Former WWE Star Appears At NXT Battleground

This ex-WWE star made a shock appearance at NXT Battleground.

by Andrew Pollard
NXT Battleground 2024 Tatum Paxley Ash by Elegance Dana Brooke
WWE

With TNA Knockouts Champion Jordynne Grace in action at NXT Battleground, many fans were eager to see which, if any, other TNA names might make an appearance at the UFC Apex.

As rumblings and speculation suggest more crossover between TNA and NXT talent in the coming weeks and months, there was no particular 'invasion' or major presence from TNA at last night's show. That said, there was a TNA face familiar to many a WWE fan.

During Grace's match with NXT Women's Champion Roxanne Perez, Tatum Paxley at one point made her way out and grabbed the Knockouts Title. That then brought out TNA star Ash by Elegance - the former Dana Brooke - before both Paxley and Ash were taken out with a belt shot from Grace.

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Elsewhere, TNA Hall of Famer - and one-time WWE Women's Champion - Gail Kim was in attendance for Battleground, as was current TNA talent Jonathan Gresham, with Gresham the husband of Jordynne Grace. TNA President Anthony Cicione and TNA Executive Producer Ariel Shnerer were also at the UFC Apex for the show.

As for Grace's shot at the NXT Women's Championship, the Juggernaut would ultimately come up short, with Roxanne using the Paxley/Ash distraction to hit the Pop Rox for the 1-2-3.

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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, Jamie Hayer, 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.