Prime Time Wrestling unveils new ringname for released WWE star ahead of in-ring return
Prime Time Wrestling has disclosed on social media that a 35-year-old former WWE Superstar will make a comeback to the ring after an eight-month hiatus.
As part of the September 2023 round of talent cuts, WWE released Nigerian-Polish former football player-turned-wrestler, Babatunde Łukasz Aiyegbusi. He is best known for his stint in the Stamford-based promotion as Commander Azeez, while he also performed under the ring name Dabba-Kato.
He made a surprise appearance for Prime Time Wrestling in Poland in February. On Instagram, PTW has now revealed that he will face Dawid “Puncher” Seńko for the PTW World Championship at the promotion’s May 11 show. The former WWE star will perform as "Babathunder" from here on.
Check out the Instagram post below:
Babathunder signed with WWE in 2016 and worked on the NXT brand until 2020, before moving to the main roster as part of the RAW Underground storyline involving Shane McMahon and a few other notable names. However, the angle did not connect well with the crowd and fizzled out relatively quickly.
He then joined forces with Apollo Crews. Together, the two men were part of WrestleMania 37 in 2021, where Crews regained the Intercontinental Championship from Big E. He continued his alliance with Apollo as Commander Azeez even after they were moved back to NXT in 2022.
Apollo Crews credits former WWE star for helping him stay away from complacency
During an interview with Nick Hausman at the Royal Rumble media row two years ago, Apollo Crews gave plaudits to Commander Azeez. He credited Azeez for keeping him from feeling complacent in the ring.
Their role on television together was a controversial one with the stereotype characters, but then Crews has not been part of a storyline ever since that was as notable as this one:
"It’s nice to see him [Azeez] grow because he was thrown into a situation where a lot of people could have sank. He’s doing very well and he’s growing, and I love seeing it. He’s also helped me, sometimes we get complacent, a lot of times we get complacent, so he’s helped me leave that comfort zone again and challenged me to do new things, so it’s great," said Apollo Crews.
Apollo Crews got drafted to RAW last year, however, he has not competed on the show since July 24, 2023. That was until he was booked to work with the returning Andrade on the Road To WrestleMania XL. However, the bout was a one-off, and Crews is once again out of the picture for the time being.