Identity of NXT's Stable; WWE Rumors on Cody Rhodes, Charlotte, SmackDown's New Writer

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.

Members Revealed for NXT's New Stable

After being teased for weeks, the new newest faction within NXT debuted Saturday night at Vengeance Day.

They initially attacked all four combatants in the NXT tag title match before setting their sights on NXT champion Oba Femi later in the night.

The four-man stable is made up of Dion Lennox, Saquon Shugars, Cutler James, and Osiris Griffin.

Lennox is presumably the leader of the still-unnamed group, having at least established a minor presence on NXT before Vengeance Day. He had last competed on the Jan. 21 show, losing to Wes Lee.

Considering it targeted Femi, it looks like the faction won't be relegated to the midcard straight out of the gate. That presents a great opportunity for all four members to make a name for themselves.

Backstage News on SmackDown's Top Segments

Fightful Select (via Joseph Lee of 411 Mania) laid out the backstage personnel responsible for putting together Friday's edition of SmackDown.

The show began with world champion Cody Rhodes hyping up the men's Elimination Chamber match on March 1. Drew McIntyre interrupted Rhodes and took umbrage at how he thought the champ was overlooking him.

Jamie Noble and Bobby Roode produced the segment, and Michael Kirshenbaum was credited as the writer.

With McIntyre potentially hinting at a WrestleMania 41 challenge to come, Charlotte Flair made her plans much more clear. The women's Royal Rumble winner had a quick chat with WWE women's champion Tiffany Stratton and said she's coming for the gold in Las Vegas.

The one-sided interaction came after Stratton's match with Nia Jax, which ended in an a disqualification thanks to interference from Candice LeRae. Trish Stratus arrived to stop the post-match beatdown by Jax and LeRae from getting any worse.

Per Fightful Select, TJ Wilson was the producer and Ioannis Filippides the writer for the eventful segment.

WWE Hall of Famer Named SmackDown Co-Lead Writer

As it carries on with the Road to WrestleMania, WWE is making a notable change to its SmackDown creative staff.

Mike Johnson of PWInsider.com reported that Brian James is now the co-lead writer for the show alongside John Swikata.

James is known most for his in-ring career. He was one half of The New Age Outlaws with D-Generation and started his WWE run as Jeff Jarrett's roadie in the mid-1990s.

The 55-year-old first began working for WWE behind the scenes in 2011, serving in a variety of capacities. This his first spell as a co-lead writer for SmackDown, either. He stepped down from that role in April 2019 after WrestleMania 35.

Making an addition to the writing staff this close to WrestleMania 41 is certainly surprising, but James represents an experienced hand.

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