WWE NXT held their biggest event ever in the state of Florida on Friday night, as the company taped several weeks of television at the CFE Arena in Orlando, just down the road from Full Sail University. At the tapings, a man who is also no stranger to Orlando made his official debut for NXT. Austin Aries, who for many years starred for TNA Wrestling while it was being filmed in Orlando at Universal Studios, came out to the surprise of the crowd in attendance and was to take part in an in-ring segment with NXT General Manager William Regal. Aries never made it to the ring, as he was attacked by another NXT wrestler on his way there (we won't spoil who that was just in case you are trying to avoid spoilers, but if you want to know, the information is widely available on the internet). WWE's YouTube page released some official video of Aries making his debut: https://youtu.be/BQ0qFidCEyo Aries has been expected to sign with NXT now for several weeks, so the signing isn't a real big shocker within the industry. However, whenever a star of the magnitude of Aries signs on with WWE for the first time, it's always exciting news. Long regarded as one of the top technical wrestlers in the world, Aries also has great charisma that will certainly translate into success in NXT over the course of 2016. He is a former ROH and TNA World Heavyweight Champion. WWE released an official statement on Aries' signing, which reads:
ORLANDO, Fla. NXT continues to show why it is the fastest-growing brand in sports-entertainment, making waves with another huge signing during Fridays tapings at the CFE Arena on the campus of the University of Central Florida. Austin Aries, a 15-year veteran of the squared circle whos competed against the likes of Daniel Bryan, Seth Rollins and Samoa Joe, stepped into a WWE ring for the first time to put pen to paper on his NXT contract. The signing will air on Wednesday, March 2. News of Aries arrival was first reported on the official NXT Twitter account. WWE COO Triple H also tweeted his thoughts on the huge signing. Why has The Greatest Man Who Ever Lived chosen to step between the yellow ropes now? What does he have in store for the Superstars of Tomorrow? Find out by watching WWE NXT, Wednesdays at 8/7 C, only on WWE Network!