NXT 2.0 Cruiserweight Champion Rodderick Strong says his wife, former MMA fighter Marina Shafir, was originally slated to be part of his Diamond Mine faction.
In an interview with Meep Meep Podcast host Ryan Rainbro, Strong revealed that he had Diamond Mine rash guards made for Shafir. He also confirmed that NXT originally wanted both Shafir and Arturo Ruas were going to be in the faction.
“…It was sad because I got my wife one and Adrian(Arturo Ruas) one and it didn’t end up working out,” Strong said. He continued, “Things happened the way they did, but at least it’s something they can remember and use.”
Diamond Mine Faction Members
The faction Diamond Mine had gone through changes even before debuting on June 22nd. As revealed by Strong, NXT planned for Shafir, and Ruas to be in the group. However, WWE released Shafir and Ruas on June 25th.
While Shafir hasn’t spoken about it, Ruas confirmed that he was going to be in the faction. In an interview with Wrestling Inc Managing Editor Nick Hausman, Ruas shared NXT wanted him in the group after he recovered from bicep surgery.
“… I got cleared, and everything started to run again,” said Ruas. He continued, “That’s where Diamond Mine came up. It would be a group of legit fighters with legit backgrounds.” Both Shafir and Ruas are still free agents.
The Diamond Mine faction debuted with Strong, Tyler Rust, Hachiman, and Malcolm Bivens as the manager. Rust exited the group after WWE released him on August 6th. Since Rust’s release, Diamond Mine gained three new members.
The Faction Successful Start
The Diamond Mine has been featured prominently in NXT 2.0 weekly for the last two months. Strong defeated Kushida for the NXT 2.0 Cruiserweight Championship on the September 21st episode. In this week’s NXT 2.0 episode, He successfully defended the title against Grayson Waller. The other members of the group, The Creed Brothers, Hachiman, and Ivynile have yet to lose a match.
