Diamond Mine Debuts With Roderick Strong On WWE NXT

Roderick Strong and Malcolm Bivens return to WWE NXT with the Diamond Mine.

Diamond Mine
WWE.com

A new faction made its presence felt on last night's episode of WWE NXT, as Roderick Strong and the long-absent Malcolm Bivens returned to television at the Diamond Mine's helm.

The group had been hyped up through a series of ambiguous, MMA-themed vignettes over the past few weeks, with WWE doing a good job of keeping its cards close to its chest. That the videos offered no more than a few teasing hints left viewers largely in the dark as to what the Diamond Mine would eventually be.

We found out last night. Joined by Tyler Rust and the debuting Hideki Suzuki, Strong beat Kushida down following the Cruiserweight Champion's win over Kyle O'Reilly, after Adam Cole had already brawled KOR away from ringside. Bivens then spoke, christening his new trio Diamond Mine.

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Strong had been absent from WWE programming since 13 April, "quitting" the black and gold brand following The Undisputed Era's split. Rust, meanwhile, has been on television sporadically since December 2020, while the Billy Robinson-trained Suzuki was making his first appearance last night, having signed as a player-coach in April.

One of the most talented talkers in the game, Bivens had accompanied Rust in his early WWE appearances, though this looks like his most substantial WWE role so far.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for six years and is currently WhatCulture's Senior Wrestling Reporter. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.