What Went Wrong With This Week's NXT Closing Angle? (WWE News)
"We know who that is!" but we just can't identify them by name...
This week's NXT broadcast ended with the debut of Nikki Blackheart, laying waste to Tatum Paxley as the show went off the air... but never formally identified by the commentary team.
As was the case when names like Ricky Starks and Mariah May first turned up in NXT, this week's show saw Vic Joseph and Booker T use verbiage like "we know who she is" and "look who's here", rather than outright identifying Blackheart. Of course, in the case of Starks and May, subsequent weeks would see them take on the Ricky Saints and Blake Monroe names.
Per f4wonline's Bryan Alvarez, Nikki Blackheart was never referred to by name because "some trademark things" have yet to be finalised, and it's expected that she'll have an official name by next week. Additionally, Cory Hayes of False Finish reports that WWE's recent trademarking of "Reina Volcan" is going to be Blackheart's new moniker.
Nikki was part of the latest Performance Center class recruited in May, with her signing announced alongside William Walker, Lacey Simon, and Marcus Brown. Formerly known as Will Kroos, Walker has already made a splash in NXT as Mason Rook; Lacey Simon is a third-generation talent, being the daughter of Dean Malenko; and Brown is a fitness athlete who's made the move to professional wrestling.
At the time that those signings were announced, Nikki Blackheart was referenced by her real name of Nicole Martinez, and she's already wrestled four live event matches for NXT, where she's gone by simply Martinez.
As for her NXT TV debut, that came after Kelani Jordan had defeated Tatum Paxley this week. With Paxley in the ring, Nikki Blackheart/Reina Volcan/Martinez arrived and put her in the torture rack to close out the show.
With a background as a cheerleader for the Florida Panthers and having trained under Gangrel, Nikki Blackheart has two years of in-ring experience to her name, and made quite the impression on Bayley during one of her Lodestone training camps, with the Role Model reportedly helping to secure her a WWE tryout.