NXT Articles - Page 6

“Wrestling is not a love story” these words, written by the man once known as Bray Wyatt to the WWE Universe, began one heck of a personal essay on the Twitter account of WYATT 6 – aka Mr. Windham Rotunda – and casually set the professional wrestling world ablaze on an otherwise unsuspecting Sunday evening. […]

Oh, what a difference a week can make to the NXT/WWE Universe. Since fully taking over as the EVP of Global Talent Strategy and Development/chief creative mind of the WWE Universe ahead of the penultimate edition of Smackdown before SummerSlam, Paul “Triple H” Levesque has brought wrestling back to television, nixed the 24/7 Championship from […]

After tapping out during the penultimate match on WWE’s SummerSlam in the middle of a pin, Liv Morgan’s status as the SmackDown Women’s Champion has been one of the more contested topics across the WWE Universe. To some, Morgan won the match fair and square, as Ronda Rousey was pinned legally during her armbar attempt, […]

When former NXT standout Dakota Kai returned to the WWE Universe at SummerSlam, it signified a pretty big changing of the guard for a company defined by sticking to their ways even when they’ve become incredibly stagnant. Not only did it signify a pretty big change in the company’s booking philosophy, as Mr. McMahon really […]

Keith Lee is a lot of things; he’s Limitless, the husband of Mia Yim, and… oh yeah, the AEW World Tag Team Champion alongside his fellow former NXT standout Swerve Strickland. His in-ring work, when booked correctly, can dazzle even the most casual of wrestling fans thanks to incredible moves like his “Bradley Beal” or […]

Tommaso Ciampa‘s run in WWE has been weird. For one thing, he’s lost his name, with Tommaso being cut for a new, more streamlined title, and while he hasn’t been asked to shave his beard or, like, wear a gladiator costume, many of the elements of Ciampa’s NXT presentation, from being a wise babyface, to […]

Dakota Kai‘s return to the WWE Universe has been a resounding success. A long-time NXT fan favorite who had some great matches with Raquel Rodriguez, against the performer then-known as Io Shirai, and even as a member of WWE NXT TakeOver: WarGames III, where her team of Candice LeRae, Rhea Ripley, and Tegan Nox lost […]

When Dakota Kai triumphantly made her way out of the SummerSlam tunnel and back into the WWE Universe, it generated one heck of a pop among the fans assembled both at the Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee, and watching from home. Now granted, Kai wasn’t exactly the most popular performer in NXT during her tenure […]

The WWE are certainly no strangers to name changes when it comes to their expansive roster. Sure, sometimes a name change is necessary in repackaging a wrestler to get them over with a new crowd – just ask X-Pac if he still wanted to be known as The 1-2-3 Kid when he returned from WCW […]

SummerSlam is here; the WWE Universe has descended onto Nashville for a night of grudge matches, tests of strength, and a test to see who will be the Last Man Standing. Surely the eyes of the WWE Universe are on the Premium Live Event, but one person has very different eyes on the prize: NXT’s […]

When WWE made the decision to release William Regal from his contract due to “budget cuts,” it felt like a mistake. While he hadn’t been an in-ring performer in, oh, almost a decade, being “retired” by his former pupal, Claudio “Don’t-call-him-Cesaro” Castagnoli, Regal was a fixture of NXT as an in-universe authority figure and a […]

With an episode of SmackDown, RAW, and NXT now officially in the books, it’s clear the WWE Universe has officially entered into a new era. The 24/7 title was nowhere to be found on any of the shows – which is a welcomed change from the certified spot-fest on the July 18th edition of RAW […]

When Zoey Stark won the Women’s Battle Royal on NXT to become the next challenger for Mandy Rose’s Women’s Championship, it felt like a big deal. After suffering a torn MCL in a backstage brawl with Toxic Attraction’s Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jayne, Stark has been out of action for the better part of nine […]

In case you haven’t heard, Paul “Triple H” Levesque has officially been handed chief creative control over the entirety of the WWE Universe, from RAW and SmackDown to NXT, Main Event, and even NXT Level Up. His time away from the company to recover from his heart condition effectively served as the calm before the […]

Oh, how the WWE tables have turned. After being ousted from creative control of NXT After their ‘loss’ in the Wednesday night wars, Paul “Triple H” Levesque has not only regained his reigns over the black and gold brand, but will now be running the entire creative show for the WWE, as per Dave Meltzer […]

Since being released from the WWE at the end of 2021, Swerve Scott is having a moment. He’s wrestled across multiple promotions, won the DEFY Tag Team Championship improbably teamed up with Christopher Daniels, and… oh yeah, took the AEW Tag Team Championship belts off of the Young Bucks alongside his fellow former NXT standout […]

After weeks of weird, weird promos hyping the arrival of Max Dupri’s new faction and then some incredibly polarizing segments once the Maximum Male Models officially made SmackDown their home, the WWE‘s most polarizing faction has landed the shot of adrenaline it desperately needed in the form of Maxxine Dupri, a much-appreciated female addition to […]

After becoming to talk of the wrestling world – at least pre-Vince McMahon’s retirement – during his all-out takeover during the AEW Dark tapings in Orlando, Florida, Ari Daivari is officially coming to AEW, as a mid-Fyter Fest video package broadcast on Rampage clearly shows. Ari Daivari (@AriyaDaivari) coming soon 👀#AEWRampage #FyterFest Night 4 is […]

Welp, that didn’t take long; after officially making his first post-NXT appearance in a wrestling ring as part of the AEW Dark tapings in Orlando, Florida, Cole Karter, aka Troy “Two Dimes” Donovan, has officially been bumped up to the “main roster” to wrestle Ricky Starks on the Week 2 edition of Fyter Fest as […]

Being a professional wrestler, even in a company like AEW with a relatively light workload, isn’t for everyone; the hours are long, the traveling can be a slog, and the constant physical beating can take a toll on even the most physically fit performer. While some performers relish the road-dog lifestyle, sleeping in 15-passenger vans […]

2022 hasn’t gone as planned for NXT Superstar Indi Hartwell. She lost her father figure, Johnny Gargano, when he let his contract expire, her mother figure, Candice LeRae, when her contract expired in May and, after getting Kayfabe married to Dexter Lumis in a good old-fashioned wedding segment, she lost him too, as he was […]

When WWE signed Parker Boudreaux as part of their 2020 NXT recruiting class, it felt like a really big deal. A collegiate offensive lineman who started his career off at Notre Dame before transferring to Center Florida, the tackle-turned-grappler stood an imposing 6-foot-4, 300 pounds, and had a certain kind of look – muscular and […]

After being released by the WWE in June due to a “policy violation” and then being Kayfabe killed off of NXT television in a move that would make Lucha Underground blush, the man formerly known as Troy “Two Dimes” Donovan is headed back to the independent wrestling scene, where he previously performed as Cole Karter. […]

When Roxanne Perez was stabbed – or should I say skateboarded – in the back by her NXT Tag Team Championship-winning partner Cora Jade, it sent the WWE Universe into a bit of a tizzy. The team just won the belts the week before, had been buddies for months, and felt like they could have […]

There was a time in the not-too-distant past when it looked like Swerve Scott and Keith Lee were going to be two of the biggest stars in the WWE. On paper, the two had everything going for them; Scott was the leader of a white-hot faction with the potential for real world entertainment tie-ins in […]

What happens when a pair of tag team champions start a feud with each other? Well, the WWE Universe is about to find out, as the lone Women’s Tag Team Champions in the company, Cora Jade and Roxanne Perez of NXT, just saw their union foiled by the former turning a totally not gimmicked skateboard […]

When news broke that Tommaso Ciampa’s long-time DIY tag team partner, Johnny Gargano, wasn’t going to re-sign with NXT, it felt like one of the final vestiges of a fantastically underrated in wrestling era was exiting the WWE Universe for good. The Undisputed Era? Gone. The Diamond Mine? Gutted. Marina Shafir released – and that’s […]

Other than a brief interview segment with his fellow Dirty Dawg Robert Roode and a blink-and-you’d-miss-it appearance in the Last Chance Money in the Bank Qualifying Battle Royal, Dolph Ziggler has largely been absent from WWE‘s RAW in 2022, instead spending most of his time in NXT feuding with the likes of Bron Breakker and […]

Triple H did his darndest to make Karrion Kross into a star in NXT. He handpicked the “Killer” indie talent away from promotions like Impact and MLW – stealing him away from AEW in the process – and spent the better part of two years building him up to become an unstoppable force in NXT […]

When (Austin) Theory lost his Unites States Championship at WWE’s Money in the Bank, it made more than a few fans very happy indeed. While no one can call Theory an underachiever for his age or suggest that he didn’t defend his title over his 75-day run, the angle on which he lost it, a […]

When WWE interrupted their otherwise tight Money in the Bank broadcast with a spooky vignette that hinted at the arrival/return/debut of a new performer, it unleashed a mystery on a fanbase known for having a keen eye and exceptional deductive reasoning. Some thought the spooky vibes signaled the much pined-for return of “The Field” Bray […]

There was a time when Io Shirai was not only the top female performer in/on NXT but was considered a favorite to become a fixture of a WWE television too, be that on RAW or SmackDown. On paper, she had it all; she had a good look, was a fantastic worker, and could play the […]

Fans have been wanting to see Johnny Gargano in an AEW ring since he initially became a free agent back in December of 2021 and time and time again, they have been let down. Mystery arrival at a Pay-Per-View?  Hasn’t been Gargano. Suprise arrival at a home state show in Ohio? Hasn’t happened either. Heck, […]

There was a time when Johnny Gargano looked like one of the hottest free agents on the market following a successful end to his time in WWE. On paper, he had everything going for him; pre-existing feuds with opponents across multiple promotions, an exciting in-ring style that works equally well as both a heel and […]

After a weird run in WWE notorious for some very weird outfit choices and the absence of his valet, Scarlett, Karrion Kross has re-emerged on the indies as Killer Kross, a character oddly reminiscent of his former NXT presentation, where he overpowered lesser foes and bested bigger foes with his domineering style. Since re-debuting at […]

In March of 2022, Paul “Triple H” Levesque announced on ESPN’s First Take that he had been diagnosed with a heart condition that would force the 52-year-old to retire from in-ring work for the WWE once and for all. Now granted, Levesque wasn’t exactly an active performer before he made the announcement, as he haDn’t […]

When Adam Cole made his AEW debut at the end of All Out 2021, his arrival was met with near-universal acclaim. Fresh off a fantastic NXT run capstone-d by a best two-out-of-three-falls match at NXT TakeOver: 36 against long-time Undisputed Era friend/foe Kyle O’Riley, Cole emerged alongside his former Bullet Club friends as a galavanting […]

On Tuesday’s edition of NXT, Tony D’Angelo, the most made man in WWE, as some might say, gave his buddies Troy “Two Dimes” Donovan and Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo a pair of shiny new gold watches as a sort of predictive award for the next accomplishment he wants to achieve in The Fed: Championship gold. The […]

Once upon a time, the man AEW fans would eventually know as Malakai Black looked like one of the brightest stars in the WWE developmental system. He had an incredible look, a jaw-dropping presentation featuring thousands of candles on an LED wall, and the musical stylings of Code Orange, who created one of the greatest original […]