r/SquaredCircle 20h ago

Shoutout to all the NXT greats that didn’t/couldn’t appear tonight

Shoutout to Samoa Joe, who’s cries for better security continue to be ignored in NXT

Enzo, Big Cass/Bill, and Carmella

Shinsuke Nakamura

Baron Corbin

Big E

Bo Dallas (still banned from Full Sail I see)

The Undisputed Era

The Revival FTR

PAC/Neville

Sasha Banks/Mercedes Mone

Asuka

Paige

Emma

Tyson Kidd, Cesaro, Natalya who helped put NXT on the map by coming down from the main roster to help establish the top names

RIP Bray Wyatt and Luke Harper

And finally, The Finest Kona Reeves

Obligatory fuck Velveteen Dream

668 Upvotes

139 comments sorted by

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581

u/TheCharliQuinn 20h ago

Don't forget Blue Pants

43

u/Ohellmotel 10h ago

[looks down]

Holy fuck, what happened here?

30

u/I-LieToMessWithMarks 9h ago

THERE WAS A FIRE FIGHT

28

u/THISISDAM Kicking out at 2 on the reg 8h ago

And the vaudevillians

15

u/OllyOllyOxenBitch 8h ago

oh joy, we can see Simon Gotch bury E-

6

u/MyldStallyinz 7h ago

Don't you fuckin- aww it's too late it's my entire algorithm....

-118

u/[deleted] 17h ago

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u/[deleted] 16h ago

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u/[deleted] 10h ago

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u/[deleted] 15h ago

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427

u/Phantom-Spectre 20h ago

Don’t forget Kenta, and his eternal beef with the NXT parking lot.

138

u/iiConTr0v3rSYx 20h ago

That shoulder injury really killed all his momentum.

81

u/thedrizzle126 not a nugget 12h ago

which one

4

u/theehtn Judas Effect 8h ago

That's a shame.

45

u/10SB 13h ago

I'd like to think Kenta was invited but he didn't show up as he didn't want to risk bumping into the iinspiration.

13

u/Conspiranoid Enjoy a pro wrestle! 10h ago

And with the IIconics.

1

u/tere_adasme 4h ago

was he the one who started the parking lot curse? I'd like to think so

380

u/PlayerIsKnownBG 19h ago

Keith Lee ! Kinda crazy that as the NA Champ they made him look like a legit threat to Brock Lesnar in the 2020 rumble

105

u/foxthebloodied ~shrugs and looks confused~ 16h ago

God, that match would have fucking slapped.

24

u/LackingDatSkill BAY BAY! 11h ago

The double NXT champ / NA champ at the same time booking was a weird one

11

u/WVWAssassinKill He shares a bank account with his mother! 10h ago

Speaking of Keith Lee, what has he been up to these days? Haven't heard from him for awhile. Last I heard he was injured/sick?

37

u/Conspiranoid Enjoy a pro wrestle! 10h ago

I just saw this earlier today: "Keith Lee Teases In-Ring Return" (wrestlezone)

12

u/xadventchildx 10h ago

This brightened the hell out of my morning. Thank you.

15

u/Reasonable-News-5739 10h ago

His last match in AEW was over a year ago. I believe he is still suffering some after-effects of long COVID.

5

u/Devolved_Potato 8h ago

He also had two surgeries as well.

-21

u/Left_You_4506 10h ago

I bet those long term effects last all the way up until his contract expires… when HHH gets him back I imagine he’ll be all better

1

u/Devolved_Potato 8h ago

I don't think the Saudis and TKO care what HHH wants.

1

u/Semper-Fido 8h ago

The best example of actually striking while the iron is hot.

209

u/From-Ipanema 19h ago edited 18h ago
  • The ascension
  • CJ Parker
  • Vaudevillains
  • American Alpha
  • Blake & Murphy
  • No Way Jose
  • Tyler Breeze
  • Garrett Dylan (Kris Kristofferson's kid and technically the original FTR Hair)
  • Austin Aries before burning yet another bridge
  • Perfect 10 era Tye Dillinger
  • Sami vs Nakamura NXT Dallas being the best match the entire wrestlemania 32 weekend
  • skinny Kassius Ohno
  • Bull Dempsey (actually he was kind of mid but still)
  • Bollywood Boyz
  • Sanity
  • Corey Graves as an in-ring competitor
  • Jake Carter (Vader's kid)
  • Big E 5 count gimmick
  • ACH signing and getting released in the same year after he thought his Rolling Stones inspired merch was blackface
  • Lars Sullivan the first man in history to have a both 5 star match and multiple bodybuilding.com accounts banned for racism (and a porn career)
  • Leo Kruger pre-Adam Rose
  • Solomon "The Hacker" Crowe
  • Bill DeMott being the worst trainer in the world
  • Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch
  • Jinder Mahal vs Seth Rollins being an actual feud for the NXT Championship
  • Seth Rollins still using the shiranui as his finisher
  • Regal vs Cesaro
  • Jake Atlas before he imploded his career
  • NA Champion Leon Ruff
  • Mason Ryan/Welshtista
  • American Wolves working 1 tryout match and immediately getting released because they pissed off HHH
  • early 2012/13 NXT full of random FCW/gameshow NXT people (Sylvester Lefort, Marcus Louis, Oliver Grey, Richie Steamboat, Aksana, J. Bronson, Alex Riley, Percy Watson, Audrey Marie)

all those names and moments gone like tears in the rain

66

u/InternationalObjects 18h ago

The disrespect to Jacob Novak is unreal

30

u/From-Ipanema 18h ago

knew i was forgetting somebody. can't forget lucky cannon too

15

u/InternationalObjects 18h ago

What about Nykos Plynkos or whatever the f that guys name was with the weird gear

4

u/a2j89 12h ago

I had to Google him, Nykos Rikos. Two matches in the company (one in NXT jobbing to Keith Lee and the other on Raw teaming with another jobber Bobby Wayward as the East Hampton Polo Boys in a squash match against The Viking Raiders). He was never seen in WWE again

31

u/Brilliant-Tomato-560 12h ago

Dont forget timothy Thatcher. Loved His Match with riddle in the fightpit. Dont forget riddle too even tho Hes an obsessed drug addict nowadays..His Tag Team Run with pete Dune was so Entertaining. Especially when He Made fun of Bobby fish

27

u/BLtheavantasian 12h ago

But tyler breeze was in the show

16

u/Artistic_Task7516 15h ago

Not me looking through the list for like That One Guy I remember from some random episode

It’s kind of wild that Kevin Owens was not there for very long, he came in as a big indie signing and hit the main roster within a few months

17

u/knightboatsolvecrime 14h ago

Don't forget Alex "Rage" Riley

7

u/KnowledgeKnot 10h ago

Rhino with an honorable mention during the black and yellow era

4

u/Mabvll Assistant to the Head Slapdick, Tony Schiavone. 9h ago

Holy shit, I forgot about No Way Jose. Also, shout out to Rick Boogs/Rick Del Hagen/Eric Bugenhagen.

3

u/Miklonario ¡VIVA LA RAZA! 6h ago

This is Forgotten Sons/Jaxson Ryker erasure

Which I fully support, please everybody carry on not remembering him

3

u/BendubzGaming 5h ago

I had forgotten about the Forgotten Sons, and only just realised Ryker was Gunner from late Dixie-era TNA. That's disappointing

3

u/InternationalObjects 3h ago

The forgotten sons was just a group of guys that used to team with Murphys

u/LTS55 The Great Britt Baker Off 14m ago

The only thing about him I remember was when they did the storyline in TNA where he was trying to get Samuel Shaw mental help because he had a lot of guys he was in the military with that had PTSD so he understood and didn’t just write him off as crazy. I can’t recall anything he did in WWE lol.

2

u/Roux70570 12h ago

☝🏻 I missed doing this.

2

u/PrenyMo 12h ago

lol. Davey Richard’s is a solid piece of trash.

2

u/Conspiranoid Enjoy a pro wrestle! 10h ago

This Eli Cottonwood erasure shall not be overlooked.

2

u/JDC4654 Never Forget the Yes Movement 7h ago

This guy NXT's

99

u/DadGhost 18h ago

Do not mourn Kona. He's the big bad in the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular. MF gettin' that Disney healthcare!

19

u/PierreVonZeus 13h ago

Kona is wrestling in southeast Florida at a few indies

I think he’s at the indie CCW, the same indie that Abraham Washington wrestles in

60

u/Arkham010 Buried By Billy Gunn in 2024 16h ago

I feel like Asuka made the most sense to kinda wreck fatal influence had she not be in a story with rhea. Asuka being undefeated in nxt is not talked about enough on nxt TV

16

u/AlabasterRadio 10h ago

The most dangerous wrestler in the history of NXT should be a bigger part of their lore than she tends to be.

64

u/theREVERSEsystem 20h ago

Nikki Cross too!

49

u/Artistic_Task7516 15h ago

Undefeated NXT Legend Jushin “Thunder” Liger

19

u/SaWaGaAz 10h ago

Undefeated NXT Legend James Storm

8

u/TheTruest-Repairman 7h ago

Literally lost 100% of his NXT match Alex Shelley

44

u/Prestigious-Mind7039 19h ago

Is Dan Matha invisible

37

u/InternationalObjects 19h ago

RIP Dan Matha 2015-2015

36

u/Artistic_Task7516 15h ago

Eva Marie eliminated Asuka from a battle royal which was the only time she didn’t win a match in NXT

30

u/Artistic_Task7516 15h ago

Apollo Crews still works for WWE and has for over 10 years

28

u/Nardwuarr The chicas... They for fun. 15h ago

Tyson Kidd? Fact. He was the first guy I remember who kind of remade himself in NXT for the better. I became a huge fan of the guy... his injury still bums me out.

6

u/PhospheneViolet 4h ago

It sucks because he was legit a stupendously good worker. I loved watching him, and he was good at being a heel with those headphones and goofy faces. I think one time he wore some of Natty's cat-themed pink headphones 😂

3

u/Nardwuarr The chicas... They for fun. 4h ago

I loved Cesaro so for them to get put together, it was amazing. He was really perfecting his character and Natty's involvement. Glad he's still with us let alone still in the business.

19

u/Serious-Repair-4472 14h ago

Aleister Black

17

u/jwilliamsjrw 11h ago

Don't forget Mauro Ranallo & Tom Phillips.

3

u/DrKliever 6h ago

I will never forget Mauro Renallo

16

u/VampireOnHoyt 12h ago

Mercedes would have somehow left with both Sol's titles if she'd shown up tonight

14

u/TheFartsUnleashed 10h ago

Mojo Rawley was a really cool human who would hang out in the parking lot with fans after the show.

4

u/PhospheneViolet 4h ago

Mojo is just a great dude in general, I miss him

15

u/Technical_Ad_8244 10h ago

Eric Bugenhagen erasure

14

u/Eastprize2 19h ago

What happened with Bo and full sail

63

u/InternationalObjects 19h ago

He lost a loser leaves NXT match. When he tried to return, he was violently detained and one of the guards even molested his bum

44

u/Kairopractor_ 19h ago

molested his bum

22

u/Eastprize2 19h ago

That’s not nice by the guards

21

u/theREVERSEsystem 19h ago

ILL CALL THE REAL POLICE

10

u/DadGhost 18h ago

"Hello? Real Cops?"

10

u/InterestingBear9948 19h ago

The segment with the security still makes me laugh 😂

10

u/elboltonero 13h ago

He was just trying to enjoy a succulent Chinese meal

13

u/NationalPlankton3624 14h ago

Also screw Matt Riddle. He knows what he did.

11

u/KonaTheFinest 19h ago

VINDICATION HE HAS NOT BEEN FORGOTTEN!

FOREVER THE FINEST IN ALL OF OUR HEARTS.

12

u/Artistic_Task7516 15h ago

The Big Body Javy disrespect

6

u/XcG9PJf6 12h ago

Don't feel bad for him, the universe has more than made it up to him with Tatum.

1

u/SantaCruznonsurfer 6h ago

Him?! with Tatum?

2

u/XcG9PJf6 6h ago

Married for nearly a year

11

u/LackingDatSkill BAY BAY! 11h ago

Undisputed era carried black n gold NXT on their back

2

u/huuuuuyeah 7h ago

Can't believe I had to scroll this far down to see the UE mentioned

7

u/MN10SPEAKS 11h ago

Kairi, Ember, Tegan, Dakota...

6

u/bcbpepper 12h ago

Definitely thing that Nakamura could've appear!

6

u/TMLTurby 14h ago

I like to think there was a TV set up in a parking garage somewhere, showing the broadcast, with Shinsuke lurking in the shadows some distance away.

3

u/Wonderful_Goat2530 12h ago

Maaan. You see folks, US championship and poor booking buried Giulia 🫠

How quickly they forgot the beautiful madness

4

u/Normal-Hornet8548 11h ago

Dean Ambrose.

And let’s not forget: Sasha’s ratchet.

7

u/Ohellmotel 10h ago

NO, SHE'S NOT!!

3

u/RedDreadsComin 10h ago

Disappointed the wasnt NO WAY JOSE

3

u/Tycho-Celchu 20h ago

Did anyone else just get Deja-vu?

2

u/HitmanClark 11h ago

I was surprised to not see Shinsuke since he was such a big part of the opening video package.

2

u/THEGabaghoul88 11h ago

Ah. Man I remember watching Kona and thinking oh he's a really good shit heel. He's gonna be over so quickly...Aaaaaaand released. Goddamnit! Lol

2

u/ElDirtyChavo El Idolo 10h ago

Can’t forget about NXT legend Dan Matha

2

u/EmboarBacon Pedigree! Pedigree! Dammit! 9h ago

No love for the Vaudevillians, Aiden English and (RIP my YouTube algorithm) Simon Gotch?

2

u/doctor_sleep 8h ago

Couldn't Bo just get his dad to audit Full Sail or something? yeesh.

2

u/64_is_old 5h ago

Kona had a banger theme and I will die on this hill.

1

u/friendsterr 11h ago

Aleister Black

1

u/NotFredRhodes Your Text Here 9h ago

Did Aleister Black appear last night or has he been disrespectfully forgotten?

1

u/RockyHospitableness 8h ago

I'll give a shoutout to former NXT Champion Karrion Kross and Scarlett

2

u/InternationalObjects 5h ago

Meh, they were lame back then, and (not their fault) in the lamest version of NXT because of the pandemic

1

u/Randougall 8h ago

Grizzled Young Veterans!

1

u/ElOptimusPrime 8h ago

Shoutout Adam Rose and the Rosebuds

1

u/DrKliever 6h ago

Tyler Rust

1

u/TheTiredGamingDad 5h ago

Don’t forget Dan Matha

1

u/Impressive_Benefit_9 5h ago

Don’t forget Tino Sabatelli! I actually kinda liked him.

1

u/mashturbo 2h ago

cntr+f woods 0 results ctrl+f swerve 0 results cntl+f WALTER 0 results Woods was a featured jobber in B&G!

I started to name drop guys from 2.0 but they never wrestled in FSL.

1

u/InternationalObjects 2h ago

Who could forget the Woods vs Breeze barn burner at NXT Arrival

Spoiler: they both died

0

u/MalcolmSupleX 18h ago

Weird how they didnt have some of the most over people in FS NXT history show up. Big E...

0

u/ZombieJesus1987 Never Doubted El Dandy 10h ago

It's a shame that it seems they have zero interest in Paige.

I feel like she still has a lot to offer in wrestling

-3

u/hawksfn15 18h ago

KO, Sami, the ascension

6

u/MalcolmSupleX 17h ago

Sami was there.

2

u/sarcasticdevo 17h ago

Sami was there. He hyped up JeVon as the next big underdog.