Tag: NXT

Kushida Reportedly Parts Ways With WWE

According to a recent report, Japanese wrestler Kushida is no longer with WWE.

Former NXT Cruiserweight Champion Kushida is reportedly no longer a member of the WWE roster.

According to Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp, Kushida parted ways with WWE after his contract expired.

Kushida signed for WWE in 2019. His signing was announced by Triple H at a press conference in New York City just a few days prior to that year’s WrestleMania. In a video on the WWE Performance Center channel at the time of his in-ring WWE debut, Kushida was shown talking about how excited he was to debut in NXT. After defeating Kassius Ohno on his debut, Kushida told an interviewer he felt “reborn” and happy.

The 38-year-old cut his teeth in his native Japan and made a name for himself in New Japan Pro Wrestling — the country’s most prestigious professional wrestling promotion. During his NJPW tenure, Kushida became a six-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion and a two-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion (with Time Splitters teammate Alex Shelley). He also won the 2015 and 2017 Best of the Super Juniors tournaments, and the 2016 Super J-Cup.

While his WWE tenure was largely uneventful, Kushida did have a few standout moments. In 2020, he reunited with Time Splitters partner Alex Shelley in order to compete in that year’s Dusty Classic. The team was eliminated by The Grizzled Young Veterans in the first round, but the moment was special as it was the first time Shelley and Kushida had teamed up since 2015. It was also Shelley’s first appearance in a WWE ring since 2005.

Last April, Kushida won his first and only title in WWE when he defeated Santos Escobar for the NXT Cruiserweight Championship. Kushida lost the title to Roderick Strong on the September 21 episode of NXT 2.0. More recently, Kushida performed as one half of a comedy duo tag team called Jacket Time with his countryman Ikemen Jiro.

Source: TheSportster

UPDATE:

The belief within WWE is that Kushida is going to be returning to New Japan Pro Wrestling at some stage in June, following his WWE departure, according to Dave Meltzer on the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Radio.

Two WWE NXT Superstars Given New Ring Names

NXT 2.0 Superstars Kacy Catanzaro and Kay Lee Ray have new ring names, according to PWInsider. 

Kacy Catanzaro’s ring name is now Katana Chance.

The former American Ninja Warrior star signed with WWE in January of 2018 and then worked the Mae Young Classic tournament that year. She also participated in the Women’s Royal Rumble Match in 2019.

Kacy Catanzaro is currently teaming with Kayden Carter and last wrestled at Roadblock.

Kay Lee Ray’s new ring name is Alba Fyre.

The former NXT UK Women’s Champion made her NXT 2.0 debut at TakeOver 36. She also won this year’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic tournament with Io Shirai.

KLR last competed at Stand & Deliver in a fatal four-way for the NXT Women’s Championship.

WWE filed trademarks for both “Alba Fyre” and “Katana Chance” on April 12.

As noted this past week, Raul Mendoza has changed to Cruz Del Toro, Austin Theory is now just Theory, and Raquel Gonzalez was re-named to Raquel Rodriguez.

Natalya Returns To NXT, Attacks Cora Jade

Veteran WWE Superstar Natalya appeared in an NXT ring for the first time in a long time during this week’s edition of NXT 2.0.

Natalya returned to her old stomping ground at WWE’s Orlando Performance Center when she made a surprise appearance on the April 12 edition of NXT 2.0 on USA Network … which did not end well for rising star Cora Jade.

The segment in question kicked off with Cora Jade making her way to the ring, where she preceded to address the NXT Universe. Jade lamented her failed attempt to capture the NXT Women’s Championship at Stand & Deliver, but assured fans that her goal is the same now as it was when she was a child of eight journaling about how she would one day become a champion in WWE. The 21-year-old vowed to one day be considered as successful as the likes of AJ Lee, Paige, Sasha Banks, and more … and then Natalya’s music hit, and the main roster Superstar made her way to the ring — much to the joy of the fans in attendance, who cheered and chanted her name.

Nattie got on the mic and said that the Performance Center brought back a lot of memories for her. The emotional veteran introduced herself to the upstart standing opposite, but she needn’t have bothered as Jade had been familiar with Natalya for a while. Jade shared an anecdote in which Natalya pointed at her during a WWE house show the 11-year-old Cora attended. As a child, Jade sent Natalya a message on Instagram, but Natalya didn’t see the message until years later when she sent Jade a message of congratulations regarding her NXT debut.

Jade continued to express her admiration for Natalya, and Natalya said Jade was the future of NXT … but added that the future was bleak before blindsiding Jade with a huge open-palmed strike to the side of the face. Jade fell to the mat and Natalya slapped a Sharpshooter on the youngster, forcing her to tap out as the segment drew to a close and officials tried to quell the carnage.

Later in the episode, Natalya was confronted in the locker room by Tatum Paxley, who challenged her to a match on NXT week’s NXT 2.0. That match will be Natalya’s first in an NXT ring since 2016.

https://twitter.com/WWENXT/status/1514072398584328193

Source: TheSportster

WWE NXT Preview 4/12/22

Tonight’s WWE NXT 2.0 episode on the USA Network is being billed as a “colossal edition” of the show as three titles will be on the line.

NXT 2.0 will feature the vacant NXT Tag Team Titles on the line in a Five-Team Gauntlet Match. The titles were declared vacant last week after it was reported that MSK’s Nash Carter was released over abuse allegations by his wife, Kimber Lee, who is still under contract to Impact Wrestling, and due to photos of Carter a photo of Carter performing a Nazi salute in which he appears to have modeled his mustache after Adolf Hitler’s.

It’s believed that tonight’s NXT show will also feature a follow-up on the abduction of 2022 WWE Hall of Famer Rick Steiner. Last week’s show ended with NXT Champion Bron Breakker looking on as it was revealed that Joe Gacy and Harland were holding his father hostage, tied up in a cage.

WWE NXT Level Up Preview 4/8/22

Tonight’s NXT Level Up at 10pm ET on Peacock and the WWE Network.

Chase and Hayward clash with Donovan and Lauren on NXT Level Up

* Andre Chase and Bodhi Hayward tangling with Troy Donovan and Channing Lauren in a thrilling main event

* Bernal seeks his first career victory against Raaj

* 18-year-old Hail is setting her sights on one of NXT Level Up’s pillars, Nile.

Nash Carter Released By WWE For Nazi Salute, Not Abuse Allegations [Report]

NXT had what was arguably its biggest show since becoming NXT 2.0 last weekend. Stand & Deliver, on which a number of titles changed hands including MSK becoming Tag Team Champions for a second time. A curious decision in the eyes of some fans as the new champs’ Nash Carter had some pretty serious allegations made against him by his wife Kimber Lee that same week.

Lee deleted the initial tweets following backlash from fans but posted new, potentially more incriminating ones after WrestleMania weekend. The Impact star shared two photos in which she has a mark above her lip. Lee claims the mark was a result of a busted lip, an injury she allegedly sustained after being hit by Carter when he was intoxicated.

Carter was released by WWE shortly after those photos were made public, but apparently, Lee’s allegations are not the reason why Carter’s NXT career has come to an end. At around the same time Lee doubled down on her own allegations, a photo of Carter performing a Nazi salute in which he appears to have modeled his mustache after Adolf Hitler’s also surfaced.

According to The Wrestling Observer, the Nazi photo is the reason WWE released Carter as opposed to the abuse allegations made against him. That actually makes sense and may explain why Carter’s release came so quickly after Lee published the photos. Lee’s comments will need to be investigated to determine exactly what happened and if Carter really did intentionally inflict the injury in the photo. The Nazi photo, on the other hand, there’s no disputing or defending that.

There have been a number of allegations made against wrestlers as a part of the Speaking Out movement over the course of the past two years. WWE claims to undertake internal investigations if it believes the allegations are serious ones, which ultimately led to the release of Velveteen Dream last year. Dream wants to return to NXT, but the likelihood of that seems low for the time being.

Source: TheSportster

Rick Steiner Involved In First WWE Storyline Since 1994

WWE Hall of Famer Rick Steiner was kidnapped by Joe Gacy and Harland on this week’s NXT 2.0.

Rick Steiner returned to NXT for the first time since his son Bron Breakker won the NXT Championship for the first time … but things went a little differently this time.

It all went down at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida during the cliffhanger climax of this week’s edition of NXT 2.0 on USA Network. Breakker had just successfully retained the NXT Championship with a victory over “Der Ring General” Gunther in the main event when his father, the legendary WWE Hall of Famer Rick Steiner, appeared on the big screen. Rick congratulated his son on the win, but as the camera panned out it was revealed that Rick was tied up and had been locked in a cage … by the villainous Joe Gacy and the brutish drone known as Harland.

https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1511525738234667018

As the show drew to a close, a concerned Breakker looked on and Gacy said he was going to teach the old dog some new tricks. Steiner’s involvement in this week’s show marks his first involvement in a WWE angle since he parted ways with the company back in 1994.

Steiner set foot in a WWE ring for the first time since 1994 following the conclusion of the New Year’s Evil edition of NXT 2.0 on USA Network back in January. Bron Breakker had just defeated the veteran Tommaso Ciampa in a thrilling main event to capture the NXT Championship. The show went off the air, but the WWE cameras didn’t stop rolling … and that’s when the Dog-Faced Gremlin himself appeared to celebrate with his boy.

Rick and his brother Scott joined WWF in 1992 and would go on to win the WWF Tag Team Championship on two occasions. Despite tasting glory in the WWF, the brothers did not get along with Vince McMahon and ultimately left the company in 1994. Time heals all wounds, though, and both Steiner brothers were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame during the induction ceremony last Friday.

Source: TheSportster

WWE NXT Preview 4/5/22

Tonight’s WWE NXT 2.0 episode will take place at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando with fallout from Stand & Deliver.

Women’s Tag Team Title rematch set for Tuesday night

New NXT Champion Bron Breakker is expected to return to the brand as champion on tonight’s show. Breakker lost to Dolph Ziggler at Stand & Deliver, but won the title on last night’s RAW After WrestleMania episode.

WWE is also teasing that Tony D’Angelo and AJ Galante, the former Danbury Trashers hockey team GM who appeared on Netflix’s “Crime & Penalties” documentary, will continue their Stand & Deliver celebration on tonight’s show. Galante accompanied D’Angelo at Stand & Deliver for the win over Tommaso Ciampa.

It’s also likely that new NXT North American Champion Cameron Grimes will appear on tonight’s show, along with new NXT Tag Team Champions MSK.

Below is the current line-up for tonight’s NXT:

* Fallout from Stand & Deliver

* New NXT Champion Bron Breakker returns as a two-time champion

* Tony D’Angelo and AJ Galante continue their Stand & Deliver celebration

* New NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzalez defend against former champion Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jayne

WWE NXT Stand & Deliver Results 4/2/2022

WWE NXT WOMEN’S TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
Dakota Kai & Raquel Gonzalez defeated Gigi Dolin & Jacy Jayne (c) (**TITLE CHANGE**)

WWE NXT NORTH AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIP LADDER MATCH
Cameron Grimes defeated Carmelo Hayes (c) and Grayson Waller and Santos Escobar and Solo Sikoa (**TITLE CHANGE**)

Tony D’Angelo defeated Tommaso Ciampa

WWE NXT TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
MSK (Nash Carter & Wes Lee) defeated Imperium (Fabian Aichner & Marcel Barthel) (c) and Creed Brothers (Brutus Creed & Julius Creed) (**TITLE CHANGE**)

WWE NXT WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
Mandy Rose (c) defeated Io Shirai and Cora Jade and Kay Lee Ray

Gunther defeated LA Knight

WWE NXT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
Dolph Ziggler (c) defeated Bron Breakker

WWE NXT Stand & Deliver 4/2/2022

DATE: April 2, 2022 1:00 pm
LOCATION: American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
AVAILABLE ON: Peacock (U.S.), WWE Network (International)

CARD

WWE NXT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
Bron Breakker vs. Dolph Ziggler (c)

WWE NXT WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
Cora Jade vs. Io Shirai vs. Kay Lee Ray vs. Mandy Rose (c)

WWE NXT NORTH AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIP LADDER MATCH
Cameron Grimes vs. Grayson Waller vs. Santos Escobar vs. Solo Sikoa vs. Carmelo Hayes (c)

WWE NXT TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
Creed Brothers (Brutus Creed & Julius Creed) vs. MSK (Nash Carter & Wes Lee) vs. Imperium (Fabian Aichner & Marcel Barthel) (c)

WWE NXT WOMEN’S TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
Dakota Kai & Raquel Gonzalez vs. Gigi Dolin & Jayce Jane (c)

Tommaso Ciampa vs. Tony D’Angelo

Gunther vs. LA Knight