Ricky Saints is moving forward following a rough reaction to a recent NXT segment.
Following the fallout from last week’s concert segment on WWE NXT television, additional details have surfaced regarding the creative behind the segment and how it was received backstage.
The segment itself was ultimately removed from WWE’s social media platforms shortly after airing.
Sources indicated that the decision to take it down was due to the negative reception it generated among fans online.
Despite the criticism, the idea reportedly did not originate from Ricky Saints.
According to those within NXT that we spoke to, the concert segment was not Saints’ pitch or creative concept. It was written for him, and internally it’s said that Saints has actually been trying to avoid material on WWE television that could draw comparisons to things previously done by The Rock.
Backstage reaction to the segment was described as lukewarm, but there wasn’t significant concern about the long-term outlook for either Saints or Joe Hendry. Several people within NXT felt both performers managed to rebound effectively heading into the Vengeance Day premium live event.
One rough segment wasn’t viewed as a lasting issue.
We also asked about Saints’ long-term status on the NXT roster. The belief among many within NXT is that Saints was never expected to remain in the brand for an extended period when he arrived last year.
In fact, multiple people noted that most within the brand did not anticipate Saints spending a full year on the NXT roster once he was initially brought in.
(H/T: Fightful Select)
