• NXT Officials Left Blindsided By WWE’s Raid
The sudden disappearance of NXT’s biggest stars may have been just as surprising to the trainers in Orlando as it was to the fans at home. While the new year began with a massive “raid” of the developmental brand – seeing Oba Femi, Trick Williams, Je’Von Evans, and Jordynne Grace move to the main roster – new reports suggest the transition was far from organized.
According to Self Made Pro, these call-ups were a “last-minute decision” that lacked proper coordination between the main roster and NXT leadership. The NXT creative team was reportedly “blindsided” by the timing, as they had expected to have access to stars like Oba Femi and Je’Von Evans for “double duty” appearances through WrestleMania 42 weekend. Instead, the talent was pulled immediately, forcing Femi to vacate the NXT Championship without a long-term succession plan in place.
The report describes a “right hand not knowing what the left hand was doing” scenario within WWE management. This lack of top-down communication left NXT in a difficult position, struggling to prepare new talent to fill the massive voids left by the departing superstars.
With the roster essentially “raided” overnight, the developmental brand is now tasked with a rapid rebuilding phase that it wasn’t fully prepared to execute so early in the year.
• 4 TNA Stars Have Joined AEW
The landscape of the tag team division in All Elite Wrestling has received a major boost as The Rascalz have officially joined the roster. Fightful Select has confirmed that all four members of the group – Zachary Wentz, Dezmond Xavier, Myron Reed, and Trey Miguel – have signed multi-year deals with the company. The group reportedly finalized their move during the first week of January 2026.
The transition follows the group’s departure from TNA Wrestling. While TNA made a strong effort to retain the popular stable, AEW reportedly presented a superior financial and creative offer that the group could not turn down.
Interestingly, the contract statuses of the members varied. While Trey Miguel and Zachary Wentz saw their deals expire at the end of 2025, Dezmond Xavier and Myron Reed had been working without formal TNA contracts. Despite at least one member being particularly eager for a fresh start elsewhere, the group is said to have left TNA on good terms.
The group’s arrival has already caused a ripple effect in the schedule of their former home. A highly anticipated match between Myron Reed and TNA X-Division Champion Leon Slater, originally set for TNA iMPACT’s AMC debut this week, was abruptly pulled from the lineup.
While Reed was reportedly willing to honor the booking, the match was canceled – largely due to reports that WWE is interested in using Leon Slater for their current European tour.
