SEScoops

Category: NXT

  • Jim Ross Makes Interesting Comment About Samoa Joe, Mick Foley’s Family Attends NXT Tapings

    WWE Hall Of Famer Mick Foley, along with his children, attended last night’s NXT television tapings at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida.

    NXT Diva Dana Brooke posted the following photo of herself with the Foley’s at the show last night.

    WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross was also in attendance at the tapings. JR noted that he saw Samoa Joe earlier in the day in Orlando, Florida, but did not specify where. JR tweeted the following about attending the NXT taping and taping the “Cheap Pops” special with Mick Foley for the WWE Network tonight.

  • Solomon Crowe Gets New Theme, New NXT Talent Works Matches, SmackDown Fallout

    – Solomon Crowe debuted new theme music at the NXT television tapings on Thursday night at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida. Fans will get to hear the new theme when his match with Baron Corbin airs on the May 13th edition of NXT TV.

    – Speaking of last night’s NXT tapings, WWE had the new Performance Center female recruits work matches against the NXT Divas during the show. If the matches make it to air, they will be included on shows that air in May. The new male recruits from the Performance Center worked as security guards in an angle during the taping involving Rhyno.

    – Seth Rollins and Kane are featured in this week’s edition of SmackDown Fallout, which you can check out below.

  • WWE Reportedly Sees Big Potential In NXT Newcomer Dylan Miley

    WWE officials are said to be very high on NXT newcomer Dylan Miley, particularly due to his unique look.

    Miley has recently made some in-ring appearances at NXT live events and is reportedly scheduled to make his official debut in the near future.

    Dylan Miley is a 6’3”, 285 pound athlete with enormous hands. The NXT rookie sports red trunks and red boots, as pictured below.

    Miley made an appearance at WrestleMania 31 Axxess and it was said that of the many NXT stars that worked matches that fans probably didn’t know, he was someone that made people stop and take notice when he came out.

    The NXT rookie is said to be very green in the ring, and appears to be a long-term project for WWE. In the short match he worked at Axxess, he showed very little in the ring in terms of skills, but it was clear to everyone that he has the right look and a charisma about him that can take him a long way if he improves on his fundamentals.

    (Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

  • Update On When Samoa Joe Will Make WWE Debut, WWE Planning To Push Two Stars

    – Following the retirement of AJ Lee, Lana and Eva Marie are in line for pushes. Eva Marie has been training with Brian Kendrick and WWE officials expect her to be a more well rounded performer when she returns to action.

    – Samoa Joe should be starting in NXT in June. Joe booked an independent show on May 23rd for AIW Wrestling in Cleveland, Ohio. No word on if he’s signed a WWE contract yet.

    (Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

  • Jim Ross To Attend NXT TV Tapings This Week, Talks Use Of Neville On Main WWE Roster

    WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross recently posted a new blog entry discussing attending this week’s NXT tapings, the handling of former NXT Champion Neville now that he is on the main roster and more. Below are some highlights:

    On attending this week’s NXT TV tapings: “Yours truly will head to Orlando this week to take in the NXT tapings at Full Sail University and then be a part of the Mick Foley Cheap Pops show along with @JCLayfield on Friday night at the NXT Arena.Tickets are going fast a www.me/LMJFs. I’m looking forward to seeing many old friends, the fans and watching the amazing, young talents perform in the ring on Thursday evening.”

    On the way Neville is being used: “Some fans complaining about how Neville is being utilized but if he was driven down the fans throat they would spit him back up. There is a fine balance these days on how fan favorites are marketed and going the safer, more organic route appears to be best.”

    On the many lawsuits currently being brought against WWE: “Seems like attorneys who work on contingency are spotlighting the wrestling biz these days. I’d be shocked if any of them made a dime on any of their law suits.”

    On New Japan Pro Wrestling: “To be clear, New Japan was pleased with our broadcasting work back in January at Wrestle Kingdom 9 and I’d love to do more work with them in the future if tht materializes. Nonetheless there are much larger fish to fry for them to address as it relates to doing more North American,etc PPV presentations than who will be announcing their show. I still enjoy broadcasting and hopeful to more in various genres in 2015.”

    Check out the complete blog at JRsBarBQ.com. You can also order JR’s Bar-B-Q products online (his beef jerky is my personal favorite), by going to WWEShop.com.

  • ROH Star ACH Praises Bill DeMott, Talks Training Process In WWE Tryout Camp

    Ring Of Honor wrestler ACH recently praised former NXT head trainer and controversial personality Bill DeMott while talking about his WWE tryout experience during a recent interview on The Two Man Power Trip Of Wrestling podcast. Below are some highlights from the interview.

    On attending WWE’s NXT tryout camp in 2014: “Bill DeMott was there and he was not a jackass, he was actually one of the nicest trainers, but really all of them were nice. He was just very nice and it sucks that people came out and he lost his job with these allegations. It was one of the most intense trainings or boot camps I’ve ever been to. It really all comes down to heart, wrestling is based on heart and the mental, they just want to see if they can break you and see if you can hold on, because only the strong survive in this world.”

    On feedback he received from the NXT tryout: “They just said to me not right now, which I understand. Look at the guys they’ve got there right now, good things happen to those that wait and it’s truly true. I am a firm believer in when it happens it’s supposed to happen. I can patiently wait and honestly I love the Indies. A lot of guys don’t like the Indies because a lot of guys want to hot shot and go right there because thats the big bucks and where I don’t blame them, I love what I do. I love wrestling and before I go there I want to get all that I can out of Ring of Honor, I want to be the best wrestler for Ring of Honor that I can be. I want to learn all I can right now so that I am ready.”

    On facing Samoa Joe in ROH: “There is no way I ever thought I would be in the ring with Joe, so to actually wrestle Joe was such a cool experience. But I had to fight Joe. I watched Joe knock out Kenta, so my mentality going into that match was; I am going to bring it and I know that I brought it.”

    On some of his favorite matches to date: My time limit draw with (Jay) Lethal I really enjoyed. My match with Cedric (Alexander) from Mike’s (Bennet) Bachelor Party was one of my favorite matches with Cedric, who I think does not get the props that he deserves and then my match with Jimmy Jacobs. Jimmy was someone I always wanted to wrestle and when I was going through a lot of my early issues in Ring of Honor, Jimmy was always there whispering things in my ear that kept me going. So he has been a really big help to me and I genuinely look up to him, he’s got such a great mind and is a really cool to be in the ring with.”

    Check out the complete interview at Podomatic.com.

  • NFL Star Rob Gronkowski Talks About Possibility Of Following Mojo Rawley Into WWE

    NFL star of the New England Patriots, Rob Gronkowski, who recently cut a fun promo along with NXT star and former football player Mojo Rawley, recently spoke with FOX Sports about the possibility of following Rawley from the world of football to the world of sports entertainment.

    “My boy Mojo Rawley is in the WWE’s NXT and he just got back from an injury, so he’s about to start amping it up again and he’s doing a great job,” said Gronkowski. “He’s my boy and he’s killing it. I love watching him. We were just chilling and we cut a promo together and we had a blast.”

    Regarding the possibility of following Rawley from the world of football to WWE, Gronkowski said, “I can definitely see something in the future. Hopefully Mojo Rawley starts wrestling a lot and starts doing what he has to do and makes it to “Monday Night Raw.”

    Gronkowski concluded, “If my boy is there, I’m there for an appearance.”

    Check out the complete interview at FOXSports.com.

  • Paige Posts Update On Her Status, WWE HOF’er To Attend NXT Event, HBK On Ross Report

    – WWE Hall Of Famer Shawn Michaels is the guest on the latest edition of Jim Ross’ “Ross Report” podcast this week. You can download the show right now at PodcastOne.com.

    – 2015 WWE Hall Of Fame inductee Madusa (Alundra Blayze) announced via social media that she may show up “incognito” at the upcoming NXT live event in Lakeland, Florida on Thursday, April 30th.

    – After suffering an “injury” due to the attack from Naomi on Monday’s edition of WWE RAW in London, Paige has posted the following on her official Twitter account:

    https://twitter.com/RealPaigeWWE/status/588372704400695296

  • Former TNA Star Working As Guest NXT Trainer, Sheamus On His New Theme, WWE Stock

    – Former TNA Knockout Sarita, who is working in CMLL under the name “Sarah Stock,” is working as a guest trainer at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida this week. Former WWE and WCW star Dave Taylor is also working as a guest trainer this week.

    – WWE stock was up 1.64 percent on Monday, closing at $13.64 per share. The high today was $13.88 and the low was $13.40.

    – Sheamus posted the following on his official Twitter account regarding his new theme song, “Hellfire.”

  • Uhaa Nation Comments On Finally Coming To Work For WWE

    Brian Fritz of the SportingNews.com website has an article up on the new class of NXT rookies that was announced by WWE on Monday.

    In the article, the former Uhaa Nation commented on finally coming to work for WWE.

    “I’m just going to keep my mouth closed, my eyes and ears open and listen and if there’s something they want me to do different I’ll try it out,” said Uhaa.

    “The knowledge and experience these guys have is well beyond any kind of acknowledge I have,” he continued. “I was talking to my dad about this other day and I told him that there’s no place I’d rather be than right here.”

    Check out the complete article at SportingNews.com.

  • Backstage News On Finn Balor Moving To Main WWE Roster Soon

    There has been talk within WWE as recent as WrestleMania 31 week of bringing both Neville and Finn Balor to the main WWE roster. With Neville getting the call-up two weeks ago, there continues to be speculation that Balor will soon get called up to RAW as well.

    Balor, who has been working the main roster live events as part of the WWE European tour, will also be backstage at RAW today in London. The belief is he will move to the main roster permanently without ever having a NXT Championship reign, as Kevin Owens, the current NXT Champion, is expected to have a long run with the title.

    (Credit: PWInsider.com)

  • WWE Announces New NXT Rookie Class, Triple H Comments

    WWE issued the following press release today regarding the new class of NXT rookies, with comments from Triple H.

    WWE Performance Center welcomes new class of recruits

    STAMFORD, Conn., April 13, 2015 – WWE (NYSE: WWE) today announced that a new, international class of 11 recruits, including former collegiate athletes, bodybuilders and talent from the independent wrestling circuit, from seven countries have begun training at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. The WWE Performance Center is the home of NXT®, the developmental division for WWE. With seven training rings, a world-class strength and conditioning program and cutting-edge edit and production facilities, the Performance Center will allow the new class to hone their skills through a comprehensive program that includes in-ring training, physical preparedness and character development.

    “The global reach of WWE is reflected in the diversity of this class of NXT recruits,” said Paul “Triple H” Levesque, WWE Executive Vice President, Talent, Live Events & Creative. “Talent is the most important natural resource we have, and these individuals will have every opportunity to hone their skills and fulfill their dream of becoming a WWE Superstar or Diva at the WWE Performance Center.”

    The new NXT class includes:

    Australia:
    • Cassie McIntosh (Born in Sydney, resides in Melbourne, Australia) – Trained with Pro Wrestling Alliance in Sydney since 2011. In 2012, was trained by Lance Storm, a former WWE Superstar who now runs the Storm Wrestling Academy. Proficient in dance and acrobatics.

    • Jessica McKay (Sydney, Australia) – Since 2008, has trained with Pro Wrestling Alliance in Sydney, as well as Ring of Honor.

    Canada:
    • Nhooph Al-Areebi (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) – Trained with Squared Circle since 2011 and was a member of the Toronto Circus School from 2008-2012. Also trained in rhythmic gymnastics. Speaks English and Arabic.

    Germany:
    • Axel Tischer (Dresdan, Germany) – Trained with GWF Wrestling in Berlin since 2006. Served in the German Army from 2005-2007, achieving the rank of Private First Class.

    Mexico:
    • Oscar Vasquez (Ciudad Juarez, Mexico) – Trained in Juarez in Lucha Libre style of wrestling. Worked with CWF Mid-Atlantic. Dual citizen of Mexico and the U.S.

    Serbia:
    • Radomir Petkovic (Belgrade, Serbia) – European Vice Champion at the 2010 European Wrestling Championships and was a two-time bronze medalist at 2009 Mediterranean Games in Greco-Roman and Freestyle. Speaks Russian and English.

    United Kingdom:
    • Peter Howard (Exeter, England) – Played collegiate Rugby in the UK and was a regional Discus Champion.

    United States:
    • Kenneth Crawford (Chicago, Illinois/Anson County, North Carolina) – Served in the US Marine Corps for four years and accumulated a perfect 300 score in the United States Marine Corps Physical Fitness Test. Holds the North Carolina South Piedmont and Anson High School records in the 200 meter, 400 meter and 4 X 4 relay. Anson High School Athlete of the Year in 2007.

    • Thomas Kingdon (Traverse City, Michigan) – Competed in Amateur Bodybuilding and won the Super Heavy Weight Class at the 2013 NPC Central States Competition.

    • Sesugh Uhaa (Atlanta, Georgia) – High School Soccer, Football and Track & Field star. Began training in 2009 and worked for Dragon Gate USA.

    • Levis Valenzuela Jr. (Durham, North Carolina) – Trained with CWF Mid-Atlantic in 2013. Proficient in dance and won various awards for collegiate ballroom dancing. Holds a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice from UNC Charlotte. Grew up in the United States, lived in South Korea from 2011-2013 and speaks Spanish.

    The new class will join a group of 55 men and women training out of the state-of-the-art, 26,000 square-foot WWE Performance Center. The venue offers a full training experience with real time feedback from WWE coaches, trainers and doctors, giving performers the resources they need to develop their talent both athletically and creatively. Additionally, recruits will be immersed in WWE’s Professional Development program that focuses on four key pillars of development – Life Skills, Education, Wellness and Career Success.

  • NXT Takeover & NXT TV Tapings Schedule Through November Revealed

    As noted earlier today, WWE filed a lawsuit in California last month to stop undisclosed selling of their merchandise in the area during WrestleMania 31 week. In addition to the dates and locations of the first three pay-per-views of 2016, the full schedule of planned NXT Takeover specials and television tapings through November of this year are revealed.

    Below is the NXT schedule from now until November.

    – Thursday April 23rd – NXT TV tapings
    – Wednesday, May 20th – NXT live special
    – Thursday, May 21st – NXT TV tapings
    – Thursday, June 18th – NXT TV tapings
    – Thursday, July 16th – NXT TV tapings
    – Wednesday, August 12th – NXT live special
    – Thursday, August 13th – NXT TV tapings
    – Thursday, September 10th – NXT TV tapings
    – Wednesday, October 7th – NXT live special
    – Thursday, October 8th – NXT TV tapings
    – Thursday, October 22nd – NXT TV tapings
    – Thursday, November 19th – NXT TV tapings

  • Former ROH Stars Take Over WWE & NXT Title Picture, Itami-Owens Exchange Words On Twitter

    – Coming out of this year’s WrestleMania, it’s worth noting that all but two of WWE’s current male champions (John Cena and Tyson Kidd) came from Ring Of Honor. WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins, NXT Champion Kevin Owens, WWE Intercontinental Champion Daniel Bryan and one-half of the WWE Tag-Team Champions, Cesaro, all spent time in ROH.

    – This week’s edition of NXT featured a look at Hideo Itami’s “Road to WrestleMania,” which led to the following back-and-forth on Twitter between Itami and NXT Champion Kevin Owens.

    https://twitter.com/FightOwensFight/status/585984758167031808

  • NXT Preview For Tonight, Brie Bella Spoiler Tease?, Seth Rollins Heads To Europe

    – Brie Bella has been hinting on social media that she will be winning the Divas Battle Royal on RAW next Monday and will be challenging her sister, Nikki Bella, for the WWE Divas Championship.

    – Seth Rollins, who headed out for WWE’s tour of Europe on Tuesday, tweeted the following:

    – The following matches were taped on February 18th in Winter Park, Florida for tonight’s edition of NXT on the WWE Network:

    – Solomon Crowe vs. CJ Parker

    – Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady vs. Shoot Nation (Sawyer Fulton and Angelo Dawkins)

    – Blue Pants vs. Dana Brooke

    – Sami Zayn vs. Rhyno

  • CJ Parker On How He Was Signed By WWE, His Decision To Leave NXT & More

    Former NXT star CJ Parker, who requested and received his release from WWE last week, recently spoke with Gary Mehaffy of F4WOnline.com about his departure from the company. Below are highlights of the interview, which you can listen to in full above.

    On what the WrestleMania experience is like: “It’s incredible! It’s not only just Sunday, it’s the entire week from Thursday to Sunday. They take over the entire town! Everywhere you look there’s John Cena there, there’s a WrestleMania 31 logo there – it’s incredible. And then the fans! You’ve got 80,000 fans that come from all over the world and it’s all anybody is talking about that weekend!…It makes you really proud to be a part of pro wrestling.”

    On taking part in Axxess during WrestleMania week: “Being part of Axxess is so cool. There were some of those days we wrestled 5 or 6 times! You get to meet fans from all over the world….Sometimes you forget how big NXT is and how it covers the whole world. People from all over know who you are!”

    On getting signed by WWE: “They hire based on giving people opportunities and signing people with potential…..I was doing TV shots for them when I was 19 or 20. I would go to the All-State in Chicago and handle myself like a good young kid – I was happy to be there! They would always call me because I wouldn’t be a fan boy – I wasn’t a headache! Tell me when to be there and I’ll be there – thought I’ll eat a lot of catering!….Out on the indys I wrestled Lenny Lane – we were having 20/25 minute matches. He called his buddy Norman Smiley….basically what Lenny told him was that I was a young kid with lots of potential and before he gets any bad habits you should get him in the system. Norman agreed and there was a try-out – it was, like, $1000 – I ended up getting the money for that and the rest is history!”

    On his thoughts on leaving NXT: “I want people to know that I’m not negative at all. Maybe I was a little frustrated but I wasn’t negative towards WWE. I love WWE, and I always will! But I felt as a performer – as a pro wrestler – if I didn’t pull myself away (from NXT) and go out and get more experiences and more exposure and more (of) all those things that I think I might have trapped myself in a hole as being the guy out there that puts everybody over in 5 minutes. That’s not why I got into pro wrestling. I’m not a guy who’s just happy to be there (WWE). I’m not a guy who’s like “Well, I’m an NXT Superstar – hell yeah – give me some free drinks at the bar!” That’s not me. I wanna be on that team, but I wanna be batting third and hitting RBI’s every night. I wanna be a go to guy that they can count on…..There’s more in me that what I was doing, and I felt like the only way that I could show them that is maybe leave for a while and get some experiences and show them that I do have star potential. It was a really tough choice…..”

    On becoming a wrestler: “(I said) to my buddy Roger (at the IWA show): ”These guys aren’t much bigger than us! I think I could do this”. I think I talked to Ian that night – I was 15 or 16. I told him “I want to do this” and he said “Well, you’ve got to be 18.” (So I decided) I’m gonna do college too but I’m going to do this.

    As senior year was rounding out I started going to some shows near my house. I met a guy who (laughs) started to train me – kind of! He taught me how to bump and how to hit the ropes. He ran in a town that was really close to my house. Little did I know he just wanted me on the show so I could sell tickets to all of my friends and family!…..I’m so excited to get in the ring once a month and learn how to do a back bump and run the ropes and do a dropkick and a hip toss – and that’s about what he taught me! And then he said I was ready! I wasn’t trained but I sold about 100 tickets to my friends and family!

    I realised that wrestling training was supposed to be a full time thing! it was supposed to be 4 hours a day, 4 times a week for, like 12 weeks. I’d been in a ring maybe 3 times and they put me in a match – that wasn’t the way I wanted to learn!….Truth Martini was working for Danny Daniels in AAW at the time, and I eventually spoke to him – and I talked to Danny too – and I said “I’m going to move to Detroit and od this the right way.”

  • WWE NXT Live Event Results (4/4): New NXT Championship #1 Contender Crowned

    Your ring announcer for the evening is Dasha Kuret. Greg Hamilton is your in arena host and MC.

    – The show opens up with Sami Zayn coming out and cutting a promo, putting over the Orlando crowd and talking about how NXT has grown and sold out shows in Columbus, Cleveland, and San Jose and it wouldn’t have been possible without the people of Orlando. He then went on to talk about how the last month wasn’t so great to him and that he was disappointed he was not medically cleared to compete in all of those big shows. He says he has a rematch due and he’s going to win his title back from Kevin Owens. This brought out Tyler Breeze who claimed he was the number 1 contender. Bull Dempsey came out and said that while everyone else was pulling the load, Sami was sitting at home and Bull should be the number 1 contender. Baron Corbin came out, and stared them down. Corey Graves came out and said he anticipated something like this would happen and he called William Regal. Smi Zayn would compete in a number 1 contender’s match, but his opponent would be the winner of a Battle Royal held tonight.

    Match 1: Battle Royal. Competitors listed by order of elimination: Noah Pang-Potjes (doing a Hawaiin gimmick, complete with lei’s and hula music), Sunny Dhinsa, Sammy Piscatelli, Josh Woods, Steve Cutler, Sawyer Fulton, Marcus Louis, Tye Dillinger, Angelo Dawkins, Mike Rallis, Elias Samson, Colin Cassady, Simon Gotch, Enzo Amore, Bull Dempsey, Tyler Breeze, Dash Wilder, Aiden English, and Baron Corbin (thanks to some help from Tyler Breeze). Winner: Scott Dawson who goes on to face Sami Zayn later tonight.

    Match 2: Solomon Crowe def. Chad Gable. Good, solid match. Dillinger came out and held up the number 2. This will be explained a bit later.

    Match 3: Bayley and Alexa Bliss def. Dana Brooke and Carmella. Bayley wins with the Bayley to Belly suplex. There were a lot of fun spots meant to get crowd reaction and the fans ate it up. You can tell Brooke and Carmlla are still very much works in progress. At one point, Brooke went to take a head scissors from Bliss and didn’t quite get flipped over and it looked like she nearly knocked herself silly. Still, it was an entertaining match.

    Match 4: Tyler Breeze def. Baron Corbin. Breeze won with a rollup and his feet on the ropes. A bit of a rough match in places. You can tell Baron still needs work in places, but not a bad match by any means. After the match, Baron lays out Tyler with the End of Days.

  • WWE Confirms NXT Departure, Vader & Goldust To Coach In NXT?, Steve Austin Note

    – There was some talk during WrestleMania 31 weekend of Leon “Vader” White possibly moving to Florida to help out with up-and-coming NXT talents at the WWE Performance Center. There has also been some talk within WWE of having Goldust work with the NXT guys as well.

    – WWE has confirmed the departure of NXT star CJ Parker. They wrote the following on their official website today:

    “WWE has come to terms on the release of NXT Superstar CJ Parker, as of today, April 3, 2015. WWE wishes CJ Parker the best in all his future endeavors.”

    – CMT announced that WWE Hall Of Famer Steve Austin’s “Broken Skull Challenge” reality show has been picked up for a new season. New episodes of the show are scheduled to premiere on August 2nd. CMT wrote the following:

    “Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Challenge (Aug. 2): The ultimate badass competition show returns with host Steve Austin as he brings eight elite athletes to his Broken Skull Ranch to test their strength, stamina and endurance. Each episode sees contestants go head-to-head until the last man or woman standing earns the right to take on the toughest obstacle course in America, the “Skullbuster,” for a chance to win $10,000 in cold, hard cash.”

  • Reason WWE Went With Hideo Itami As NXT Representative In Andre Memorial Battle Royal

    As it turns out, Hideo Itami was not the first choice to be the NXT representative in the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal on the WrestleMania 31 Kickoff Show this past Sunday.

    According to PWInsider.com, having Itami in the match was a late decision made by the company, as Finn Balor or Adrian Neville were originally considered for the spot. Once the decision was made to bump the battle royal from the pay-per-view to the pre-show, the decision was made to go with Itami instead.

    Another reason Itami got the spot was due to the strong Japanese media presence at the show for Tatsumi Fujinami’s WWE Hall Of Fame induction.

  • Vince McMahon High On Two NXT Stars After Watching Event In San Jose On Friday

    As seen this past weekend, Vince McMahon attended his first NXT live event in San Jose, California on Friday, and apparently he liked what he saw.

    McMahon is said to be very high on Charlotte after seeing her match on the show against NXT Women’s Champion Sasha Banks. There has been talk of bringing Charlotte to the main roster for a while now, however that talk has picked up now that McMahon is on board.

    McMahon also requested that Charlotte be more prominently featured in the new Tapout commercials that are part of the new WWE deal with the company.

    In addition to Charlotte, McMahon was also reportedly impressed with Banks’ work at the NXT show on Friday.

    (Credit: PWInsider.com)

  • NXT Star CJ Parker Parts Ways With WWE

    NXT star CJ Parker was released from the company on Saturday.

    According to PWInsider.com, Parker requested his release and the parting of ways was said to be on amicable terms. In fact, it was so amicable, WWE allowed Parker to wrestle at WrestleMania AXXESS on Saturday and Sunday to finish out his run with the company.

    Parker, who was originally trained by ROH star Truth Martini, signed a developmental deal with WWE in 2011.

  • Update: NXT Specials Will Not Be Airing Monthly On The WWE Network

    Although it was reported on Monday that the NXT live specials will become a monthly tradition on the WWE Network, that is not the case.

    WWE representatives contacted members of the pro wrestling media on Tuesday, correcting an error that was included in the press release on Monday.

    The NXT “Takeover” specials will remain a quarterly occurence, and WWE has promised to change the wording in the press release that was issued yesterday.

  • WWE Superstar & NXT Trainer Praise Neville, WWE’s Summer Tour, NXT/WM31 Stat

    – This year’s WWE live events during the summer are being branded as the “SummerSlam Heatwave Tour.”

    – NXT trainer Robbie Brookside and WWE Superstar Bad News Barrett praised the debut efforts of Neville on Monday’s RAW. The two posted the following on Twitter:

    – Sunday’s WrestleMania 31 event featured a NXT Alumni talent in every match except the Triple H vs. Sting match. HHH posted the following comment about that, as well as Neville and Kalisto making their main roster debuts at Monday’s RAW.

  • Adrian Neville Makes RAW Debut (Video), Match For This Week’s SmackDown

    – It was announced on Monday’s post-WrestleMania 31 edition of WWE RAW at the SAP Center in San Jose, California, that Daniel Bryan and Dolph Ziggler will team up to take on the duo of Bad News Barrett and the returning Sheamus in tag-team action on this week’s edition of WWE SmackDown.

    – Also announced for this week’s SmackDown, John Cena, Randy Orton and Roman Reigns will all be appearing on the show.

    – Former NXT Champion Adrian Neville made his main roster WWE debut on Monday’s RAW. He was billed as simply “Neville” – The Man That Gaviroty Forgot, and defeated Curtis Axel in a match that showcased his fluid in-ring style.

  • Finn Balor Admits He Was Apprehensive About Signing With WWE

    NXT standout Finn Balor spoke with SportingNews.com to promote Sunday’s WrestleMania 31 pay-per-view, and admitted that he was apprehensive about making the move to WWE.

    “I’ll be honest with you, I had a very comfortable life before I came here,” said Balor. “I was very on the fence about whether I was making the right decision. I was very apprehensive about the move to WWE and whether I was doing the right thing.”

    Balor continued, “I had established a very good career in New Japan Pro Wrestling and a good life on the independent scene as well. I was very happy. There’s always that question, should I do it or should I not. I didn’t want to be looking back at 40 years old saying what if I had done this or what if I had done that.”

    “I can safely say six months down the line, hands down the best decision I’ve ever made,” Balor concluded.

    Check out the complete interview at SportingNews.com.