Tag: nxt news

WWE NXT Stand & Deliver to air live on YouTube

Posted on by Joseph Currier

With NXT content leaving Peacock soon, there was a big question over where the brand’s next PLE would air. We now know that answer.

It was announced today that NXT Stand & Deliver 2026 will stream live on WWE’s YouTube channel on Saturday, April 4. The show is taking place at the The Factor in Chesterfield, Missouri and has a start time of 7 p.m.

NXT boss Shawn Michaels sent out a tweet this afternoon announcing the broadcast details for the show:

Stand & Deliver has traditionally been NXT’s WrestleMania weekend PLE, but WWE made a change this year by moving both the date and location for the show. Under the old schedule, the event took place in the afternoon before the first night of WrestleMania. It will now happen two weeks before Mania.

NXT content is slated to leave Peacock within the next week. There’s been no news as to whether PLEs airing on YouTube will become a regular thing or if this is just a stopgap until WWE reaches a new deal to find a home for the rights. WWE will still maintain a presence on Peacock going forward with Saturday Night’s Main Event.

Vengeance Day this past weekend was the last NXT PLE of the Peacock era. On the road to Stand & Deliver, NXT has upcoming stops in Houston next week and New York City on March 31 for television episodes.

Tatum Paxley feels prepared for WWE main roster call-up

Posted on by Rosanne Raphael

Tatum Paxley feels ready for the WWE main roster but is fine with remaining in NXT for a while.

Speaking on Busted Open Radio, Paxley reflected on the initial slow pace of her time in NXT. Five years into her run, Paxley is eager to join the main roster just like many of the peers she came up with. However, she knows timing is the most important aspect to her eventual call-up.

“1000 percent,” Paxley responded when asked if she feels ready for Raw or SmackDown. “But, I am also in zero rush. I’m in no rush to get there. This is something I’ve learned from being in NXT, that timing is everything. My career was a little bit of a slow start, but I would not have wanted that to change at all, especially looking back on it.

“Now, if you were to go back in time and ask me, I’d be like, ‘Man, I wish this’ and ‘I wish that.’ But gosh, looking back on it now, timing is everything. I trust in them, the writers and everybody. I trust in them so much that I know when they’re ready to give me the ball and run, I trust their timing. You know, like, ‘Okay, it’s Tatum’s turn. Catch.’ ‘Thanks!’ And I’ll take off.

“So whenever Raw or SmackDown is ready to toss me that ball, I’m catching it and I’m sprinting.”

Paxley had a promising 2025. She won the NXT Women’s Championship for the first time in her career and formed an alliance with The Culling to fill the void after Lyra Valkyria’s Raw push. Unfortunately, Paxley’s friendship with Izzi Dame imploded when Dame betrayed her and cost her the title she barely held for a month.

At NXT Vengeance Day this past weekend, Paxley got some revenge by dethroning Dame for the Women’s North American Championship. They’ll face off for the title again in a steel cage match next week.

Joe Hendry applying lessons from CM Punk, John Cena as NXT Champion

Posted on by Joseph Currier

During his NXT Championship reign, Joe Hendry is applying lessons he’s learned from CM Punk and John Cena.

Hendry told The Takedown on SI that elevating the NXT Championship and helping to elevate NXT as a brand is the major objective he has for his title reign. He is keeping a close eye on business metrics like live attendance and TV ratings, which is a habit Hendry picked up by seeing top guys like Punk and Cena do the same.

“It’s a huge responsibility. Being the champion is a rare privilege,” Hendry said. “And when you are the champion, there is now pressure on your shoulder to try and help elevate the ticket sales. You need to be aware of ratings. You need to be aware of locker room morale. You need to try and lead by example. There’s a lot of pressure. But like I said, I’ve spent a lot of time at the Performance Center. I’m really, really enjoying the training, and I feel like we’ve got a real team environment down there. We’re divided into different groups, and I feel like my group is just — we’re so motivated, the roster is hungry, and it’s an exciting time. So to be the one that gets to wear this championship and spearhead the brand right now, it’s a huge honor and it’s a responsibility that I take very seriously. Every championship title reign has a story, and I want the story to be that I was able to elevate the championship and help elevate the brand…

“Anytime I get to a live event, my first question is to ask, ‘Where are we at with the draw? Where were we last time?’ And I’ve learned that from, CM Punk does that, John Cena did that, all the top talents did that. So I’ve tried to learn as much as I can from these guys. I’ve been fortunate enough to spend time with these guys and learn from them. And that is one thing I’ve noticed, is that they’re very hands-on with the stats and knowing what they are. And, yes, it’s pressure, but in this game pressure is a privilege.”

Cena, Punk, and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson are some of Hendry’s biggest insipirations. He hasn’t gotten the chance to meet Johnson yet, but Hendry did work with Johnson’s daughter Simone (Ava) when she was the NXT general manager.

“I was happy to let her know that it was her dad that inspired me to get into the business, so we had a really nice conversation about that,” Hendry told The Takedown on SI. “I absolutely wish her the best. I think she was doing an awesome job. We had some great moments on TV. So whatever’s next, I wish her the absolute best. And it was fun working with her.”

Hendry is defending the NXT Championship against Ricky Saints at Vengeance Day this Saturday. On NXT last night, Hendry stood tall heading into the PLE.

Ricky Saints: Cody Rhodes has been ‘very impactful’ in my life and career

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Cody Rhodes’ friendship has made a big impact on Ricky Saints both personally and professionally.

In 2020, Rhodes brought Saints (Ricky Starks) into AEW for a match that led to him being signed by the company. Both are now part of WWE with Rhodes on the main roster and Saints in NXT. They do not get to see each other in person too often at the moment, but Rhodes still helps guide Saints in his career and life in general.

“The friendship in itself is great because, you know, I don’t know if he sees a younger kid in me [like] when he was first starting out. I don’t know. I would think so, but I really don’t know,” Saints told the Battleground Podcast. “But he’s great in the fact that there are things that I’m figuring out on my own. And there are little pockets that I kind of miss, right? He is great at identifying those pockets and giving me words of wisdom that allow me to ultimately guide myself to what it is that I should be learning or figuring out.

“He’s really, really good at that. He’s really good at giving you a perspective and you ultimately being like, ‘Oh, okay. I get it now.’ It’s so undervalued in that sense, because you’re usually used to people like physically showing you this or doing that, right? Since we don’t live very close to each other, it’s hard. So when we do have these moments where we do see each other and we talk, the conversations are in depth. They have such a deep magnitude to them of like life and sh*t outside of wrestling, you know what I’m saying? It covers all of it. So he’s been very impactful in my career and in my life too, personally and professionally. So I can’t really thank him too much [for] that.”

Saints has been in NXT since debuting for WWE in February 2025. He has the chance to become a two-time NXT Champion when he challenges Joe Hendry for the belt at Vengeance Day this Saturday.

This week will also see Rhodes challenge for gold when he faces Drew McIntyre for the WWE Championship on SmackDown. That matchup will have a big impact on WrestleMania plans with Randy Orton now confirmed to be challenging for the belt at Mania.

Ricky Saints reflects on ‘sleeper match’ from AEW run

Posted on by Joseph Currier

When Ricky Saints thinks back on important moments he’s had in wrestling, there’s a “sleeper match” that stands out from his AEW run.

The former Ricky Starks appeared on The Battleground Podcast ahead of NXT Vengeance Day. During the interview, he was asked to name the one moment from his career where fans went from liking him to thinking he’s a star. Saints pointed to his strap match against Bryan Danielson from AEW All Out 2023 as an obvious choice. But he also fondly remembers an eight-man tag match from the second-ever episode of Collision where he teamed with CM Punk & FTR against Jay White, Juice Robinson & The Gunns.

“That’s hard, because I felt it twice. Obviously the Bryan Danielson match that I had, the strap match, was really great,” Saints said. “But there’s also a sleeper match that I don’t think people really remember. It was a big tag match. It was me, Punk, FTR against The Gunn Club. It was in Toronto. It was amazing, that was such a great feeling that I had where I go, ‘Wow, I get it. I get it now.’ So I think those two are like standout in my mind of that type of scenario. And it still happens, it’s still happening for some people.”

As someone who was once in AEW and is now signed to WWE, Saints inevitably encounters some tribalism online. But he told The Battleground Podcast that, to an extent, he appreciates the passion people have for the promotions and wrestlers they love. And the dynamic that exists on social media isn’t one that he’s actually encountered in real life.

“I think it’s a little bit more sensitive and touchy just for the fact that we’re all on social media, so it’s a little more saturated. But then when you actually go out into the crowds and you go to these live events — like in Nashville, no one cared,” Saints said. “There were people who were fans of me from AEW, people who were fans of me from NWA, people who are fans of me now. They all mesh, they all share a commonality. I do think that it is kind of cool, to a certain degree, that people have such an ownership and stake in a specific company or a specific wrestler. I like the fondness of that, because if you ain’t got passion for your team, then what are you doing?”

Saints told The Battleground Podcast that he believes right now is a great time to be a wrestling fan. When he was coming up in the NWA, there were so many fewer options than there are now.

“Think about 2018, right? Think about 2019,” he said. “When I was in NWA, it was just NWA and WWE. That was it. And then you had, of course, New Japan and stuff like that. But it’s a great time to be a fan of professional wrestling.”

Saints is challenging Joe Hendry for the NXT Championship at this Saturday’s Vengeance Day PLE. If Saints wins, it will be his second time holding the NXT Championship since debuting for the brand in February 2025.

Daily Update: Myles Borne, new MJF trademark, MLW

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Daily Update

Latest News

Latest Audio

Latest YouTube Video

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

Among the topics covered in this issue:

  • Elimination Chamber and WrestleMania updates. Update on ticket sales to both shows as well as AEW Revolution and explanations of why and current interest level in tickets.
  • Notes on the giant gates WWE drew for WrestleMania last year and John Cena’s retirement.
  • How much Mania tickets have increased in recent years
  • Odds on this week shows
  • Gina Carano vs. Ronda Rousey and a history of how women’s MMA overcame so many obstacles due to those two. We look at what each did, their background, the story behind the 2014 fight that never happened and why this fight is happening, as well as addressing very serious questions regarding the fight.
  • A look at nostalgia fights and different ways to do them and how they work or don’t work
  • A look at the life and career of the Great Mephisto, one of the most creative minds in wrestling as a wrestler and booker of the 60s and 70s, including his heyday in San Francisco and Australia and stories about his confrontations with Roy Shire, copying from and teaming with The Sheik, Booking WCW in Australia, and a life that start as a street hustler in the depression to facing Hulk Hogan in his first match ever in Northern California.
  • The most detailed look at the television ratings over the past week, with comparisons, Nielsen and Netflix flaws, Olympics and more.
  • Major change in CMLL rules and thoughts about it
  • This past week in CMLL including a hot Friday night sold out show with Mistico vs. Templario
  • Mistico talks Observer awards
  • Saya Kamitani update
  • FantasticaMania first night
  • Cain Velasquez update
  • Notes on the death of Brett Wolverton and Kerwin Silfies
  • Mick Foley television series
  • Longest lasting pro wrestling ring announcer
  • Eve sets UK record
  • Tag team holds titles in Europe & Japan at the same time
  • TNA No Surrender notes
  • More on mainstream coverage of Brody King
  • More on WBD sale
  • Report that Trump will kill current deal
  • AEW in Australia notes
  • Sean Strickland is an idiot
  • Dana White talks boxing
  • Gable Steveson fights again and update
  • Janel Grant lawsuit update
  • Another WWE European tour and PLE show
  • Bad Bunny wrestling update

This Week’s Back Issue

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Wednesday Update

WWE

  • WWE uploaded the full Ethan Page vs. Myles Borne NXT main event from last night, where Borne defeated Page to become the new men’s North American Champion.
  • In an Instagram stories post, Stephanie Vaquer congratulated Borne (her boyfriend) on his title win: “I’m so proud of you, because I truly know how hard you work day after day. You deserve this and so much more”
  • On Undertaker’s Six Feet Under podcast, Michael Hayes shared that he is now 17 months sober from alcohol.
  • Charlotte Flair wished her father Ric a happy 77th birthday: “Happy Birthday Dad @RicFlairNatrBoy I love you big as the sky:
  • Shinsuke Nakamura reacted to AJ Styles’ retirement:
    • AJ left the ring with his family by his side.
    • That’s the right way to go.
    • We fought. We pushed each other. We made history.
    • As a rival, I respect him. As a friend, I’m happy for him.
    • Much love, brother
  • WWE has filed a trademark for “WWE Evolve Succession,” which is the name the company has been using for Evolve’s special episodes.
  • A new WWE ID recruit will be revealed this Friday at Chaotic Wrestling’s event in Watertown, Massachusetts. The winner of Jariel Rivera vs. Tony “The Big Cheese” Navarro receives an ID contract.
  • CM Punk appeared on ChicagoNow ahead of Elimination Chamber.
  • Cody Rhodes was on ESPN’s Get Up and First Take today, while Finn Balor was on SportsCenter.
  • The Chicago Lead interviewed Jade Cargill.
  • Tatum Paxley was a guest on Busted Open Radio.

Other Wrestling

  • On February 23, MJF filed a trademark for the term “Big Hebrew.”
  • During her latest vlog episode, Queen Aminata said she’s hoping to return from her neck injury “pretty soon.” She’s scheduled to be backstage at Dynamite tonight to get checked out. If everything looks good, she’ll be able to start rolling around in the ring and taking bumps again.
  • Roderick Strong appeared on a new edition of Close-Up with Renee Paquette.
  • Tommaso Ciampa made an appearance on 9 News in Denver.
  • Street Fighter shared a video of Kenny Omega doing some motion-capture work as the character Alex in Street Fighter 6.
  • The Infantry (Shawn Dean & Carlie Bravo) have been announced for Battle for the Brave, which is taking place on June 6. It’s an indie show that Deonna Purrazzo and Steve Maclin are producing to benefit the charity organization Tunnel to Towers.
  • MLW will make its Tennessee debut with a TV taping at The Signal in Chattanooga on May 9. Tickets are going on sale on March 4.

WWE moves NXT Stand & Deliver away from WrestleMania weekend

Posted on by Joseph Currier

WWE is making a big change for NXT Stand & Deliver 2026.

Stand & Deliver has traditionally taken place during WrestleMania weekend, but that will not be the case this year. The PLE will instead be held in the St. Louis area on Saturday, April 4, which is two weeks before Las Vegas hosts WrestleMania.

The Factory in Chesterfield, Missouri will be the venue for Stand & Deliver 2026. A ticket pre-sale begins on March 3 prior to tickets going on sale to the general public on March 4.

“I want to break some big news,” NXT boss Shawn Michaels said. “On Saturday, April 4, NXT will be bringing one of its biggest PLEs to one of the greatest wrestling cities in all the world. Stand & Deliver, Saturday, April 4, will take place at The Factory in St. Louis, Missouri. Tickets will go on sale March 4, with a pre-sale on March 3. And trust me, this is a PLE you won’t want to miss.”

The Enterprise Center in St. Louis is hosting SmackDown the night before this NXT PLE takes place.

NXT is coming off a big episode last night that featured three title changes. Myles Borne became the new men’s North American Champion, Vanity Project won the NXT Tag Team titles, and Elio LeFleur won WWE Speed gold.

The build to Stand & Deliver should pick up after Vengeance Day 2026 takes place on March 7. On the road to Stand & Deliver, NXT has stops in Houston in March 17 and New York City on March 31 for television episodes.

WWE NXT coach Steve Corino makes surprise wrestling return

Posted on by Joseph Currier

WWE NXT coach Steve Corino won indie gold on Sunday night while making his surprise return to the ring.

In his first singles match in nearly five years, Corino defeated Kaitlyn Marie to win the Premier Wrestling Federation Championship. The indie promotion is based in North Carolina, with Corino being a part owner of the company and its Carolina Wrestling Academy. This is the seventh time he’s held the PWF Championship.

Sunday’s event was PWF’s 25th anniversary show. Kaitlyn Marie was originally schedule for a title defense against Krule (Mads Kruler Krugger) before Corino subbed in as her opponent.

It was noted that, when he competes in the ring going forward, Corino will be doing so exclusively for PWF. He also holds a full-time position with WWE as a staff member at the Performance Center.

The last singles match Corino had prior to this was in 2021, when he faced off against his son Colby for PWF. Steve Corino did compete in PWF’s Premier Tag League tournament in December 2025, though he did so under a mask and was billed as Mr. Wrestling 3.

Corino is a former ECW World Champion who wrestled all over the world during his career, including in Japan for Zero1. He also worked as a commentator for ROH and NJPW before joining WWE in his behind-the-scenes role. Corino was inducted into GCW and Orange Crush’s Indie Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2024.

It was announced last month that Corino’s son Colby, who is working toward his own in-ring return after undergoing emergency neck and back surgery in 2025, has re-signed with the NWA.

Miranda Alize attending WWE NXT tryout

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Indie wrestler Miranda Alize is among the attendees at WWE’s Performance Center tryout in Orlando this week.

NXT boss Shawn Michaels shared a brief clip from the tryout on social media yesterday. Alize could be seen in the video, and her girlfriend Nixon Newell (who previously wrestled for WWE as Tegan Nox) reacted to the clip In an Instagram stories post. “Number 34 [the number on Alize’s shirt] is my favorite,” Newell wrote.

In November 2025, Alize and Nox made headlines when they walked out of an AEW Collision episode prior to their scheduled match. They had already worked one tag match for AEW and were supposed to face Tay Melo and Anna Jay this time. While Alize and Newell were reportedly okay with losing, they wanted the match to go longer than the three minutes it was slotted for. Their replacements in the match, Hyan and Maya World, have since signed with AEW.

Alize is from Texas, competes on the indies in that area, and was trained by Booker T at his Reality of Wrestling school. Nicknamed the “Lucha Baddie,” her past experience includes having wrestled for ROH.

The clip Michaels posted also showed that Shayna Baszler — who has been guest coaching at the Performance Center ahead of a potential full-time role — is helping coach at the tryout.

WWE’s plan for 2026 is to hold significantly more tryouts than it had been doing previously, with the company looking for in-shape indie talent who can work in the ring and cut promos.

WWE NXT viewership up, best 18-49 demo rating in months

Posted on by Paul Fontaine

Tuesday night’s WWE NXT episode averaged 637,000 viewers on The CW, up 1.3 percent from last week. It’s the second-largest audience total for the show since December 9.

In the 18-49 demo, NXT drew a 0.12 rating. That’s up 50 percent from the prior week and ties the highest rating the show has done in that category since September 17.

The show faced heavy competition from the Winter Olympics on NBC & Peacock and finished 10th out of the 11 programs on English-language network television for the night.

As compared to the same week in 2025, NXT’s overall viewership was down 20.5 percent while the 18-49 rating was down 33.3 percent.

Listed below are the last 11 weeks of viewership numbers and 18-49 demo ratings for NXT, as well as the 10-week average in both categories. This week’s show was up 3.6 percent in viewers and 50 percent in 18-49 as compared to the recent averages.

WWE NXT ratings —

DateNXT 18-49NXT total viewers
12/2/20250.08532,000
12/9/20250.09647,000
12/16/20250.08607,000
12/23/20250.08602,000
12/30/20250.07604,000
1/6/20260.1627,000
1/13/20260.09618,000
1/20/20260.08608,000
1/27/20260.08674,000
2/3/20260.08629,000
2/10/20260.12637,000
*10 wk avg0.08614,800

WWE files trademark for new NXT faction name

Posted on by Joseph Currier

This week, WWE made a trademark filing officially confirming the name of a new NXT faction.

WWE applied to trademark the term “Birthright” on February 11. It’s a word that Lexis King has been using over the past few weeks while attempting to recruit others into his faction with Arianna Grace and Stacks. King (the son of Brian Pillman) and Grace (daughter of Santino Marella) are both second-generation wrestlers.

Charlie Dempsey and Uriah Connors, the sons of William Regal and Fit Finlay, are two of the names King has approached about joining the group. The idea is that their families have earned the wrestling legacies that they are now continuing, and the other prospects in NXT are just influencers and athletes who have gotten everything handed to them.

The trademark application lists that the filing is to cover goods and services related to pro wrestling performances:

  • Entertainment services, namely, wrestling exhibitions and performances by a professional wrestler and entertainer rendered live and through broadcast media including television and radio, and via the internet or commercial online service; providing wrestling news and information via a global computer network; providing information in the fields of sports and entertainment via an online community portal; providing a website in the field of sports entertainment information; fan club services, namely, organizing sporting events in the field of wrestling for wrestling fan club members; organizing social entertainment events for entertainment purposes for wrestling fan club members; providing online newsletters in the fields of sports entertainment; online journals, namely blogs, in the field of sports entertainment

Another new addition to Birthright could be David Finlay, who is rumored to be headed to WWE after giving an apparent farewell to NJPW at The New Beginning in Osaka. Finlay is Uriah Connors’ brother.

WWE NXT Roadblock special set for March

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Next month, WWE NXT is heading back to New York City for its annual Roadblock special.

It’s been announced that Roadblock 2026 will take place at The Theater at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday, March 31. The show will air as a special episode of NXT and should serve as a big stop for NXT on the road to WrestleMania weekend.

The Roadblock event is happening one night after Madison Square Garden itself hosts WWE Raw. The theater is a smaller venue connected to MSG that seats a few thousand people. It also hosted Roadblock in 2025 and was most recently the venue for NXT Gold Rush last November.

“NXT Roadblock returns to the Infosys Theater at MSG on March 31,” the venue’s announcement said. “Be there LIVE to see your favorite NXT superstars including NXT Women’s Champion Jacy Jayne, NXT North American Champion Ethan Page, NXT Women’s North American Champion Izzi Dame, NXT Tag Team Champions DarkState and many more!”

Tickets are going on sale to the general public this Thursday (February 5) at 10 a.m. Eastern. A pre-sale is set to begin on Wednesday at that same time.

WWE has yet to officially announce NXT’s plans for WrestleMania weekend in Las Vegas this April, but NXT’s Stand & Deliver PLE traditionally happens then. The brand has a big TV episode tonight where a new NXT Champion will be crowned. Oba Femi vacated the title last month as he prepared for his main roster call-up.

WWE NXT draws best viewership since October

Posted on by Paul Fontaine

Tuesday night’s WWE NXT episode averaged 674,000 viewers on The CW, up 10.8 percent from last week. It’s the best audience total for the show since October 14 and is the second-highest viewership for NXT since Nielsen started using its new Big Data + Panel rating system.

In the 18-49 demo, NXT drew a 0.08 rating. That’s the same rating the show did last week and ties the lowest number for NXT in that category since December 30. It was the lowest ranked show on English-language network television both in total viewers and the key demo on Tuesday, though The CW generally has a lower profile than the other major broadcast networks.

As compared to the same week in 2025 (which used the old panel-only method), NXT’s overall viewership was down 18.5 percent while the 18-49 rating was down 57.9 percent.

Listed below are the last 11 weeks of viewership numbers and 18-49 demo ratings for NXT, as well as the 10-week average in both categories. This week’s show was up 11.3 percent in viewers but down 11.1 percent in 18-49 as compared to the recent averages.

WWE NXT ratings —

DateNXT 18-49NXT total viewers
11/18/20250.11650,000
11/25/20250.07562,000
12/2/20250.08532,000
12/9/20250.09647,000
12/16/20250.08607,000
12/23/20250.08602,000
12/30/20250.07604,000
1/6/20260.1627,000
1/13/20260.09618,000
1/20/20260.08608,000
1/27/20260.08674,000
*10 wk avg0.09605,700

WWE tryout attendee details suffering concussion

Posted on by Joseph Currier

An injury put a damper on Sallie Grace’s WWE tryout experience as she suffered a concussion during an improv drill.

The social media influencer was among the attendees at the Performance Center for WWE’s latest tryout in Orlando. She was honored to be there and learning a lot in her first experience in the ring. However, Grace was then sidelined by a head injury. In an Instagram video, she shared how the concussion left her disoriented and bummed her out.

“We were doing improv and they told us to pretend swimming. Bro, I think I sound so stupid right now,” she said. “I got hit in the head because someone was on the metal ropes and were swinging it and swung it and it hit the back of my head really hard. I can’t even keep my train of thought. And I feel stupid because I don’t remember what I’m saying. I forgot who I’m talking to earlier. This morning, I had a headache when I walked into the Performance Center and I knew something wasn’t right. We started taking bumps for the first time and I just felt my brain sloshing around and I’m like, ‘I cant continue this or else, you know, there will be long-term effects.’ I got tested, and I have a concussion.

“One medic said, ‘All right, now go talk to the first medic that you talked to.’ I’m like, ‘First medic? I’ve only talked to you.’ And I completely forgot I had a conversation with that dude. I was packing up my bags to leave and I was just sitting there for 10 minutes with my mind blank, like, crying because I didn’t remember what I had brought to the gym. And then I got in the elevator to the hotel and I was up on not the first floor and I was in the elevator and I pressed the first floor thinking I was going to go up, and I just wasn’t going up. So my brain is so out of it right now. This is day three of five. A couple of people have gotten concussed — and one of those couple people were me. I’m just pretty bummed right now, but I’ll keep you guys updated. I hope that made sense. I am so out of it.”

The tryout featured indie talent along with some attendees without wrestling backgrounds. Starboy Charlie, Nor “Phoenix” Diana, and Bhupinder Gujjar were some of the indie names taking part.

Our Bryan Alvarez notes that WWE plans on holding significantly more tryouts in 2026 than last year.

“We are told that WWE will be holding significantly more tryouts this year,” Alvarez wrote. And like this most recent set they are back to looking for in-shape indie talent who can work and cut good promos.”

WWE confirms status of NXT Championship

Posted on by Joseph Currier

If last night’s ending wasn’t clear enough, WWE has confirmed that the NXT Championship is now officially vacant.

NXT New Year’s Evil 2026 culminated with Oba Femi leaving his NXT Championship belt in the ring after retaining against Leon Slater. It remains to be seen how a new champion will be crowned, but WWE sent out an announcement today addressing the status of the title.

“After his victory at #NewYearsEvil, Oba Femi has officially vacated the #WWENXT Championship,” WWE wrote. “Stay tuned for more details.”

Femi — a dominant presence in NXT during his run on the brand — is joining the WWE main roster soon. Videos hyping his call-up have aired on recent episodes of both Raw and SmackDown. Originally from Nigeria. Femi is a former shot putter for the University of Alabama. He debuted in 2022 after having been part of the WWE NIL program.

During New Year’s Evil, NXT General Manager Ava spoke to the WWE Evolve roster and said there will be a lot of opportunities for newcomers in NXT with Femi, Je’Von Evans, Trick Williams, Lash Legend, and Jordynne Grace all being called up. Ava indicated that there will be other call-ups as well.