For the first time in nearly a year, the former Von Wagner in WWE will step into a wrestling ring.
Announced on Thursday, Wagner (Cal Bloom) will compete at this Saturday’s Mayhem at the Mall afternoon event for Midwest All-Star Wrestling in Maplewood, Minnesota, taking on Shay Diesel.
After five years in the WWE system, the 30-year-old was cut on April 22, 2024 — less than a month after losing to Lexis King on NXT TV.
It’s unclear why he hasn’t worked anywhere since that release.
The son of Wayne Bloom who wrestled as Beau Beverley in WWE, Wagner was a college football player who signed with WWE in 2019 after graduating from the University of Central Florida in 2016. He reported to the Performance Center and made his debut at a NXT house show in May 2019.
He actually made his main roster debut before appearing on NXT TV, losing to Sheamus on an April 2020 edition of SmackDown. He then competed against R-Truth on Main Event that same month and worked two SmackDown dark matches in August/September 2021 before making his NXT TV debut under the Wagner name. His first match was in a four-way for the NXT title as he replaced Kyle O’Reilly.
Eventually aligning with Robert Stone, Wagner remained in NXT for the duration of his run while also making several main roster appearances on Main Event in addition to competing in an Intercontinental title no. 1 contender’s battle royal on a May 2023 Raw.
More than two years after having to vacate the title, Tommaso Ciampa is once again NXT Champion.
Ciampa defeated LA Knight, Pete Dunne, and the debuting Von Wagner in a fatal four-way match on NXT tonight to win the NXT Championship. Ciampa pinned Knight after hitting the Fairytale Ending.
The NXT Championship was vacant going into tonight’s show. Samoa Joe had to relinquish the title over the weekend due to injury. Joe said he was stepping away from the ring for a “brief but still indeterminate” amount of time but would be back shortly to collect the NXT Championship from whoever won it.
Kyle O’Reilly was originally supposed to be in the fatal four-way match, but there was an angle on tonight’s show where he was attacked by Dunne and Ridge Holland in the locker room. NXT general manager William Regal announced that Wagner would be replacing O’Reilly in the match because he was the one who saved O’Reilly from Dunne and Holland.
The 6-foot-5 Wagner (real name Cal Bloom) is the son of Wayne Bloom (former wrestler Beau Beverly). Wagner played college football at the University of Central Florida. He signed with WWE in March 2019.
Ciampa previously held the NXT Championship from July 2018 to March 2019. He had to relinquish the title then due to undergoing neck surgery.
Tonight’s show ended with a backstage segment where Bron Breakker (Bronson Rechsteiner) congratulated Ciampa. Ciampa then congratulated Breakker on his first win in NXT. The two had a tense staredown as they shook hands and Breakker looked at Ciampa’s title belt.
Breakker made his NXT debut by defeating Knight earlier in tonight’s show. Breakker and Wagner’s debuts were part of the beginning of “NXT 2.0,” which is WWE’s revamp of the NXT brand.
In the opening moments of the show, R-Truth, in a display that would have been bizarre for anyone else on the WWE roster, performed his entrance without a soul in the audience. The calls for the crowd to join in were, of course, included. MVP played the role of a lone fan, answering “What’s up?” whenever necessary. This went on for longer than the typical Truth entrance and even incorporated an additional verse and a short playing to the non-existent crowd after the music subsided.
As the bell sounded, the size of Bloom was immediately apparent. The former tight end was on the receiving end of Truth’s offense in the early moments, but soon was able to use his power to take control of the match. After a few less than stellar strikes, Truth avoided an attack from Bloom in the corner and took advantage with an armdrag.
Truth played multiple times to the empty seats before landing a leg drop. Bloom was then led to the corner where he withstood multiple strikes before he drove Truth’s head into the turnbuckle. Bloom then secured double underhooks and tossed him across the ring. Bloom continued his offense with strikes followed by a rest hold.
Truth fought to his feet and connected with a strike that put him in the driver seat. He then used four of John Cena’s “Five Moves of Doom” before Bloom blocked the attitude adjustment that would typically finish off the sequence. Bloom sent Truth running into the ropes and caught him on the rebound with a spinning powerslam for two. A frustrated Bloom picked Truth up and played to no one with his arms forming an X. Truth took advantage of this pause and lifted Bloom into a fireman’s carry before dropping him with the attitude adjustment for the pin and win.
Truth looked the same in this match as he always does, a seemingly unaging man who never fails to entertain. This match did not make Bloom look good, however. He was lacking intensity and his offense was unconvincing. At no point did the match itself feel as if it was building towards any goal, especially not establishing Bloom as a future star.
Kairi Sane defeated Ruby Riott
The initial feeling out began as both Sane and Riott entered a collar-and-elbow tie-up. After finding herself in the ropes, Riott was playfully taunted by Sane. The referee separated them, but they were soon in the same position with the only difference being Sane pressed against the ropes. Instead of taunting her, Riott struck her upper chest. The two then entered a fast paced trade off of moves. Riott threw a spinning back fist, Sane ducked. Sane threw a spinning back fist, Riott ducked. Riott threw a kick, Sane blocked. Sane threw an elbow, Riott blocked. Both were at a standstill.
Riott broke the staredown with a stomp to Sane’s toes. Sane was then drug to her feet and sent running into the ropes. Sane jumped Riott and caught her on the other end with a rope-assisted rana, followed up by a running blockbuster. A recovering Riott then found herself on the receiving end of a top rope flying forearm that got a two count.
Sane began to choke the grounded Riott with her own arms. Riott fought free, regained her footing, and sent Sane to the floor all in the same motion. Riott ran in the direction of Sane but was sidestepped. Riott did not let this stop her momentum, however, as she jumped and grabbed the head of Sane with her legs, inexorably driving it into the middle turnbuckle.
Following a commercial break, Riott maintained control. She had a full nelson on a seated Sane that she was using to sling her opponent across the mat. Sane struggled to her feet and broke the hold by stomping Riott’s toes. The two then ran at each other with lariats and collided with neither gaining advantage. Riott grabbed Sane’s hair and drove her head into the top turnbuckle, followed by a running kick. Riott set her sights on a second kick but Sane was able to roll from harm’s way.
Riott, in an act of frustration and reckless haste, attempted a kick for the third time but missed once again. She was rolled up as a result but was able to kick out with a close two.
Sane then connected with a spinning back fist that rendered Riott unbalanced. Sane followed with various strikes that left Riott flat on the mat. Sane attempted a pin and was both visibly and audibly shocked by Riott’s kickout. Sane climbed to the top rope but was caught by a palm strike. The two fought for control on top of the ropes. Sane landed a headbutt that sent Riott to the floor but Riott used an enziguri that set Sane on unequal, if not entirely disadvantaged, footing.
Sane was then flattened by a top rope senton, barely kicking out of a pin attempt. Riott, in an even more furious than usual state, climbed the ropes once again but was met with a kick to the inside leg that reopened the match for her. Sane then lifted Riott from the ropes and delivered a devastating Alabama slam. Sane climbed to the top once again and this time successfully landed the insane elbow for the pin and win.
This match was entertaining from beginning to end. It never dragged and always had me guessing. Both women looked phenomenal, but Sane, particular, exuded charisma.
Hathaway has been a manager for several years in the independent circuit, appearing in Ring of Honor, EVOLVE and MLW. In the past he’s managed the likes of Moose, Timothy Thatcher, TJP, Chris Dickinson and Dominic Garrini among many others.
Robert Strauss, aka Robbie E is best known for his run in Impact Wrestling from 2010 to 2017, most notably teaming with Rob Terry and Jessie Godderz. He’s also a former Impact Television, X-Division and Tag Team champion. He left the promotion in 2017 and has continued to work in the independent scene since then.
Bloom, 25, is the son of Wayne Bloom, who is most famous for his runs in AWA, WWE (as Beau Beverly) and WCW in the 80s and 90s. Cal played tight end at the University of Central Florida, making four Bowl Game appearances. He has received training from not only his father Wayne but also Brad Rheingans and Ken Anderson.
