To say that World Wrestling Entertainment is thrilled about the debut of its newest NXT superstar would be an understatement.
On Thursday evening, WWE.com broke the news about Eric Young making his surprise NXT debut during a WWE Network taping, which "will air on NXT in the coming weeks." The 18-year ring veteran emerged Thursday night, shocking the Full Sail University crowd in Orlando, before agreeing to be interviewed by Cathy Kelley later that evening.
"You want to pit yourself against the best, prove yourself against the best. There's no doubt in my mind or anyone's mind — the best are here. The best are in NXT!" Young told Kelley. "The best are in the WWE Universe and now I'm here I'm here to prove myself, prove I belong. The cream always rises to the top. You're looking at a world-class man, a world-class professional wrestler, a world-class athlete and a world-class maniac ... and I'll prove that time and time again."
That being said, Young said that he had always strove to join WWE, and NXT is the ideal platform to make a splash with the company. However, just who is Eric Young? Well, he's a Total Nonstop Action (TNA) Wrestling original, counting 11 championships to his name, including the TNA World Heavyweight title, the X Division championship and four tag team title reigns — two with Bobby Roode, who is seemingly close to being a part of the NXT roster himself. In addition to those accolades, Young was also a part of the Band faction with WWE Hall of Famers Kevin Nash and Scott Hall.
Interestingly enough, you can say that this is Young's second stint with WWE, as he fought a few matches as a jobber — interestingly enough, teaming with Roode in a loss to Chuck Palumbo and Johnny Stamboli well over a decade ago.
Wow. Times have changed, as Young is seasoned and far from being a pushover now. It will be intriguing to see how WWE makes use of Young in NXT, but his track record is pretty solid. Would WWE consider having him team with Roode, or will it put each superstar on his own separate path to stardom up the company's ladder?
