NXT Star and 3rd-Generation Wrestler Wins Spot in Royal Rumble Main Event

A third-generation wrestler and current NXT star has been tabbed to make his WWE television debut on one of WWE’s biggest pay-per-view status.

PWInsider.com reports that Bo Dallas will make his first major league TV appearance Sunday night in the 30-man main event of WWE Royal Rumble 2013 in Phoenix. WWE.com says Dallas earned the spot by defeating fellow NXT star Leo Kruger in the finals of an eight-man tournament at Saturday’s Royal Rumble Fan Fest.

The NXT show originally was scheduled to be a qualifying match for the Royal Rumble pre-show on WWE’s YouTube channel. But WWE rescheduled it for Saturday when it opted to put a U.S. Championship match between titleholder Antonio Cesaro and The Miz on the pre-show

PWInsider's article includes a Tout video released by WWE in which an excited Dallas shouts, “Guess what I just found out? I’m going to the Royal Rumble, baby! YEAH!”

Dallas, whose real name is Taylor Rotunda, is the son of WWE legend Mike Rotunda (I.R.S.) and the grandson of wrestling great and WWE Hall of Famer Blackjack Mulligan. His brother, Windham Rotunda, wrestled in WWE as Husky Harris.

Dallas’ uncles are former wrestlers Kendall Windham and WWE Hall of Famer Barry Windham.

Dallas, who joined WWE as developmental talent in 2008, is a three-time FCW heavyweight champion. He also has held the FCW Tag Team Championship twice with his brother.

Dallas has wrestled at the WWE level before, but only in dark matches and house shows, according to his Wikipedia page. In July 2011, he defeated Primo in a dark match prior to a Raw taping. The following month, he defeated Joey Ryan in a SmackDown dark match. One week later, he was defeated by Wade Barrett in a SmackDown dark match.

A reported lacerated kidney forced Dallas to vacate the FCW championship in September 2011. Four months later, he was back in action.

Over the past few months, Dallas has been featured at several WWE house shows but had yet to make it to WWE’s mainstream television.

Follow Bill Atkinson on Twitter at @BAtkinson1963.