Two Ring of Honor Stars Spotted in WWE NXT Crowd

By Liam Crowley

Under the Vince McMahon regime, WWE refocused its recruiting strategies. Gone were the days of plucking talent from professional wrestling's independent circuit, as the company favored bringing in collegiate athletes and transforming them into WWE superstars. This became evident with the introduction of the Next in Line program, as WWE began signing amateur wrestlers, track stars, and football players while they were still competing at their respective universities with the hope that they would join the company full-time following graduation. These WWE NIL athletes ranged from olympians like Gable Steveson (University of Minnesota) to cheerleaders like Ali Mattox (University of Mississippi).

While the WWE NIL program is still in effect, the Triple H regime is seemingly open to bringing in professional wrestlers once more. Former Ring of Honor Six-Man Tag Team Champions Vincent and Dutch were spotted in the crowd of Tuesday's episode of NXT. The former members of The Righteous were not blatantly referenced or given a title card like how NXT used to present new signings at NXT Takeover events, but they were visible enough to catch the eyes of fans watching on television.

There is no word on whether Vincent and Dutch have inked deals with WWE, but the two have been linked to the company for a number of months now. Earlier this fall, both men were reportedly backstage at an episode of Monday Night Raw, and fans have speculated that they could become involved with Bray Wyatt's rumored "WYATT 6" stable.

WWE is holding tryouts this week at the WWE Performance Center, with stars like MLW's KC Navarro and NWA's Kylie Rae set to be in attendance. It has since been reported that Vincent and Dutch will also take part in that tryout.

Vincent, also known as Vinny Marseglia, spent a decade in Ring of Honor. He was most known for his time with Matt Taven and TK O'Ryan in The Kingdom, a revamped version of the stable that once boasted the likes of Adam Cole and Mike Bennett. Vincent would eventually branch off and form his own faction, The Righteous, recruiting Dutch, Bateman, and Vita VonStarr. The group found success in ROH's trios division, capturing the ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Titles. They captured those titles together at ROH Final Battle in December 2021, holding them until this past July, when they dropped the straps to Dalton Castle and The Boys at ROH Death Before Dishonor. This was Vincent and Dutch's only match in the Tony Khan era of ROH.

Stay tuned to ComicBook.com for updates on Vincent and Dutch's WWE status.

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