Didn’t take long for former TNA X-Division champ Robert “Robbie E” Strauss to make his NXT debut. That’s a little surprising, but maybe not as surprising as how he debuted.
The 35 year old pro wrestler/reality competition vet’s signing was just announced a couple weeks back, and last night (Mar. 21) in Sanford, Florida he worked his first NXT house show. Strauss didn’t wrestle, though. Instead he showed up as the manager for Indian wrestlers Saurav Gurjar & Rinku Singh.
A worldwide brand. @RobertStrauss pic.twitter.com/P3R7itjhGJ
— JJ Williams (@JJWilliamsWON) March 22, 2019
Around a victory for Gujar over Jonah Rock, Strauss announced plans to build a worldwide brand. That combined with his suit also tells me he’s playing a heel.
Made quite an impression in the corner of @rinkusingh235 and @gurjar_saurav ...In @WWENXT , I plan on building a BRAND! Tonight it began in #NXTSanford! #therobertstraussbrand pic.twitter.com/5uCcsBiKIV
— Robert Strauss (@RobertStrauss) March 22, 2019
Looks like another sign that managers are working their way back into the WWE storytelling mix, at least on the black-and-gold brands. Hopefully it’s also a sign Stokely Hathaway’s debut isn’t far behind.
In addition to Strauss’ appearance, it was an eventful show in central Florida. Other recent signees like Rock and 3.0 were in action, and the main event was a preview of the just announced North American title match for TakeOver: New York (Velveteen Dream retained over Matt Riddle).
Now let’s talk about Robbie’s pants...
NXT debut of @RobertStrauss! @RealRinkuSingh @gurjar_saurav #NXTSanford #NXT pic.twitter.com/7BcMJgYsMk
— Anthony Scism (@AScism2K1) March 22, 2019