Shoot Nation, Sami Zayn and Latest WWE NXT Developmental News
The Shoot Nation continues to take shape; Sami Zayn continues to inch away from WWE NXT.
Chad Gable's group of black-clad amateur wrestlers is becoming more prominent. They have not made it to NXT TV yet, but they are adding members and have made it clear who the leader is. Zayn, meanwhile, worked another match with his main roster brethren. That's becoming the norm at this point.
In other WWE developmental news, William Regal wrapped up a scouting trip and later announced info on the next live NXT special. Zayn is set to be on the marquee for that show.
That event would be the ideal place to introduce fans to Shoot Nation, a group that has done its work outside of the limelight so far.
William Regal Returns from Scouting Trip
1 of 4We may be getting some NXT prospects to gawk at soon. General manager William Regal has been busy scouting for the company.
He tweeted that he spent a week in the United Kingdom, four days in Brazil and five days in India in search of new talent.
NXT already has an international flair. Seeing WWE continue to seek out wrestlers from around the world is exciting. The more the company pulls from the U.K., Asia and elsewhere, the more diverse the talent pool becomes.
And WWE is now without an Indian star after letting both Jinder Mahal and The Great Khali go.
NXT Faction Growing
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NXT is readying for a change brought about by a collection of men dressed in black. Shoot Nation, an alliance yet to debut on TV, has expanded.
Chad Gable, Sawyer Fulton and Angelo Dawkins have been working as a trio. As noted on ProFightDB.com, the three men have been teaming together at live events. Jason Jordan has worked with them from time to time as well.
At a house show on Nov. 20, according to Keith Vincent of PWInsider.com, the group boasted five members with Gable acting as the mouthpiece.
Tucker Knight, who wrestled for Arizona State University, is that fifth man. Knight tweeted about Shoot Nation appearing on the Nov. 22 live event in Jacksonville, Florida.
The group has each member in matching outfits and is built around their amateur wrestling skills.
There's no word on when WWE will bring this act to the screen, but the idea has plenty of potential. Presenting them as "shooters" is smart, as is cramming them all into the same group. That should help someone like Dawkins, who failed to get any traction on his own.
Live Special Gets Name, Main Event
3 of 4Fans received a few more details about the next NXT live special. The event now has a name and a marquee matchup atop its card.
In the above video, Regal announced that the live special in December will be called NXT Takeover: R Evolution. Adrian Neville will battle Sami Zayn for the NXT title in the main event. Zayn will be forced to quit NXT if he loses.
That sets up Zayn's expected promotion to the main roster perfectly. He can go out in dramatic fashion and show up sometime later on Raw or SmackDown, ready for the next stage of his career.
As good as those men have been together in the past, expectations will be high this time around.
Tapings, Live Event Notes
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Hideo Itami hasn't looked like the same performer he was in Pro Wrestling Noah. The latest word on his transition to NXT points to him returning to that form.
Andrew Twiss reports for PWInsider.com that on the Nov. 21 live event in Cocoa Beach, Florida, Itami took on Tyler Breeze, and that it was "probably the best Itami has looked in singles action since he got to NXT."
A few days later, Sami Zayn got yet another opportunity on the main roster. In between the bouts on Main Event and those taped for SmackDown, he worked a dark match.
As ProWrestling.net notes, Zayn defeated Justin Gabriel.
WWE continues to single out Zayn for chances like these. One has to assume that they signal a move to the main roster in the near future.
He's certainly shown he's ready. And now NXT Takeover: R Evolution offers him a path out of NXT and onto a bigger stage.
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