PROFILES: Meet the 2021 NXT Breakout tournament competitors
The future of WWE has arrived.
WWE’s Performance Center is chock-full of hungry talent waiting for their breakout moment. The company as a whole is going through a shakeup ahead of returning to the road, and even NXT is feeling the effects of releases, injuries, and overall changes that are occurring on Raw and SmackDown.
With that being said, now is the perfect time to introduce NXT fans to a new batch of talent who are waiting for their spotlight. After all, 2019’s NXT Breakout tournament proved to be a success having introduced the likes of Cameron Grimes, Bronson Reed, Angel Garza, and several others.
So, who are the eight men that are vying for a title match of their choosing? Let’s take a look.
Ikemen Jiro
Has been wrestling for: 10 years
Age: 28
Billed from: Japan
Billed height: 5’11”
Billed weight: 198
Ikemen Jiro signed with WWE in December after spending seven years competing and winning titles in Wrestle-1. He made his 205 Live debut in May and has scored tag team and singles wins over 205 originals Ariya Daivari, Tony Nese, and The Bollywood Boyz. His only loss in WWE so far took place on a June episode of NXT when Grizzled Young Veterans defeated Jiro and August Grey.
Duke Hudson
Has been wrestling for: 13 years
Age: 32
Billed from: South Australia
Billed height: 6’5”
Billed weight: 253
The former Elliot Sexton is known for his time spent in MCW, BCW, New Japan, and PROGRESS. After grinding on the indie scene for a decade, Brendan Vink signed with WWE in February 2019. Before the pandemic, Vink racked up several wins in Evolve, which paved the way for more opportunities when WWE moved production to the Performance Center.
Vink worked five matches on Raw in the spring of 2020, mostly teaming with Shane Thorne. However, he was soon removed from storylines despite being aligned with MVP. Vink hasn’t wrestled on TV in over a year, but hopefully the new Duke Hudson moniker is enough to take him places in the coming weeks.
The match: Jiro vs. Hudson will be a battle of technique, size, and strength. Jiro’s picked up some momentum as of late, while Hudson has more experience with time spent on Evolve and Raw last year. My gut tells me this isn’t the end of the line for the towering South Australian.
Andre Chase
Has been wrestling for: 13 years
Age: 32
Billed from: North Carolina
Billed height: 6’2”
Billed weight: 216
Andre Chase is the former Harlem Bravado, once a member of The Bravado Brothers alongside Lancelot. The brothers competed in Ring of Honor during the first few years of their careers. When Lancelot retired in 2017, Harlem continued competing on the indie circuit, having spent a lot of time in Evolve until the pandemic hit.
Bravado signed with WWE earlier this year and qualified for the Breakout tournament by defeating Guru Raj on 205 Live. Chase’s opponent in the tournament remains a mystery as of press time, however his size and experience makes him one to watch.
Joe Gacy
Has been wrestling for: 15 years
Age: 33
Billed from: New Jersey
Billed height: 6’0”
Billed weight: 249
Joe Gacy knows a thing or two about extreme considering he started his career in CZW. He’s a former three-time CZW World Heavyweight Champion, in addition to holding gold in twelve other promotions. Gacy made his Evolve debut in 2018, and by 2019, Gacy and Eddie Kingston defeated The Street Profits to become Evolve Tag Team Champions.
Gacy and Kingston held the titles for over 100 days before losing to A.R. Fox and Leon Ruff. After WWE purchased Evolve, Gacy’s signing with the Performance Center was announced in October 2020. He continued training until he debuted and defeated Desmond Troy in a Breakout tournament qualifying match earlier this month.
Josh Briggs
Has been wrestling for: 5 years
Age: 27
Billed from: Massachusetts
Billed height: 6’8”
Billed weight: 268
Josh Briggs will go down in history as the man who beat Austin Theory to become the final Evolve Champion. Considering his success so early in his career, it was not surprising to learn WWE signed Briggs after Evolve closed its doors.
Now, Briggs will enter the 2021 NXT Breakout tournament as the tallest competitor. We caught a glimpse of what he can do when he defeated a former Evolve foe in Asher Hale (Anthony Henry) on a recent episode of 205 Live.
Can you imagine a powerhouse finals match between Josh Briggs and Duke Hudson?
Odyssey Jones
Has been wrestling for: 2 years
Age: 27
Billed from: New York
Billed height: 6’5”
Billed weight: 405
Odyssey Jones might just have the most to prove in this tournament. The former Omari Palmer signed with WWE in 2019 and has only competed in six NXT live event matches and a SmackDown dark match. He made his televised debut just last week by defeating Grayson Waller on 205 Live.
Jones may have the least experience, but his size and charisma will make him hard to beat.
Trey Baxter
Has been wrestling for: 2 years
Age: 23
Billed from: Missouri
Like Odyssey Jones, Trey Baxter has only been wrestling for a couple years. However, Baxter’s already made a name for himself on the indies with time spent in GCW, IWA Mid-South, NJPW Strong, and Impact Wrestling’s X-Division.
The former Blake Christian signed with WWE in February and has only competed in one NXT match so far. Just last month, Trey stepped up to Kushida in a thrilling Cruiserweight Championship open challenge.
Carmelo Hayes
Has been wrestling for: 7 years
Age: 27
Billed from: Massachusetts
Billed height: 5’10”
Billed weight: 176
Carmelo Hayes, once known as Christian Casanova, made a name for himself in the northeast by competing for the likes of Beyond, Northeast Championship Wrestling, Chaotic, and Limitless.
Now, Hayes is already breaking out with two NXT performances under his belt. Last month, he challenged Kushida for the NXT Cruiserweight title and went toe-to-toe with former NXT Champion Adam Cole.
Hayes is considered a fan-favorite to win the entire tournament, but he’ll have to go through larger and more experienced opponents to do so.
Want more content from Meteora4 Media? Check out Ring Post Journal #1: A 2020 Women’s Wrestling Year in Review available now on Amazon.
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