked very closely with Triple H for many years since I began at NXT. And of course William Regal.”
“Then more recently in the second run with NXT? Shawn Michaels is heavily involved behind the scenes” Finn Balor then continued. “So, getting to know him and learn from him and pick his brain on what he feels is a good direction to take the business? I’ve learned so much from.”
Balor finished by talking about how surreal it has been to work work with some of the wrestling legends he grew up idolizing.
“It’s always very surreal to be working with these guys that you idolized or you grew up watching and had their t-shirts or had their action figures. Now you’re having a discussion or debate on what you think is a good direction to go. I feel very fortunate to have that kind of environment in NXT.”
High-flyer Ben Carter made his long awaited WWE debut on Thursday’s episode of the NXT UK show on the WWE Network.
Carter had an impressive showing in a losing effort against Cruiserweight Champion Jordan Devlin. The match was a showcase for Carter, who received praise afterwards from wrestling fans on social media, Triple H and other NXT UK talent.
Ben Carter was interviewed backstage after the contest. Carter says the match was bitter-sweet. He’s watched Jordan Devlin since the inception of NXT UK and says it is “insane” that he’s competing for the WWE Cruiserweight Champion. Despite the loss, he likes to think he impressed some people. He feels it’s the beginning of a long and successful career in WWE.
Watch Ben Carter weigh-in on his NXT UK debut:
Reactions to Ben Carter’s NXT UK Debut
Triple H called it a star-making performance and urged all of his followers to seek out the Devin vs. Carter match. He tweeted, “A match that if you have not seen, you should go and watch on WWE Network immediately,” wrote Triple H.”NXT UK continues to deliver and this main event was no different featuring a star-making performance from Ben Carter … just the beginning.”
Shawn Michaels called Ben Carter’s NXT UK debut “awesome” and said that he looked “incredibly impressive.”
Xia Li made her long awaited in-ring return to NXT television at New Year’s Evil.
In recent weeks, we’ve seen vignettes showing Xia Li and Boa appearing to be under the control of a mysterious organization. Several vignettes have aired featured both of them being “punished for their failures.”
Wednesday night, a “transformed” Lee returned with a new look. She competed in singles action and made quick work of her opponent. Her whole segment was impressive, but fans on social media were particularly impressed by this move:
WWE uploaded this video from the match, including Xia Li’s new entrance:
Xia Lee In WWE NXT
Xia Lee joins a stacked NXT women’s division, headed up by NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai. She’s been with WWE since 2017.
She competed in the Mae Young Classic in 2017 and 2018. She competed in the 2019 WWE Women’s Royal Rumble match and made her debut on NXT television the following month. Her last televised match took place in October 2020.
Former NXT Champion Sasha Banks was impressed by what she saw from Xia Li. The Boss, who also caught Snoop Dogg’s appearance on AEW Dynamite, had this to say:
WWE has announced the first NXT takeover event of 2021.
The next NXT Takeover pay-per-view takes place Sunday, February 14th, 2021. The event will air live on the WWE Network.
WWE has released the first promo video for the event, which you can view in the player below. WWE has not yet announced a theme for the next Takeover, but the video does play into the fact that February 14th is Valentine’s Day.
NXT has a penchant for reviving classic pay-per-view themes. In 2020, we saw NXT shows branded with In Your House, Halloween Havoc and WarGames. The ‘St. Valentine’s Day Massacre PPV’ event from 1999 would be a logical option here.
To get an idea of the title defenses we might see, here is a roll call of NXT’s reigning champions:
WWE’s YouTube channel has uploaded the latest NXT injury report.
According to NXT General Manager William Regal, Timothy Thatcher is injured. The undisclosed injury took place while he was training for the Pit Fight against Tommaso Ciampa that was scheduled for tonight’s New Year’s Evil event.
“With proper rehab, Mr. Thatcher should be back to action soon,” said Regal. “But due to the brutal nature of tonight’s match, our team could not clear him in good conscience.”
Regal finished by saying that as soon as Timothy Thatcher heals, he and Tommasso Ciampa will sort out their differences in the fight pit.
We wish Timothy Thatcher a speedy recovery and will provide an update if details surrounding the injury are made public.
You can watch the Timothy Thatcher NXT injury report below:
Triple H appeared on Wednesday’s episode of WWE’s digital series, The Bump. The Game was there to promote NXT New Year’s Evil and discussed some of his favorite Royal Rumble moments.
As WWE’s Executive Vice President of Global Talent Strategy & Development, Triple H is very involved with brand development and of course, NXT.
When asked about Finn Balor returning to NXT last October 2019 after wrestling on the WWE main roster for several years, Triple H said, “I think it’s been great.”
Finn Balor’s Impact on NXT
For many years, NXT had the perception of being a developmental brand. Triple H says that Finn Balor put a ‘stamp’ on NXT as it’s own brand on par with Raw and SmackDown.
“In the run up, I understand that it was sort of the place where you prove yourself, to then go on to something else, he said. “It has now become the place where you can prove yourself as being one of the best in the world” Triple H would continue.”
Triple H emphasized that an accomplished wrestler like Balor helps legitimize NXT as more than just
“I think that Finn’s return here showed that. When he left the first time? I think there were a lot of people here that said ‘well he needed to leave because there has nothing else to do here.’ There’s always something else to do, you know? It’s one thing to become a champion, it’s another thing to hang on to it. It’s another thing again to regain it. And then even more so to hang on to it again.”
Finn Balor defends the NXT Championship against Kyle O’Relly in the main event of Wednesday’s New Year’s Evil event. You can check out the full card for that show below:
WWE presents NXT New Year’s Evil tonight on the USA Network live from the Capitol Wrestling Center in Orlando, Florida.
NXT’s special events are typically great and New Year’s Evil should be no exception. NXT facies stiff competition from AEW New Year’s Smash on TNT, so fans are in for another great night of wrestling from both companies.
WWE has announced the opening match (Karrion Kross vs. Damian Priest) and the main event (Finn Balor vs. Kyle O’Reilly) will air without any commercial breaks.
NXT New Year’s Evil Card
The following matches are advertised for the show:
NXT Champion Finn Balor defends against Kyle O’Reilly of Undisputed Era.
Karrion Kross vs. Damien Priest will open the show.
Rhea Ripley vs. “Big Mami Cool” Raquel González in a Last Woman Standing Match
“The King of the Ropes” Gran Metalik challenges Santos Escobar for NXT Cruiserweight Championship.
Check back later tonight for our NXT New Year’s Evil Results & Takeaways feature.
It was recently reported that Pat McAfee has been ‘removed’ from NXT television. The reasoning was apparently as a way to stop McAfee feeling ‘overexposed’ on the Wednesday night programme.
Former NWA commentator and outspoken pro wrestling personality Jim Cornette would rip into WWE for reportedly taking this stance. Cornette would also comment on the apparent lack of communication between WWE officials and McAfee about the decision.
Jim Cornette on Pat McAfee
“McAfee tweeted that he was news to him when he read it!” Jim Cornette would begin on the Drive Thru podcast. “It’s news to him that he’s getting fired on Christmas Day. Not that it was news he’s being taken off television, but news that it was WWE was doing it on purpose.”
“There’s no injury, that at least McAfee is admitted to” Cornette continued. “Or that has been teased or talked about. Basically as I understand it, the WWE has just said they’re not going to use McAfee until the spring!? And then they’ll they apparently…the illusion to this was that they would bring him back at that point.”
Jim Cornette would then state how the only talent he seemingly enjoys to a length extent on the show is McAfee and Rhea Ripley. “Why take Pat McAfee, one of the only good things about that show off of it? You know what? Pat McAfee could just marry Rhea Ripley and if it would be just them on that show? I could live with it.”
Cornette would then finish by lambasting WWE for removing McAfee off of NXT television. “So why would you take McAfee off a show that’s that deadly f*cking dull already when he’s one of the best things about it!?”
Do you agree with Jim Cornette? Do you think that Pat McAfee is one of the best aspects of NXT programming? Let us know in the comments
Earlier this month, WWE announced that Carter will soon be joining the NXT UK brand. Talk Sport reports that Ben Carter’s first WWE television appearance will take place on the January 7th episode of NXT UK’s WWE Network show. He will reportedly be Noam Dar’s guest on the Supernova Sessions talk segment.
Ben Carter is only 22-years-old and has a very bright future ahead of him. Prior to joining WWE, Ben Carter wrestled for AEW and Impact Wrestling. He trained under WWE Superstar Seth Rollins at the Black & Brave Wrestling Academy.
Raw Superstar Gran Metalik challenges Santos Escobar for the NXT Cruiserweight Championship at next week’s NXT New Year’s Evil special.
Wednesday’s NXT TV saw Metalik and Lince Dorado make a surprise appearance on the Black and Yellow brand. The Lucha House Party members interrupted a promo by Legado del Fantasma.
This led to the two Raw stars facing Raul Mendoza and Joaquin Wilde in a tag team match. Metalik won this match for his team after dropping a big elbow on Mendoza and pinning him for the victory.
After the bout ended, the high flying star taunted Escobar with a mention around his waist referring to the Cruiserweight title. It was later confirmed that Gran Metalik will be returning to NXT next week to challenge for the championship
NXT New Year’s Evil Card
Five matches have been announced for NXT New Year’s Evil, hosted by Dexter Lumis:
NXT Championship: Kyle O’Reilly vs. Finn Balor (c)
NXT CruiserweightChampionship: Gran Metalik vs. Santos Escobar (c)
Last Woman Standing Match: Rhea Ripley vs. Raquel Gonzalez
Fight Pit: Tommaso Ciampa vs. Timothy Thatcher
Singles Match: Karrion Kross with Scarlett vs. Damian Priest
A new NXT show could be premiering next year as it’s been heavily discussed by WWE officials.
Last month, Dave Meltzer’s Wrestling Observer wrote that Triple H had been trying to find a way to complement a new NXT in order to give talent more time in the ring and given extra exposure. At the time it was noted that WWE wasn’t looking to do live events with this brand.
The show has been discussed for quite some time. Shortly after the initial report was published, former EVOLVE booker Gabe Sapolsky tweeted, “Things get way overblown.”
Moving along to Friday, it was reported that Triple H has put together a team to oversee the show, which will be an NXT minor league system.
It was said that Gabe Sapolsky is leading the team as Triple H has given him several agents and writers to help him get more comfortable with writing television.
The show was described as an “NXT for NXT.” Triple H is reportedly a big believer in Sapolsky, which is believed to be a case of him being given the ball. Although the original goal was for it to launch early next year, it’s been delayed.
NXT is not the only wrestling brand planning additional programming. Earlier this week, All Elite Wrestling filed a trademark for the name AEW Elevation. This is believed to be the name for AEW’s second cable television show.
SmackDown Superstar Kevin Owens has previously shared how he would be open to returning to WWE’s black-and-gold brand, NXT. Turns out that the promotion not only had plans in place for an NXT return. It was also open to sending Owens overseas to NXT UK.
“They’re all extremely talented guys, and I would love to compete with any of those guys. I kinda got to do a bit with Imperium last year, so that was cool,” Owens said in an interview with Metro.co.uk.
“At one point there was a plan for me to go back to NXT at some point last year, which didn’t happen, obviously. But we had even discussed, maybe if that happens, then maybe I could show up on NXT UK and work with all these different people. I’d love to get to do that.”
He joked how “a lot of the NXT UK guys are clearly inspired” by him. Owens pointed to how every week he hears how an NXT UK Superstar shows “shades” of Kevin Owens in their matches. He shared how he loves performing in Europe and that, given a chance, he would love to help “do good stuff” with NXT UK.
Owens made a surprise return to NXT last year during NXT TakeOver: WarGames. He was revealed to be the mystery partner on Team Ciampa. He joined Tommaso Ciampa, Keith Lee, and Dominik Dijakovic as they battled against The Undisputed Era in a WarGames matchup. Thanks to Owens’ help, Team Ciampa managed to defeat the Undisputed Era.
Kevin Owens is scheduled to compete against Roman Reigns at this Sunday’s WWE TLC pay-per-view. The two compete for the WWE Universal Championship in a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match.
WWE has officially signed top independent wrestler Ben Carter to the NXT UK. The announcement was made on this week’s NXT UK show on the WWE Network.
A vignette that aired during the episode introduced Carter to the audience. It featured praising comments from people like the NXT general manager William Regal, Nigel McGuinness and more.
The video package also featured comments from WWE Superstar Seth Rollins, who helped train Carter at his Black & Brave Wrestling Academy. The former Universal Champion compared the young star to some interesting names.
“Ben Carter came to the United States with a dream, and he is living that dream right now because of how dedicated he is,” said Rollins. “To me, the sky’s the limit for Ben Carter, it truly is. He’s one of the most athletically gifted performers I’ve ever seen. The way he moves in the ring reminds me so much of a Dynamite Kid, an Eddie Guerrero. He’s got so much snap, so much whip.”
Ben Carter commented on joining WWE and the NXT UK brand:
The 22-year-old UK star made his pro wrestling debut at the age of 20 in 2018. He has been trained by Seth Rollins and Marek Brave at their Black And Brave Wrestling Academy.
Carter referenced the famous tweet by FTR to the Young Bucks to state his intention to one day wrestle his mentor, Seth Rollins.
WWE confirmed recently that NXT star Cameron Grimes will be out of the action for the next 4 to 6 weeks and he will not be seen on WWE programming for the rest of 2020.
While at the time, the company hadn’t revealed that reason for his absence, a new report sheds some more light on his announced break. According to sources, Grimes is legitimately injured. SEScoops has learned the former Impact X Division Champion underwent surgery last week which is the reason why he has been pulled from WWE TV.
Cameron Grimes In NXT
Grimes, who signed with WWE in January 2019, has feuded with NXT stars Dexter Lumis and Tommaso Ciampa in recent months. He was defeated by Ciampa in a singles match at last week’s NXT TV.
Timothy Thatcher attacked Cameron Grimes after the match and twisted his legs which was the storyline reason given for the former Impact Wrestling star’s absence from the brand.
While the report does not reveal when or how the former PWG star got injured, the given timeline for his return suggests that the injury is not very serious and Grimes will be back in action very soon.
NXT Superstar Cameron Grimes won’t be appearing on WWE’s black-and-gold brand for the next 4-6 weeks. The news was announced during last night’s episode of the show.
Grimes has featured in several feuds on NXT programming in the past few months. He has participated in a lengthy featured rivalry with Dexter Lumis and, more recently, competed against Tommaso Ciampa.
He has suffered a few high profile losses against these Superstars in recent months. Grimes lost to Ciampa on the 12/9 episode of NXT. After the match, Grimes was attacked by Timothy Thatcher. He was later listed on the NXT Injury Report.
Cameron Grimes wrestled to a No Contest against Lumis in a Blindfold match as well as a Haunted House of Terror Match at NXT: Halloween Havoc back in October. More recently, Grimes lost to Lumis at NXT TakeOver: WarGames. The two competed in a strap match.
Despite several key losses, Cameron Grimes has accrued a few victories. He successfully defeated NXT Superstars August Grey and Jake Atlas.
The NXT Injury Report noted that Grimes was out of action following Thatcher “snatching his leg” during NXT, providing a storyline reason for Grimes’ absence. The report noted there was no timetable for return.
The next challenger to WWE NXT Champion Finn Balor will be Kyle O’Reilly and it’s the first match to be added to the card of the upcoming NXT New Year’s Evil special.
During Wednesday’s episode of NXT from Orlando, Florida at the Capitol Wrestling Center on the USA Network, WWE held a singles match between Pete Dunne and Kyle O’Reilly.
The style was physical and featured some near falls after O’Reilly made his comeback. O’Reilly hit a knee strike in the corner that knocked Dunne’s mouthpiece out. The finish saw O’Reilly hit his finisher for the win.
Because O’Reilly was victorious, he earned the right to challenge Balor for the NXT Title. WWE holds the NXT New Year’s Evil special on January 6th and it is the first episode of the weekly television show for the black and yellow brand of 2021.
It should be noted that Balor hasn’t wrestled since undergoing surgery for a broken jaw after successfully retaining the title over O’Reilly at the TakeOver 31 event this past October.
Balor broke his jaw in two places in the match. No other matches have been announced for this upcoming special, but that will change in the coming weeks.
NXT returns to the USA Network tonight from the Capitol Wrestling Center in Orlando, Florida. NXT will feature a #1 contender’s match, a ‘dream match’ between two of WWE’s best female wrestlers and the in-ring return of a former NXT Champion.
#1 Contender’s Match: Pete Dunne vs. Kyle O’Reilly. The winner faces NXT Champion Finn Balor at NXT’s New Year’s Evil special on Wednesday, January 6th.
Grude Match: Rhea Ripley vs. Toni Storm
Karrion Kross (with Scarlett) returns to action for the first time since surrendering the NXT Championship due to injury.
NXT North American Champion Johnny Gargano teams with Austin Theory against Leon Ruff and Kushida.
Below, you can check out WWE’s promo video hyping the show.
Join us here tonight for our NXT Results & Takeaways.
NXT Superstar Pete Dunne has reflected on this past summer’s #SpeakingOut movement that took place across social media. Speaking with the Daily Star, Dunne acknowledged how it was “horrible” to see the stories pouring out. This past June, people shared their stories of emotional abuse, physical abuse, and sexual harassment within the pro wrestling industry.
“It was horrible to hear these stories come out and everything that came with that because British wrestling was, alongside my own career, something I was trying to build,” Dunne said. “The whole time, I was trying to give back as much as I could, but with the pandemic and, of course, the Speaking Out stuff, that combination has really hurt British wrestling. But that doesn’t mean that it’s all over for British wrestling.”
Dunne continued, “Things are starting to move back to normal and [Speaking Out] is now at a Parliamentary level which is great. I was doing the best I could, and so were a lot of people, but it’s above us, and we need people who actually know how to make the correct changes. I am glad it is in their hands… hopefully from here it can only move in the right direction and people are aware of the changes that need to be made. Fingers crossed, in a year’s time, British wrestling looks completely different.”
Pete Dunne: Implementing Small Changes Will Lead To Major Improvements
Dunne explained how there are “small changes” he would love to see as a talent, including how every show should have first aiders in attendance. He noted how simple no-brainer changes like this will make a massive difference to the talent and industry as a whole.
“I’m so glad it has moved to a Parliamentary level. I get to have a meeting involved with the people involved in that party and they’re passionate about finding some kind of change. I really do want to urge people to listen to them and talk to them.”
He shared how, although people “perceive” him to be at the forefront of British wrestling, he is “not qualified” to suggest necessary change. According to Dunne, “it’s completely above me.”
“All I can say is that I fully support any positive, professional change to the industry. I want it to be better and, of course, safer. Fingers crossed they’re the people to do it, so I urge people to reach out to them and listen to what they’re saying.”
Pete Dunne has been back on NXT programming since aligning himself with Pat McAfee. He recently participated as a member of Team McAfee at NXT TakeOver: WarGames. They lost to the Undisputed Era.
Raw Superstar Elias has revealed he was nearly fired during his time on WWE’s black-and-gold brand, NXT.
Elias opened up during a recent interview with Lilian Garcia on her podcast, Chasing Glory. Elias, who was known by the nickname The Drifter in NXT, shared how he was put on a list to be fired “multiple times.”
He revealed how those who didn’t like him during his WWE tryout disliked him even after being hired by WWE.
“William Regal always said yes, liked me, and got me through, but the people that said no, they were running the show,” Elias explained. “I didn’t know anybody in the business, so I’m an outsider to their crew and they can be protective in their circle. I was put on the list to be fired, multiple times in NXT.”
Elias contineud, “I was made aware of it two different times. You can imagine walking into work knowing ‘that guy right there wants to fire me.’ It makes you walk on eggshells, there’s extra pressure. There were a lot of ups and downs.”
Elias’ 30 Day Deadline
Elias shared how he was pulled aside and told he needed to deliver something that stood out. He was informed they would examine his performance in 30 days. If he didn’t deliver, it was suggested he would be “better off somewhere else” as “not everyone is meant to be a WWE Superstar.”
During this time, Elias would come up with The Drifter gimmick. Another potential name he toyed with was The Judge.
“I put together a vignette, merchandise, ways to debut, feuds, a whole packet. I presented it to him and he said, ‘This is good. Let’s meet and talk about it.’ He brings me into this roundtable room and everyone is there. Dusty Rhodes, Nick Dinsmore, everyone who worked there. He sits down, has my packet, and goes, ‘We all looked at it, it’s really good.’ Shoves it to the side and goes, ‘What else you got?’ I’m like, ‘….What?’ ‘What else you got?’”
Elias explained how he had spent 30 days ensuring The Drifter package delivered in the meeting. He was then told the lights would go off. When they came back on, he would have to deliver something totally different and new.
“He turns the lights off, when he turns them back on, I start yelling at everyone in Italian. Dusty Rhodes goes, ‘Holy shit.’ Nick Dinsmore is like, ‘I got goosebumps.’ The guy that put me on the spot is like, ‘There it is.’”
Despite impressing with the on-the-spot change, Elias would eventually switch it up. He would later bring in a guitar to showcase his skills. Seeing what he could do with the guitar in hand convinced Dusty Rhodes to sign off on The Drifter character.
WWE has announced several matches ahead of Wednesday’s episode of NXT.
The biggest thing to be announced is Pete Dunne vs. Kyle O’Reilly with the winner getting a title shot from WWE NXT Champions Finn Balor.
This comes after this past week’s show that saw Dunne, O’Reilly, and Damian Priest make their case for why they should get a title shot only to have Balor state that it wasn’t his job to find opponents, but rather would leave that up to WWE NXT General Manager William Regal.
That will happen with Balor defending the strap against the winner at the New Year’s Eve special on January 6th.
Also set for this show is Karrion Kross returning to in-ring action against an unknown opponent, which will likely be in the ring to get squashed.
The former WWE NXT Champion had been on the sidelines after suffering a separated shoulder at NXT TakeOver: XXX when he beat Keith Lee to win the WWE NXT Title. He made his return last week when he attacked Priest.
WWE NXT Card
Leon Ruff will team with Kushida to face Austin Theory and NXT North American Champion Johnny Gargano.
Pete Dunne vs. Kyle O’Reilly – #1 Contender’s Match
