WWE Hall Of Famer Spotted Backstage Amid Wave Of Debuts On NXT
As many as five WWE-contracted wrestlers made their NXT debuts on Tuesday.
This influx of talent was the result of the combination of post-WrestleMania 42 releases and a few NXT names being moved to the main roster.
On Friday, the Stamford promotion released more than 20 wrestlers, whose contracts had either ended or were nearing the end.
Some of the popular names on the list included Kairi Sane, Aleister Black, Zelina Vega, Zoey Stark, and the entire Wyatt Sicks faction.
The NXT wrestlers who were recently bumped up to the main roster are Sol Ruca, Joe Hendry, Ethan Page, Fatal Influence, Ricky Saints, and Blake Monroe.
Saints competed in his final NXT match on Tuesday and will make his SmackDown debut on Friday, along with Monroe.
While Saints’ match was the main event attraction, earlier in the night, multiple wrestlers appeared on WWE’s NXT brand for the first time.
Following the opening match, the North American Championship match between Myles Borne and Saquon Shugars, Tristan Angels confronted him, announcing himself as Borne’s potential challenger. Borne was then attacked by Kam Hendrix, who is married to WWE superstar Maxxine Dupri.
Shortly afterward, NXT Champion Tony D’Angelo was confronted by former NJPW superstar EVIL. After Tavion Heights attacked D’Angelo, Will Kross, a British independent wrestler, hit a moonsault on him, confusing even the commentators, who debated if he was a fan.
Lizzy Rain, whose debut was announced last week, took on Nikkita Lyons. Despite being on the receiving end of attacks throughout the match, she managed to emerge victorious after hitting her ‘Thunderstruck’ finisher.
WWE Hall Of Famer AJ Styles Was Backstage On NXT
On April 17, AJ Styles was officially inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2026.
The Phenomenal One retired from in-ring competition at the Royal Rumble in January following his loss to Gunther in a singles match.
Since then, he has taken over the role of talent scout backstage. Styles was spotted backstage on Tuesday, as evidenced by a picture that has surfaced online, showing him with Sean Legacy.
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Despite being retired, AJ Styles has not entirely closed the door on returning to the squared circle.
While speaking on Stephanie McMahon’s What’s Your Story? podcast, the 48-year-old said that if the situation demanded, he would wrestle one more time.
I don’t know. I don’t know. Never say never, right? That’s the saying. I think everybody is allowed at least once to come out of retirement. I’m not saying I’ll do it anytime soon. I’m just saying that, what if my son wrestles? The opportunity to tag with him once? You never know. There will be a time when the gloves never go back on, and it may be now. We’ll see.
Along with Styles, Stephanie was also inducted into the Hall of Fame before WrestleMania 42. Other names included Demolition, Dennis Rodman, Sycho Sid, and Bad News Brown.
Also read: WWE Hall Of Famer Names AJ Styles As The Face Of Modern Wrestling