WWE SmackDown Star Appears At NXT Vengeance Day 2023
This blue brand star appeared and turned on a former friend.
Having been absent from WWE TV for several months, Dabba-Kato appeared at last night's NXT Vengeance Day.
Kato made his presence known during Apollo Crews' match against Carmelo Hayes. While the big man stopped Trick Williams from interfering in Crews and Hayes' two-out-of-three falls encounter - a bout with Hayes won - Dabba delivered a post-match beating to Apollo.
Wow.
AdvertisementOnce friends, but not anymore ?#WWENXT #VengeanceDay pic.twitter.com/NIJ4lgDZrP
— WWE (@WWE) February 5, 2023
Of course, Dabba-Kato, under the Commander Azeez moniker, previously served as the muscle for Apollo Crews when the pair were a featured SmackDown act, including Crews having a 123-day reign as the Intercontinental Champion.
Prior to being presented as Commander Azeez, the 33-year-old was known as Dabba-Kato as a part of the ill-fated Raw Underground. Going back further, the 6' 9" talent made his WWE debut in the Greatest Royal Rumble back in 2018. There, the Polish-born powerhouse took the name of Babatunde. Now, it appears that the former football player has once again reverted back to the Dabba-Kato mantle.
Dabba-Kato's last televised match was a win over Akira Tozawa on a May 2022 episode of WWE Main Event. In terms of his most recent match, period, Kato teamed with Xyon Quinn at an NXT live event last month - with that tandem coming up short against the Dyad's Jagger Reid and Rip Fowler.