Tommaso Ciampa, Kota Ibushi and Latest WWE NXT Developmental News

Tommaso Ciampa is officially a WWE NXT wrestler; Kota Ibushi is poised to join him. 

When a covey of NXT stars left the developmental brand for Raw this week, fans knew there would have to be new faces to take their places. That's just a product of the shifting landscape of NXT.

And so Ciampa is now on the roster, Ibushi teased his arrival and the Global Cruiserweight Series is set to welcome a number of intriguing names.

In other NXT news, WWE officials made their presence felt at an independent training seminar, fans in the United Kingdom have plenty of chances to see the brand and a two-time winner of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Bryan Danielson Award is headed to the WWE Network this summer.

WWE Announces First Entrants in Global Cruiserweight Series

Interest level in the Global Cruiserweight Series tournament, set to air on the WWE Network in August, just shot up. The first officials entrants include a number of compelling performers.

Triple H announced during a recent media conference call, per PWInsider.com's Mike Johnson, that the following wrestlers will be a part of the tournament:

• Rich Swann
• Zack Sabre Jr.
• Tommaso Ciampa
• Noam Dar
• Johnny Gargano
• Ho Ho Lun
• Akira Tozawa

In addition, PWTorch reported Kota Ibushi is booked for the tournament.

NXT fans have already seen Swann, Ciampa and Gargano at work. Adding Sabre to that mix instantly elevates the tourney. The Brit is considered by many to be among the top performers on the independent circuit.

Tozawa is best known for his work with Dragon Gate in Japan. He's a high-energy wrestler who will thrive in the ring with all these top cruiserweights.

NXT Presence at WWN Seminar

The worlds of WWE and the World Wrestling Network continue to overlap. WWE visited EVOLVE's parent company, with several officials in tow. 

WWNLive.com released (h/t PWInsider.com) the following statement:

"

Top WWE Officials William Regal, Matt Bloom and Canyon Cemen made an unprecedented visit at yesterday's WWN Seminar/Tryout. They each lectured the participants with invaluable knowledge. Regal even got involved with the in ring training. Bloom paid WWN Seminar/Tryout Head Trainer Drew Gulak the ultimate compliment by saying "Drew shows you the WWE way."

Cemen, Regal and Bloom had a lengthy discussion with WWN's Sal Hamaoui and Gabe Sapolsky about the future of the relationship. We can reveal now that many exciting and interest possibilities were put on the table. The next few months are going to be very interesting as the relationship moves forward. There is no telling what will happen next. We could see the ramifications as early as this weekend's EVOLVE and WWN Supershow events.

We would like to thank Mr. Regal, Mr. Bloom and Mr. Cemen for their visit yesterday. This proves that WWE is proactive about strengthening the future of pro wrestling and the independent undercurrent.

"

One has to imagine that this trip was part scouting, part diplomatic. EVOLVE's talents will be on the company's radar for both the Global Cruiserweight Series and NXT as a whole. Plus, the more these companies interact, the deeper this relationship becomes.

Eventually, EVOLVE could be a feeder system for NXT, much like a Double-A team feeds into a Triple-A team. 

The current WWE roster is already filled with EVOLVE alumni. Dean Ambrose, Kalisto and Luke Harper are among those who once worked for the indy promotion. Expect to see more EVOLVE wrestlers move to WWE as this bond between the companies deepens.

News on NXT's European Tour

Bayley, Finn Balor and company haven't traveled to the United Kingdom since NXT TakeOver: London last December, but that is about to change. A tour of England and Ireland is on the way, including the developmental brand appearing at a music festival.

WWE announced that NXT will take part in the Download Festival from June 10-12. Superstars will appear both in matches and during autograph signings. 

In addition, live events are scheduled at the following venues:

• SSE Arena in Belfast, Ireland (June 13)
• 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland (June 14)
• Echo Arena in Liverpool, England (June 15) 
• Bournemouth International Centre in Bournemouth, England (June 16)
• Plymouth Pavilions in Plymouth, England (June 17)

With as great a reception as the European fans gave NXT the last time around, it's not surprising the brand is already traveling across the Atlantic again. That's especially true with an Irishman still holding onto the NXT title.

No word on whether one of these dates will be a TakeOver special, but NXT would be hard-pressed to find a more passionate crowd than the ones found in England and Ireland. 

Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa Officially Sign

What started out as a guest appearance has now turned into a full-fledged contract. Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano have appeared for NXT several times over the past year but were both still free agents. Until now.

PWInsider.com's Mike Johnson reported that both wrestlers are officially signed to NXT. Dave Meltzer then noted on Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t Wrestling Inc) that Ciampa and Gargano have touring deals rather than developmental ones. That means that they aren't required to work out at the WWE Performance Center but can no longer work indy dates.

It was an odd situation to have Ciampa and Gargano appear so much but never be full-on members of the roster. Changing that allows them to get more involved in longer storylines. 

That's good news for prospects still trying to learn their craft. These grapplers are two veterans young wrestlers can lean on. 

Other News, Notes

Both Bobby Roode and Kota Ibushi were in the crowd during NXT TakeOver: Dallas. The company made sure to have the camera show the famous guests and foreshadowed that both men are headed for an NXT run.

Roode recently left TNA. Ibushi was previously working in Japan. It will be mighty fun to have both of them in the mix at Full Sail University. 

The Vaudevillains are set to debut on Thursday's SmackDown, as listed on ProFightDB.com (link contains spoilers). They will follow Baron Corbin, Apollo Crews, Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady, all of whom made their Raw debuts on Monday night.

That has Raw bursting with fresh faces, and it leaves space on center stage for other prospects to fill at NXT.