Close to four years after his release from WWE, JDC (fka Fandango) made a surprise appearance on the February 4 episode of NXT, stepping up to challenge NXT Heritage Cup Champion Lexis King. Their showdown will take place next week with JDC hoping to take the trophy to The System and TNA.

In an NXT digital exclusive, JDC opened up on what his return means to him.

“NXT means the world to me, to have me back tonight. Just goosebumps, man. I can’t get over it. I’m grateful, that’s exactly what I am.”

Looking ahead to his future showdown with King, JDC shared that fans “couldn’t predict what would happen” when the pair face off one-on-one. The pair has quickly become one of the most talked about aspects coming out of this week’s WWE NXT with fans interested at the prospect of the TNA star winning the NXT Heritage Cup.

JDC’s role on this show further highlights the multi-year partnership between WWE and TNA Wrestling that promises plenty of crossover. Natalya and Cora Jade have both shown interest in becoming TNA Knockouts World Champion, while the NXT Tag Team Titles will be on the line this Thursday on iMPACT! Fraxiom will put the gold on the line against Nic and Ryan Nemeth and the Hardys have also shown interest in NXT tag team gold.

Stay tuned to SEScoops for the latest on the WWE-TNA partnership as fans are awaiting to see who will be next to ‘cross the line.’

Dirty Dango isn’t quite dancing with the devil at TNA Hard To Kill, but he will be squaring off against someone who is “Not Human.”

On January 13, the TNA brand officially returns with their Hard To Kill PLE and Dango will be one of the featured fights as he squares off against PCO in singles action.

Speaking with SEScoops.com in an exclusive interview, Dango made mention of all the premiere athletes TNA have on their roster. You can catch the complete interview with Dirty Dango here:

When asked who has been great at balancing their athleticism with their in-ring persona. The first person he thought of was Steve Maclin, who Dango first worked with in NXT.

“Talking about a guy who kind of got brushed aside and, you know, maybe overlooked in the past, and he totally reinvented himself, came up with a really cool character. His promos are on really on par and his work I feel is way better than it was.”

Will Ospreay & TNA

However, another name Dango brought up is Will Ospreay, who will be competing this weekend in Las Vegas at the TNA Snake Eyes tapings.

“The thing I like about Ospreay is he can do the high flying, but his ground game and aggressiveness is really, really, really good.He lays his s*** in which I really like and I appreciate he doesn’t throw things away just to get to the high spot, right?

“In my book, probably the best out there right now. So it’s cool to have him around and he’s bringing out the best of the TNA locker room for sure.”

Ospreay has signed a long-term deal with AEW, but TNA expressed major interest in inking him to a contract before that. 

Ospreay’s talent is obvious and Dango saw his influence first-hand behind the curtain and in the ring.

“Guys like Will Ospreay that bring that level up and so it’s cool. It’s cool to see. It’s fun to watch. I don’t get excited watching a lot of wrestling now, but his matches do make me sit down and watch. So it’s good.”

Other topics covered in our interview with Dirty Dango include Arn Anderson’s influence on his career, what pro wrestling can learn from baseball and so much more. 

Watch WILL OSPREAY vs. MIKE BAYLEY from Bound For Glory 2023 | Impact Wrestling’s Match of the YEar

TNA Wrestling’s rebranding has brought several alterations already, with new title belt designs and much more. There have also been some notable departures from the roster. Contrary to those exits, one familiar face is not leaving.

Dirty Dango Isn’t Leaving TNA Wrestling

Dirty Dango (formerly Fandango from WWE), has opted to remain with TNA Wrestling amid its transition. The shift back to the TNA Wrestling branding coincides with the upcoming TNA Hard To Kill event scheduled for January 13th.

While speaking on the Paltrocast With Darren Paltrowitz, Dirty Dango was quite frank about his intentions. He plans to stay with TNA Wrestling as they rebrand themselves into the future. 

I signed a year deal (with IMPACT), January of 2023? I think it was. So about a year ago, I signed a year deal and I just signed another (audio lag) contract which will be up.

I just kind of told myself I’d wrestle until I’m 40 and then I was probably gonna ease up a bit but, like I tell everybody, it’s what I’ve done my whole life. I don’t know how to not be a wrestler and just being at TNA has made me really fall back in love with wrestling. There’s so many great guys, girls there.

Just walking in the locker room there, it felt like a reunion because I’ve known everybody for years and I worked for TNA back in ‘03 so there’s some faces I’ve known for 20 years… The Johnny Swingers and I remember running into Scott D’Amore 20 years ago and great guys like (Alex) Shelley and Rhino, Tommy Dreamer and it’s one of the best locker rooms I’ve ever been in so, sometimes you go into a locker room, you don’t really know anybody and it’s not that much fun and this is one of those locker rooms you love flying out to and kind of catching up with everybody.

Dirty Dango’s WWE Exit

Having initially signed a one-year deal in January 2023, Dirty Dango expressed his commitment to TNA Wrestling and the renewed passion for wrestling, something he credits to his time with TNA Wrestling. He once had a home in WWE for nearly a decade, but that didn’t last forever.

Fandango, who was known as Johnny Curtis prior to entering WWE, made his debut for Vince McMahon’s company as Fandango in 2013. One of the notable moments in his WWE career was his victory over Chris Jericho at WrestleMania 29 in April 2013, which marked his big opening night with the company. 

Fandango’s character was known for his unique dance gimmick, and he often competed in various matches on WWE television and live events. He later teamed up with Tyler Breeze to form Breezango. Their Fashion Files segments were also a fan favorite for a long stint, but sadly, the team was disbanded when WWE released them on June 25, 2021.

Impact Wrestling talent Dirty Dango wants to prove he can be a serious wrestler when he needs to be.

Throughout his career in WWE, Dango(FKA Fandango) used to entertain fans with his funny persona. He started as a serious dancer when he debuted in 2013, but his character became more comedic over time. While it brought him success in winning the NXT Tag Team Championship with Tyler Breeze, Dango primarily stayed a comedic act for the majority of his WWE career. His run with the company ended on June 25, 2021, when WWE released him.

After spending some time as a free agent, PWInsider’s Mike Johnson reported that Dango signed a one-year deal with Impact Wrestling on Jan. 31. He recently had a match with Steve Maclin on Jan. 19 episode of Impact Wrestling. In an interview with Windy City Slam Podcast, Dango shared that he doesn’t have an opponent he wants to wrestle against but wants to prove that he’s not only a comedy act.

What’s Next for Dirty Dango in Impact Wrestling?

On the Feb. 2 episode of Impact Wrestling, “Director of Authority” Santino Marella revealed that Dango would compete in a qualifying match that, if he wins, will be involved in a fatal four-way match at No Surrender to determine the following number one contender for the Impact World Championship.

The company also shared on Twitter that Dango will compete against Brian Myers on the Feb. 9 episode of Impact Wrestling. Dango will have the opportunity to prove that he can be a serious contender for a world title in Impact and show that he’s more than the comedic persona he’s demonstrated for years.

• Watch Our Exclusive Interview with Santino Marella