Remember how magical the summer of 2014 was for NXT? The men we know today as Hideo Itami, Finn Balor, and Kevin Owens all signed with WWE in the span of two months, reaffirming Triple H’s dedication to sowing a bright future for the next generation of wrestling. Itami, Balor, and Owens have all proven themselves to be well worth whatever they’re being paid, but NXT cooled down for a bit on their indy-scene raid to focus on the talent already on the roster. It’s been fun to watch the former indy standouts and WWE’s in-house projects develop… I mean, Lord help me. I think I’m non-ironically enjoying Baron Corbin matches now. But if you’re like me, you’ve probably wondered who the next major independent star to jump ship to the Performance Center will be. Wonder no more!
With multiple sources (most notably the Wrestling Observer) finally confirming, it now looks like the right time to say that Uhaa Nation is coming to NXT. The 27-year-old has five years of wrestling experience to his name, most notably with Dragon Gate in Japan. He gave an emotional farewell by his Dragon Gate comrades after his final match with the company on March 1. While I hate to see him abandon his longtime tag team partner and all-around fantastic human being Akira Tozawa, Uhaa is probably going to be a smash hit with the Full Sail crowd.
Here’s the thing about Uhaa Nation, he’s physically impossible. Upon first glance, he looks like just another power wrestler along the lines of Bobby Lashley or Brock Lesnar. Instead, he mixes up his power game with high-flying offense that blatantly defies the laws of physics as we know them. He looks like Luke Cage and moves like Iron Fist, if you get my drift.
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Because it appears that we’re beyond rumor territory at this point, I can’t wait to see him doing standing shooting star presses at NXT. He’s young, unorthodox, and he’s worked hard for his success, especially after a scary knee injury that sidelined him for a year. But for his sake, let’s hope they’ve broken up the New Day by the time he hits the main roster.
