NXT

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.

---

Reason for Bliss' Absence from WWE Programming

Alexa Bliss hasn't been seen on WWE programming in weeks, but there is reportedly a good reason for her absence.

According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t Subhojeet Mukherjee of Ringside News), Bliss and her fiance, musician Ryan Cabrera, are getting married soon, so WWE has held her off television.

After losing a Raw Women's Championship match to Charlotte Flair at Extreme Rules in September, Bliss disappeared from TV for a few months. She later returned as the subject of several weekly vignettes on Raw.

In the vignettes, Bliss was speaking to a psychiatrist about her change in personality since aligning with The Fiend and the impact her doll, Lilly, had on her.

Eventually, Bliss declared herself cured and entered the Elimination Chamber match to determine the No. 1 contender for the Raw Women's Championship at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view in February.

Bliss was one of the final two Superstars remaining, but she was eliminated by Bianca Belair, who went on to beat Becky Lynch for the Raw women's title at WrestleMania 38.

Alexa was not part of the WrestleMania card and hasn't been seen since Elimination Chamber, which has led to speculation regarding whether she has fallen out of favor or WWE simply doesn't have a creative plan in place for her.

Instead, it could be a case of Bliss taking some time off around her wedding, allowing WWE to make preparations for when she is able to make a full-time return to television.

---

Breakker Set to Be Called Up Soon?

NXT champion Bron Breakker reportedly may not be staying in developmental for too much longer.

According to Meltzer (h/t H Jenkins of Ringside News), Breakker is receiving some "serious looks" for an eventual main roster call-up, and the plan is for him and Gable Steveson to get "Superstar pushes" when they become part of the main roster.

Breakker has been on the fast track to stardom ever since NXT transitioned to NXT 2.0 in September. Breakker beat L.A. Knight in his first match and has been dominant ever since.

The son of WWE Hall of Famer Rick Steiner and nephew of WWE Hall of Famer Scott Steiner is already a two-time NXT champion despite the fact his career is less than a year old.

He failed to win the NXT title back from Dolph Ziggler at NXT Stand & Deliver last weekend, but he got back at DZ on Raw the night after WrestleMania, beating Ziggler for the championship.

It seems obvious that WWE had him win the title back on Raw so the biggest possible audience could get eyes on the company's star of the future.

Breakker then defeated Gunther cleanly in a title match on Tuesday, and he has seemingly started a storyline with Joe Gacy.

That means Breakker probably isn't in line for an immediate call-up, but it would be somewhat surprising if he isn't on the main roster by the end of the year at the latest.

      

Bellator's Loureda Takes Part in WWE Tryout

A well-known MMA fighter was reportedly part of a WWE tryout during WrestleMania week in Dallas.

According to Meltzer (h/t Mukherjee), Bellator's Valerie Loureda was among the many athletes who were present for WWE's tryouts.

Loureda is a 23-year-old from Miami, Florida, who has built up a 4-1 professional record since making her Bellator debut in 2019.

Most recently, Loureda scored a split-decision victory over Taylor Turner at Bellator 271 in November.

WWE has seemingly changed its focus in recent months regarding the types of prospects it is pursuing and grooming for an eventual career in the company.

For quite some time, NXT was a haven for veteran independent wrestlers, but when many of them failed to enjoy the same success on the main roster as they did in NXT, a change was made.

Once NXT transitioned to NXT 2.0 in September, WWE started gravitating more toward young athletes, many of whom are in college since new name, image and likeness (NIL) rules allow them to be pursued now.

ESPN's Adam Rittenberg reported that 53 athletes took part in the tryout. All of them were athletes and aged 25 or younger.

Loureda undoubtedly has the athletic ability, youth and look WWE is searching for, and the fact that she already has a following could aid in her landing a job with the promotion.

Nash Carter has been released by WWE after allegations of domestic violence were made against the 27-year-old. 

Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select confirmed Carter's release. 

The move came after Carter's wife, Kimber Lee, posted pictures on Twitter showing her face with bruises and said he split her lip open after getting drunk, and that she has "hid this for a year and even forgave him."

Carter and Wes Lee just won the NXT tag team titles for the second time in a three-way match against Imperium and the Creed Brothers at NXT Stand and Deliver during WrestleMania weekend on Saturday.

Carter and Kimber Lee were married in 2020. She previously worked in WWE from 2016-18 as Abbey Laith. Since May 2020, Lee has worked for Impact Wrestling. The 31-year-old hasn't been on television since Dec. 30, though she said in response to a fan question on Twitter that she's still under contract to the promotion. 

Carter worked for Impact Wrestling from 2018-20. He and Dezmond Xavier were known as the Rascalz for the promotion. They left the company in November 2020 after receiving interest from WWE. 

WWE signed Carter in December 2020. He debuted in NXT the following month with Wes Lee (Xavier) in a tag team known as MSK. The pair won the men's Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic tournament last year, beating the Grizzled Young Veterans in the final. 

MSK won their first NXT tag titles at NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver in April 2021. They beat the Grizzled Young Veterans and Legado Del Fantasma to win the vacant championships.     

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.

---

Rousey vs. Lynch Under 'Heavy Consideration' for WrestleMania

After nearly three years away, Ronda Rousey's return to WWE reportedly could be on the horizon.

Appearing on Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer said a WWE source told him Rousey vs. Becky Lynch for the Raw Women's Championship at WrestleMania 38 is under "heavy consideration" and "pretty much in the books," although he isn't sure if it is official.

Meltzer's report came on the heels of Fightful Select (h/t H Jenkins of Ringside News) reporting that WWE has internally discussed Rousey's return and the possibility of her either being an entrant or having some involvement in the women's Royal Rumble match on Saturday.

It was then speculated by Meltzer that Rousey could potentially win the Rumble as a surprise entrant, setting the stage for a match against Lynch at WrestleMania.

Rousey's last WWE appearance came a little less than three years ago at WrestleMania 35 when she competed in the main event against Lynch and Charlotte Flair.

Ronda controversially got pinned by Lynch, as both shoulders didn't appear to be on the mat. Despite that, Becky was given the win and became both Raw and SmackDown women's champion.

It was always assumed that Rousey would come back to challenge Lynch at some point, but she took some time off to start a family and had her first child with husband Travis Browne in September.

Lynch returned in August after having a child of her own and became champion by beating Bianca Belair in her first match back. Ever since then, Big Time Becks has scored huge wins over some of the biggest names in the women's division, including Belair, Sasha Banks, Charlotte Flair and Liv Morgan.

At the Rumble, Lynch is widely expected to defeat Doudrop in her defense of the Raw Women's Championship.

Rousey's return would move the needle in a big way for the women's division, just as her debut at the 2018 Royal Rumble did.

Ronda typically got mixed reactions during her first run, but there is no doubt that she got more eyes and mainstream attention on the product, so if she is available for WrestleMania, WWE will likely go all-out to bring her in.

---

Breakker Set to Be Present for Royal Rumble

Bron Breakker potentially could make his WWE main roster debut Saturday in the men's Royal Rumble match.

According to PWInsider.com (h/t Subhojeet Mukherjee of Ringside News), Breakker is scheduled to be in St. Louis for the Royal Rumble event on Saturday.

It isn't known if the NXT 2.0 champion will be part of the Rumble, but he will be available for the match if needed.

Breakker is perhaps the fastest-rising star in the entire company, as he defeated Tommaso Ciampa for the NXT Championship at New Year's Evil earlier this month.

Remarkably, that was only Breakker's ninth televised match in WWE, underscoring how much star power WWE sees in him.

The son of former WWE and WCW star Rick Steiner, Breakker is a natural in the ring and brings the type of intensity that WWE loves to see out of a top guy.

If Breakker is in the Rumble, WWE could pull off one of the biggest surprises in the history of the match by having him win, although he still has plenty left to prove and accomplish in NXT.

Even if a win isn't in the cards, having Breakker rack up several eliminations and last a long time in the match would go a long way toward giving him further credibility, especially on NXT programming.

Breakker is quickly gaining a big following, and there is little doubt that the crowd in St. Louis will react positively if he does appear in the Rumble on Saturday.

---

Gunther to Be Backstage at Royal Rumble

Like Breakker, Gunther reportedly could be an NXT representative in the men's Royal Rumble match as well.

Per PWInsider (h/t Mukherjee), Gunther will also at The Dome in America's Center for the show, and it remains be seen if he will be utilized as part of the Rumble match.

Gunther is the new name of longtime NXT UK Superstar WALTER, who recently made the full-time transition to NXT. On last week's episode of NXT, Walter beat Roderick Strong in the main event and then announced that his name had been changed to Gunther.

The Austria native has been a dominant force in the realm of NXT, holding the United Kingdom Championship for a record 870 days before dropping it to Ilja Dragunov in August.

He is also the leader of the Imperium faction, and the tag team of Fabian Aichner and Marcel Barthel has been highly successful under his guidance as well.

Gunther hasn't done much on the main roster, but he has made a couple of appearances. Most notably, he was part of the NXT men's Survivor Series elimination team at the Survivor Series 2019 pay-per-view.

He was eliminated in that match without much ballyhoo, but things could be different for Gunther this time around.

Gunther has made the move to the United States from Europe and will be more available to WWE moving forward both in NXT and the main roster.

It is unclear if WWE has immediate plans to call him up, but if it does, a dominant showing in the Rumble would be a great way to set the stage.

---

Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below (warning: profanity).

WWE has released former NXT UK women's champion Toni Storm, according to Fightful's Sean Ross Sapp.

The move comes less than a week after Storm unsuccessfully challenged Charlotte Flair for the SmackDown women's title on Christmas Eve.

Wednesday's news comes as a bit of a shock given Storm's age (26) and the promise she showed during her NXT UK run. The New Zealand native seemed to be a long-term piece of the women's division.

Prior to capturing the NXT UK women's title, she won the Mae Young Classic in 2018 after beating Io Shirai at the Evolution pay-per-view.

Speaking with Ryan Satin on his Out of Character podcast (via Anutosh Bajpai of SEScoops), Storm recounted a night backstage when she had grown a bit anxious by her lack of progress on the main roster:

It's the worst cause you just don't know. Obviously, wrestling [can be] so unpredictable. Next week you could be main eventing and winning a title and everything could be happening or nothing. You don't know. This is show business at the end of the day. It's a topsy turvy industry.

Sapp reported his sources "believe [Storm] asked for her release from the company."

By representing SmackDown at Survivor Series and feuding with Flair, she seemed to be hitting her stride. But her comments to Satin underscore how life in WWE can feel precarious for those who aren't at the top of the promotion.

The company has shed a significant amount of talent over the past year. In a number of cases, the wrestlers built a solid profile in NXT or NXT UK before seeing their careers stall on Raw or SmackDown.

WWE has allowed its women's division to stagnate by spotlighting the same handful of stars over and over again. The division's depth has been thinned out further as a result of the roster cuts.

Many will argue Storm was failing to hit her ceiling through no fault of her own. In that sense, it's understandable if she thought the grass looks greener outside of WWE.

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe. 

---

Bobby Lashley Turning Face

If you've noticed Bobby Lashley softening as a heel of late, it turns out there is a reason for it. 

Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t Subhojeet Mukherjee of Ringside News) noted after Monday's episode of Raw that WWE is positioning Lashley to be a babyface:

If you watch the show you certainly get the impression that Bobby Lashley is going babyface. They played a total babyface video package for him at the pay-per-view, yeah. So, I mean it’s been feeling like that’s been in the cards and then he has to beat three guys to get in [to the Day 1 WWE Title match], I mean that’s a total babyface move.

Lashley got added to the WWE championship match at Day 1 by defeating Kevin Owens, Seth Rollins and Big E in three different matches on the Dec. 13 episode of Raw. 

The match was initially set up by Owens and Rollins arguing about which one of them would get in the ring first to beat up Lashley.

Two superstars bickering because they don't want to fight someone certainly makes Lashley come off like a face. Big E is still clearly a babyface as the fighting champion taking on all challengers. 

WWE's babyface roster is pretty thin, especially on the Raw main-event side. Big E, Edge, Randy Orton and Riddle are the top stars. AJ Styles appears to have turned, especially based on his NXT 2.0 appearance when he confronted Grayson Waller. 

Adding Lashley to the face side, especially with Owens and Rollins holding things down as top heels, will bring much better balance to the Raw roster. 

---

Gargano Talks Feud with Ciampa

As fans continue to wait for official word on what Johnny Gargano's future in wrestling holds, he did tease the possibility of one day finishing his feud with Tommaso Ciampa. 

Speaking on his Johnny Wrestling Stream: Episode 1 Twitch channel (h/t Mukherjee), Gargano) provided behind-the-scenes details on the rivalry with his former tag-team partner and when it was supposed to end:

It was supposed to be TakeOver: Tampa. [Was originally] supposed to be TakeOver: New York and then this was supposed to be TakeOver: Tampa, we wanted to have a huge crowd and all that but that’s not how things work out. Unfortunately. That’s, I guess, the story of our whole feud. It’s just timing and just thing’s not working out. Who knows, maybe we’ll finish it one day somewhere.”

DIY had one of the best tag-team runs of any duo in WWE history. They held the NXT tag titles once for just two months, but their feuds with the Revival and the Authors of Pain produced some of the best matches in all of WWE in 2016 and 2017. 

After the duo broke up, Gargano and Ciampa had one of the best singles feuds in NXT history. They had three one-on-one matches at Takeover events, with Ciampa winning twice. 

A fourth match was booked for NXT Takeover: New York on April 5, but Ciampa had to undergo neck surgery that forced him to vacate the NXT title. 

They did have a singles bout on television in an empty arena on April 8 that Gargano won, though as he noted, that match would have happened on the Takeover show in Tampa during WrestleMania weekend before it got canceled because of the pandemic. 

Gargano is a free agent. Candice LeRae, Gargano's wife and fellow NXT star, is pregnant and will give birth to the couple's first child early next year. 

It's probably safe to assume Gargano won't sign anywhere until after that happens. If he wants to potentially have one final run with his former tag partner, a return to NXT would afford him that opportunity. 

Ciampa is in his second run as NXT champion after defeating LA Knight, Pete Dunne and Von Wagner in a Fatal Four-Way match on Sept. 14. 

---

Austin Theory Discusses Vince McMahon

Vince McMahon has been a regular character on Raw for the first time in years thanks to an angle with Austin Theory that initially began as part of a promotional tie-in with The Rock's new movie, Red Notice. 

In an interview with Liam Llewellyn of the Mirror, Theory spoke about how the angle developed and what he's learned working alongside the WWE chairman:

So I think those ideas came around because I stole a hundred million dollar egg. These lessons that Vince is teaching me, I don’t think he would have taught me in this way if I didn’t do what I did. I think everything happens for a reason. I’m not telling anyone to steal a hundred million dollar egg or even a million-dollar egg, but somehow, it worked out for me. I’m getting a lot of knowledge and the biggest takeaway from Mr. McMahon is to expect the unexpected.

Theory has seen his profile rise since being involved in a storyline with McMahon. He lost a match on Raw to Big E for the WWE championship on the Nov. 22 episode of Raw. 

The following week, Theory hung out in McMahon's office to receive advice and life lessons before being slapped in the face by the boss. 

There's no indication where this storyline might be going, but if the result is Theory getting a push up the card, it will be worth it to have a fresh face to watch each week.

---

Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below (warning: profanity).

WWE NXT Superstar Kyle O'Reilly is now a free agent after his contract expired, per PWInsider. 

O'Reilly decided against signing a new deal with WWE, and his contract ended at midnight Friday. 

That news comes amid fellow WWE NXT Superstar Johnny Gargano making the same decision about his future as he also opted against signing a new deal with the company.

Both wrestlers have been removed from WWE's internal roster.

Gargano said his goodbyes to WWE NXT this week:

Thank you @JohnnyGargano 👏👏 Thank you @JohnnyGargano 👏👏 Thank you @JohnnyGargano 👏👏 #WWENXT pic.twitter.com/pRJhq0mZbw

— WWE (@WWE) December 9, 2021

As for O'Reilly, the 34-year-old Canadian leaves WWE after four years with NXT. He was a three-time WWE NXT tag team champion, and he also won the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic in 2018 with Adam Cole.

Cole, Roderick Strong, O'Reilly and Bobby Fish formed the Undisputed Era stable for three-and-a-half years. That feud ended when Cole attacked O'Reilly, thus forming a rivalry between those two.

O'Reilly's singles career included wrestling for the WWE NXT Championship in a fatal five-way match at NXT TakeOver: In Your House. He did not land the belt, which Karrion Kross successfully defended.

O'Reilly's previous stops included Extreme Canadian Championship Wrestling, Ring of Honor, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, New Japan Pro-Wrestling and other independent circuit promotions. He started wrestling professionally in 2005.

Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below (warning: some language NSFW). 

A longtime NXT superstar is reportedly leaving WWE.

According to Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful, Johnny Gargano is set to become a free agent at midnight after he and WWE decided not to extend his contract. Gargano, a former NXT champion, started working for WWE in 2015 and officially signed a contract with the company in April 2016.

Gargano also held the NXT North American title three times and NXT tag team belt once alongside current NXT champion Tommaso Ciampa. Gargano became the first triple-crown champ in NXT history.

The 34-year-old is known for his spectacular in-ring work in NXT. Gargano had a critically acclaimed yearlong rivalry with Ciampa after their tag team broke up. The two had a trilogy of matches that headlined three NXT TakeOver events.

Gargano also had long-term feuds with Adam Cole, Aleister Black and Andrade "Cien" Almas, all of whom now wrestle for AEW. Black and Almas are now known as Malakai Black and Andrade El Idolo.

WWE rebranded NXT to "NXT 2.0" in September and started focusing on developing younger talent. Gargano still remained a featured superstar until the end of his contract, wrestling as a part of the eight-man main-event tag team match at NXT WarGames this past Sunday. It was the first time Gargano participated in a WarGames match during his NXT run.

On Tuesday's episode of NXT 2.0, Gargano said goodbye to the crowd in attendance before he was attacked by up-and-coming wrestler Grayson Waller. After the show ended, pictures surfaced online of Gargano and fellow veteran NXT star Kyle O'Reilly having an emotional farewell. O'Reilly's contract also expired recently.

pic.twitter.com/qJVLq71Ci7

— Johnny Gargano (@JohnnyGargano) December 8, 2021

Gargano is married to fellow wrestler and NXT superstar Candice LeRae. LeRae is currently away from the company because she is pregnant with the couple's first child, which they announced is due in February and will be a boy.

 

Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below (warning: some language NSFW).

While Tuesday appeared to be the NXT swansong for both Johnny Gargano and Kyle O'Reilly, people within NXT reportedly believe they will be back.

On Thursday, Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t ComicBook.com's Connor Casey) said he was told that while the WWE contracts of both Gargano and O'Reilly are set to expire this week and neither has re-signed, the belief within NXT is that they aren't leaving the company.

Meltzer noted that both Gargano and O'Reilly are set to become fathers in early 2022, which is why angles were written to transition them off television for the time being.

Additionally, Meltzer reported that one of Gargano or O'Reilly was "very much considering" signing with AEW, but hadn't made a choice yet. Meltzer also said the manner in which Gargano's situation was handled on TV means he likely won't be showing up in AEW any time soon.

Both Gargano and O'Reilly wrestled what look to be their final NXT matches for now over the past week. At NXT WarGames, Gargano teamed with Tommaso Ciampa, Pete Dunne and L.A. Knight in a losing effort against Bron Breakker, Carmelo Hayes, Grayson Waller and Tony D'Angelo in a WarGames match. O'Reilly and Von Wagner unsuccessfully challenged Imperium for the NXT Tag Team Championships on the same show.

Then, on Tuesday's episode of NXT, O'Reilly lost to Wagner in a steel cage match after Wagner turned on him.

Gargano had a more impactful potential exit, as he was given the main event slot to cut a heartfelt promo about his six years in NXT. At the end, Waller made a surprise appearance by attacking Johnny Wrestling with a steel chair and putting him through the announce table.

After NXT went off the air, Gargano and O'Reilly both appeared emotional in saying their good-byes to NXT:

An #WWENXT farewell off the air for Johnny Gargano and Kyle O’Reilly pic.twitter.com/AxDeFT9HBU

— Joey Karni (@theanglejoey) December 8, 2021

The way they acted when the cameras were no longer rolling suggests they may not be back in NXT even if they re-sign with WWE.

If one of them is going to leave WWE and sign with AEW, O'Reilly seems like the more likely candidate because fellow former Undisputed Era members Adam Cole and Bobby Fish have gone to AEW already.

Signing with AEW would allow O'Reilly to re-form Undisputed Era and potentially feud with Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks, who comprise The Elite.

Gargano has friends and acquaintances in AEW as well, but his wife, Candice LeRae, remains contracted with WWE, although her deal is reportedly set to expire in spring 2022.

The future remains uncertain for both Gargano and O'Reilly, but one thing that seems likely is they will take some time off to focus on their families before making a firm decision.

---

Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below (warning: profanity).

Following what was potentially the final appearance by her husband Johnny Gargano on NXT, Candice LeRae's WWE contract is reportedly set to expire next year.

According to Fightful Select (h/t Michael Perry of Ringside News), LeRae's contract will expire in spring 2022. If she leaves at that time, it will mark the end of a five-year run with WWE.

LeRae is pregnant and due to give birth in February, as mentioned by Gargano in his farewell promo on Tuesday's episode of NXT.

WWE would typically have the right to freeze LeRae's contract because of inactivity, as has been the case in the past with wrestlers who are injured, but the idea of doing so "hasn't been broached" within the company, per Fightful.

It was previously reported that Gargano signed a short-term contract extension that brought his deal through Dec. 10, meaning he could be a free agent as of Saturday.

At the NXT WarGames pay-per-view on Sunday, Gargano teamed with Tommaso Ciampa, Pete Dunne and L.A. Knight in a losing effort for Team Black and Gold against Bron Breakker, Carmelo Hayes, Grayson Waller and Tony D'Angelo of Team 2.0.

Gargano was given the main event slot on Tuesday's NXT and cut a heartfelt promo thanking the fans and everyone involved with his more than six years as part of the brand.

The show ended with a shocking moment, as Waller attacked him from behind with a steel chair and put Gargano through the announce table.

Gargano was clearly emotional in saying his goodbyes after NXT went off the air, which suggests he is done in NXT at the very least.

Re-signing with WWE and going to the main roster is still an option, or he could sign for All Elite Wrestling—which would result in him following a path similar to Adam Cole—or another company.

With LeRae and Gargano expecting their first child in February, Gargano may take a couple of months off before making a firm decision. It stands to reason that Gargano's decision could impact what LeRae does as well.

The 36-year-old LeRae has experienced success everywhere she has gone.

She oftentimes wrestled men during her run on the independent scene before NXT and was one half of the Pro Wrestling Guerrilla world tag team champions. She later won the NXT women's tag team titles with Indi Hartwell.

If LeRae's contract isn't frozen and she doesn't return to NXT programming before her contract expires while on maternity leave, it is possible she has made her final appearance for the brand like Gargano.

---

Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below (warning: profanity).

Team New School led by Bron Breakker defeated Team Old School led by Tommaso Ciampa in a heated men's WarGames match at NXT WarGames on Sunday night.

Ciampa looked to be lining up Fairy Tale Ending on Carmelo Hayes when Breakker speared him through a table that had been propped up against the turnbuckles. From there, he hit his military press powerslam on the NXT champion for the win.

The future is now.#NXTWarGames @TonyDangeloWWE @GraysonWWE @GraysonWWE @bronbreakkerwwe pic.twitter.com/pr9Euk0JWw

— WWE (@WWE) December 6, 2021

WarGames lived up to its name as the main event featured plenty of mayhem, including some moments of teamwork between former tag partners Ciampa and Johnny Gargano.

That's how they do it on Team Black & Gold!#NXTWarGames @JohnnyGargano @Carmelo_WWE @PeteDunneYxB pic.twitter.com/SIhgpE2zmU

— WWE Network (@WWENetwork) December 6, 2021

If this doesn't get @GraysonWWE to trend...#NXTWarGames @LAKnightWWE pic.twitter.com/er5zxClYlm

— WWE (@WWE) December 6, 2021

DIY! DIY! DIY! DIY! DIY! DIY! DIY! DIY! DIY! DIY! DIY! DIY! DIY! DIY! DIY! DIY! DIY! DIY! DIY! DIY! DIY! DIY! DIY! DIY! DIY! DIY! DIY! DIY! DIY! DIY! DIY! DIY! DIY! DIY! DIY! DIY! DIY! DIY! DIY! DIY! DIY! DIY! DIY! DIY! DIY! #NXTWarGames #WeAreNXT @JohnnyGargano @NXTCiampa pic.twitter.com/lzlR1Am4ZT

— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) December 6, 2021

FOREVER THE BLACK & GOLD! 🖤💛

We've got ourselves a #DIY reunion at #NXTWarGames!@JohnnyGargano -_•
@NXTCiampa pic.twitter.com/q8u7DAWshA

— WWE (@WWE) December 6, 2021

With NXT 2.0 placing more emphasis on younger and less-experienced Superstars over the past couple of months, there was a clear divide among the roster leading up to NXT WarGames.

Rising stars like Breakker, Hayes, Tony D'Angelo and Grayson Waller became cocky and brazen in their disrespect of the veterans, which didn't sit well with the likes of Ciampa, Gargano, Pete Dunne and LA Knight.

Breakker has had his sights set on the NXT Championship ever since Ciampa won it on the first night of NXT 2.0 in September. Ciampa beat Breakker in a subsequent title match last month at Halloween Havoc, but the son of Rick Steiner and nephew of Scott Steiner made it clear he still had gold on his mind.

Knight and Waller have been at odds for quite some time dating back to Knight beating Waller in a match for the right to host Halloween Havoc. Knight was late for the show and replaced by Waller, however, after Waller did something to Knight's vehicle.

Waller also talked trash about Ciampa, resulting in a non-title match between Ciampa and Waller, which Ciampa won.

D'Angelo got involved in a rivalry with Dexter Lumis and his wife Indi Hartwell, and after D'Angelo beat Lumis in a match, Hayes put Lumis on the shelf by injuring his hand.

Meanwhile, Hayes made some enemies among the old guard because of his attitude and actions while holding the North American Championship. That led to him having to defend the title against both Gargano and Dunne in a Triple Threat.

Hayes won that match thanks to D'Angelo providing a distraction, and all hell broke loose afterward with Ciampa, Gargano, Dunne and Knight brawling against Hayes, Breakker, D'Angelo and Waller.

A WarGames match between the new school and old school teams was made official amid the brawl, giving both sides an opportunity to prove who runs NXT.

Team New School was favored given how NXT has largely put them in the spotlight as of late, and by virtue of their win over Team Old School, it is clear that Breakker, Hayes, D'Angelo and Waller are viewed as the present and future of NXT 2.0.

---

Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below (warning: some language NSFW).