The former “The Mighty Don’t Kneel” made their NXT debuts last night, now known as “TM61.”
Tom Phillips and Corey Graves introduce TM61 in the video below and it’s revealed that their names are Shane Thorne and Nick Miller, which is where the “TM” comes from. The “61” stands for the Australian calling code.
WWE has announced that NXT Tag Team Champions American Alpha will face The Revival in a “Takeover: Dallas” rematch on June 8th at the next Takeover event from Full Sail University.
As of this writing, the only other match announced is Finn Balor vs. Samoa Joe in a Cage Match for the NXT Title.
NXT General Manager William Regal announced on Tuesday morning that Samoa Joe’s upcoming NXT Championship defense against Finn Balor at Takeover will be a steel cage match. The next NXT Takeover is scheduled for Wednesday, June 8th from Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida.
NXT newcomer No Way Jose recently spoke with Byron Saxton’s for WWE.com. Here are some highlights of what he said about:
When asked to describe himself, Jose said he’s one-man fiesta. When he was younger, he used to have a volatile temper. “The way I see it, there ain’t no way you’re wiping this smile off of my face. That’s what I’m all about now: a nickname to remind me of where I came from, along with a smile and carefree attitude to show where we can end up.”
Having traveled the world, he’s experienced many different cultures. One thing that’s stood out to him as a constant theme no matter the location is dance. He explains that dance and several other influences contribute to his unique in-ring sstyle.
“From the samba in Brazil, merengue and bachata in the Dominican Republic, to polka in Germany and even the can-can in France, dance is universal,” he said. “I’m trying to create my own from the lessons I’ve learned, and it seems like dance-fighting is becoming a thing. It’s like capoeira, but not as smooth. Incorporate that with some of the highlights of my childhood sport, baseball, which is huge in the Dominican Republic, and it all just fits naturally for me in the ring.”
When asked which NXT wrestlers he’s looking forward to getting in the ring with, Jose named NXT Champion Samoa Joe, Finn Balor, Shinsuke Nakamura and Manny Andrade.
Lana made her NXT in-ring debut on Friday night from Largo, Florida. WWE’s Ravishing Russian teamed up with Mandy Rose in a tag match against Carmella and Daria. Despite the fact that Carmella and Daria picked up the win, fans in attendance noted that Lana looked good in the ring and was very over with the crowd.
Just last month, Lana spoke to WWE.com about getting in the ring and revealed that she has great aspirations to be remembered as one of WWE’s greatest female competitors in history.
“I know I can fight. I know I have kicks that can destroy people. Just because I haven’t gotten in the ring in my career, that doesn’t mean I’m not capable of crushing people …”
“I will be the greatest woman to ever enter WWE, and I will leave the greatest legacy that WWE has ever seen.”
Here are some highlights from Lana’s NXT debut:
My first promo with @RusevBUL was at #NXTLargo & my first @WWENXT match was there tonight! #Thankyou for being fierce I had so much fun ??
Former Tampa Tribune writer Joe Belcastro is the new head writer for NXT. The Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that Belcastro will be working directly under Triple H. He was also involved in the pilot of the NXT Kids show filmed earlier this year.
Belcastro is replacing former NXT head writer Ryan Ward. Ward has been promoted to working on RAW and SmackDown on the USA Network after receiving high praises within the company for his work on NXT.
The new NXT head writer first applied for a job with WWE back in 2008 after graduating college, but was turned down. A friend with a connection in WWE reportedly got Belcastro a second interview with the company in 2013 after writing for the Tribune and movie review websites, and he was hired. He has no prior experience writing anything for television.
Kenneth Crawford attempted a springboard at Friday’s NXT house show in Citrus Springs but slipped and landed bad in the ring. He was then pinned by Noah Kekoa and the referee called for help.
Trainers tended to Crawford for a few minutes and he was then stretchered out. He was reportedly communicating but not moving his arms or legs. A fan in attendance told F4Wonline.com that Crawford was flown out for medical attention.
Eric Young recently spoke with NiagaraThisWeek.com to discuss his NXT debut, which aired on this week’s episode of NXT TV. Here are some highlights of what he said about:
His WWE Contract Status:
“We are working on contract stuff now, but there isn’t a final pen to paper yet.”
His NXT Debut Against Samoa Joe:
“It was in the works. I was supposed to go and talk with Hunter (WWE executive Paul Levesque). They reached out to me and there was an opportunity. Hunter and I hit it off right away, joking like we had known each other for 10 years. About half way through the day he called me aside to see if I’d be interested in doing a promo with the NXT champion Samoa Joe to start the show. I went and grabbed my stuff out of my rental and we got to business. The crowd reaction was insane. I figured it would be decent, but it was insane.”
As quick as it was announced, it was deleted. WWE’s UK Twitter account briefly announced that Bobby Roode would be part of next month’s NXT’s tour of the UK. NXT will be invading the UK’s Download Festival starting June 10th before hitting the read in the UK and Ireland.
Roode was reportedly backstage at the most recent NXT TV taping but did not appear on camera.
Here’s a screen cap of the Bobby Roode announcement, courtesy of Twitter user @BBladem83:
Tyler Breeze returned to NXT at Thursday night’s live event from Salina, Kansas.
Prince Pretty squared off against Shinsuke Nakamura in what was described the match of the night and one of Breeze’s best ever. Breeze was extremely over with the NXT crowd and Nakamura got a big pop when he took a selfie with Breeze’s selfie stick midway through the match.
In light of his lackluster run in WWE thus far (he was 0-49 for the year at one point), many fans have been calling for Breeze to return to NXT, where he was a title contender and working featured matches. Someone like Emma went back to NXT, was repackaged as a heel and is now back on the main roster. We’ll see if this was just a 1-time appearance or if Tyler could be heading back to NXT on a more regular basis.
– Prior to Thursday night’s NXT TV tapings, Manny Andrade defeated Angelo Dawkins. The former La Sombra won with the running knees in the corner and was said to be very over with the crowd.
– Rachael Ellering, daughter of WWE Hall of Famer Paul Ellering, made her NXT debut at this week’s tapings. She’ll will face Alexa Bliss on the May 11th episode. Ellering was trained by Lance Storm.
– Bayley appeared to tweak her knee on Thursday night while reversing a suplex from Nia Jax. She was able to finish the match, but was helped to the back after being checked out by a trainer. It’s entirely possible that this was simply an angle – we’ll post an update if there’s anything to the story.
WWE taped several episodes of NXT TV in Winter Park, FL at Full Sail University on Thursday night. Here’s what happened:
Airing on May 4th:
– NXT Champion Samoa Joe was in the ring to open up the show, when Eric Young made his debut by coming out to challenge Joe to a match. Joe accepts and says he’ll destroy him.
– Nia Jax def. Tessa Blanchard
– Austin Aries def. Tye Dillinger
– The Revival def. The Hype Bros
– No Way Jose def. Noah Kekoa
– Non-Title Match: Samoa Joe def. Eric Young via submission
Airing on May 11th:
– Finn Balor opens the show and cuts a promo about losing the NXT Title. Elias Samson confronts him and Balor lays him out.
– American Alpha def. Skyler & Hollis
– Shinsuke Nakamura def. Alex Riley
– Alexa Bliss def. Rachel
– Finn Balor def. Elias Samson. After the match Balor demanded a rematch with Samoa Joe. Joe comes out and William Regal books them in a match for NXT Takeover.
– Asuka def. Adrienne Reese
Airing on May 18th:
– Austin Aries and Shinsuke Nakamura def. Blake and Murphy
– Carmella def. Peyton Royce
– Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa def. Martin Stone & Rob Ryzin
It was revealed at Thursday’s NXT TV tapings that Samoa Joe will be defending his NXT Title in the main event of the next NXT Takeover special. His opponent will be former champion Finn Balor. Joe beat Balor for the NXT Championship at a live event last week.
The next Takeover special will take place on June 8th at Full Sail University in Winter Park, FL and will air on the WWE Network.
The title match between Joe and Balor is the only match announced for the card as of this writing.
– TV host Andrea D’Marco recently announced on Twitter that she will be joining NXT. It’s unknown when she’ll first appear on NXT TV, but she says her first day was Monday, so it’s likely she’ll be at tonight’s tapings. D’Marco is a former Miami Dolphins Cheerleader who has previously worked for several South Florida TV channels.
I'm working as host for NXT. I'm learning the ropes and ready for this amazing opportunity! https://t.co/uLQpHOF2Or
– WWE tapes episodes of NXT TV on Thursday night at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida. Stars advertised for the tapings include NXT Champion Samoa Joe, Finn Balor, Shinsuke Nakamura, Asuka, and Austin Aries. Aries will be featured in action on next week’s episode. We’ll have spoilers from the tapings later tonight.
– Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady made their WWE in-ring debuts on this week’s SmackDown when they defeated The Ascension. WWE posted the above video following the airing of the match where Cass talks about joining the WWE main roster and going for the Tag Team Titles.
– WWE announced on Friday that the next NXT Takeover live special would take place on June 8th. They also reported that the next set of NXT TV tapings will be on May 19th and June 9th at Full Sail University in Winter Park, FL.
During a recent appearance on the Ross Report podcast, Jim Cornette spoke to Jim Ross about Shinsuke Nakamura and how he feels the Japanese wrestling sensation will fare in WWE.
At this point there’s no question as to whether or not Nakamura has the tools to succeed. Besides being a world-class in-ring talent, his charisma is electric and his appeal is undeniable. As somebody who knows talent as well as anybody, Cornette feels that Nakamura’s upside in WWE is more dependent on Vince McMahon’s preferences than Nakamura’s abilities.
“I think it comes down to he will be a superstar in NXT and people are going to love him whenever he appears with that brand,” Cornette said. “And when he gets to the main roster, I’ve got to be honest with you, I think it depends on how Vince sees him.”
He continued, “Obviously, everything [in WWE] depends on how Vince sees something, but he hasn’t had the best track record, and I’ll tell you, it’s not a racist thing with international stars, whether it be luchadores, whether it be Japanese talent, [or] whether it be anybody from Europe. Sometimes, the chairman does not understand what they have meant to their world because he’s so isolated in his and he tries, possibly, to remake them in the image that he perceives for them. That may not work.”
Cornette feels that in certain ways, Nakamura is in the same boat as WWE legends like Steve Austin and Brock Lesnar were – “essentially the more [Nakamura] is himself and he’s allowed to do his thing, the better off he’ll be.”
Visit PodcastOne.com to listen to The Ross Report and check out Jim Cornette’s weekly podcast over at MLW Radio.
H/T to William Windsor at WrestlingINC.com for the quote transcript
NXT World Champion Finn Balor recently spoke with Phil Strum of The Poughkeepsie Journal about how his goal when he came to WWE being to headline WrestleMania. Balor admitted that he “took a different direction” than the one he originally planned.
“Absolutely. I came to WWE to be on WrestleMania and to be in a WrestleMania main event. I won’t say I got sidetracked, but I took a different direction. I get to work with NXT and be a part of something I can consider incredibly special. I stumbled upon this little pot of gold with NXT. It wasn’t the plan when I came here, but it’s all of my focus. I’m proud to be the standard-bearer for NXT. I believe I will get the callup eventually, but I want to leave NXT in better condition than I found it. I want to leave the best footprint I can with NXT possible. With a third brand, at the end of the day, it’s great for wrestling fans. The more wrestling we have, the better. The better job I do, the more possibility of that coming true.”
The reigning NXT Champion also spoke about the pride he takes in being the standard-bearer for the NXT brand.
“When I came to NXT, it was very much a developmental brand. In the last year and a half, with the help of an incredible bunch of talent, we were able to grow NXT as the third global brand for WWE. I’m very proud to be the standard-bearer and a lot of responsibility goes with that, obviously. I thrive under pressure. I would be more worried if I was not the standard-bearer. I don’t take it for granted. I’ve worked hard for 15 years to be in the position I’m in. I’m not going to let up or let go any time soon.
– The following matches will take place on tonight’s episode of NXT on the WWE Network. These were taped at last weekend’s WrestleMania AXXESS event from Dallas, TX:
Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Elias Samson
NXT Women’s Champion Asuka vs. Eva Marie
Carmella vs. Aliyah
Dash and Dawson vs. Local wrestlers
Hype Bros vs. Blake and Murphy
– Lat week, WWE filed for several trademarks related to Shinsuke Nakamura:
WWE submitted Trademarks for "Shinsuke Nakamura" (name/clothing) and "King of Strong Style" (name) on 4/8/16. pic.twitter.com/CKvmH4yqof
WWE issued a press release today announcing a number of new developmental signings. With a group that includes a few well-known names in there as well as more obscure international wrestlers, let’s take a look at who the newest additions to the developmental system:
Michael Nicholls and Shane Veryzer of Perth, Australia are Mikey Nichols and Shane Haste, also known as The Mighty Don’t Kneel (TMDK). They were the top foreign tag team in Japan’s Pro Wrestling Noah for several years and were due to sign about a year ago when Haste blew out his knee. It was considered a forgone conclusion that they’d sign once he was cleared and their work visas were in order. With their size, look, athleticism, and ability it was always inevitable that they’d go to WWE at some point.
Nicola Glencross of Glasgow, Scotland is well-known female wrestler Nikki Storm. “Glencross has eight years of experience wrestling on the independent circuit for Japanese Women Pro-Wrestling (JWP), Pro Wrestling Eve, Scottish Wrestling Alliance, Insane Championship Wrestling, Pro Wrestling Elite, Stardom and Shine.”
Daniella Kamela of Los Angeles, California was a Tough Enough finalist. “Trained with Rikishi Fatu and David Gangrel Heath at Knokx Pro Entertainment, Kamela was an on-air talent for FOX Sports Arizona, Phoenix Suns dancer and Arizona Cardinals cheerleader.”
Macey Estrella of Parris Island, South Carolina has some experience with smaller indies but would be best known as the blonde haired women who cut a really passionate promo at a tryout camp that was aired on Breaking Ground. “Trained with Tom Caiazzo of American Premier Wrestling, Estrella is a former U.S. Marine and mmber of the Marine Corps SWAT Team.”
Nikola Bogojevic of Superior, Wisconsin is a Gerald Brisco recruit. “World-class Greco Roman Wrestler who was the National Champion in Greco Roman Wrestling at the Junior Pan-American Games in 2011. Bogojevic also won bronze at the Pan-American Games in Greco Roman Wrestling in 2014 and has extensive experience training at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado.”
Terrance Jean-Jacques of Boston, Massachusetts is another Gerald Brisco recruit, and he parlayed his amateur wrestling credentials into a single pro MMA fight. “Standing 6 feet 3 inches and weighing 265 pounds, Jean-Jacques was an All-American wrestler at the University of Rhode Island in 2015. Prior to that, he accumulated a 32-2 record in wrestling at the University of Iowa.”
Babatunde Aiyegbusi of Olesnica, Poland is a non-wrestler athlete who was recruited into the system. “Standing 6 feet 9 inches and weighing 350 pounds, Aiyegbusi is a former professional football player who had stints in Poland and Germany. Most recently, he spent the 2015 pre-season with the Minnesota Vikings as an offensive lineman.”
Bianca Blair of Knoxville, Tennessee is another non-wrestler recruit. “Blair was an All-American and All-SEC track & field performer in hurdles at the University of Tennessee, and was named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll in 2011 and 2012. A CrossFit competitor and powerlifter, Blair has been featured in RX Magazine, Femme Rouge Magazine and CrossFit.com.”
Carolyn Dunning of Las Vegas, Nevada is one of the non-wrestler recruits, with her background being as a fitness model. “Dunning is a former Air Force ROTC member and nationally ranked bodybuilding bikini competitor by The National Physique Committee (NPC).”
Shinsuke Nakamura received 4 staples on the back of his head after working singles match at Friday night’s NXT live event from South Carolina.
Nakamura wrestled against Manny Andrade (formerly known as La Sombra) at the NXT live event in Columbia, South Carolina last night and during their match, Nakamura appeared to be hurt.
Andrade executed a moonsault off the top rope, landing on Nakamura on the floor. After taking the move, Nakamura remained on the ground. The match was stopped for approximately two minutes while medical officials checked on him. Luckily, he was able to get up and finish the match.
Nakamura’s suffered a significant cut during the match and tweeted out this photo afterwards:
The following are results from last night’s NXT live event from Concord, North Carolina, which featured NXT Champion Finn Balor and Shinsuke Nakamura teaming up in the main event:
– “No Way Jose” Levis Valenzuela defeated Riddick Moss.
– Elias Samson defeated John Skyler.
– Alex Riley defeated Wesley Blake.
– Eva Marie defeated Carmella. After the match, Carmella attacked Eva.
– NXT Tag Team Champions Jordan & Gable retained against Dash and Dawson.
– Austin Aries defeated Manny Andrade.
– Tom Phillips came to the ring and invited a couple to join him. The guy proposed to his girlfriend and she said yes.
– NXT Women’s Champion Asuka defeated Peyton Royce. Eva Marie interrupted the match to tell Asuka she’ll be challenging for the Women’s championship at Friday night’s show from Columbia, South Carolina. After the match, Asuka grabbed a mic and said, “Eva Marie. Tomorrow night I kick your ass.”
– NXT Champion Finn Balor and Shinsuke Nakamura defeated Tye Dillinger and Baron Corbin in the main event. The fans in attendance knew they were being treated to something special, as the crowd was super into the match. After the match, both Nakamura and Balor briefly spoke to the crowd before celebrating. Balor grabbed a fan sign teasing the arrival of his former Bullet Club partners Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson.
