Tag: NXT

WOL: It’s a New Day for Kofi, Xavier & a new group of talent parting ways with WWE

Posted on by Jim Valley

It’s the Saturday Wrestling Observer Live with Jim Valley.

It turns out the departure of talent from WWE isn’t finished yet. On Saturday, The New Day of Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods and others parted ways with WWE. Jim will talks about the names, their history and where you might like to see them appear next.

Ricky Saints made his WWE SmackDown debut Friday facing off against Cody Rhodes, Fatal Influence is still shaking up the top of the women’s division, and Jacob Fatu continued his march of terror towards Roman Reigns and the World Heavyweight Championship.

Plus, an AEW Collision preview, NOAH, AAA and more.

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Update on reason for recent WWE NXT roster cuts

Posted on by Ian Carey

An update is available regarding WWE’s recent roster cuts.

Our own Bryan Alvarez posted to his subscribers on X that the NXT cuts are said to have been made more from a talent evaluation standpoint than as budget cuts.

Alvarez wrote:

“The NXT cuts are said to be more talent evaluation cuts as opposed to anything budgetary. This happens pretty frequently.”

The talent cut from WWE’s developmental system includes Tyra Mae Steele, Carlee Bright, Sirena Linton, Tyson DuPont, Tyriek Igwe, Chris Island, Malik Blade, Trill London, Andre Chase, and Luca Crucifino.

They will all be under 30-day non-competes that will expire on May 24.

WWE NXT roster cuts

Dave Meltzer addressed some of the cuts in Friday’s edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, writing:

“Steele (Tamyra Mensah-Stock, a 2021 Olympic wrestling gold medalist) had won LFG and was pushed as going to the NXT roster after winning the series, but then only used for a few weeks before being forgotten about. In truth, she did not impress.

Bright and Linton are both on the current season of LFG, meaning they were cut the day before the season started where they were battling for an NXT television push. Bright also just started airing on a commercial for The General Insurance with Rhea Ripley.”

WWE NXT broadcast team adds Canadian TV host, sports reporter

Posted on by Ian Carey

Emily Agard has announced she is the newest member of the WWE NXT broadcast team.

Agard is a host and reporter for Sportsnet, WWE’s former media partner in Canada. Sportsnet now airs TNA Impact on Thursdays. She previously worked as a WWE social media ambassador in Canada for the 2023 Elimination Chamber in Montreal.

Agard posted to social media on Thursday:

“Dreams do come true! SO excited and beyond grateful to be joining the @WWE broadcast team. If you know me, you know this has been a huge goal of mine and an absolute dream. I love wrestling. Cannot wait to dive right in. Let’s get to work! @WWENXT 🎤💪”

Agard’s website reads:

“Emily Agard is a television host on Sportsnet. She hosts Plays of the Month and Misplays of the Month. When she’s not busy in the studio, you can catch her at the ballpark covering Blue Jays baseball, or chatting all things WWE.”

Agard has a degree in Radio and Television Arts from Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University). She has also worked for TSN, CBC, TVO, and Live Nation Canada.

Myles Borne reveals advice Randy Orton has given him for WWE career 

Posted on by Rosanne Raphael

Myles Borne revealed Randy Orton’s advice for the longevity of his in-ring WWE career. 

Speaking with No Contest Wrestling, Borne discussed the conversation with Orton on their similar body styles and in-ring agility. He gave him notes on protecting himself while competing given their complicated history with back surgeries.

“He’s told me many times – we have similar body styles. He’s much bigger obviously, but our shape and everything, the way he moves, I felt that was natural for me so I started watching the way he would wrestle and the moves he would do.”

“And he would tell me… because I had back surgery before I got here, so learning from him, I started soaking in everything he was telling me. ‘This is a long career, you’ve gotta protect yourself,’ and the way that he wrestled to have that long of a dominating career, I was like, ‘Okay, I wanna follow that blueprint.’”

“So I started picking some things here and there to try to advance my career very fast. But now I’m trying to create my own path, so slowly but surely, I’m figuring out who I am.”

“But yeah, Randy was kinda the foundational block that I stuck onto to at least help me get through that door and navigate in the ring for the first few years.” 

Borne and Orton have often drawn reactions for bearing resemblance to each other. Borne signed with WWE in 2022 and made his NXT debut in July that year. In February this year, hewon the NXT North American Championship, marking his first WWE title win.

WOR: Smackdown to two hours, WWE and AI, Dynamite and NXT, more!

Posted on by Bryan Alvarez

Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer is back with tons to talk about including the death of Carol Sammartino, plans for Smackdown’s move to two hours, Night of Champions update, NXT and the CW, more from the WWE Town Hall meeting including what’s up with AI and creative, CMLL update, ratings, full Dynamite and NXT reviews, and more! A fun show as always so check it out~!

Timestamps:
Start: Carol Sammartino passes away, update on SmackDown returning to two hours
3:13: WWE & Saudi Arabia update, other town hall notes
14:52: NXT PLEs to CW & ESPN
17:56: Carlos Silva comments on pulling TNA talent from matches featuring AEW wrestlers
27:24: WWE signs Zoe Hines, Tiger Mask vs. DOUKI thoughts, NOAH & CMLL notes
36:35: Ratings
46:29: AEW Dynamite recap
1:03:03: WWE NXT recap

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John Cena reacts to Will Kroos’ WWE NXT debut

Posted on by Shounak Chakrabarti

On Tuesday, April 28, 2026, British wrestler Will Kroos made his shocking WWE NXT debut.

From Kroos making his shocking appearance to EVIL and Lizzy Rain making their WWE NXT debut, this Tuesday’s WWE NXT episode was filled with multiple debuts.

In a segment featuring NXT Champion Tony D’Angelo and EVIL, fans saw Kroos make his appearance and ambush D’Angelo. The 29-year-old stole the show with his moonsault on D’Angelo after the champion was suplexed by Tavion Heights.

Shortly after, Cena reacted to Kroos’ NXT debut on social media by referring to his chant in the indies. “HE’S BIG…. HE’S BAD…. HE’LL BODYSLAM YOUR DAD!!!”

Who is WWE NXT’s latest addition, Will Kroos?

Kroos, 29, has been a part of the wrestling industry since 2017, actively competing across the British independent scene. Having performed for promotions such as Progress Wrestling and Revolution Pro Wrestling, Kroos is also a former Progress Atlas Champion.

He also wrestled for several international promotions, such as Pro Wrestling NOAH, both in the UK and Japan. His last match dates back to April 12, 2026, when he battled Jay Joshua for the RevPro Undisputed British Heavyweight Title.

Ricky Starks says goodbye to WWE NXT in post-show promo

Posted on by Shounak Chakrabarti

WWE main-roster bound Ricky Starks, aka Ricky Saints, has bid adieu to NXT following a long, successful run.

After spending years in AEW, Saints made his long-awaited WWE debut on the February 11, 2025 episode of WWE NXT. Shortly after, Saints won multiple titles at the promotion, and after a year-long run, he is now moving to the main roster.

Heading to Friday Night SmackDown, Saints competed in his last NXT match on April 28, where he suffered a defeat against Shiloh Hill. After the match, in a post-show promo, Saints delivered his farewell message.

“I should be thanking you. I should be thanking the people in the production truck. All of them. February 7, I stood up there, and I talked my stuff, and you guys welcomed me, and you chanted ‘Ricky Starks’, and you made sure I remembered who I was. On the 11th, I had my match, and then a few months after that, I won the North American Championship. I want you to understand something, I didn’t know what I was getting myself into when I came here, but you welcomed me,” he said.

“I’d be lying if I said this was all a very easy transition, but it was not, and that is okay, that’s how it gets sometimes, but at the end of the day, I came out here, I busted my a**, I made sure that I did what was needed for business,” Saints added.

“You guys repaid me with love, with stroke, with buying the shirts, with all of that. I don’t think that I would even get this far had it not been for the people here, and definitely for the people in the back.”

In the final moments of his goodbye speech, Starks broke character and addressed the crowd in an emotional manner. “So, if this is the last time that you may see me in this NXT ring, then thank you from the bottom of my heart, and I would hope that this Friday on SmackDown, I would hope that you’d watch me there too.”

Saints, 36, is a former NXT Champion and NXT North American Champion.

WOL: NXT 4.0 recap, new faces, WWE and AI, ratings and more!

Posted on by Bryan Alvarez

Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Filthy Tom Lawlor is back with tons to talk about including a full recap of the brand new NXT from Monday night with some new faces, WWE’s comments about AI and that that appears to mean, AEW Dynamite tonight, ratings notes from the week, and tons more! A fun show as always so check it out~!

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WWE NXT episodes coming to additional streaming service this fall

Posted on by Ian Carey

Episodes of NXT will soon be available on The Roku Channel.

As first reported by Deadline, beginning this fall, NXT’s weekly show will be available on the platform the day after its premiere on The CW. NXT episodes will continue to be available on-demand through The CW app as well, in addition to airing live on Tuesday nights.

This is part of a wider deal for The CW’s entertainment programming to be available on Roku.

It was also announced Wednesday that NXT episodes and premium live events, along with other CW sports programming, will be available through ESPN Unlimited in the ESPN app.

CW President Brad Schwartz spoke to Deadline about choosing to partner with established platforms such as ESPN and Roku.

“For us now it’s, how do we make the front door bigger?” Schwartz said. “How do we get all this content that we put online, how do we put it in front of even more people?”

Lisa Holme, Head of Content for Roku Media also spoke to Deadline.

“The CW’s lineup is packed with bold, binge-worthy programming – from the intrigue of Sherlock & Daughter to the competition of ‘WWE NXT’ to the long-running magic series Penn & Teller: Fool Us” Holme said. “This partnership is all about connecting great storytelling with the millions of viewers who are looking for it.”

WWE files trademark for new wrestler name 

Posted on by Rosanne Raphael

WWE filed a trademark this week for a potential new wrestler name.

A trademark application was made for ‘Nox Raijin’ on April 28 with the description that it was for entertainment services, wrestling performances by a professional wrestler. 

  • IC 041: 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.

There is no confirmation on who the trademarked name is for in WWE. NXT featured several debuts by Evolve and LFG talents this week.

The latest edition of NXT kicked off with Shawn Michaels, Matt Bloom and the brand’s General Manager Robert Stone, discussing the next wave of talents to take over the brand following the main roster call-ups in the week after WrestleMania 42. 

The program featured former IWGP Champion EVIL who made his WWE debut by confronting NXT Champion Tony D’Angelo while he was addressing fans. Later, Lizzy Rain competed in her first match in the company against Nikkita Lyons. 

Evolve competitors Tristan Angels amd Tate Wilder, made their NXT debuts too. Angels introduced himself as ‘Mr. England’ with a message for Myles Borne, indicating that he was next to challenge for the NXT North American Championship. Tate Wilder marked his first appearance on the brand, rushing out to assist EK Prosper and Sean Legacy after BirthRight’s ambush. 

https://x.com/WWENXT/status/2049245581655118193

Lizzy Rain reflects on NXT debut experience

Posted on by Rosanne Raphael

Lizzy Rain made her NXT debut this week against Nikkita Lyons. 

Speaking with Busted Open After Dark, Rain expressed being overwhelmed by her WWE debut. She reflected on the 2023 torn ACL surgery setback which she felt would disrupt her momentum on the indies. Additionally, she praised Lyons’ performance as her first NXT opponent. 

“I’m overwhelmed. It’s what I’ve, what I’ve always wanted, what I’ve worked the last few years on the indies for, what all my heartbreak was for when I had a knee surgery, It just means so much to be on WWE TV. It just absolutely blows my mind. I just thought I’d never get there. I did, hands on heart, thought I’d never get there. And now here I bloody am. So it’s very surreal, very surreal. And Nikkita, I was so happy I got to wrestle her for my first match. I couldn’t have asked for a better opponent for my first match.”

Rain dwelled on her inspiration to be a wrestler since childhood but her mother and family did not take it seriously. In later years, she felt competing in WWE was a far-fetched dream especially since she began training at 23-years of age instead of younger like many of the other talents. She proceeded to talk about Pretty Deadly’s (Kit Wilson & Elton Prince) influence on her decision to commence in-ring training. 

“I thought, ‘well, you know what? I’ll give this wrestling thing a go and see if it actually does take off’. Because NXT UK was a thing and that kind of gave me hope. I heard Pretty Deadly speaking and I heard their accents and I was like, ‘oh, I know the accent, that’s my accent. They must wrestle around me. They must have trained around me’. So I messaged one of them and they got back to me and said there’s a training school 20 minutes away from you. And I was like, ‘oh, okay, maybe this can become a thing.’”

When Lizzy Rain found out about her WWE signing

Rain revealed that she was informed about her NXT debut during WrestleMania weekend. 

“I haven’t really had a lot of guidance in what they expect from me. It’s all just happened very fast. They’ve just thrown me in the deep end. Got a text during WrestleMania, ‘You’re filming this vignette for NXT’ and was like, ‘Oh! Really? Okay. I didn’t know this was gonna be happening so fast. I just did my dark match last week’ and so, yeah, it just all happened in a flash so, I haven’t even got to that point yet of what’s expected of me.” 

WWE announced Rain and a few others as new recruits in the Performance Center in March. Rain, formerly competed as Rayne Leverkusen on the indies, confirmed her ring name change earlier this month. She is the niece of late Iron Maiden drummer Clive Burr, whose legacy contributed to her Maiden of Metal persona. 

Mixed tag team match part of next week’s WWE NXT lineup

Posted on by Bryan Rose

A mixed tag team match is part of next week’s WWE NXT lineup.

The AAA Mixed Tag Team Champions Mr. Iguana and Lola Vice will take on Niko Vance and Izzi Dame. After the two had an altercation last week, Vice came to the ring to call out Dame. Spears appeared on the video screen but it was a ruse as the rest of The Culling appeared in the ring. But Vice found help with her AAA tag team partner, who quickly helped her clear house.

Two more matches were also set for next week. Kali Armstong was boasting in the locker room when she was confronted by Jaida Parker, who didn’t seem impressed by the former EVOLVE Champion.

Meanwhile, Vanity Project were talking about their success in the tag team division while Jackson Drake boasted about his new relationship with Myka Lockwood. After the three agreed Drake should make an impact, he was confronted by Jasper Troy, who challenged him to a match for next week.

WWE NXT (May 5)

  • Mr. Iguana & Lola Vice vs. Niko Vance & Izzi Dame
  • Jaida Parker vs. Kali Armstong
  • Jasper Troy vs. Jackson Drake

EVIL makes WWE NXT debut, confronts Tony D’Angelo

Posted on by Bryan Rose

EVIL has arrived in NXT.

Tony D’Angelo was in the ring talking about how many people seemed to have an interest in the NXT title, but was fixated on the box that was given to him on last week’s show, which had the Japanese symbol for war. That was when the lights went out and a hooded figure approached the ring and handed D’Angelo what appeared to be a banner, which had the same symbol as last week. EVIL then removed his hood and the two had a brief staredown.

EVIL, who was not referred to by that name, was only identified as being a “former IWGP Champion.” 

As the former EVIL walked away, Tavion Heights attacked D’Angelo from behind, seemingly turning heel. He stated he was going to start taking what he wanted as he made his exit. But the segment still wasn’t over as another guy, who was heavyset and not identified, hit a top rope moonsault on D’Angelo, finally bringing the segment to an end.

EVIL had his final match with NJPW at Wrestle Kingdom 20 on January 4, losing the NEVER title to Aaron Wolf in what was the latter’s pro wrestling debut. Reports since then indicated that WWE, and specifically NXT, would be his next destination.