Details on nixed plans for NXT Superstar to get involved in Roman Reigns storyline; Identity revealed
It was recently reported that an NXT Superstar was set to be called up to SmackDown last week and get involved in the Roman Reigns and Kevin Owens storyline. We now have an update on the identity of the NXT Superstar, and also details about why the plan was scrapped.
It was former NXT North American Champion Damian Priest who was set to make his SmackDown debut last week. On the latest Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer revealed the details of the plans for him and why they were nixed at the last moment.
He reported that there was this idea of getting new babyface stars on SmackDown, and the name of Damian Priest came up. The plan was to introduce Priest as Kevin Owens' best friend and help him in his feud against Roman Reigns and Jey Uso. Damian Priest was all set to compete in a tag match on SmackDown, but Kevin Owens then claimed that it made no sense for Priest to be his best friend.
"So, they had a story where it was supposed to be Damian Priest is Kevin Owens’ best friend and he’s helping him against Roman Reigns and Jey Uso. In fact they were even gonna do a tag match on the show Friday night. And Damian Priest is there and ready and all that, and Kevin Owens essentially said 'it makes no sense for him to be my best friend. What do we have in common? Why would he be my best friend? I mean we could do it but, why is he my best friend?'" (h/t WrestleTalk)
Roman Reigns agreed with Kevin Owens and the plans were nixed. Damian Priest lost against Karrion Kross at NXT New Year's Evil, and it is unclear what is next for him. Earlier, Fightful Select reported that Damian Priest is scheduled to be called up to the main roster.
What happened on SmackDown between Roman Reigns and Kevin Owens last week?
The storyline between Roman Reigns and Kevin Owens is far from over. This past week on SmackDown, Owens took on Jey Uso in the main event and defeated him. Following the match, KO used Uso as bait to bring out Roman Reigns, but the Universal Champion did not show up.
This led to Kevin Owens taking Jey Uso to the stands of the WWE ThunderDome, where he was about to jump on him from a platform. But before he could do it, Roman Reigns appeared and attacked him. This led to a brawl between the two of them. SmackDown ended with Roman Reigns tossing Owens through a table from the stands of the WWE ThunderDome.