Last week on WWE NXT, “The American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes announced a 25-man battle royal to determine the next challenger for NXT Champion Trick Williams. This battle royal was open to members from different locker rooms, sparking rumors about TNA stars possibly appearing on “WWE NXT.” Adding fuel to this fiery speculation, WWE’s Senior VP of Talent Development Creative, Shawn Michaels, posted a photo of himself chatting with former TNA X-Division Champion Frankie Kazarian.
“You just never know who will stop by #WWENXT,” Michaels teased on X (formerly Twitter), alongside a picture of him and Kazarian seemingly backstage at “NXT.” Minutes later, Kazarian made his entrance as one of the two TNA representatives in the battle royal, the other being former Digital Media Champion Joe Hendry, who unfortunately had a brief stint in the ring.
Kazarian, on the other hand, had a more eventful night. The seasoned wrestler fought his way to the final four before Je’Von Evans eliminated him from the match. Despite not winning, Kazarian’s performance was impressive and brought a nostalgic touch to the event.
Kazarian isn’t a stranger to WWE. Between 2000 and 2005, he wrestled in the company on several occasions. His first WWE match was a dark match against Funaki in February 2000, and he later competed in a series of bouts on “WWE Velocity,” taking on opponents like Paul London, Scotty 2 Hotty, and Nunzio.