Mariah May has been a hot topic across professional wrestling since speculation started about her AEW contract status. When the news broke that she was removed from the AEW roster page, it became just a matter of when she’d arrive in WWE. The answer was Tuesday, June 3 as she appeared during a women’s segment on WWE NXT.
Mariah May appeared during a segment that started with the new NXT Women’s Champion, Jacy Jayne staking her claim at the top of the division. May appeared on the balcony above the ring, to an outcry of cheers from the fans.
“I have finally arrived,” May declared. “Ladies you can call me the ‘next NXT Women’s Champion.’ Because the best women’s division in the world just got a lot more glamorous.”
Now, what everyone immediately noticed is that the performer formerly known as Mariah May did not state her name. WWE also made it clear to not state her name in the social media posts made to promote her arrival. This is exactly what happened when Ricky Saints, formerly known as Ricky Starks in AEW, made the quick jump from one promotion to the other. Expect this to play out the same way, she may not be known as Mariah May in WWE, but her name will probably end up being something similar.
Fans react to Mariah May’s appearance on WWE NXT
Reaction online was swift to Mariah May’s first appearance since the Hollywood Ending match against Toni Storm at AEW Revolution. While the news of her move to NXT was heavily reported, many were still shocked to see her make the jump so quickly.
“Mariah May is going to be a staple for NXT,” Victor Perry of The Wrestling Club fame posted on Twitter. “I can’t wait to see what she does. It seems like she’ll be keeping her “glamorous” character which I think is great!”
“Great thing about NXT, wherever you came from, they know you when you show up,” said wrestling media personality, Cam Hawkins.
It will be interesting to see how Mariah is leveraged in NXT. The brand is going through a refresh of sorts. Roxanne Perez and Stephanie Vaquer were moved over to WWE Monday Night Raw, while Giulia is now on SmackDown. Reports are that Jordynne Grace will also join her at some point on the SmackDown roster, even though she was involved in this segment on WWE NXT. NXT has a deep roster with several young names ready to step up, but May gives the brand an experienced, young face to build around.
Still, she’s more than capable of performing on the main roster and her time in AEW proved that. She and Toni Storm put on one of the best angles in all professional wrestling, with an ending that should have main evented that PPV. May would fit in just fine with the likes of the women currently leading the way on either Raw or SmackDown. Do not expect her to stay in NXT too long but do expect to see her capture gold along the way.
Mariah May made the big move to WWE, joining NXT just days after being removed from the AEW roster page. Now, fans wait to see what she will be named and if her time in WWE will start off on the right foot.