Rhea Ripley, Natalya, and others react to WWE star's emotional update
A WWE star bid farewell to the company's developmental brand on the most recent edition of NXT. The name in question, Alicia Taylor, shared an emotional update on social media after the show.
The 43-year-old signed with the Stamford-based company in 2018. Following Kayla Braxton's move to SmackDown the following year, Taylor joined NXT as a ring announcer. A recent report claimed that she would be headed to the main roster, as Mike Rome would return to the developmental brand. Taylor's move to the blue brand was announced officially on NXT last night.
Alicia Taylor recently took to Instagram to share an emotional message after bidding farewell to the white and gold brand. The ring announcer thanked the entire NXT family, as well as Triple H and Shawn Michaels. She further welcomed Mike Rome back to the developmental brand:
"Longest Reigning 🎤 Champ of NXT. Thank you to the @wwenxt faithful that show support in #Orlando EVERY. SINGLE. WEEK. Thank you to my NXT family, HBK, Triple H, Bloom, @vicjosephwwe, the coaches, PC staff, and everyone that has made NXT so incredibly special….since I walked through the doors in December 2018. NXT is left in good hands! BIG welcome to @austinmromero 🎙️🎙️🎙️Special shout out to my @wwe tag team partner and Day One Ish @joeprado39 And now…let the BLUE BRAND BEGIN! #Smackdown … LFG!!!!!! 💙💙💙💙," she wrote.
The Instagram post caught the attention of several superstars, including Rhea Ripley, Chelsea Green, and others, who liked the update. Other performers, including Natalya, Shotzi, and Lyra Valkyria, commented on the post.
You can check out some of the reactions below:
Shawn Michaels sends a message to Alicia Taylor following her WWE SmackDown call-up
Shawn Michaels is currently the Senior Vice President of Talent Development Creative on NXT. After the show, the former World Champion posted a message for Alicia Taylor on social media.
The 58-year-old took to X/Twitter to share a backstage video of himself bidding farewell to the ring announcer. In the post, Michaels thanked Alicia for everything she did on NXT while also congratulating her on her move to SmackDown:
"An irreplaceable part of the soundtrack for countless unforgettable #WWENXT moments, and now she's bringing her unending passion to #SmackDown. @AliciaTaylorNXT, thank you for everything you've brought to the #NXTUniverse... and congratulations on your next step! #WeAreNXT," wrote Michaels.
Alicia Taylor has been an integral part of NXT over the past few years. She will now look to make a mark on the main roster as well.