The recent episode of WWE NXT kicked off with a face-off between Jordynne Grace and Jaida Parker. Unfortunately, Grace experienced an unplanned setback in the ring when a suicide dive did not execute as feasible and saw her entangled in the ropes before tumbling in front of Parker. However, in true sportsmanship spirit, Grace later joked about the mishap on her social media platforms.
In the same episode, Brad Baylor and Ricky Smokes, known under their ring name Swipe Right, showcased their wrestling capabilities for the first time. Despite putting up a fierce contest, they fell to the reigning NXT Tag Team Champions Nathan Frazer and Axiom. After their match, there was a brief face-to-face with Hank Walker and Tank Ledger who extended advice that didn’t seem to sit well with Swipe Right.
Even though their debut match ended in a loss, Swipe Right earned commendations online from WWE ID program and Wrestling Open, which marked them as a successful part of WWE ID’s talent development initiative.
Ricky Saints, known as Ricky Starks in All Elite Wrestling (AEW), recently shared his WWE debut journey in an interview with “The Ringer”.
Reflecting on his quick transition into WWE, Saints said: “It was a very quick turnaround. People think that was days in advance. I had never spoken to WWE at all before any of that. I never got on the phone with anyone before that, blah, blah, blah. So all of that, when I say it happened so fast, it happened so fast and it never let up off the gas.”
Saints also expressed his gratitude and the emotional impact of meeting fans: “I remember going to House of Glory and doing the meet-and-greet and had so many people tell me, ‘I just want to see you happy. I just want to see you on TV again. I remember just really crying because I was so moved by these people, and they didn’t understand at the time why it meant so much.”
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