Former WWE NXT Star Makes AEW Debut

Once tipped for the WWE main roster, this ex-NXT star made her AEW this weekend.

By Andrew Pollard / February 6, 2022

WWE.com

Former NXT star Vanessa Borne has made her AEW debut.

As part of last night's AEW Dark tapings, Borne - under her real name of Danielle Kamela - lost against fellow former NXT talent Marina Shafir.

Match 4: Marina Shafir VS. Danielle Kamela #AEWDark pic.twitter.com/u1Iy4eyUXF

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— Sir Owen Disney (@SirOwenDisney) February 6, 2022

Like so many, Borne's time under the WWE banner was a mixed one. Having signed with the company back in 2016, the Arizona native only appeared occasionally on NXT TV, whilst she would be a relatively regular presence on the touring NXT live events of the time.

With a background serving as a presenter for Fox Sports Arizona, a dancer with the Phoenix Suns, and a cheerleader for the Arizona Cardinals, it looked as if Borne was set to move to the WWE main roster in early 2020 after penning a new deal with Vince McMahon's sports entertainment giant.

Instead, as is so often the case, plans were ultimately changed and Borne was left on the sidelines, last wrestling for the company on a 31 January 2020 NXT live event before being eventually released in May 2021. Since then, the 33-year-old has been inactive in the pro wrestling world. Well, until the aforementioned return to the ring at this weekend's Dark tapings, that is.

Whether this was a one-off or more will come of this for Danielle Kamela and AEW, that remains to be seen.

Authored by Andrew Pollard

Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks/Saints, Jamie Hayter, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.

Posted On: 6th Feb 2022

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Vanessa Borne