Triple H, Austin Aries and Latest WWE NXT Developmental News

With Triple H showing up at an indie show and Austin Aries showing up at NXT, WWE's developmental brand continues to create images fans thought they would never see.

Change is afoot at NXT. And much of it is mighty exciting.

WWE's relationship with EVOLVE continues to develop. Aries is now an NXT talent. Shinsuke Nakamura is reportedly not far behind him.

Other stories touch on NXT's return to Ohio and the developmental brand getting some attention in the video-game world.

Triple H Appears at EVOLVE Show

It's not yet clear just what the plan is for EVOLVE and NXT to co-exist, but the two promotion's relationship is happening in a big way. In addition to recent visits from NXT stars Sami Zayn, Chad Gable and Jason Jordan, EVOLVE recently welcomed the new WWE champ.

Triple H showed up at the EVOLVE 54 event this weekend. He tweeted a photo of himself and promoter Gabe Sapolsky backstage.

Mike Johnson of PWInsider reported, "Sapolsky and Triple H had a long talk about EVOLVE and the relationship between the two sides is moving forward, but nothing is 'officially' signed as of this writing. I am told some pretty interesting ideas have been pitched and discussed from each side."

This continues to be one of the more intriguing NXT stories going.

It feels like anything is possible right now. NXT could be headed for a talent exchange with the indie promotion. EVOLVE may work as a feeder system of sorts. NXT and EVOLVE could do joint shows.

Whatever happens, this is all uncharted territory.

Shinsuke Nakamura Headed to Performance Center

Now that the A.J. Styles rumor reported by PWInsider's Mike Johnson proved true when he debuted at the Royal Rumble, it's time to focus on the other reported big get from New Japan Pro Wrestling—Shinsuke Nakamura.

The King of Strong Style is apparently on his way to WWE developmental. Johnson reported, "Nakamura is slated to be at the WWE Performance Center the first week in February. He will have his final appearance for New Japan on Jan. 30."

That would seem to indicate that Nakamura will at least begin his WWE tenure at NXT.

It's hard, though, to imagine him sticking around there for long. He is a certified main eventer, and WWE is in desperate need of one of those with so many marquee names on the shelf.

Austin Aries Arrives

All the buzz about A.J. Styles being WWE bound overshadowed the company acquiring another big talent.

Austin Aries made his NXT debut, further deepening the developmental's roster. WWE announced (h/t Wrestle Zone) that Aries is officially with the company and that NXT will broadcast the on-air signing on March 2. 

With moves like this one, NXT is continually becoming a wrestling fan's paradise.

Aries may be too small in Vince McMahon's mind to make it on the main roster, but he's a top-notch athlete and in-ring storyteller who will immediately better the NXT product.

NXT Returning to Ohio

NXT is leaving Full Sail University once more. The brand will head back to Ohio before WrestleMania.

WWE announced on its official website that NXT will have live events in Columbus and Cleveland, Ohio, in early March. The announcement also noted that NXT stars will be part of the WWE Experience at the 2016 Arnold Sports Festival.

Last year, the Ohio shows felt like experiments to see if the NXT brand could travel beyond the Florida. Its success in the Buckeye State led to shows in New York, Texas and the United Kingdom. This time, NXT feels like a different beast, less underground hit and more super indie promotion.

Like with all these non-Full Sail shows, the Ohio events serve as big opportunities for talents to learn how to work different crowds.

NXT DLC Pack Is Here

NXT fans now have three added reasons to play WWE 2K16. Blake, Murphy and Samoa Joe are available as playable characters in new downloadable pack for the game.  

As Eddie Makuch noted on GameSpot, the DLC "Future Stars" expansion is now out. It includes Los Matadores as well as those aforementioned NXT talents.

However, as GamesRadar's Ben Wilson pointed out, some players are experiencing issues with the download corrupting their games. Wilson wrote, "Publisher 2K Sports has now advised gamers not to download it, after it was found to completely break Universe Mode."

Depending on one's system, it looks like one will have to wait a bit longer until being able to have The Samoan Submission Machine wreak havoc on the virtual WWE landscape.