Every Original WWE NXT Black & Gold Roster Member - Where Are They Now?

4. Michael McGillicutty

Michael McGillicutty
WWE.com

What was he doing at the time?

Swimming against the tide, to be brutal about it. The "second generation star" tag - as well as a terrible name to inexplicably steer away from that fact - was doing McGillicutty no favours, particularly after he well and truly screwed the pooch when given promo time during NXT's gameshow era. "And starting this moment, from now...from this moment on...this'll be the moment...starting now, of the genesis of McGillicutty" was about as effective in delivery as it was forecasting his prospects.

What is he doing now?

As of 2026, sadly still up against it a bit. He appeared from out of wrestling exile in for a Minnesota indie under his real name (Joe Hennig) alongside TAFKA Von Wagner Cal Bloom, but five years had passed since his last match. There, he worked Daniel Bryan on a pandemic SmackDown before getting released. Most recently, he was in the headlines for the wrong reasons when a police mugshot did the rounds following a DUI/DWI charge. 

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation for nearly 10 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 65,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has provided in-person coverage of some of the biggest pay-per-views and Premium Live Events in wrestling history, including WrestleMania, Survivor Series, All In & Double Or Nothing in destinations such as New York, New Jersey, Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live.