Two former WWE names were reportedly present backstage during the recent ROH tapings.
According to a recent report from Fightful Select, former WWE wrestlers Carlito and Bobby Steveson were present at the recent ROH taping in Jacksonville, Florida. Carlito was reportedly said to be visiting his cousin, Epico, and brother Primo, who competed during the tapings. In his entire wrestling career, Carlito has never previously worked for either AEW or ROH. Carlito, 47, was released from WWE last year in 2025. Since then, he has wrestled actively across multiple different promotions in the USA, Canada, and Puerto Rico.
Meanwhile, Bobby Steveson, formerly known as Damon Kemp in WWE NXT, was also backstage. It is reported that he may have been working the show in some capacity, although he did not wrestle at the tapings. Steveson has competed in only two matches since departing WWE around two years ago in 2024. Steveson is also the elder brother of Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson.
Former NXT wrestler Damon Kemp (real name Bobby Steveson) wants to wrestle “anywhere and everywhere” following the expiration of his WWE contract.
Last month, it was revealed that Kemp was departing WWE with the promotion deciding not to renew his contract. His deal is officially up today (August 12) and he’s now a free agent. Kemp is taking bookings for both matches and appearances.
“As of today I am no longer contracted with WWE,” he wrote on social media. “I want to wrestle anywhere and everywhere. For bookings/appearances contact [email protected].”
Kemp had been with WWE since joining the Performance Center in 2021. In NXT, he was a member of the No Quarter Catch Crew with Charlie Dempsey, Myles Borne, and Tavion Heights.
Before starting in pro wrestling, Kemp was an amateur wrestler at the University of Minnesota. His brother, Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson, also wrestled at the school. Gable Steveson was released from his WWE contract this May and is now looking to make it in the NFL with the Buffalo Bills.
Find out everything that went down on the May 10 edition of WWE NXT 2.0. Denise Salcedo breaks it all down on Speak Now Pro Wrestling!
Topics include: the Women’s NXT Breakout Tournament, a new addition to the Diamond Mine, another Joe Gacy promo. a telenovela unfolds between Tony D’ Angelo and Santos Escobar, and Natalya faces Cora Jade in the main event!
Damon Kemp was introduced as the newest member of the group on tonight’s NXT 2.0 episode during a backstage segment involving Roderick Strong and The Creed Brothers.
Dissension continues to be teased between Strong and the Creeds, as Strong interfered in their match last week against The Viking Raiders, leading to a Creed Brothers win.
The Creeds informed Strong that they have a rematch against Viking Raiders on next week’s episode, and Strong responded by introducing Kemp. The Creeds said that new members were supposed to be a group decision, as the issues between the three continue brewing.
Kemp, real name Bobby Steveson, is the older brother of WWE signee and Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson. He made his in-ring NXT debut on the January 11 episode, losing to Cameron Grimes. Kemp has also appeared on 205 Live, NXT Level Up, and scored a win on last week’s NXT UK episode.
Kemp signed with WWE last year, and his training at the WWE Performance Center was first reported in February 2021.
Bobby is the brother of Olympic gold medalist wrestler and WWE signee Gable Steveson. Bobby formerly was an amateur wrestler at the University of Minnesota, where Gable is currently completing his senior season. It was announced in September that Gable had signed an NIL (name, image, and likeness) deal with WWE. Gable will join WWE on a full-time basis when he finishes college.
In October, Gable was drafted to Raw in the WWE Draft.
Minneapolis’ Bobby Steveson, the brother of 2020 Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson, stands 6-feet tall and weighs 220 pounds. He wrestled at the University of Minnesota, the same alma mater as his brother, former World Champion Brock Lesnar and Raw Superstar Shelton Benjamin.
Solo Sikoa vs. Ru Feng and Ivy Nile vs. Fallon Henley will also air on 205 Live this Friday night. Fallon Henley is Tesha Price’s new WWE name. Price was formerly a regular on AEW Dark and had done enhancement talent work for WWE. She teamed with Erica Yan in a loss to Valentina Feroz & Yulisa Leon on 205 Live last week.
205 Live airs on Peacock/WWE Network at 10 p.m. Eastern time on Fridays.
Recent WWE Performance Center signee Bobby Steveson has gotten his new in-ring name.
Steveson confirmed today that he’ll be going by the name “Damon Kemp” in WWE/NXT. Bobby is the brother of Olympic gold medalist and fellow WWE signee Gable Steveson.
“The name is DAMON KEMP and I’ am going to smash your favorite Super Star.. coming soon,” Bobby tweeted.
WWE filed a trademark for “Damon Kemp” on November 4.
Like his brother, Bobby was an amateur wrestler at the University of Minnesota. WWE wrote about Bobby when he joined the Performance Center this August: “Minneapolis’ Bobby Steveson, the brother of 2020 Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson, stands 6-feet tall and weighs 220 pounds. He wrestled at the University of Minnesota, the same alma mater as his brother, former World Champion Brock Lesnar, and Raw Superstar Shelton Benjamin.”
Bobby has yet to make his NXT debut.
Gable Steveson’s signing was announced by WWE in September. He’s finishing his senior season at the University of Minnesota before joining WWE on a full-time basis. Gable was drafted to Raw in the WWE Draft last month.
Six new recruits have officially joined the WWE Performance Center.
WWE announced the latest class of Performance Center recruits on Monday, with it featuring five males and one female. The class includes Bobby Steveson, who is the brother of Olympic gold medalist wrestler Gable Steveson.
Like Gable, Bobby was an amateur wrestler at the University of Minnesota. WWE has been attempting to recruit Gable, but he’s yet to decide what his future plans are. Gable and fellow gold medalist Tamyra Mensah-Stock were honored at SummerSlam earlier this month.
This Performance Center class also includes two members from pro wrestling families. Joseph Fatu, the younger brother of The Usos and the son of Rikishi, has signed with WWE and is part of this class. Fatu has used the name Sefa Fatu in pro wrestling.
Ben Buchanan, the 20-year-old son of former WWE wrestler Bull Buchanan, is also part of this group of recruits.
Brady Booker, Jessica Woynilko, and Joshua Dawkins round out the group of signees. WWE.com’s full write-ups on the recruits are available below:
Minneapolis’ Bobby Steveson, the brother of 2020 Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson, stands 6-feet tall and weighs 220 pounds. He wrestled at the University of Minnesota, the same alma mater as his brother, former World Champion Brock Lesnar and Raw Superstar Shelton Benjamin.
Twenty-year-old Ben Buchanan is a former Alabama state high school wrestling champion from Ranbourne, Ala. He was undefeated in the 285-pound weight class during the 2019-2020 season. The 6-foot-4, 250-pounder is also the son of former WWE Tag Team Champion Bull Buchanan.
Brady Booker comes to the Performance Center from the world of college football, having played middle linebacker at the University of South Dakota. Also a skilled archer, the 21-year old hails from Lasalle, Ill., stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 245 pounds.
Jessica Woynilko is a 21-year-old gymnast, bodybuilder and CrossFit athlete from Prior Lake, Minn. As a gymnast, she specialized in tumbling and trampoline, competing on the 2016 U.S. national team.
Joseph Fatu of Las Vegas is the younger brother of SmackDown Tag Team Champions Jimmy & Jey Uso and the son of WWE Hall of Famer Rikishi. The 6-foot-2, 240-pounder has two years’ experience in sports-entertainment and played football in college.
Twenty-three-year-old Joshua Dawkins of DeBary, Fla., is the latest trainee of WWE Hall of Famer D-Von Dudley to be signed to the WWE Performance Center. The 6-foot-1 recruit is also the nephew of NBA legend Darryl Dawkins.
