Friday night saw the return of Shane Thorne, who appears to be testing out a new gimmick.
Back in early December, Thorne's partner, Nick Miller, decided to leave NXT to spend time with his new baby. It was reported that the company planned on keeping his partner on and would give him a singles push.
At an NXT Live Event in Tampa, Florida, Thorne – who is now known as Shane Solo – came out with former NXT UK Women’s champion Rhea Ripley for a mixed tag team bout against NXT North American Champion Ricochet and Kacy Catanzaro. Solo and Ripley ended up losing the tag team bout, but the pair are currently getting some solid buzz from fans who were in attendance for the live event.
Rhea Ripley has quietly made her return to the NXT circuit regularly in the US since November, initially defending the NXT UK title at Live Events, and then feuding with Bianca Belair at recent shows.