– NXT head writer Ryan Ward has been moved to the SmackDown writing team, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. No word yet on who will be replacing him. WWE has already taped NXT TV through WrestleMania weekend, so we’ll see next month if the there are any noticeable changes.
– WWE is already booking talent for this summer’s Global Cruiserweight Series. Several top independent wrestlers have already been contacted about participating in the series.
– Former UFC fighter Matt Riddle recently spoke to the Orlando Sentinel regarding reports that he could be headed to NXT in the near future. Riddle, who has received a WWE tryout and currently wrestles for EVOLVE, said:
“I haven’t heard anything. I’ve heard the rumors, and I’d love to do it, but I don’t know. Right now, I’m too focused on EVOLVE, and ecstatic to see what comes next.”
– There is an online petition for a statue of the late “Macho Man” Randy Savage to be erected in his home city of Columbus, Ohio.
Following this week’s episode of NXT, we’ve got two big matches announced for next month’s NXT Takeover: Dallas event.
Samoa Joe defeated Sami Zayn in a Best of 3 Falls match to earn a shot at Finn Balor’s NXT Championship. NXT General Manager William Regal also announced that Austin Aries will face the man who spoiled his NXT debut last week, Baron Corbin.
WWE also announced that former New Japan Pro Wrestling star Shinsuke Nakamura will debut at Takeover: Dallas.
Based on recent NXT TV tapings, we know there are 3 more matches confirmed for the card as well.
NXT Takeover: Dallas takes place on Friday night, April 1st in Dallas, Texas at Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center. The show will air live on the WWE Network.
NXT has grown into a touring brand beloved by fans around the world, but WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon is not entirely sold on its potential. According to Dave Meltzer in the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Vince is largely not convinced NXT talent are “stars” who can draw money in WWE. Meltzer wrote:
“Vince isn’t going to step aside, but there is a lot of concern about the rigid decision making and limited viewpoint on who can be real top stars. While publicly HHH will say Vince loves NXT, the internal perception is very different, seeing it as a touring brand filled with so many guys Vince doesn’t believe are money.”
Several of NXT’s top stars have publicly stated they are in no rush to join WWE’s main roster. Back in December, NXT Champion Finn Balor stated on the Sam Roberts Wrestling Podcast, “I feel like to get quote, unquote called up to the main roster would be, maybe, like a step back for my career right [now].”
NXT Women’s Champion Bayley echoed the same sentiment late last year, telling The Independent, “I definitely want to be a part of it but I’m not in any rush right now. NXT is so huge and we’re already doing something very special here, so if I was on the main roster right now I’d feel that I was missing out with what’s going on in NXT.”
The handling of Tyler Breeze on the main roster has been a big warning sign to NXT talent. After being a staple of NXT for years and being featured prominently on Breaking Ground, Breeze has been relegated to ‘enhancement talent’ since his debut.
Earning a spot on the main roster is still the ultimate goal of most in NXT, as it means big league money, global exposure and the fulfillment of a lifelong dream. However, it’s not without significant risk, at least under WWE’s current regime.
Last August, WWE sued CTH Content Company, their TV partner in Thailand. Essentially, from the first quarterly invoice of the contract (covering the first quarter of 2014), CTH just didn’t pay WWE the agreed upon licensing fee, which was $560,000 per quarter in 2014 and $728,000 per quarter in 2015. CTH also never provided WWE a bank guarantee for each year’s total license fee, something else that they were required to do under the contract Throughout that whole period, CTH was running WWE programming. CTH never replied to the lawsuit, and on Thursday the judge entered a default judgment in favor of WWE in the amount of the full five year contract plus interest on the late payments:
ORDER granting 16 Motion for Default Judgment pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P. 55, as the Plaintiff’s claim is for a sum certain and is supported by affidavits showing the amount due. The Clerk is directed to enter judgment against Defendants CTH Content Company Limited and CTH Public Company Limited, jointly and severally, in the total amount of 23,387,360.76, representing liquidated damages of $22,942,500 and contractual interest of $444,860.76. Plaintiff may file a motion for supplemental judgment with an affidavit demonstrating Plaintiff’s entitlement to any interest for the period from 11/1/16 to 3/3/16. Signed by Judge Vanessa L. Bryant on 3/3/16.
With CTH being based out of Thailand and WWE winning a judgment in federal district court in Connecticut, it’s unclear if they have any chance of collecting the monetary award. This was not the first time WWE had to file such a lawsuit against a TV partner in that part of the world, as in 2013, they sued Solar Entertainment in the Philippines for similar non-payment issues. In that case, they had been doing business with Solar since 2007 when the problems arose. They also sued a South Korean home video distributor for non-payment in 2003 as well as filing another lawsuit in 2010 against a Portuguese clothing licensee for illegally sub-licensing to a different company in France.
As far as any kind of interesting information surfacing in the lawsuit, there was a little bit, as WWE included their licensing agreement as an exhibit. That included the itemized list of how much CTH was paying (well, supposed to pay) for each WWE TV show:
For 2014, the first year of the contract (it went up each year), the full three hour version of Raw was the most expensive show per episode at $13,461.54 ($700,000 per year).
Vintage Collection was the cheapest at $1,076.92 per episode ($56,000 per year).
NXT was the second lowest priced show, at $1,615.38 per episode ($84,000 per year). No other shows were under $100,000 per year.
By comparison, Superstars and Main Event (as well as recap show AfterBurn for some reason) were $5,384.62 per episode ($284,000 per year).
The other recap shows, Bottom Line, WWE Experience, and This Week In WWE, were exactly half the “C-show” price, which SmackDown doubled the “C-shows,” though it was the same price per hour of programming. That says a lot about the value of Smackdown in 2014, or it least it seems that way.
NXT Diva Emma was knocked unconscious in the ring by Asuka at Friday night’s live event from Cleveland, Ohio. Asuka unleashed a flurry of offense on Emma that ended with a stiff kick to the face.
– Triple H announced yesterday that NXT will will be holding a live event from Kingston, Rhode Island on April 22nd. Tickets go on sale this Friday.
– Gabe Sapolsky announced on Monday that NXT General Manager William Regal will be in attendance for EVOLVE’s upcoming live events from Queens and Brooklyn, New York:
– NXT star Chad Gable got an endorsement this week from Olympic wrestling legend Dan Gable. Dan Gable won the gold medal at the 1972 games without giving up a single point. He was also the head wrestling coach at the University of Iowa and led his students to 15 NCAA titles in a 21 year priod (76-97).
WWE.com has published a lengthy feature looking at the first incarnation of NXT to celebrate the brand’s 6-year anniversary. Several members from the early seasons were interviewed, including Chris Jericho, Kaitlyn, AJ Lee, Daniel Bryan, Bad News Barrett and more. Here are some quick highlights:
AJ Lee: “That was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life. I hope people realize how lucky they are that they don’t have to have chocolate-eating contests and gift-unwrapping contests and dance contests their first day on television [laughs]. We didn’t sleep. Just busy every day, working and training in locker-rooms that were basically large closets.”
Wade Barrett: “When I first heard the idea I didn’t like it. I thought it was like a Total Divas kind of reality show. I thought it was gonna be a bunch of us living outside the ring and being followed around, which I really didn’t like at all. But once I realized it was a competition based on in-ring talent and in-ring talent only, I got a lot more comfortable with it. That’s when I sized up the opposition and really felt confident of winning.”
On Wednesday afternoon, NXT Women’s Champion Bayley noted on Twitter that she was heading to WWE headquarters in Stamford, CT for a “very important business meeting.” Later in the day, she followed up and revealed that she was there to film an episode for the “Edge and Christian’s Show That Totally Reeks of Awesomeness” WWE Network show.
Rob Naylor, who worked as Creative Assistant under Dusty Rhodes in Florida Championship Wrestling/WWE NXT from 2011 to 2013, tweeted some interesting stuff over the weekend. He kept formats, memos, and other documents from his time with WWE and decided to make some images of them public…
Format sheet for the first Full Sail University pilot taping in 2011 (note the puns):
Another gem. Before there was "NXT" – a secret pilot was taped at "Full Sail". Dream dubbed it "Project H" #1stdraftpic.twitter.com/jqJOr8nRLr
A list of indie wrestlers from 2012 that Naylor would sign if he could, which he was asked to make by Triple H’s assistant (the note about Alex Shelley being clear of a TNA contract is most likely due to TNA’s lawsuit against WWE and Brian Wittenstein being an ongoing matter at the time):
Naylor also mentioned that he found other things going through his collection of records, like performance reviews and a list of tips from Ricky Steamboat on how to work babyface, so hopefully there’s more to come.
In the latest sign of how WWE is changing, at least within the developmental system, Chikara founder and head trainer Mike Quackenbush was brought in as an NXT Guest Coach at the WWE Performance Center a few weeks ago. A veteran indie cruiserweight who originally had no formal pro wrestling training, prefers international wrestling, and runs a wacky comic book-inspired promotion does not sound like the type of person they’d normally look to. But times have changed, and they’ve changed so much that WWE.com actually interviewed him about the trip. That is also notable because a ton of guest coaches come through without public fanfare. You should check out the whole interview, but here are some of the highlights:
How did he end up being brought in as a guest coach?
Two WWE talents who spent some time at The Wrestle Factory had gone to bat for me and sung my praises to Head Coach Matt Bloom, those people being [Assistant Head Coach] Sara Amato and Cesaro. They were kind enough to stick their necks out a little bit for me. It came together very quickly through Coach Bloom and I was able to come down to the Performance Center and do my thing. […] I might have said [I was surprised] as well two weeks ago. I was really pleasantly surprised that they brought me down and gave me the measure of trust that they did in instructing this type of class and that type of class. I feel like I really got to put all of my skills to work in a variety of different ways and settings. They showed me such respect and trust in giving me the reigns. That was surprising and very flattering.
What did he want the talent to take away from what he taught?
I wanted to leave everyone at the PC with a sense of my passion for the craft, and to renew their belief in this simple thing, which I think goes overlooked when you spend hours in the ring, gym and on the road: The true net yield of wrestling is always joy. It is our responsibility to give that to our audience, time and time again. Sometimes, you need to hear a different voice, a different perspective on it to remind you of the value of it. That’s what we’re trying to give the audience. You have people down there from all over the world, from all kinds of disciplines, different age groups, they speak different languages. If I was able to remind them of that in a way that really resonated, then I think I did my job.
The article has a whole lot more, including Quack talking about working as a road agent/producer at that weekend’s NXT live events, spending time with Chad Gable, and much more.
I look back at the Attitude Era, which was historical for me, but I look at NXT and I see I’m a part of history. I can look back and tell my kids, and my grandkids that I was a part of NXT when it was growing.
Swearing during his NXT Takeover entrance:
People still make fun of me about it. I had rehearsed my entrance backstage, but I remember coming out and the first thing I did was cuss.
How stacked is the NXT roster?
The roster from top to bottom is talented. We want to challenge and outdo each other in a friendly and competitive way [every show]. [The audience] is going to have so much fun, and they’re going to want more. The environment is going to be through the roof.
Austin Aries made his NXT live event debut at Thursday’s event in Upper Darby, PA at the Tower Theater.
He teamed with NXT Champion Finn Balor against Samoa Joe and Baron Corbin in the main event. Balor and Aries were victorious. Balor had been out of action for several weeks due to a badly sprained ankle.
Last night, Wrestling Twitter was abuzz over something that had been discovered when a fan was playing around with Google Translate. Apparently trying to figure out if there was some special meaning to Sami Zayn’s name (or more likely just playing around), someone translated “Sami Zayn” from English to Arabic. Remember, Rami Sebei, the man behind Sami Zayn, is of Syrian descent, so it’s not like this was the most random thing in the world. So then, when you translate the Arabic text back to English, it says…El Generico??!?!?
Clearly, there’s a big wrestling fan at the Google Translate team as no, that’s not any kind of real translation. Other machine translation sites, like the one on Bing, turn it into “Zain Sami,” and El Generico was, of course, Rami Sebei’s pre-WWE gimmick. Officially, though, they’re friends, as opposed to the Hideo Itami, Finn Balor, and Asuka treatment of acknowledging their past with different names.
It wouldn’t be a huge surprise if there were more wrestling relate Easter eggs like this within Google Translate, but since this one is so perfect, it may be best if they just stopped with this one. They can’t top it.
WWE doing a “cruiserweight show” of some kind as a WWE Network project has been rumored for years now, going back even before the network launched. Back in 2012, when WWE was first shooting pilots at Full Sail University before the launch of the current version of NXT, one of those pilots was some kind of cruiserweight show. The rumors kept going as for a while, disappeared last year, and finally returned a few months ago when it finally got close to reality. Yesterday, WWE finally announced the Global Cruiserweight Series, which is coming in July with 32 wrestlers from around the world.
There’s always been a complicated relationship between WWE and smaller wrestlers. Historically, even long before Vincent Kennedy McMahon was in charge, the WWWF/the Capitol Wrestling Corporation was a territory built around bigger wrestlers working a slower style, with a heroic champion slaying giants in main events. That a big (pun not intended) reason why the rings are bigger and were historically harder than other promotions’ rings for many years, as well. That informed McMahon’s preferences, and so on and so forth.
Even when they eventually tried, they badly missed the mark. In 1997, after the cruiserweight division became a key ingredient in WCW’s success, the WWF light heavyweight division was launched. The problem was that it was badly mismatched mix of great junior heavyweights from around the world (TAKA Michinoku, Mr. Aguila, Pantera, and so on) with whatever shorter wrestlers they had hesitated in signing before, like Scott Putski and Brian Christopher (who was a great performer, but wrong stylistically). It never clicked, and eventually disappeared from TV for long stretches of time. Eventually, it improved, and while there were hiccups, the version that inherited the WCW Cruiserweight Championship as a WWE belt featured good action in the style fans wanted.
Until it vanished after Hornswoggle won the title.
So you can see how WWE introducing the Global Cruiserweight series is a big change, In context, though, it’s not surprising at tall that it’s happening now. PWInsider’s interview with Triple H yesterday made it very clear.that this is one of his projects, and, well, look at what’s happened with NXT. If this was ever going to happen, it was going to happen now. WWE is now actively recruiting from “workrate indies,” the same people they laughed at a decade ago, and paid good money to lure Shinsuke Nakamura from New Japan Pro Wrestling. Even if the main roster shows still have issues, this is not the WWE we used to know.
Of course, the question is if any of this can make its way to the main shows. Triple H is not in charge of the main roster shows, Vince McMahon is. Based on how Raw has looked as of late, it seems like it could be a long time before any of this is reflected on “Vince’s” shows. But it’s a start.
NXT fans who attended Friday night’s live event from Tampa, FL were treated to a match between Sami Zayn and newcomer Manny Andrade, formerly known as the masked luchador La Sombra.
NXT star Riddick Moss got knocked out at last night’s NXT live event from Jacksonville, Florida.
The 6-man tag team main event featured Sami Zayn, Enzo Amore and Colin Cassidy vs. Riddick Moss and NXT Tag Team Champions Dash and Dawson. The match ended in a no-contest when Moss was injured during a triple suplex spot.
The match ended in a no contest and Moss was tended to by the trainers. After he was eventually helped out of the ring, Zayn addressed the audience and said Moss told him he’ll be fine. The babyfaces then hit their finishers on Dash and Dawson to end the show.
NXT stars Bull Dempsey, Sylvester Lefort & Marcus Louis are no longer with WWE. All 3 of their profiles have been removed from the company website.
Update: We can confirm Oscar Vasquez and Pete Howard have also been released. Vasquez is a 31-year old Luchador who has worked for TNA and ROH and just started working NXT live events last month. Howard is a former pro rugby player from the UK.
Jim Ross has posted his latest blog entry at JRsBarBQ.com covering some of the biggest stories in the pro wrestling world. As always, he gives his thoughts from his unique perspective as a wrestling announcer and executive with decades of experience. Here are some of the more notable comments from Ross this time out:
On Shinsuke Nakamura and discussions of whether or not WWE will change his name:
I have no issues with WWE changing Shinsuke Nakamura’s ring name if they choose. WWE should own the talent’s names and/or have the legal rights to protect their intellectual property in the show biz world of pro wrestling. It’s sound business and won’t adversely affect how Nakamura gets over with the fans. In the eyes of many, mine too, Nakamura is one of the most gifted talents in the world and brings as much natural charisma to his presentation as any one in the business today.
On Awesome Kong being sent home from TNA’s UK tour due to an incident with Reby Sky:
Sorry to see one of my favorite female grapplers, Awesome Kong, involved in controversy in the UK that saw TNA send Kong home from the tour there. I don’t know the complete story but It’s regrettable nonetheless. Kong has the ability to help any company IMO. Let’s hope that this matter is addressed and all parties can move positively forward. One has to ask if TNA knew that there were lingering issues between the two ladies in question here why didn’t they address such and attempt to clear the air if they didn’t?
On the fans dressed up as past stars at Raw:
Don’t understand why WWE is allegedly not pleased that some fans dressed up as WWE stars no a recent RAW which saw @TheRock interact with them. I thought it was entertaining.
And of course, he extends some well-wishes to Bret Hart:
Best wishes to @BretHart on his upcoming battle with Prostate Cancer. I’d lay my money on The Hitman to kick Cancer’s ass.
The full blog post includes thoughts on Braun Strowman, some vague notes on a meeting Ross has this weekend, NXT vs. Raw, and more.
Tye Dillinger was injured at Saturday night’s NXT live event from Detroit, Michigan. During his match against Sami Zayn, Dillinger was suplex and landed badly on his left foot. The referee called an audible and Dillinger rolled to the outside and was counted out. He was helped to the back by officials and Sami cut a promo after the match putting over the crowd.
The following are results from the show and video of Dillinger’s injury:
Enzo & Big Cass beat The Vaudevillians.
Carmella defeated Alexa Bliss via submission.
Elias Sampson defeated Johnny Gargano.
The Sami Zayn beat Tye Dillinger by count-out after Dillinger injured his foot.
Women’s Champion Bayley beat Nia Jax with the Bayley To Belly suplex.
American Alpha beat NXT tag champs Dash and Dawson via DQ.
NXT Champion Finn retained in a 4-way match against Baron Corbin, Samoa Joa and Apollo Crews. Joe had Corbin in rear naked choke when Apollo hit standing moonsault and covered both guys for a 2-count. Balor delivered a double stomp Corbin and pinned him for the win.
A topic that’s gotten some attention this past week on wrestling websites and social media has been the continuing discussion of WWE’s treatment of women both behind the scenes and in terms of their storytelling. While this has been brewing for a while because of the whole NXT Women’s Division vs. WWE Divas’ Division dynamic, it came to a head this past week because of two moments on WWE programming:
Ric Flair forcibly kissing Becky Lynch as a distraction spot and the announcers laughing it off as a comedy spot.
The Rock’s entire interaction with Lana, who was returning to TV after a noticeable absence, being about the idea that she cheated on Rusev with him when he last appeared on Monday Night Raw.
Today, the topic was explored in an article at Vocative by Alex Groot titled “WWE’s Looming Sexism Problem.” When asked for comment on the piece, WWE issued the following statement:
WWE programming, which features fictional characters that cover a range of personalities similar to movies and television shows, tells stories of good versus evil. In addition, as our on-going storylines develop, we will continue to position women as both strong competitors and compelling individuals.
Of course, as mentioned by Groot, even if you can argue that at least Flair was an evil villain doing evil things, The Rock was the babyface and Lana was the heel.
James Storm has had a strange last several months of his career: He left TNA, made a few appearances on WWE television doing guest spots on NXT, never left TNA television because they taped the World Title Series before he left, and then returned to TNA in lieu of signing with WWE. One of TNA’s signature stars, he’s been promoting TNA’s upcoming tour of the United Kingdom, and one of his stops was an interview with RealSport. Here are some of the highlights:
Making the decision to return to TNA:
I’ve been with TNA since the very beginning and I want to see them succeed, I feel like I have a lot to give not just to TNA but the wrestling business as a whole, I just felt that right now I can help TNA out a lot.
Was teaching younger wrestlers something that excited him about NXT?
Oh yeah, it kind of reminded me of when TNA was first starting out, all the guys are hungry and had a chip on their shoulders looking to prove they have what it takes.
His thoughts on if Triple H winning the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at the Royal Rumble was too predictable and/or stale:
Yeah, a lot of people have asked me this question, and I always say wait to see how the story plays out, because it can help to build a bigger star. Especially now that you want to see Triple H get beat. Its genuine, real heat, you’re there thinking this SOB, I really want this guy to get beat now.
Make sure to check out the full interview for more on his return to TNA, including the Beer Money reunion.
NXT Women’s Champion Bayley spoke with WZYZ.com this week to promote NXT’s first-ever live event from Detroit, Michigan this Saturday at the Royal Oak Music Center. Here are the highlights of what she said:
Winning NXT’s Female Competitor Of The Year & MOTY [Iron Man vs. Sasha Banks at Takeover: Respect]
“Female Competitor of the Year, I was really surprised because of the other girls that were in it,” Bayley said. “The match of the year , I always get emotional when someone brings it up or talks about it. It was really cool. I’m glad to have something like that to share with her forever.”
Getting Called Up To The Main Roster:
“Getting to WWE is always on my mind because it’s what I’ve wanted to be since I was 10,” she said. “That’s my ultimate goal as much as I love NXT; I want to be on the big stage.”
In what should not come as a surprise after WWE announced Shinsuke Nakamura’s debut last night, the departing New Japan Pro Wrestling star is off their 14th Anniversary Show pay-per-view event on February 26th in Las Vegas. His replacement will be someone else from NJPW, but who exactly that is hasn’t been announced as of yet. Here’s the official announcement:
NAKAMURA OUT FOR VEGAS
Thanks to the Best Fans on the Planet, 2015 was Ring of Honor’s BIGGEST year to date! With our sights set on an EVEN BIGGER 2016, ROH heads to Las Vegas to celebrate our 14th ANNIVERSARY for two GIANT events emanating from Sam’s Town Casino!
Limited tickets still remain for the hard-hitting, fast-paced, Best Wrestling on the Planet when it returns to Sin City with the STARS OF NEW JAPAN PRO WRESTLING for the 14th Anniversary Pay Per View on Friday February 26 and our national television taping on Saturday February 27! Our pay per view main event is set: ROH World Champion JAY LETHAL with TRUTH MARTINI will defend against top challengers ADAM COLE and KYLE O’REILLY in a triple threat match! Keep ROH Wrestling tuned in on your Sinclair Broadcasting affiliates and Comet for more match announcements involving the stars of ROH and NJPW!
Many Ring of Honor fans were looking forward to “The King of Strong Style” SHINSUKE NAKAMURA appearing throughout Ring of Honor’s 14th Anniversary Weekend. It is with great regret that we must inform our fans that Nakamura will no longer be competing the weekend of ROH’s 14th Anniversary.
While Nakamura is unable to compete, a New Japan Pro Wrestling star has already signed to take “The King of Strong Style’s” place! Will it be a star making his first journey to the US? Will it be a star returning to ROH? Keep your browsers locked on ROHWrestling.com in the coming days to see which New Japan star will be replacing Nakamura in Sin City!
Limited tickets still remain for the 14th Anniversary Pay Per View extravaganza as well as our GIGANTIC NATIONAL TELEVISION TAPING the following night featuring the stars of New Japan Pro Wrestling! Click HERE to purchase tickets for the 14th Anniversary Pay Per View and HERE to purchase tickets for our national television taping the following night!
Here’s an updated preview for the show:
TRIPLE THREAT ROH WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP Jay Lethal (c) w/ Truth Martini vs Adam Cole vs Kyle O’Reilly
WWE taped matches for March’s episodes of NXT TV on Wednesday night 1/27 from Full Sail University in Winter Park, FL.
Dark Match: Adrienne Reese defeated Billie Kay.
Results for the March 9th episode:
2 Out Of Three Falls Match: Samoa Joe vs. Sami Zayn. Joe won the first fall with the Muscle Buster. Zayn won the second fall by submission. Joe won the third and final fall by submission.
Results for the March 16th episode:
Hype Bros defeated two jobbers.
Emma with Dana Brooke defeated Deonna Purrazzo
Tommaso Ciampa defeated Jesse Sorenson.
Bayley and Asuka defeated Eva Marie and Nia Jax. Pot-match, William Regal announced Bayley vs. Asuka at NXT Takeover: Dallas.
Results for the March 23rd episode:
Chad Gable and Jason Jordan defeated The Vaudevillains to become the new #1 contenders for the Tag Team Titles.
Sami Zayn cuts a promo in the ring about having a war with Samoa Joe in their 2 out of three falls match. Shinsuke Nakamura then popped up on the big screen. A match between the two is booked by William Regal at NXT Takeover: Dallas.
James Storm, who returned to TNA earlier this month after briefly appearing on NXT, recently discussed how the two companies compare. In an interview with Radio Yorkshire to promote TNA’s upcoming UK tour, Storm said NXT reminded him of the younger talent in TNA.
“It was cool being in NXT, I made a lot of new friends, I saw a lot of old friends as well,” Storm said. “I think NXT reminded me of a young TNA group, guys who were out to prove they deserved to be there and in TNA guys are trying to prove they can hang with The Wolves, Matt Hardy… the two groups don’t hate each other, they have to go out and do their job to the best of their abilities.”
