The prohibited portal has been opened. This past Tuesday on WWE NXT, TNA Knockouts Champion Jordynne Grace was revealed to be NXT Women’s Champion Roxanne Perez’s next challenger, as the two will do battle for the white and gold’s prize at NXT Battleground on June 9th. While Grace is somewhat of a familiar face to WWE audiences, having competed in the Women’s Royal Rumble in January, her WWE NXT appearance was no less unprecedented. Surprises are to be expected at WWE Royal Rumble and the sheer volume of them often leaves each individual entrant with only a minute or two to showcase. Grace’s NXT appearance and upcoming match puts a full spotlight on not just her, but TNA as a whole.
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More TNA x WWE Collaborations Expected
Jordynne Grace’s WWE NXT debut was just the beginning.
As reported by PWInsider, the TNA Knockouts Champion’s match at NXT Battleground next month “will not be the only collaboration” between WWE and TNA “in the days ahead.” There is said to be a belief that there will be NXT representation in some form on future TNA events.
Grace’s WWE NXT appearance caught the attention of just about the entire TNA roster, as many of the promotion’s top stars took to social to express interest in following Grace through the prohibited portal.
“WWE NXT yall need one of the best tag teams in the world or??” former TNA Tag Team Champion Chris Bey wrote alongside a gif of himself and tag partner Ace Austin.
“I had a shot at your cruiserweight title. I should return the favor…,” TNA X-Division Champion Mustafa Ali responded to WWE’s Cedric Alexander.
The beginning of this supposed working relationship between WWE and TNA began at WWE Royal Rumble in January, when Grace appeared in the titular women’s battle royal.
“I got a call from (then TNA President) Scott [D’Amore]. They had called him and asked him if they could loan me for the Women’s Royal Rumble. He had asked me if I want to do it, and obviously I’m not going to say no. That’s a huge event, huge opportunity,” Grace told ComicBook in an interview earlier this year. “[Triple H and I] didn’t chat, but we did have an introduction very briefly, and then I had shot him a text saying thank you afterwards, and he thanked me. Neither one of us are trying to get in trouble in the legal aspect of those kind of things. It was more of a, ‘Thank you for being here.’”
